Economic Reporter :
The candidates of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) have geared up campaigning for the polls to elect their new leaders.
The two rivals – Sammilita Parishad and Forum led by led Faruque Hassan and ABM Shamsuddin Mia respectively– have already announced their panels for the biennial election is scheduled to be held on April 4.
A total of 70 candidates from the panels will vie for the posts of 35 directors of the BGMEA, the apex body of the apparel sector.
BGMEA members expect the new leaders will work on sustainable markets, flexible policies, setting new strategies for changing the situation and developing skilled manpower.
While talking to The New Nation, Neela Hossain Ara, Chairperson of the Crony Group and also a candidate in the polls, has vowed to increase the women participation in all stages of the apparel sector, if she is elected in the upcoming election.
She said that there are a large number of women entrepreneurs in the apparel industry and a congenial atmosphere and proper policy can increase the effective participation of women in the trade organizations.
In the case of productivity development, Neela said that she will work for creating an Innovation Hub where BGMEA members can get the idea to develop soft skills for productivity improvements and sustainable development.
“Largely, the RMG industries can be competitive in this challenging situation,” she added.
Neela, a distinguished female entrepreneur in the country, mainly focused on Crony Group’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), gender equality and women’s health & hygiene issues in all the businesses of the company.
She strongly believes in ensuring that all employees are receiving a number of benefits for working in our factories and is essential to Crony Group’s future success.
She was former Regional Chairperson and 2017 Convention Chairperson of the Bangladesh Lions Foundation, an esteemed non-governmental organisation that focuses on providing free healthcare and education to underprivileged citizens.
Her husband A H Aslam Sunny, Managing Director of the Crony Group, a renowned businessman and former Vice President of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA).
The BGMEA is like a guardian for the garments’ industrialists and employees. The ongoing pandemic has already broken the garment industry in half.
Order cancellation, order retention, and job loss are problems that have already been addressed. Now entrepreneurs want a sustainable solution from the future elected board of directors.
According to the schedule, the voting will be held at Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden hotel and the BGMEA office in Chattogram from 10:00am to 5:00pm.
The final list has 1,853 voters from Dhaka and 461 from Chattogram.
