Mahmudur Rahman

Mahmudur Rahman (Bengali: মাহমুদুর রহমান; born 6 July 1953) is the owner and editor of the Bengali daily Amar Desh in Bangladesh also an author, engineer and businessman. A strong critic of the Awami League government since 2008, he has faced over 50 defamation and sedition charges. He is the only person sentenced for contempt by the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, with human rights groups labeling the government's actions against him as judicial harassment.

Rahman was born in Comilla, East Bengal, Pakistan. His mother, Mahmuda Begum, passed away at the age of 87 on July 6, 2025.

He received his Bachelor of Chemical Engineering in 1977 from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. After working in engineering in Japan, he returned to earn a graduate diploma in ceramic engineering. He also earned an M.B.A. from the Institute of Business Administration, Dhaka University.

Mahmudur Rahman, a former operational engineer, founded Artisan Ceramics Limited in 1999. He chaired Bangladesh's National Investment Board, boosting foreign investment significantly. As Energy Adviser, he faced protests over fuel price hikes and environmental issues. Later, he acquired Amar Desh newspaper, transforming it into a leading opposition voice.

Mahmudur Rahman started his career as an operational engineer at British Oxygen, a major British-owned gas company. He also worked in Monno Ceramics, Duncan Brothers, Shinepukur Ceramics, Beximco Group, and Padma Textile, including some years in Japan.

After returning to Bangladesh, Mahmudur Rahman started and developed his own company, Artisan Ceramics Limited in 1999. It was the first bone china plant in the country and a technological breakthrough. Artisan Ceramics was sold in 2013.

Mahmudur Rahman chaired the National Investment Board in Bangladesh from 2001, boosting foreign investment from $52 million to $460 million by 2004. In 2005, he became Energy Adviser, negotiating key deals with Cairn Energy and Vulcan Inc. His tenure faced protests over fuel price hikes and environmental issues. Amid political tensions in 2006, he was accused of election interference during a military takeover in 2007, reflecting the challenges of governance in a turbulent era.

Mahmudur Rahman was appointed by the administration of Khaleda Zia as chair of the National Investment Board. In 2002, he described the obstacles to foreign investment in Bangladesh as the "five 'I's": "image, information, infrastructure, implementation and inefficiency" and committed the government to achieving change. He credited the opening of the power plant Meghna Energy Limited in Kanchpur, to the government's energy deregulation. Between 2002 and 2003, foreign investment in Bangladesh increased from $52 million to US$121 million, an increase which Mahmudur Rahman said was the greatest in South Asia. In 2004, the United Nations reported that foreign investment in Bangladesh had reached a record US$460 million.