Latifur Rahman (28 August 1945 – 1 July 2020) was a Bangladeshi

business magnate A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...

and media mogul. He served as the founding chairman and CEO of

Transcom Group Transcom Group Limited is a Bangladeshi business conglomerate. The businesses under this group include beverage, pharmaceuticals, newspaper, radio channel, electronics, foods, etc. Transcom is the local agent or comprador of international bra ...

which deals with beverages, electrical and electronics products, pharmaceuticals, fast food, snacks and breakfast cereals, print media, FM radio and tea plantations mostly as the

comprador A comprador or compradore () is a "person who acts as an agent for foreign organizations engaged in investment, trade, or economic or political exploitation". A comprador is a Indigenous peoples, native manager for a European business house in East ...

of international brands like Pizza Hut,

KFC KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that specializes in fried chicken. It is the world's second-largest restaurant chain (as measured by sales) after McDonald's, with 2 ...

, Pepsi and Philips. He was the founding director of Mediaworld and Chairman of Mediastar, which owned The Daily Star and Prothom Alo newspapers respectively. Both are the nation's leading English and Bangla newspapers. Rahman received the ''Oslo Business for Peace Award 2012'' in 2012 for his recognition of business ethics and social responsibility.

Career

Rahman started his career as a trainee in 1966 in his family-owned jute mills in

Chandpur District Chandpur District () is a district located in Chattogram Division, Bangladesh. It was a part of the Cumilla District until 15 February 1984.Musa, Muhammad. Brahmanbariar Itibrittyo, Shetu Prokashoni, Brahmanbaria,1998. History During the ru ...

. He worked as an executive in the mills until 1971. Rahman established Transcom Group in 1973 after ''W Rahman Jute Mills'', the main earning source for the Rahman family, was nationalised in 1972. In the 1980s, Rahman became the sole importer and distributor of Nestlé products in Bangladesh. In the 1990s, he bought Smith, Kline & French, a US-based pharmaceutical which had merged into Beecham Group, a British company, and renamed it Eskayef. Rahman was elected a member of the executive board of the Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce for a three-year term in July 2014. He served as the president of Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), Dhaka. Rahman served as the Chairman of the following companies.

Awards

* Oslo Business for Peace Award by

Business for Peace Foundation Business for Peace (BfP) is a non-profit foundation based in Oslo, Norway. Each year, the foundation names up to seven Honourees who receive the Oslo Business for Peace Award, in recognition of their individual and business-worthy contribution to ...

(2012) * Business Executive of the Year by American Chamber of Commerce Bangladesh (2001) * A crest by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dhaka (2012)

Personal life

Rahman was married to Shahnaz Rahman. Together they had three daughters, Simeen Hossain, Shazneen Rahman, and Shahzreh Huq, and a son, Arshad Waliur Rahman. Simeen is a managing director of

Eskayef Bangladesh Limited Eskayef Pharmaceuticals Ltd., also known as SK+F, is a pharmaceutical company in Bangladesh. It belongs to the Transcom Group Transcom Group Limited is a Bangladeshi business conglomerate. The businesses under this group include beverage, ph ...

, Transcom Consumer Products Limited and Transcom Distribution Limited. Shazneen was killed at home in Gulshan, Dhaka in 1998 by their household domestic helpers. Simeen's younger son,

Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain was a 20-year-old Bangladeshi murder victim in the July 2016 Dhaka attack. He was the grandson of Latifur Rahman, chairman of Transcom Group and Shahnaz Rahman. Faraaz was the younger child of Simeen and Muhammad Waquer. ...

, was killed in the

2016 Gulshan attack On the night of 1 July 2016, at 21:20 local time, five militants took hostages and opened fire on the Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan Thana. The assailants entered the bakery with crude bombs, machetes, pistols, and took several dozen hostage ...

. Rahman died on 1 July 2020 at his residence at Chheora village in

Chauddagram Upazila Chauddagram ( bn, চৌদ্দগ্রাম) is an upazila of Cumilla District in the Division of Chittagong, Bangladesh. It also a Municipality under Cumilla District. History This Chauddagram area was very dear to md osman bhuiyan of kai ...

, Cumilla aged 75. He was buried at Banani Graveyard in Dhaka.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rahman, Latifur 1945 births 2020 deaths People from Jalpaiguri People from Comilla District Bangladeshi businesspeople Bangladeshi_newspaper_proprietors Bangladeshi chairpersons of corporations Burials at Banani Graveyard Bangladeshi chief executives