Board of Directors
Mr. Petter Boerre Furberg was appointed to the Board on 26 May 2017 and is also the Chair of Grameenphone Board. Mr. Furberg is Executive Vice President and Head of Emerging Asia Cluster, Telenor Group. He also served as interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Grameenphone during November 2016 to May 2017. Before joining Grameenphone as the interim CEO, he was the Senior Vice President Telenor Digital Businesses, based in Bangkok. Prior to that, Mr. Furberg served as CEO of Telenor Myanmar for three years. Since joining Telenor in 1998, he has held a number of executive positions, including Chief Financial Officer and Chief Marketing Officer of dtac, Thailand, and Head of Financial Services at Telenor Group. Mr. Furberg holds a degree in Economics and Business Administration based on a four year program from the Norwegian School of Economics and is a Certified European Financial Analyst (AFA/CEFA).
Mr. M Shahjahan was appointed to the Board on 26 June 2006 and is also Chair of the Company’s Treasury Committee. He is the former Managing Director of Grameen Bank. He acted as the Managing Director of Grameen Bank from 14 August 2011 to 30 October 2014. Now, he is on retirement. Earlier, he served as the Deputy Managing Director, the General Manager and Head of the Accounts, Finance, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Division, the Chief of the Audit Department, and the Zonal Manager of Grameen Bank. Mr. Shahjahan is a member of the Board of Directors of several companies that work in the fields of health, education, agriculture, welfare, renewable energy and telecommunications. He obtained a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree in Accounting from the University of Dhaka in 1976, as well as a Master’s degree in Accounting in 1977 and a Master’s degree in Finance in 1981. He was awarded ICAB Medal (Silver) for passing the ‘C.A. Intermediate’ examination at the earliest eligible chance in 1981.
Mr. Md. Ashraful Hassan was appointed to the Board on 20 January 2010. He currently serves as Managing Director of Grameen Telecom and is engaged in promoting and providing easy access to GSM cellular services in rural Bangladesh. He also serves as Managing Director of Grameen Distribution Ltd. and Grameen Shamogree. He has a profound knowledge in sales channels and product sourcing. He keeps his own signature tune in Grameen Distribution with a broad experience in the concept of business development and supply chain management. He has extensive and diversified knowledge in various industrial sectors, especially in the field of textile focusing on resource efficient, and energy saving production. He has wide exposure in industrial management, local & export market, labour management, developing rural artists & artisan goods and so on. Mr. Ashraf also acquired wide range of experience for different kinds of project development and industrial setup. He has an extensive knowledge in the field of construction engineering. He started his career in Grameen Bank in 1984. During his 15 years of tenure with the Bank, he held various key positions including the Chief of Engineering section. He extended notable contribution to the infrastructural development of Grameen Bank. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of several enterprises that play commendable role in the fields of renewable energy, health care, food & nutrition, information and communication technology, employment generation and so forth. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Bangladesh.
Mr. Haakon Bruaset Kjoel was appointed to the Board on 14 September 2011. He is Senior Vice President and Head of Group Public & Regulatory Affairs, Telenor Group. Mr. Kjoel joined the Telenor Group in 1995, beginning his career in the domestic mobile operations in Norway. Since then, he contributed to the Group’s growing international presence through his involvement in Telenor’s international mobile activities where he in his early years played significant roles in operational development and merger and acquisition activities both in Europe and Asia. For the last 16 years, Mr. Kjoel has served in key roles in the development of the Group’s strategy for Asia and managing the Asia business environment to include the areas of public affairs, regulatory management, government relations, strategic communications and corporate responsibility. He assumed his current global role in September 2016. Mr. Kjoel is a former student of the Norwegian School of Management majoring in Marketing and Communications. He holds a Master of Business Administration from BI Norwegian Business School, Oslo. Mr. Kjoel has been living in Asia since 2001 and currently resides in Singapore.
Ms. Parveen Mahmud FCA was appointed to the Board on 17 October 2012. Ms. Mahmud serves in various Boards including the Chairperson of Shasha Denims Ltd., and MIDAS (Micro Industries Development Assistance and Services). She was the Vice Chairperson, Underprivileged Children Education Program (UCEP) and was the Chairperson of Acid Survivors Foundation. She is the Council member and Past President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB). In her diversified professional career, Ms. Mahmud worked in the development sector and was a practicing chartered accountant. Ms. Mahmud started her career with BRAC, and was the Deputy Managing Director of Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF). She was a partner of ACNABIN, Chartered Accountants. She was the first female President of ICAB for the year 2011 and also the first female Board member in the South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA), the apex accounting professional body of the SAARC. She is the Chairperson, CA Female Forum, ICAB. She was the member of National Advisory Panel for SME Development of Bangladesh and founding Board member of SME Foundation and Convener, SME Women’s Forum. Ms. Mahmud is also a member of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Bangladesh. She is the Managing Director of Grameen Telecom Trust. She received “Women at Work-2017” Award from BASIS and “Women of Inspiration Awards”-2017 from the BOLD Bangladesh. She was awarded Begum Rokeya Shining Personality Award 2006 for women’s empowerment by the Narikantha Foundation, Bangladesh.
Mr. Oivind Burdal was appointed to the Board on 18 May 2016. In 2004, he joined the Legal Department of Telenor ASA where he has practiced and held managerial positions within several areas. In August 2017, he was appointed Vice President, Head of Legal in Telenor Asia (IHQ) Ltd. after having served as Senior Vice President, Head of Legal in Telenor Myanmar Ltd. since July 2015. After obtaining his law degree, he joined Thommessen Krefting Greve Lund, one of the major law firms in Norway, in 1998 focusing on M&A and TMT. Mr. Burdal obtained his Law degree (Cand. Jur.) from the University of Oslo, Norway, his degree in Business Administration (Bedriftsokonom BI) from BI Norwegian Business School Oslo, Norway and his masters’ degree (LLM, Master of Corporate and Commercial Law) from London School of Economics and Political Science in London, England.
Prof. (Dr.) Jamilur Reza Choudhury was appointed to the Board on 15 June 2016 as an Independent Director. He is one of the leading engineers and academics in the country. He started his career in 1963 as a Lecturer in Department of Civil Engineering at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and was appointed as Professor in 1976. He was Head of the Department (1978-79, 1981-83), Dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering at BUET (1983-85) and Director of Computer Centre at BUET (1982-92), the largest computing facility in the country. He received his Ph.D. from University of Southampton, UK, in 1968 and was awarded the Doctor of Engineering (Honoris Causa) degree by University of Manchester, UK, in 2010. He has been involved with planning, design and construction of some of the largest infrastructure projects in Bangladesh (ports, airports, buildings and bridges). He was the President of Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (1992-93). He was elected as Fellow of Institution of Civil Engineers, UK, in 1995. He was an Adviser (Minister) to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh in 1996 and was in charge of Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and Ministry of Water Resources. He was Chairman of the Board of Bangladesh Shilpa Bank (1996-98). He has headed a large number of Committees and Task Forces formed by the Government to formulate ICT Policies and Plans (1997, 2001, 2007). He was the first Vice Chancellor of BRAC University (2001-10) and since 2012, he has been the Vice Chancellor of University of Asia Pacific.
Mr. Irfan Wahab Khan was appointed to the Board on 14 July 2019. Mr. Irfan is the EVP, Head of Emerging Asia cluster Telenor Group, Chair of Telenor Myanmar, Chair of Telenor Microfinance Bank and CEO of Telenor Pakistan since 2016. Prior to that, Mr. Irfan served as Deputy CEO of Telenor Pakistan for two years. Since joining Telenor in 2004, he has held a number of executive positions across Telenor Group including Executive Vice President Telenor Pakistan, CEO Telenor LDI, Group Vice President Devices & Distribution Telenor Group and Chief Marketing Officer Telenor Pakistan. Mr. Khan holds a Master’s degree in Mobile and Personal Communications from University of Westminster, London, UK. He also holds qualifications in Financial Management from Harvard Business School, Executive Diploma in Marketing from London Business School and Advance Management from INSEAD and a Qualified Board Director from IMD. He is also a lifetime Alumni of INSEAD.
Mr. Gunnar Johan Bertelsen was appointed to the Board on 11th of June 2018. Mr. Bertelsen is Vice President of Public and Regulatory Affairs Group Asia, Telenor Group. Prior to that, Mr. Bertelsen served as CCAO of Telenor Myanmar for five years. Since joining Telenor in 1997, he has held a number of executive positions, including Managing Director Telenor Ireland Ltd, VP Telenor Asia and Head of Regulatory DTAC. Currently BoD member of DTAC Thailand and Thai Telco Holding Thailand. Mr. Bertelsen holds a Master Degree in Business Administration and A Dip Advanced Management from University College Dublin Ireland.
Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed was appointed to the Board on 12 December 2018 as an Independent Director and is also Chair of the Company’s Audit Committee. He appointed as the Governor of the Bangladesh Bank on May 2005, for a term of four years to April 30, 2009. He started his career as a lecturer in Economics at Dhaka University in 1970. Joining the erstwhile Civil Service of Pakistan (CSP), he served in various capacities in field of administration in the Government of Bangladesh. He worked in the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP), a regional inter-governmental organization with its headquarters in Dhaka. Dr. Ahmed was the Director General of Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD), Comilla and also Director General of the NGO Affairs Bureau of the Office of the Prime Minister. During 1996-2005, Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed was the Managing Director of Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), the apex funding agency of micro credit operations in Bangladesh. He has authored more than 60 books, reports and journal articles which have been published at home and abroad. He is on advisory bodies of several Government and Non-Government agencies in Bangladesh. Dr. Ahmed was awarded Nawab Sir Salimullah Foundation Gold Medal for contributions in Economics in 2006. He also received the Distinguished Alumni Award from McMaster University, Canada at the Convocation held in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in November 2006. Besides these, he was given several other awards by different bodies. Dr. Ahmed did his Master Degrees in Economics from Dhaka University and McMaster University in 1969 and 1974 respectively and obtained his Ph.D. in Economics from McMaster University, Canada in 1978.