PRESS
RELEASE

Shahnila Azher has been appointed Member of the Policy & Research Division at Invest Bangladesh. She is the first professional from the private sector to lead the key division. 

The Ministry of Public Administration released the gazette notification appointing her on Sunday, on a one-year contract from the date of joining, as a Member of Invest Bangladesh under the Prime Minister’s Office.  

“I’m excited to join the Invest Bangladesh team at a time when the momentum for investment reform is at an all-time high. My focus will be on turning high-quality, data-backed analysis and global best practices into practical changes that make it easier to invest and do business in Bangladesh,” said Shahnila Azher, about her appointment. 

Ms. Azher brings 25 years of experience in international development, with a focus on investment climate reform, market systems and institutional reform. She has held senior roles with international development partners and led programmes across South and Southeast Asia and East Africa.

As Head of Private Sector Development at the UK’s Department for International Development in Bangladesh, she led reforms to improve the business environment and support better jobs. She helped modernise Bangladesh Bank’s financial infrastructure through automated cheque clearing, electronic funds transfers and the digitisation of its Credit Information Bureau. She also worked on reforms to strengthen workplace safety in the garment sector following Rana Plaza.

Before the merger that formed Invest Bangladesh, she worked with teams at the former Bangladesh Investment Development Authority to streamline procedures for work permits, capital repatriation and royalty payments for foreign investors.

Ms. Azher holds an MBA in Finance and International Business from Columbia University and a BBA from the Institute of Business Administration at the University of Dhaka. She is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the international business honour society.

Invest Bangladesh became the country’s apex investment promotion agency on 20 August 2026, following the merger of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority, the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority and the Public-Private Partnership Authority. Its mandate is to bring investment promotion and facilitation, economic zones and public-private partnerships together to mobilise private capital, help businesses grow and support long-term economic growth and job creation.

Policy and Research is one of Invest Bangladesh’s seven divisions. The other six are Investment Development, Technology and Innovation, Investment Services and Aftercare, Industrial Zone Management, Public Private Partnership and Admin and Finance.

‍