Recollections of a Civil Servant Turned Banker

This book is a collection of essays and articles written by Md. Matiul Islam since his retirement from the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in 1993. It chronologically captures 41 years of passionate commitment to excellence in active service within a variety of prominent roles.  A number of the articles included were published in The Daily Star as well as the Financial Express .

These positions demonstrate unyielding dedication, integrity, and a widespread influence through a variety of positions in the Civil Service of Pakistan, the private sector of Pakistan, Government of Bangladesh, The World Bank, UNIDO, and most recently the private sector of Bangladesh. Since his retirement from the UN, Mr. Islam has actively transitioned and committed his life to positively influencing the private sector of Bangladesh and mentoring future leaders in the financial industry.

Mr. Islam has lived through critical events which forged the history of India, East Pakistan and Bangladesh.  His writings capture these historical details and the prominent role he has played in many of them.  What is clearly evident is Mr. Islam’s deep preoccupation in his early years to fight for parity of East Pakistan and establish claims for East Pakistan’s rightful share of resources.  After the Liberation war in 1971, Mr. Islam became the first Finance Secretary of Bangladesh and had the crucial vision required to establish the financial sector, which Pakistan had left in tattered ruins.

After transitioning to the private sector, Mr. Islam spent the last 25 years creating four separate institutions, three of which were non-banking financial institutions and a fourth one was credit agency.  Earlier, he pioneered the setting up of the first commercial bank in the private sector with Dubai Bank as the majority partner.  These finance companies were integral in the creation and development of reliable industrial and infrastructure investment opportunities in Bangladesh.

By sharing his personal anecdotes and thoughtful insight, Mr. Islam brings to life significant historical events with more than just facts, leading the reader down his historical journey.  His passion for life, family, and his unyielding commitment to the people of Bangladesh is obvious as he categorically and factually shares both his successes and failures of his personal legacy.