Chosen by our partner, the Chittagong Women’s Chamber of Commerce, we are pleased to announce the following three successful women business owners from Bangladesh. They will be attending our 2022 15th Annual Conference in Madrid Spain Nov. 13-15th to accept their award.
Ferdousi Begum, Managing Director, Midway Agro Limited
Midway Agro was established in 2003 as the first Thai-Bangladesh joint venture. It started as a shrimp culture farm and expanded into integrated, sustainable farming involving fish, poultry, dairy and organic farming. Ferdousi has overcome natural disasters, economic hardships and political instabilities to keep her business healthy and running well. The company has received numerous awards from the government for their sustainable practices and its commitment to biodiversity. She has also overcome being one of the few women in the industry. Ferdousi hopes to create agri-tourism to expand the “farm to table” concept.
Midway does business primarily in Bangladesh but a few of their products are sold worldwide. They hope to continue selling their products in the US, Canada, UK & Australia.
Nishat Imran, Managing Director, Simni Ship Recycling Industries
Nishat established her company in 2016 after dreaming of starting a ship recycling business. Bangladesh, India and Pakistan recycle the most ships in the world and she saw the potential to start her own company in the industry. Soon she will be one of the first companies to be a ”fully green yard” designed by a German consultancy firm and approved by the government. Raised by a single mother, Nishat learned at an early age how important it is to be a strong woman and to be involved in your community.
The company does business today with the US, UK, Singapore, Hong Kong and UAE. Nishat hopes to expand also into the European market.
Raisa Mahbub, Managing Director, Aqua Foods Limited
Raisa is the Managing director of Aqua Foods Limited and is the founder of 2 Spoons Restaurant and Café. She also owns Brides and Maiden boutique. Aqua Foods has two major cold storage facilities for exporting fish and to lease out to other suppliers as well. In a very male-dominated sector, she begun selling processed fish to local & international market and now her company has grown to employing over 300 people. Raisa plans to establish soft shell crab farms in the costal areas of Bangladesh to further her product line.
The company exports to Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Saudi-Arabia and Oman. Raisa intends to expand into Europe and is looking to set up in England or Brussels.
Congratulations to these successful and powerful women!
