Bangladesh’s insurance sector is reporting the death of Sheikh Kabir Hossain (pictured), a former president of the Bangladesh Insurance Association (BIA) and an experienced figure across finance, healthcare, and education. Hossain died on Feb. 14 while receiving treatment at Square Hospital in Dhaka. He was 84.
According to Dhaka Tribune’s report, Hossain passed away at around 11am. His funeral prayer (namaz-e-janaza) was held after the Esha prayer in Tungipara, his ancestral home area. He is to be buried in the family graveyard. Born on Feb. 3, 1942, in Gopalganj district, Hossain was the son of Sheikh Mosharraf Hossain and Rahela Khatun. He completed a master’s degree at the University of Dhaka before taking on a series of posts in the country’s institutional landscape.
In insurance, Hossain served as chairperson of Sonar Bangla Insurance Limited. He also held positions connected to the capital markets, including chairperson of Central Depository Bangladesh Limited, which operates as the central securities depository for the country’s stock exchanges and post-trade functions. His activities extended into philanthropy and healthcare through his role as chairperson of the Khan Shaheb Sheikh Mosharraf Hossain Foundation and as founding chairperson of Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College Hospital. In tertiary education, he served as president of the Association of Private Universities of Bangladesh, engaging with the governance of private higher-education providers. For insurance professionals in Asia who track leadership changes in South Asian markets, Hossain’s death removes a long-serving participant in discussions around corporate governance and sector development in Bangladesh.
The BIA’s current leadership structure was put in place in early 2025, when Global Insurance chairman Saeed Ahmed was elected president of the association for the 2025-2026 term. The BIA is the industry body for 80 private insurance companies in Bangladesh, including 35 life insurers and 45 nonlife insurers. According to The Business Standard’s report, elections for the association’s executive committee were held on Feb. 22, 2025, with representatives from 76 member companies participating in the vote. The election produced a 20-member executive committee. In the life segment, 10 candidates were returned without contest. In the nonlife segment, members voted among 19 nominees to select 10 committee representatives.
On Feb. 23, 2025, the newly elected committee met to assign office bearers. Ahmed was selected as president. Delta Life Insurance director and Delta Life Securities chairperson Adiba Rahman was named first vice president, and Agrani Insurance Company Limited and MCO Trading International (Private) Limited head Kazi Sakhawat Hossain (Lintu) was named vice president. Ahmed holds roles in several companies beyond Global Insurance. He is chairman of Bangladesh Cheque Technology Ltd and Purity Foods Ltd and managing director of Vantage Securities Ltd and City Homes Ltd. He has previously chaired committees at Farmers Bank Ltd, which now operates as Padma Bank Ltd, and serves as president of the Bangladesh Cargo Vessel Owners Association.
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The current BIA executive committee includes a cross-section of leadership from both life and nonlife businesses. Members include chairs, directors, managing directors, and CEOs from Crystal Insurance, City General Insurance, Sandhani Life, Fareast Islamic Life, Bengal Islamic Life, Janata Insurance, Best Life, Bangladesh National Insurance, NRB Islamic Life, Popular Life Insurance, Green Delta Insurance, Pragati Life, Asia Insurance, National Life, Republic Insurance, Zenith Islamic Life, and Standard Insurance. For regional insurers and intermediaries that engage with Bangladesh, the committee’s composition provides a snapshot of the institutions and management teams currently involved in association-level policy discussions.
In February 2026, Ahmed’s responsibilities expanded from trade body leadership to national politics when he was elected a member of Parliament in Bangladesh’s 13th national parliamentary election, while continuing to serve as BIA president. The association marked the development at a ceremony at its office, according to The Business Standard. During the event, BIA executive committee member and Bangladesh National Insurance Company Limited director Taif Bin Yousuf formally congratulated Ahmed on behalf of the association.
In his remarks, Taif said Ahmed’s “leadership, experience, and commitment to the insurance sector” would support “national development and the advancement of the financial services industry.” Ahmed’s overlapping roles at the association and in Parliament mean he will operate within both industry and legislative settings as Bangladesh considers changes related to insurance regulation, financial-sector supervision, and capital-market development. For insurance professionals across Asia, the combination of a change in the association’s former leadership with Hossain’s death and the current president’s move into Parliament underscores the links between trade bodies, corporate boards, and public office in shaping the operating environment for insurers in Bangladesh.
