New JBCCI board puts trade, investment in sharper focus
The Japan-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JBCCI) has elected a 16-member board of directors for the 2026-28 term, with Kazuiki Kataoka, country representative of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) Dhaka office, as its new president.
The elections were held on September 13 and 23, according to a press release issued by the chamber.
Kataoka previously served as joint secretary general of the chamber during the 2024-26 term.
Rabiul Alam, managing director of MKK Logistics, has been elected secretary general. He served as a director on the outgoing board and previously served as secretary general of the Nordic Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Kenji Kimura, chief representative of MUFG Bank's Dhaka office, has been elected treasurer. Kimura, who has 25 years of experience in commercial banking, has supported Japanese companies operating in Vietnam, India and Bangladesh.
Abu Zaman Md Tariqul Islam, managing director of Yusen Logistics (Bangladesh) Ltd, has been elected vice president 1, while Syed Samiul Huq, director of Japan Solartech Bangladesh Ltd, has been elected vice president 2.
Oliver Kutz, managing director of JT International Bangladesh Ltd, will serve as joint secretary general, while Saumitra Kumar Mutsuddi, head of corporate affairs at BSRM Ltd and an executive committee member of BAAS, has been elected joint treasurer.
The other directors are Tareq Rafi Bhuiyan (Jun), managing director of NewVision Solutions Ltd; Hiroaki Oura, general manager of ITOCHU Corporation's Dhaka Liaison Office; Kabir Ahmed, managing director of Conveyor Logistics Ltd; Atsushi Hirakuri, general manager of Sojitz Asia Pte. Ltd.; AKM Ahmedul Islam Babu, managing director and CEO of TechKnowGram Ltd; Kenichiro Kawamoto, general manager and country chairperson of Mitsui & Co. (Asia Pacific) Pte. Ltd., Dhaka Branch; Farzanah Chowdhury, managing director and CEO of Green Delta Insurance PLC; Hironori Yamanaka, country general manager of Sumitomo Corporation Asia & Oceania Pte. Ltd.; and Mudassir Murtaza Moin, managing director of Rahimafrooz Distribution Ltd.
The election was conducted by a three-member Election Board headed by AKM Kamrul Islam FCA, the first Banking Ombudsman of Bangladesh. A.Z.M Azizur Rahman, a former member of the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA), also served on the board.
An Election Appeal Board was headed by Dr Muhammad Abdul Mazid, former chairman of the National Board of Revenue and a former government secretary. Abdul Haque, former president of JBCCI and founder and managing director of Haq's Bay Automobiles Ltd, was also a member.
Founded in 2004, JBCCI works to promote trade and investment between Bangladesh and Japan, with a particular focus on encouraging Japanese investment in Bangladesh and increasing Bangladeshi exports to the Japanese market.
The newly elected board brings together senior executives from Japanese and Bangladeshi companies across logistics, banking, manufacturing, insurance, technology and trading, as the chamber enters its 2026-28 term.
