Entrepreneur and Philanthropist
Iqbal Ahmed was born in Sylhet in the northeast of Bangladesh in the late 1950s. He was to become one of its famous and successful sons. He became a visionary entrepreneur, a successful businessman, a banker and a philanthropist.

In 2013, Iqbal Ahmed founded NRB Bank Limited, a fourth-generation bank in Bangladesh. He was the bank’s first Chairman and was re-elected as Chairman on March 23, 2025. It is his vision to turn NRB Bank Limited into one of the most successful banks in Bangladesh. Establishing NRB Bank Limited is one of Iqbal’s biggest achievements.

Iqbal is also the Chairman and Chief Executive of the Seamark Group of Companies which he grew from a small enterprise to an internationally renowned business founded on his passion for export, innovation and customer service.

He and his company have been the recipient of many awards recognising his contributions to business and regeneration.

His clear vision for the business has led to a string of prestigious awards for Seamark in the UK such as the Queen’s Award for Export Achievement in 1998, whilst Seamark BD in Bangladesh is a recipient of many gold trophy Awards from the Government for achieving the highest exports of seafood.

His personal recognition came when he was awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 2001 for his services to International Trade and when he received an honorary Doctor of Business Administration and honorary Fellowship award in the UK.

He has been a Commercially Important Person in Bangladesh since the early 2000.

He formed a charity called Iqbal Bros Foundation which oversaw his charitable works cementing his commitment to the local communities and education and the promotion of corporate social responsibility. He supported Lucy Cavendish College Cambridge University’s scholarship programme awarding outstanding students regardless of background to access a world-class university. He was also a donor to the Manchester Metropolitan University’s First Generation scholarship programme which provides access to education and creates opportunities for underprivileged students whose parents did not go to university.

He chaired UKBCCI (UK Bangladesh Catalysts of Commerce & Industry) since its inception. UKBCCI is a leading umbrella organisation for successful British-Bangladeshi entrepreneurs in the UK and Bangladesh.

Iqbal has been associated with many government bodies in the UK and Bangladesh either as advisor, director, mentor or member.

He is a motivational speaker. He has the ability to speak with such authority thus regularly sought as a speaker at international events and academic institutions.

Iqbal published his autobiography in the UK in 2017 and a Bengali version of the book in Bangladesh in 2020.