DHL, The Daily Star honour five entrepreneurs, businesses

DHL Express and The Daily Star have, for the 23rd year, honoured five outstanding businesses and entrepreneurs for their contributions to the Bangladesh economy.

This year, the global logistics service provider and the most widely circulated English daily in Bangladesh presented the Bangladesh Business Awards in five categories: Business Person of the Year, Best Financial Institution of the Year, Best Enterprise of the Year, Outstanding Woman in Business, and the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed handed the awards to the winners at the Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel in Dhaka, where Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin was also present.

Ahsan Khan Chowdhury, chairman and CEO of Pran-RFL Group, was named Business Person of the Year for 2024.

Under his leadership, a modest family-run agro venture grew into one of Bangladesh's most diversified conglomerates, spanning more than 6,000 product lines and employing 167,000 people, with annual revenues exceeding $3 billion — a transformation that mirrors the country's own economic rise.

The Enterprise of the Year award went to Walton Hi-Tech Industries PLC, which has reshaped Bangladesh's electronics market, moving from import dependence to global competitiveness.

Founded in the early 2000s, Walton now produces refrigerators, televisions, and smartphones, employs thousands, exports to more than 50 countries, and symbolises the nation's industrial diversification.

City Bank was named Best Financial Institution of the Year 2024. Once considered troubled, the bank has emerged as one of the country's leading lenders.

Established in 1983, it now records strong asset growth, operates a vast agent banking network, runs gender-focused initiatives, and posts profits of over Tk 1,000 crore — underscoring its financial resilience and governance reforms.

Sadia Haque received the Outstanding Woman in Business award for 2024. After leaving a thriving corporate career, she co-founded ShareTrip, Bangladesh's leading travel-tech startup. She turned her passion into innovation, pioneering digital booking, loyalty programmes, and fintech services.

As a female founder, she champions entrepreneurship and breaks barriers in a male-dominated industry while redefining how Bangladesh travels.

M Anis Ud Dowla, chairman of ACI Group, received the Lifetime Achievement Award. He transformed an SME into ACI, one of Bangladesh's largest conglomerates, employing more than 15,000 people.

After a 27-year career in multinationals, he pioneered the local industry and continues to promote ethics, continuous learning, and youth entrepreneurship, seeing Bangladesh's large population and rising middle class as the foundation of future growth.