Abdur Rouf Talukder joins Bangladesh Bank as governor

Eight days after his predecessor left, former Senior Secretary Abdur Rouf Talukder has joined Bangladesh Bank as its twelfth governor.

Abdur Rouf arrived at the central bank headquarters by car at 10 am on Tuesday and was welcomed by bank officials, including the deputy governor and the executive director, with flowers, reports bdnews24.com. 

He then paid his respects at the mural of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. 

Afterwards, he entered the central bank’s offices and signed his letter of joining.

The new governor then got to work immediately. He is scheduled to speak with officials at the central bank and the media on his first day. 

Prior to the new appointment, Abdur Rouf served as senior secretary to the Ministry of Finance.

The Ministry of Finance issued a circular appointing him to his new position on Monday.

Everything was ready for the new governor to join, Bangladesh Bank Executive Director Serajul Islam had said on Monday.

Following the official formalities of his appointment, Abdur Rouf is to meet with the deputy governors of the bank. He will then sit with the executive director and other directors. 

He is also scheduled to meet with members of the central bank’s employee organisations and associations.

The Bangladesh Association of Banks and the Association of Bankers Bangladesh have also requested the governor’s time. The managing directors of state-run banks will also meet Abdur Rouf.

The governor is also scheduled to speak to the media at 5 pm.

Fazle Kabir, the previous governor, left his post on Jul 3, at the end of his tenure of six years and three months that spanned three terms.

The position of governor was left vacant for eight days due to the formalities of completing Kabir’s term and the appointment of a new governor. 

Born in 1964, Abdur Rouf holds a master's degree in Development Management from the UK's University of Birmingham and an MBA from Dhaka University's Institute of Business Administration.

He joined the Bangladesh Civil Service in 1988. He has worked in a wide range of government positions throughout his career, with a focus on public finance and economic management. He worked for more than 18 years in the Finance Division before achieving the position of finance secretary in 2018.