Square Group () is a
Bangladeshi
Bangladeshis ( bn, বাংলাদেশী ) are the citizens of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centered on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay.
Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971, when the ...
diversified conglomerate based in Dhaka. Samuel S Chowdhury is the chairman and Tapan Chowdhury is managing director of Square Group.
Square Group has 60 thousand employees.
History
Square Group was founded in 1958
Samson H. Chowdhury and three friends as a pharmaceutical company,
Square Pharmaceuticals
Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is a Bangladeshi Multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical company. It was founded in 1958 by Samson H. Chowdhury along with three of his friends PK Saha, Kazi Harunur Roshid and Radhabinod Rai as a priva ...
in Pabna. Samson H Chowdhury used to own a pharmacy, founded in 1952, in the Ataikula village in
Pabna District.
In 1974, Square Pharmaceuticals worked with
Janssen Pharmaceutica, a subsidiary of
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American multinational corporation founded in 1886 that develops medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and consumer packaged goods. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company i ...
.
In 1987, the group started exporting pharmaceuticals from Bangladesh.
Square Group launched Senora in 1989, which was the first
Sanitary napkin manufactured in Bangladesh.
In 1994, Square Toiletries Limited became a private limited company.
In 1997, Square Group was awarded the national export trophy for exporting pharmaceuticals from Bangladesh.
Square Textiles Limited was established in 1997.
Square established a pharmaceutical factory under the supervision of
Bovis Lend Lease in 2001.
In 2002, Square Textiles Limited was listed on the
Dhaka Stock Exchange.
Square Group founded Square Hospital on 16 December 2006 in Dhaka. Joe Davis-Fleming was appointed the first CEO of the hospital. The 250 bed hospital was built on a 3.5 billion taka budget.
Square Group started exporting food products to Japan through Square Consumer Products Limited in 2008.
On 9 March 2012, the board of directors of Square Group appointed Samuel S Chowdhury Chairperson of the group.
Mikhail V Myasnikovich,
Prime Minister of Belarus
The prime minister of the Republic of Belarus (; ) is the deputy head of government of Belarus. Until 1991, it was known as the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic as the head of the government of t ...
visited Square Pharmaceuticals factory in
Gazipur District and signed a MOU to import pharmaceutical products.
On 9 April 2015, Square Textiles announced plans to invest 1.13 billion taka to expand production facilities. Square Toiletries started the manufacturing of diapers in 2015.
On 26 August 2016, Square Denim started operations from
Habiganj District.
On 10 January 2018, Square pharmaceutical started construction of a pharmaceutical factory in
Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...
,
Kenya
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through its subsidiary Square Pharmaceuticals Kenya EPZ Ltd. The inauguration of construction was attended by Major General Mohammad Humayun Kabir, Bangladesh High Commissioner to Kenya,
Tapan Chowdhury, managing director of Square Group, and Adan Mohamed, cabinet secretary of
Kenya
)
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.
Production at the factory is scheduled to start in 2022 delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Square Group launched a helicopter service called Square Air Limited in 2019.
It operates three helicopters and clientele includes government ministers and high-ranking officials visiting projects outside of Dhaka.
''
The Daily Star'' reported in January 2020 that Square pharmaceutical prices had declined on Dhaka Stock Exchange for "no reason". Square Group received permission to export pharmaceuticals to
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
on 10 March 2020. Square Group donated 10 thousand sets of
personal protective equipment
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infection. The hazards addressed by protective equipment include physical, elec ...
to the
Directorate General of Drug Administration
Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) is the principal drug regulatory agency in Bangladesh and it functions under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
History
Directorate General of Drug Administration was established in 1976 ...
in March 2020 during the
COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh
The COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The virus was confirmed to have spread to Bangladesh in March 2020. The first ...
. On 26 October 2020, Square announced plans to invest 2.5 billion taka to expand pharmaceutical production to meet increasing demand.
Square Group is a signatory of the
United Nations Global Compact.
HSBC
HSBC Holdings plc is a British multinational universal bank and financial services holding company. It is the largest bank in Europe by total assets ahead of BNP Paribas, with US$2.953 trillion as of December 2021. In 2021, HSBC had $10.8 tri ...
provided a 10 billion taka loan to Square Group, which was the first in Bangladesh that was linked with sustainability in 2021.
See also
*
Bombay Sweets
References
{{reflist
1958 establishments in East Pakistan
Organisations based in Dhaka
Conglomerate companies of Bangladesh