Tarique Afzal
Partner and CEO

WORK EXPERIENCE      

January 2025 - Present

Partner and CEO
TRADE FINANCE  FINTECH  (TFF), DUBAI, UAE
Business or sector Finance

8 July 2019 - December 2024

Managing Director and CEO

AB BANK LIMITED, BANGLADESH Business or sector Banking
Provide leadership and guidance to senior management of the Bank to drive transformation  and  change  management  and  improvements  in  flow  of capital and finance development, strategy    development, corporate governance, risk management and compliances.

December  2018 - 07 July 2019

President and Managing Director (CC)
AB BANK LIMITED, BANGLADESH
 

Business or sector Banking
Facilitate delegation of responsibilities to ensure efficiency of deliverables in departments, strategies for bad debt recovery, ensure capital adequacy, driving the growth of revenue and profit margins, developing the company's commercial strategies including account management and marketing.

October 2018 – December 2018

Deputy Managing Director- Corporate, Legal, Regulatory Affairs and GSSP
AB BANK LIMITED, BANGLADESH

Business or sector Banking

Provide counsel and guidance to staff in all departments on a wide range of complex issues. Identify, research, and analyze legal issues that affect the Bank and its activities internally and externally with the Bank's ongoing operations, and strategic initiatives, including but not limited to, revenue diversification, and jurisdictional.

Feb 2013 - Feb 2017

Chief Executive Officer and Country Head (Reporting directly to MD and CEO of Sonali Bank)
SONALI BANK SUBSIDIARY - SONALI POLARIS FT LIMITED (SPFTL)

Responsible for Implementing Core Bankingintegrated model (all banking products), bottom line factors, including long term planning independently drive the Joint Venture, owned by Sonali Bank the largest state-owned bank of Bangladesh & Polaris, India, also, ensure product development. Negotiated large government contracts and responded to local and cross border tenders. Moreover, ensured due diligence of major pricing decision points and performed monthly financial evaluation for business outputs and budgetary forecasting. Furthermore, we have developed a training center for customers and business users, monitored all project management controls and organized local and national conferences and knowledge forums. Also, prepared Business Process documentation for the newly upgrade branches under core Banking platform.

Nov 2010 - Jan 2013

Chief Executive Officer
DUN AND BRADSTREET RATING AGENCY LATER KNOWN AS BANGLADESH RATING AGENCY
(SEC LICENSED AND EMPANELLED AS ECAI OF BANGLADESH BANK)
Business or sector Banking

Led operations and coordinated with the shareholders and other regulatory authorities. Managed business planning and forecasting and was responsible for hiring of management staff and rating officers. Conducted a research on local businesses and published the D&B branded book "Bangladesh Top 500 Companies".

Mar 2005 - Oct 2010

Chief Manager (2007-2010) and Head of Retail Banking (2005-2007)
BANK ALFALAH LIMITED, BANGLADESH
Business or sector Banking
Responsible for Country Operations and Branch operations, monitored of and provided leadership to other branch clusters, also acted as Country Head during the absence of Country Head of Bank Alfalah.
As Head of Retail Banking, I was responsible to expand and manage the branch banking and I had also led a 50-member business development team to increase deposit value chain and periodically monitored and reviewed the deposit mix to a lower cost of Fund..

Sept 2003 - Feb 2005

Head of Transaction Banking and Remittance
BRAC BANK PLC, BANGLADESH)
Business or sector Banking
Led the Transaction Banking business and ensured at least 2-3 signing arrangements with local corporates and multinationals for collection services, tie -ups with Western Union and other remittance agencies and expand the remittance business of the Bank. Responsible for hiring Business Development Officers. Conducted periodic Anti Money Laundering Training.

April 1996 - Sept 2003

Unit Head Cash Management (January 2001- September 2003)
Head of Administration and Finance Operations (April 1996 - December 2000)
ANZ GRINDLAYS BANK & STANDARD CHARTERED BANK
Business or sector Banking
Centralization of processes, Integration between ANZ Grindlays Bank and Standard Chartered Bank, Y2k coordination.
Ensured a low-cost deposit growth, monitored fund transfer activities and complied with Anti Money Laundering Guidelines. Managing a team of 30 staff and conducted customer presentations on Product development and analysis.

1987 - 2003

Other Positions
Business or sector Banking
STANDARD CHARTERED BANK, DUBAI, ATTACHMENT, CASH MANAGEMENT (2003)
TORONTO DOMINION (TD) BANK, CANADA, CLIENT SERVICES SUPERVISOR (1993-1996)
BENEFICIAL CANADA (CREDIT UNION AND INVESTMENT BANKING) CANADA, CUSTOMER SERVICE SUPERVISOR (1991-93)
BARCLAYS BANK, LONDON, UK , ASSOCIATE (1987-88)

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Masters
Masters of Business Administration - MBA (Major: Finance and Marketing)
Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia
(Result 70%-79% in 8 Courses, 60%-69% in 2 Courses and 50%-59% in 2 Courses out of 12 Courses)

Honours
Business Administration and Software Applications Honors Diploma
TORONTO SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, HAMILTON, CANADA
(RESULT-96% MARKS)

HSC

Higher Secondary School Certificate
NOTRE DAME COLLEGE, DHAKA, BANGLADESH

SSC

Secondary School Certificate
ST. JOSEPH HIGH SCHOOL, DHAKA, BANGLADESH

Training

AML Conference jointly organized by BFIU and US Department of Justice held in Washington DC, USA (May, 2024)
AML Conference jointly organized by BFIU and US Department of Justice held in North Carolina, USA (October 2019)
Second International ADR Conference, Thailand (2019)
Leadership & Business Goal Management organized by Standard Chartered Bank, held Dubai, UAE (2003)
Customer Experience Driven Financial Services, Dubai, UAE (2008)
Brand building, Dubai, UAE (2008)
Advance Marketing and Sales, Toronto, Canada (1995)

Academic Awards
Achievements and Accreditation

Student of the Year, Toronto School of Business, Hamilton, Canada
Mass Agriculture funding at marginal farmers levels
Small and micro lending growth for population with no access to banking services
Financial literacy for marginal entrepreneurs

Accreditation

Certified Canadian Automotive Credit-
Independent Arbitrator
JP Morgan Award for Compliance (Bank)
Financial inclusion and performance award Mastercard
Tax payer award(LTU) for the year 2021-2022 & 2022-2023

Other Skills

Author of publications and Columnist on news dailies
Bangladesh International Arbitration Centre (BIAC)

PERSONAL SKILLS

Mother tongue(s)
Bengali
Other language(s)
UNDERSTANDING
SPEAKING
WRITING
Listening
Reading
Spoken interaction
Spoken production
English C1/C2, C1/C2, C1/C2, C1/C2, C1/C2
Levels: A1/A2: Basic user - B1/B2: Independent user - C1/C2 Proficient user
Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

PERSONAL INFORMATION

DATE OF BIRTH : 07 July 1962
FATHER’S NAME: Justice ATM Afzal, Former Chief Justice of Bangladesh
MOTHER’S NAME: Late Leena Rahman
SPOUSE NAME : Ornita Afzal