Dr Melita Mehjabeen Elected Chairman of National Bank PLC

Professor Dr Melita Mehjabeen has been elected chairman of the board of directors of National Bank PLC, replacing Abdul Awal Mintoo.

The decision was taken at the bank’s 539th board meeting held on 28 February, according to information published on National Bank’s official website. Dr Mehjabeen assumed the role with immediate effect. She had been serving as an independent director of the bank.

Abdul Awal Mintoo, an elected Member of Parliament from Feni-3, stepped down as chairman as MPs are not allowed to hold the top position in a bank under existing regulations.

Dr Mehjabeen currently serves as an independent director at Grameenphone, British American Tobacco Bangladesh, and Unilever Consumer Care Limited.

She completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), University of Dhaka, and joined the institute as a lecturer in 2009. A Commonwealth Scholar, she earned her PhD in accounting and finance from the Alliance Manchester Business School, UK. She also holds a master’s degree in development studies from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Before entering academia, Dr Mehjabeen worked in the corporate sector for five years, including at British American Tobacco Bangladesh and Citibank NA.

In August 2024, Bangladesh Bank dissolved the board of National Bank for the third time, citing widespread irregularities. The decision was taken to protect depositors’ interests and maintain financial stability.

According to an order issued by then governor Ahsan H Mansur, the bank’s board had engaged in activities that weakened the bank’s financial condition and harmed depositor interests due to policy failures.

Following the dissolution, the central bank formed a new seven-member board comprising three shareholder directors and four independent directors. The shareholder directors included Abdul Awal Mintoo, Moazzem Hossain, and Zakaria Taher.