Zaid Bakht
Zaid Bakht | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1949 Sylhet District, East Pakistan |
| Occupation(s) | Economist, researcher, bank chairman |
| Years active | 1971–present |
| Known for | Chairperson of Agrani Bank Limited; research at Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies |
Zaid Bakht is a distinguished economist and researcher from Bangladesh, who formerly held the position of chairperson at Agrani Bank Limited, recognized as the country's second largest state-owned bank. His professional background also includes research work at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies.
Early life
Born in 1949 in the Sylhet District of what was then East Pakistan, Bakht completed his bachelor's degree in economics at the University of Dhaka. He pursued further studies in economics, obtaining both his Master's and PhD degrees from Cornell University.
Career
Beginning his career in 1971, Bakht joined the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies as an economist. He played a role in shaping industrial policy as a member of the National Committee on Industrial Policy Formulation in 1982 and contributed to the Public Expenditure Review Commission in 2002. His expertise was instrumental in formulating Bangladesh’s Sixth Five Year Plan.
In 2012, he conducted an assessment of the Equity Entrepreneurship Fund for Bangladesh Bank and participated in the South Asia Network of Economic Research Institutes conference held in Colombo. His governance experience includes serving as a Director at Sonali Bank Limited and holding a position on the syndicate board of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology.
Bakht retired from his role as research director and head of research at BIDS in 2014. He has also been engaged as visiting faculty at East West University and North South University. In 2015, the Government of Bangladesh appointed him chairman of Agrani Bank, a role he continued after being reappointed for a third term by the Financial Institutions Division in December 2020. Moreover, he led Agrani Exchange House Private Limited and Agrani Remittance House Sdn Bhd as chairman.