Dhaka, 21 December 2025 — In a landmark decision for Bangladesh’s financial sector, Ms. Nuzhat Anwar has been appointed as the new Managing Director (MD) of Dhaka Stock Exchange PLC (DSE), becoming the first woman to lead the country’s premier bourse. Her appointment was officially approved on 18 December 2025 by the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) for a three-year term, ending ongoing leadership vacancies at the exchange.
The top executive post had remained unfilled since May 2024, after the resignation of the previous MD, leaving the DSE under interim leadership for over a year.
Ms. Anwar joins the DSE with more than two decades of experience across financial markets, banking and development finance. Before her new role, she served at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-sector arm of the World Bank Group, where she held multiple senior leadership positions across Africa and South Asia. Her roles included Resident Representative for Liberia and Sierra Leone, Senior Country Officer for Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal, and Acting Cluster Manager during the COVID-19 pandemic response.
Her international experience is complemented by a strong domestic foundation: Ms. Anwar spent 16 years in senior leadership roles at Citibank Bangladesh and Standard Chartered Bank Bangladesh, engaging in corporate and institutional banking services before joining the IFC.
Ms. Anwar holds a Master’s degree in Commerce (Finance) from the University of Dhaka. Her expertise spans capital management, treasury and liquidity, transaction services, portfolio optimisation and market advocacy, competencies seen as critical for advancing Bangladesh’s capital market.
DSE Chairman Mominul Islam welcomed the appointment, expressing confidence that Ms. Anwar’s international exposure and leadership skills will invigorate the exchange’s strategic goals and deepen investor confidence.
Market analysts and stakeholders have broadly welcomed the appointment as a historic milestone for gender representation in Bangladesh’s financial leadership and an important step in strengthening governance and infrastructure at the DSE.
