Samson H. Chowdhury ( bn, স্যামসন এইচ চৌধুরী; 25 September 1925 – 5 January 2012) was a Bangladeshi business magnate. He was the chairman of
Square Pharmaceuticals.
Personal life
Samson H. Chowdhury was born on 25 September 1925. at Aruakandi in Gopalganj. After completing education at the
Scottish Church College
Scottish Church College is a college affiliated by Calcutta University, India. It offers selective co-educational undergraduate and postgraduate studies and is the oldest continuously running Christian liberal arts and sciences college in ...
in Kolkata, India, he returned to the then
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Scheme, One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India ...
and settled at Ataikula village in
Pabna District
Pabna District ( bn, পাবনা জেলা) is a district in central Bangladesh. It is an economically important district in Bangladesh. Its administrative capital is the eponymous Pabna town.
History
Archeologist Cunningham conjectur ...
, where his father was working as a medical officer. Then he married Anita Biswas (Later Chowdhury) at the age of 22. In 1952, he started a small pharmacy in Ataikula village, which is about 160 km off capital Dhaka in the north-west part of Bangladesh. Chowdhury then ventured into a partnership pharmaceutical company with three of his friends in 1958. When asked why the name Square was chosen he remembers - "We named it SQUARE because it was started by four friends and also because it signifies accuracy and perfection meaning quality" as they committed in manufacturing quality.
He served as a vice president of the Baptist World Alliance from 1985 to 1990. In addition to being a BWA vice president, Chowdhury served in other areas of the global Baptist organization, including on the BWA General Council, the Executive Committee, the Baptist World Aid Committee, the Promotion and Development Committee, and the Memorial Committee. Chowdhury was elected president of the Bangladesh Baptist Church Fellowship (BBCF) a dozen times, and was honorary general secretary for 14 years, between 1956 and 1969. He was a president of both the National Church Council of Bangladesh and the National Evangelical Alliance.
Burial
Samson H Chowdhury was buried at ASTRAS Firm House in Kashipur, Pabna.
Positions
* Chairman, Square Group
* Chairman, Mutual Trust Bank board of directors
* Chairman, Astras Ltd.
* Honorary Member, Kurmitola Golf Club, Dhaka
* Former Vice President, Baptist World Alliance, 1985-1990
* Former Chairman, Micro Industries Development & Services (MIDAS)
* Chairman,
Transparency International
Transparency International e.V. (TI) is a German registered association founded in 1993 by former employees of the World Bank. Based in Berlin, its nonprofit and non-governmental purpose is to take action to combat global corruption with civil ...
, Bangladesh Chapter, 2004–2007
* President, Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce & Industries, Dhaka in 1996 and 1997
* Vice-President: International Chamber of Commerce, Bangladesh
* Former Director, The Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce & Industries (
FBCCI)
* Member, Executive Committee of Bangladesh French Chamber of Commerce and Industry
* Director,
Credit Rating Agency of BangladeshCredit Rating Agency of Bangladesh(CRAB)
* Chairman, Central Depository Bangladesh Ltd
* Member, Advisory Committee of the Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries
* Founder President, Bangladesh Association of Publicly Listed Companies
* Chairman, Masrangaa Television, Bangladesh
See also
* List of Bangladeshi people#Entrepreneurs
Personal website of Mr. Chowdhury
* Square Pharmaceuticals
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chowdhury, Samson H.
1926 births
2012 deaths
Bangladeshi businesspeople
Recipients of the Ekushey Padak
Scottish Church College alumni
People from Pabna District
Harvard University alumni
People from Gopalganj District, Bangladesh