Robi honours the stalwarts of Chittagong

Dhaka, December 24, 2016: The number-one mobile phone operator in Chittagong, Robi, has hosted a reception ceremony in honour 35 stalwarts of Chittagong for their tremendous contribution in the areas of business, sports, music, education, art, women empowerment, journalism literature and other professions.

The programme was aptly titled as “Dakchhey Chottogram” signifying the close relations that Robi enjoys with the people of Chittagong. The iconic event took place at the MA Aziz stadium in Chittagong yesterday, December 23, 2016.

Honourable Mayor of Chittagong City Corporation, Abu Jahed Mohammed Nasir Uddin kindly graced the programme as the Chief Guest. Robi’s Managing Director and CEO, Mahtab Uddin Ahmed; Chief Corporate and People Officer, Matiul Islam Nowshad along with the members of the company’s senior leadership team were present at the event.

The jury board that selected the honourees was comprised of Minhazul Abedin Nannu, former national cricketer; Asif Iqbal, famous lyricist and an eminent corporate professional; Nikhil Ranjan Das, sports commentator; Md. Abdus Salam, Chairman, Chittagong Club Limited and renowned industrialist; and M Abdul Malek, Editor, Daily Azadi. All these distinguished gentlemen belonging to Chittagong have reached the pinnacle of their respective areas earning reverence from the people of the soil.

Under the business category, Md. Nasir Uddin, Chairman, Pacific Jeans; Khalilur Rahman, Chairman, KDS Group; Al-Hajj Sufi Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, Chairman, PHP Family; Mirza Salman Ispahani, Director, Ispahani Group; Abul Kashem, Chairman, Abul Khair Group; Kihak Sung, Chairman, Young One Corporation; Amzadul Ferdous Chowdhury, Chairman,  BSA Garments; Salahuddin Kasem Khan, Managing Director, AK Khan; Nader Khan, Chairman, Pedrollo Group; Ali Hossain Akbar Ali, Chairman, BSRM and Rakibur Rahman, Managing Director, Nahar Agro Group were honoured at the programme.

Chittagong’s sporting icons Shahed Asgar Chowdhury, ex-cricketer and renowned cricket enthusiast; Tamim Iqbal, national cricket player; Ashish Vodro, ex- national footballer; Sunil Krishna Dey, team member of the Sadhin Bangla football team and Justice AKM Abdul Hakim, a renowned cricket enthusiast, were honoured in the sports category.

In the music category, eminent singer Kumar Bishwjit; renowned flute player, Captain Azizul Islam; eminent classical singer Sikha Rani Das and the iconic band group Souls were honoured. Kamrunnahar Zafar, ex-administrator and philanthropist and Monowara Hakim Ali, renowned philanthropist were honoured for their contribution in women’s development.

Anis A Khan, CEO, Mutual Trust Bank; Mohammed Ali, CEO, UCBL; Barrister Rokan Uddin Mahmud; Dr. Robiul Hossain, premiere eye specialist and Rupali Chowdhury, Managing Director, Berger Paints Bangladesh Limited were honoured in the professionals’ category.

Painter Sabih Ul Alam was honoured for his contribution in the field of art. Dr. Hari Shankar Jaladas, Founder of Bati Ghar; Anwar Hossain Pintu, eminent researcher and renowned author Rashed Rouf were honoured for their life-long contribution to literature.

Eminent journalists Arun Das Gupta, Special Correspondent of Daily Azadi; Usman Goni Monsur, Editor, Purbodesh and Shahed Siddiqui, Chief Reporter, The Independent were honoured. For their contribution in the field of education, Shila Momen, Founder of Phulki; Safia Rahman, Founder of Sunshine Grammer School were honoured.

Members of a cross section of Chittagong’s elite endorsed this gesture by Robi with their kind their presence in the programme. Thousands of youth from Chittagong who got an opportunity to meet their Chittagonian idols were also present. All the guests were treated to an electrifying concert.

As the natural light gave way to the floodlights of M A Aziz stadium, famous bands Nagar Baul (James), Aurthoheen, Nemesis, Miles, Chirkutt, Shunno and popular singers Kona, Elita, Bappa Majumder went on to the stage one by one with the loud cheers from their fans. With this gala concert and the honouring of the stalwarts of Chittagong, Robi has attempted to honour the special bond it enjoys with the people of Chittagong.

ABOUT ROBI AS THE MERGED COMPANY

Robi Axiata Limited is a joint venture between Axiata Group of Malaysia, Bharti Airtel, of India and NTT Docomo Inc., of Japan. Axiata holds 68.7% controlling stake in the entity, Bharti holds 25% while the remaining 6.3% is held by NTT Docomo of Japan. It is the second largest mobile phone operator of Bangladesh with approximately 32.2 million active subscribers. The company provides widest network coverage to 99% of the population with over 13,900 on-air sites of which over 8,000 are 3.5G sites. Robi is the first operator to introduce GPRS and 3.5G services in Bangladesh. The company has introduced many first of its kind digital services in the country and has invested heavily in taking mobile financial services to the underserved communities in the rural and semi-urban areas. Robi, as a socially responsible brand, has taken up a number of flagship Corporate Responsibility initiatives in the areas of ICT-Education, Health and Environment with a view to contribute towards the sustainable development of the country.