Dr Fahmida Khatun. Photo : Collected

DHAKA, August 27, 2026 (BSS) - Dr Fahmida Khatun will assume the role of Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) from September 1, 2026, after completing a successful tenure of more than nine years as the think tank’s Executive Director.

The decision was approved at the 68th meeting of the CPD Board, said a press release.

Dr Fahmida joined the CPD in 2003 and has served as its Executive Director since February 2017.

During her tenure, from 2017 to August 2026, the scope, diversity and quality of the organisation’s research programmes expanded significantly.

Under her leadership, the number of funded projects and programmes, as well as funding organisations and development partners, increased substantially. 

Through sustained resource mobilisation, prudent financial management and strategic planning, she led efforts to increase CPD’s development fund by around 590 percent and annual income by around 171 percent.

She also played a key role in improving the organisation’s physical and technological infrastructure and strengthening staff professional development, research capacity, publication quality, digitalisation and institutional governance.

According to CPD, these initiatives have helped establish a strong foundation for the organisation’s future growth.

Before joining CPD, Dr Fahmida served as a Research Fellow at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) and held senior professional positions at the UNDP and USAID missions in Bangladesh. 

She has also taught economics at universities in Bangladesh and the United Kingdom and has been associated with several internationally recognised research and policy institutions.

She earned her PhD and master’s degree in economics from University College London and conducted postdoctoral research at Columbia University in the United States.

Her areas of research include macroeconomic policy, fiscal and monetary policy, governance of the banking and financial sectors, international trade and economic transformation of least developed countries.

Dr Fahmida is also involved with several national and international institutions. 

She is a member of the Independent Expert Advisory Panel on the United Nations Secretary-General’s Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) and a member of the High-Level Advisory Board on the Productive Capacities Index of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

She is also a member of Boston University’s International Task Force on Climate, Development and the International Financial Architecture. 

In Bangladesh, she serves in the boards of BRAC and Bangladesh Bank.