Tabith Awal has rejoined the board of National Bank as a director following the resignation of his father, business leader Abdul Awal Mintoo, from the position of chairman after his appointment as a minister.
Tabith Awal participated in the bank’s board of directors meeting on Sunday. Bangladesh Bank had granted a no-objection approval for his appointment as a director on March 31.
On the same day, Nazneen Ahmed, a prominent garment sector entrepreneur, also took up her position as a director of the bank. National Bank announced the appointments on its website.
Tabith Awal is currently the deputy managing director of Multimode Group and the president of the Bangladesh Football Federation. Nazneen Ahmed is the chairman of Dye Affin Limited and Officina BD Limited.
This marks Tabith Awal’s return to the National Bank board, a position he held previously from 2001 to 2003.
After the political transition in 2024, Abdul Awal Mintoo resumed a key role at National Bank. He was elected a member of parliament for Feni-3 constituency in February and appointed as the minister for environment, forest, and climate change. As ministers are required to relinquish positions in profit-making companies, Mintoo stepped down from his role as chairman. On March 2, independent director Professor Melita Mehjabeen was appointed as chairman.
Earlier, Syed Farhat Anwar had been appointed chairman in December 2023 amid internal disputes within the Sikder family. Under his leadership, discussions began regarding a possible merger between National Bank and United Commercial Bank, but the process stalled after the change in government.
The bank has been facing liquidity stress, exacerbated by loan irregularities and fraud. In August 2024, Bangladesh Bank dissolved the board of National Bank, which had been under the control of the Chattogram-based S Alam Group.
Abdul Awal Mintoo returned as chairman in August 2024 after a 21-year hiatus. He had been a sponsor-director of the bank since its inception in 1983 and served as chairman from 1995 to December 1998.
Tabith Awal had also been involved in the bank’s management earlier and served as a director at various times until 2007.
