About Sayem Sobhan Anvir
Sayem Sobhan Anvir is the Managing Director of Bashundhara Group, one of the largest industrial conglomerates in Bangladesh, with a global footprint that covers over 20 major industries. Initially, the firm was launched in 1987 as a real estate venture, East-West Property Development (Pvt). Today, the Group boasts business concerns in a wide range of manufacturing industries, including cement, paper, and pulp, bottling and distributing liquified petroleum gas (LPG), and more. Headquartered in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, Anvir has been instrumental in the corporation’s tremendous growth, including the Group’s first publicly traded company, Meghna Cement Mills Limited, which is currently listed on the two Stock Exchanges of Bangladesh.
Anvir is renowned for implementing innovative business strategies and agile decision-making that capitalize on current economic trends and manufacturing technologies. Most notable has been his ability to steer the Group into upgraded business processes that take advantage of world-class technology. He was the driving force behind the biggest cutter-suction dredger in the country (critical for dredging hard materials like rock and clay for land reclamation projects).
Highly regarded for real estate projects that have helped the urban population and overall economy of Dhaka grow at astronomical rates through numerous real estate ventures, Anvir has been a transformative force in the country’s development of human resources and overall infrastructure.
A Manufacturing Titan
Sayem Sobhan Anvir, Managing Director of Bashundhara Group, has driven the company to remarkable growth and diversification, making it a cornerstone of Bangladesh’s industrial and economic landscape. Through Bashundhara Oil and Gas Company Ltd. (BOGCL), the Group produces premium petroleum products, including bitumen, diesel, and furnace oil, essential for the nation’s infrastructure development.
Additionally, Bashundhara Group is establishing the country’s first gold refinery, Bashundhara Gold Refinery Limited. The project, set to be a significant milestone in Bangladesh’s industrial sector, will play a crucial role in advancing the nation’s economy.
In the financial sector, ABG Ltd., a sister concern of the Group, has acquired a 25% stake in the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) as a strategic partner. This partnership is set to improve the CSE’s governance and operational standards, contributing to the growth of the national capital market.
The Bashundhara Group employs over 50,000 people and is recognized as a company that encourages the health and welfare of its employees. It has maintained a reputation for fair workplace practices. Under Anvir’s leadership, the Group continues to innovate and expand, creating employment opportunities while fostering sustainable growth across multiple industries.
A Futuristic Land Developer
Sayem Sobhan Anvir has emerged as a commercial and industrial development leader, with many large stake projects that drive the country’s economic success. His industrial conglomerate has built the largest, privately owned bitumen plant in Bangladesh as a unit of Bashundhara Oil and Gas Company Ltd, which produces 2,210,000 tons of bitumen per year. Under the same umbrella company, he is set to open the largest oil refinery plant in Bangladesh, significantly reducing the supply and demand shortage of petroleum and petrochemical products in the country.
Sobhan Anvir is always looking to the future, with land development projects set to propel the country into the new millennium. Under the management of Bashundhara City, he has spearheaded the construction of the first-of-its-kind megamall, with an architecturally innovative design, 19 levels, and global retailers that serve up to 60,000 visitors daily. He has built a state-of-the-art Bashundhara Sports Complex, spread over 50 acres. It is the largest indoor sports complex in the country, and it supports athletes in football, hockey, squash, cricket, and numerous other athletic activities.
A Leader in Transportation
Anvir consistently explores innovative business opportunities that support his other substantial operations and work to enlarge the Bangladesh economy. Bashundhara Logistics was launched in 2005 with shipping and shipbuilding operations to support the global distribution of the company’s products. The Group’s shipping fleet was born from the company’s vision to ensure the fast and uninterrupted transportation of industrial raw materials and manufacturing consumer goods.
The shipping fleet boasts 76 vessels with over 180,000 M/tons of capacity, with most of the ships being built by the company’s Bashundhara Steel and Engineer arm and in partnership with RINA (Registro Nazionale Italiano), a society that provides services to the shipping industry, including certification, classification, and consultancy. The company has installed a complete maritime operation with slipways, dockyards, and facilities for the launch, maintenance, and repair of its fleet.
A Passionate Philanthropist
Sayem Sobhan Anvir and his wife, Mrs. Sabrina Sobhan (who serves as a Director in Bashundhara Group), are passionate about supporting community welfare and economic growth. He is an active member of a number of community-facing organizations, including the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industries (DCCI), the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce & Industries (MCCI), and the SAARC Chamber of Commerce & Industries.
His diligent work ethic and progressive visions for the community’s economic development have earned him many accolades, most notably the status of Commercially Important Person (CIP) by the Government of Bangladesh in 2016. This was awarded to Anvir for his contributions to the country’s economy. Anvir was proud to accept US Congressional Recognition for his outstanding contributions in consolidating business ties between Bangladesh and the USA in 2011.
Anvir understands how news and social media increasingly motivate the current generation. In 2009, he proactively launched East West Media Group Limited (EWMGL), which has earned him recognition for reporting the news of the day in a thoroughly objective and impartial manner. The platform has become a voice for unbiased truth across the country’s prominent print, online, radio, and television platforms.
Sobhan Anvir’s passion for empowering people with employment, recreation, and critical consumer goods is unparalleled. He is a patron of several hospitals that deliver lifesaving medical care to the nation’s poor and marginalized communities. These include the Bashundhara-Addin Medical College, the Bashundhara Eye Hospital, a Maternity Center, and the Advocate Atamia Free Friday Clinic in Manikganj.
