Economist Fahmida Khatun will assume the role of Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) from 1 September after completing her nine-and-a-half-year tenure as executive director.
The decision was approved at CPD’s 68th Board Meeting, the think tank said in a statement.
Fahmida Khatun has been associated with CPD since 2003 and served as executive director from February 2017.
During her tenure, CPD expanded its research programmes, funding base and institutional capacity, according to the organisation.
Between February 2017 and August 2026, CPD’s Development Fund increased by around 590 per cent, while its annual income grew by about 171 per cent through resource mobilisation, prudent financial management and strategic planning.
She also led major improvements in CPD’s physical and technological infrastructure, staff development, research capacity, publication quality, digitalisation and institutional governance.
Before joining CPD, Fahmida Khatun served as a research fellow at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies and held senior professional positions at the United Nations Development Programme and the USAID Mission in Bangladesh.
She has taught economics at universities in Bangladesh and the United Kingdom and has been affiliated with several internationally recognised research and policy institutions.
Fahmida Khatun holds a master’s degree and PhD in Economics from University College London and completed postdoctoral research at Columbia University in the United States.
Her research interests include macroeconomic policy, fiscal and monetary policy, governance of banking and financial sectors, international trade and the economic transformation of least developed countries.
She is a member of the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel of Experts on the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index and the High-Level Advisory Board on the Productive Capacities Index of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
Fahmida Khatun is also a member of the Task Force on Climate, Development and International Financial Architecture of Boston University and serves on the boards of Bangladesh Bank and BRAC.
