Coca-Cola, one of the country's leading beverage companies, has announced Ju-un Nahar Choudhury as the new Managing Director of Coca-Cola Bangladesh Limited. She is the first Bangladeshi woman to take on the role of Managing Director for Coca-Cola Bangladesh Ltd. In this role, Choudhury will work closely with bottling and business partners, customers and other external stakeholders in the country. She started her career with Unilever as a management trainee in marketing, and left her mark in various roles including leading the team who won a Guinness world record for the nationwide ‘Lifebuoy handwashing washing campaign’ covering 86,000 youth simultaneously in over 60 locations, said the comps on Monday. She moved to Indonesia in 2014 with Reckitt Benckiser looking after the Dettol business. She also worked with Danone Indonesia as Head of Innovation and then joined aCommerce, an end-to-end ecommerce enabler present across seven ASEAN countries, as the FMCG director. Read more: Nahida Akter emerges as first Bangladeshi to win 'ICC Women's Player of the Month' award After spending eight years in Indonesia, Choudhury moved back to Bangladesh and joined Apex as marketing director in 2023. Speaking on her appointment, Ju-un Nahar Choudhury, Managing Director, Coca-Cola Bangladesh said, “I am delighted to join the Coca-Cola system and partner with our bottling partners, Coca-Cola Bangladesh Beverages (CCBB) & Abdul Monem Limited (AML), and other stakeholders to refresh our consumers in Bangladesh." She also said, "I am humbled to lead Bangladesh on this Coca-Cola journey and I am committed to steer our brands and franchise operations to new heights.” Choudhury is the first woman to be appointed to this position in Bangladesh and will be replacing former Managing Director, Ta Duy Tung, who was appointed back in 2021.   Read more: BUET Professor Syeda Sultana Razia wins 2023 OPCW The Hague Award Ajay Vijay Bathija, Vice President of Franchise Operations for Southwest Asia (SWA), said, “We welcome Ju-un to Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola Company reiterates its focus on building a sustainable business in an important market like Bangladesh. Ju-un joins at an exciting time of the company’s journey in the country and our partners will gain a great deal from her wide experience in FMCG and e-commerce.” Coca-Cola is the first company in Bangladesh to launch 100% recycled PET bottles in Bangladesh. Coke Studio Bangla, as a digital music platform, boasts a YouTube channel with 2.86 million+ subscribers, surpassing the combined subscriber count of some of Bangladesh's biggest brands.  As per a socio-economic impact study, the Coca-Cola system in Bangladesh contributes to the continuous economic growth of the country and also supports nearly 22,100 jobs which consist of 833 direct jobs and 21,300 indirect jobs. Read more: Bangladeshi marine biologist Alifa Bintha Haque wins WINGS Women of Discovery Award

Former executive director of capital market regulator Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission, Dr ATM Tariquzzaman, joined the Dhaka Stock Exchange as its new managing director on Sunday. Universal Pension Scheme: Just under 13,000 registered in first month The BSEC approved his appointment on August 8. He was appointed as MD of DSE for the next three years after the resignation of Tariq Amin Bhuiyan. No dengue patients should be sent to Dhaka from outside: DGHS Tariq Amin Bhuiyan submitted his resignation on 23 August 2022. Before this, professors Swapan Kumar Bala (late), KAM Majedur Rahman, and Kazi Chanaul Haque worked as MD of DSE. Fire at SK+F Pharmaceuticals godown in Tongi doused

Dhaka Wasa has denounced as baseless and fabricated a recent Bangladesh news report that its managing director Taqsem A Khan owns 14 apartments in the United States. “Dhaka Wasa dismisses the report with contempt. The news has been published with motive and it has no connection with the reality,” said a Dhaka Wasa press release signed by its deputy-chief public relation officer Mostafa Tareque.   The press release stated that MD Taqsem does not own any of the residences described in that news report. However, his wife, who has been working in the US as a government official, owns only one apartment. “A vested interest group published this false and baseless report to serve their own vested interests,” said the release. Also Read: BFIU summons WASA chief Taqsem’s bank account details Dhaka Wasa condemns the publication of such false news, it observed. The press release described Taqsem as a visionary managing director of the city’s water and sewage authority. It said it was because of his vision Dhaka Wasa has been able to increase its water supply to up to 275 crore litres as against the daily demand of about 270 crore litres.      

Amid the outbreak of diarrhea in the city, the Managing Director of Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) Taqsem A Khan has urged the users to drink water after boiling it. “Only 5% to 10% of water lines have leakages. When we get any complaint we repair those. But the problem still remains. I myself got a foul smell in the water in my Naya Paltan residence. That’s why we urge people to drink boiled water,” he said.   The WASA boss was speaking at a function that discussed the demand of city dwellers and the capability of DWASA, organised by Dhaka Utility Reporters Association (DURA),  at  National Press Club. He said the number of breached lines is not many. But when people see any digging going on roads they think it is the line of WASA that contaminates the water, claimed Taqsem. Replying to a question, he said it is  responsibility of the utility to reach the water to the tank but it is not our responsibility to reach it to each line of the buildings. If there is any problem in WASA water we scrutinise it after collecting samples from three places. One is from the pump, the second is from the area from where we receive the complaint and the third one is from the pipeline of the respective houses. READ: Dhaka Wasa moves to raise water tariff by 40% Following the rise in diarrhea patients in Dhaka, many people blamed the contaminated water of WASA behind the outbreak. Taqsem said when diarrhea outbreak is on the rise, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) provided the address of ten areas where the number of diarrhea patients was high. "We collected water from these areas and sent them for lab testing. But we do not get any bacteria from the water samples.” Besides, DWASA used chlorine to destroy bacteria found in its water,  he said. Asked  about the proposed  hike of water tariff, Taqsem said “We have informed the higher authorities concerned about it and the government will take a decision on it.”

Dr Nomita Halder, a former Secretary, has been appointed as the 11th Managing Director of Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF).  Currently, she is holding the position of a Professorial Fellow at North South University, said PKSF on Thursday.  Born in the coastal area of Bagerhat, Dr Halder served as a public servant for long 30 years.  She has the experience of working in the local administration right up to a top position in the central government both at policy and implementation levels.  In 2014, she was appointed as the Private Secretary to the Prime Minister. Dr Nomita Halder graduated in Agriculture from  Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh.  She did an MA in Development Administration from Australian National University.  And later, she did her PhD from the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.  As the Secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, she initiated some stern measures regarding  migration and human trafficking.  In 2018, she retired from public service. She is a result-driven and career-oriented professional with a target for excellence. She is keen to work with vulnerable, disadvantaged and marginalized poor communities.  At present, she holds the position of an Honorary Member of National Human Rights Commission, Bangladesh.