Aziz Khan (businessman) explained

Muhammed Aziz Khan
Education:Institute of Business Administration, University of Dhaka (MBA)
Occupation:Businessman
Children:3 daughters
Known For:Founder and chairman, Summit Group
Spouse:Anjuman Aziz Khan
Relations:Faruk Khan (brother)

Muhammed Aziz Khan (born 1955) is a Bangladeshi industrialist,[1] [2] founder and chairman of the Summit Group, one of the largest conglomerates in Bangladesh, whose power projects generate nearly 20% of Bangladesh's electricity.[3] [4] Khan has led Summit Group from starting as Bangladesh's first private sector power producer to a diversified group with investments across power, energy trading, port, telecommunications, hospitality and real estate.[4] He is the 42nd richest person in Singapore.[5]

Khan has led Summit in building partnerships with multinationals such as GE, IFC and Wärtsilä while securing billions of dollars in financing for infrastructure projects within Bangladesh.[6] Khan pledged to invest another $3 billion into Bangladesh's energy sector.[7] He is listed as richest Bangladeshi as of 2024 in the Forbes 2024 billionaire list.[8]

Early life

Khan is the son of an army officer. His first steps as a businessman were taken with a friend, whose father's death thrust him into the family import business. The 18-year-old Khan borrowed Tk 30,000 from his father to partner in the venture in 1973.[9]

He received an MBA in 1980 from the Institute of Business Administration, University of Dhaka (IBA).[10] He studied in Armanitola Government High School and Notredame College, Dhaka.He started with trading chemicals in Chawk Bazar and Urdu Road in Old Dhaka.[11] Later he expanded his business with support from renowned businessmen such as Anwar Hossain of Anwar Group[12] and Din Mohammad of Phoenix Group.[13] Khan received his early loans from state-owned Pubali Bank and Rupali Bank. He discovered the importance of establishing goodwill that allowed easy financial mobilization.

Later he started trading plastic. In 1988, Khan purchased his first home in Singapore after becoming a permanent resident.

Career

Under his leadership, Summit Group set up the country's first independent power plant in 1998, Khulna Power Company Limited.[14]

Summit set up the country's first private off-dock facility, Ocean Containers Limited, now known as Summit Alliance Port Limited which is currently handling about 30% of the country's export and about 10% of the country's import volume.

Summit Communications Ltd is the first company to lay nationwide telecommunication transmission network laying fibre optic to 70% of Bangladesh, and connecting Bangladesh to India and Myanmar through terrestrial fibre optics.[14]

IPCO Ltd, a hospitality and real estate company, is building one five star and one three star hotels, a convention hall and 1000 shops beside the International Airport of Dhaka.[15]

In 2011, Khan led Summit Group in establishing a joint venture with GE to build plants generating 327 megawatts of electricity for Bangladesh. This joint venture secured funding of $327 million, including $112 million from the World Bank.[16]

In 2012, Khan led Summit Group in establishing a joint venture with China Energy Group, the largest government-owned Chinese company, to build various power projects, including a 341 megawatt power plant with a $220 million deal for China Energy Group to provide construction and engineering services.[17]

In 2015, Khan was elected president of the Bangladesh Association of Publicly Listed Companies.[18] He also led Summit Group in winning a deal to build Bangladesh's first high-tech business park, agreeing to invest $207 million to build part of the park across its 232-acre land in Kaliakor, Bangladesh.[19]

In April 2016, Khan, his wife Anjuman Aziz Khan, daughter Ayesha Aziz Khan, brother Zafar Umayyad Khan and nephew Faisal Karim Khan were named in the Panama Papers as operating six offshore companies, mostly in the British Virgin Islands using a Singapore address.[20] Summit Group states that it has no business in any form in Panama, nor it has any link with the legal firm Mossack Fonseca, and that there has not been any mention whatsoever of Khan in "The Panama Papers".[21] The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has started an investigation into the money laundering and tax evasion histories of 25 Bangladeshi politicians and businessmen, including Khan; and the Anti Corruption Commission Bangladesh (ACC) has created a three-member committee to investigate.[22] However, the Bangladesh-based British journalist David Bergman has clarified that the only Bangladeshi people linked to offshore companies as released by the ICIJ relate to an earlier 2013 leak of information involving the British Virgin Islands.[23]

In May 2016, Khan was appointed Honorary Consul General of Finland in Bangladesh due to his long-standing business relationship with Finland.[24] In particular, Aziz Khan has led Summit Group in building close trade relationships with leading Finnish company Wartsila, who has supplied machinery and equipment to many of the Summit Group's power project.[25]

Also in 2016, Khan led Summit Group in securing $190 million in a consortium led by Standard Chartered to finance a $335 megawatt power plant.[26] Khan also helped arranged the largest ever direct loan given to a Bangladeshi company in 2016 for $210 million by Asian Development Bank, International Finance Corporation and Islamic Development Bank.[27] Khan has also indicated that Summit may list on the Singapore Stock Exchange, making it the first Bangladeshi company to do so.[4]

In September 2016, Khan announced that Summit Group has established a Singaporean company that it will publicly list in Singapore and help raise $2.5 billion to invest in Bangladesh projects such as a liquified natural gas terminal and additional power capacity.[28] [29]

In January 2017, Summit Group announced that it would build a $500 million LNG terminal in Moheshkhali, Bangladesh. The project brings GE as an equity partner. Khan has said, "We want to ensure constant supply of primary energy for the country by implementing this project."[30] In August 2018, Mitsubishi Corporation acquired 25% of Summit LNG Terminal Co (Pvt) Ltd.[31] [32] In 2019, JERA acquired 22% stake of Summit Power International.[33] [34] Summit's Founder Chairman Muhammed Aziz Khan expressed his satisfaction with the investment stating, "Much needed technology and capital for Bangladesh’s fast growing power and energy market will be available from JERA with their vast knowledge and balance sheet. JERA by far could be our best partner. This partnership will support our investment program of USD 3 billion by 2022 in Bangladesh".[35]

In 2018, Forbes Asia listed Khan and family for the first time as the 34th richest in Singapore.[36] In 2020, Forbes listed Muhammed Aziz Khan 37th richest in Singapore.[37]

In 2021, Khan shares his plans with Bloomberg about Summit, JERA and Mitsubishi Corporation to jointly bid for an estimated US$2.3 billion in FSRU projects in Payra (Bangladesh), Kerawalapitiya (Sri Lanka) and Pakistan as he sees demand for storage increasing as governments face volatility in natural gas prices.[38]

Positions

Recognition

Personal life

Khan is a permanent resident of Singapore.[37] He is married to Anjuman Aziz Khan. He met Anjuman as her tutor. They live in both Bangladesh and Singapore. Their residence in Dhaka, Serenity's Lodge, was designed by the architect Nahas Ahmed Khalil.[63]

They have three daughters, Ayesha, Adeeba and Azeeza. Ayesha Khan is the managing director & CEO of Summit Power International.[37] His second daughter Dr Adeeba Aziz Khan[64] is a fellow at Wolfson College, Cambridge University.[65] His youngest daughter Azeeza Aziz Khan is one of the directors of Summit Group of companies. He has four grandchildren.

He is the third of seven brothers. His eldest brother Lt Col (Rtd) Faruk Khan is a Member of Parliament (MP) and a former minister.[66] His brothers Zafer Ummeed Khan, Latif Khan and Farid Khan are vice-chairmen of the Summit Group of Companies.

Among his close friends is Hamiduzzaman Khan, an artist and sculptor. Khan commissioned Bangladesh's first ever sculpture park and named it the Prof Hamiduzzaman Sculpture Park.[67] Among the sculptures is the country's longest mural.

Anjuman and Aziz Charitable Trust (AACT)

in 2022, Anjuman and Aziz Charitable Trust (AACT) of Bangladesh joined UNICEF's international council to help address the learning crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling 3,000 vulnerable children to re-enter education and catch up on lost learning many of whom were forced to drop out of school during the pandemic. The Anjuman and Aziz Charitable Trust made a four-year partnership with the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), now officially the United Nations Children's Fund.

The AACT has pledged to continue supporting UNICEF Bangladesh in enabling the education of some of the most disadvantaged out-of-school children in the country, many of whom were forced to drop out of school during the COVID-19 pandemic.[68]

AACT's support will enable UNICEF's specialised learning programme to be offered to 3,000 children living in Dhaka South City Corporation Zones 3, 4, and 5 who have dropped out of school. These areas see some of the highest rates of out-of-school children in Bangladesh, with one of every three children deprived of education in some neighbourhoods.

UNICEF will provide them with a unique approach to learn in a safe environment, until they either graduate from primary school or catch up until they and can be mainstreamed into regular schools. The programme will also benefit an estimated 5,000 parents and community leaders through community outreach activities.

The trustees of AACT, Anjuman Aziz Khan, Muhammed Aziz Khan, Hanns Kendel and Christian Prokopp joined the UNICEF's International Council at its annual symposium in Copenhagen in October, 2022. They are the first members from Bangladesh to have joined the council.

Notes and References

  1. News: Summit Group's Aziz Khan becomes 42nd richest man in Singapore . 2022-09-11 . The Financial Express . en.
  2. News: 2022-09-08 . Summit's Aziz Khan 42nd richest man in Singapore: Forbes . 2022-09-11 . The Daily Star . en.
  3. Web site: Muhammed Aziz Khan . Summitgroupbd.com . 8 April 2016.
  4. News: Summit plans to raise funds from Singapore bourse . The Daily Star . 15 March 2016 . 26 June 2016.
  5. News: Summit's Aziz Khan 42nd richest person in Singapore . 2022-09-11 . Prothom Alo . en.
  6. News: Khan . Sharier . 20 December 2010 . Summit assured of $2b financing . The Daily Star . 26 June 2016.
  7. News: Grab business opportunities in Bangladesh . The Daily Star . UNB . 25 January 2016 . 26 June 2016.
  8. News: Forbes Richest World's Billionaires List 2024Forbes Richest World's Billionaires List 2024 The Richest In 2024 . Forbes . 2 May 2024.
  9. News: The infrastructure trailblazer . The Daily Star . 26 June 2016.
  10. Web site: Introducing the Directors . Summit Power . 9 April 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160424110837/http://www.summitpower.org/Boardofdirectors.html . 24 April 2016 . dead.
  11. News: Climbing Higher . ICE Business Times . 28 December 2016.
  12. Web site: Anowar Hossain . anwargroup.com.
  13. Web site: Deen Mohammad . phoenixinsurance.com.
  14. Web site: Muhammed Aziz Khan . International Economic Forum of the Americas . 18 April 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160420183000/http://forum-americas.org/profile/muhammed-aziz-khan . 20 April 2016 . dead.
  15. Web site: IPCO . IPCO Hotels and IPCO Development Bangladesh Limited . 10 October 2018.
  16. News: Summit Power gets finance for GE joint venture . Reuters. 30 January 2011 . 26 June 2016.
  17. News: Summit inks energy deal with Chinese company . The Daily Star . 26 June 2016.
  18. News: Aziz Khan elected BAPLC president . Daily Sun . 18 December 2015 . 18 April 2016.
  19. News: Bangladesh inks deal to build high-tech business park . The Economic Times . Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. . 29 June 2015 . 26 June 2016.
  20. News: Bangladeshis not outside Panama Papers . The Daily Observer . 8 April 2016.
  21. News: Summit rejoinder on Panama Papers . The Daily Observer . 5 May 2016.
  22. News: NBR probing into Bangladeshi names on Panama Papers . Banglanews24.com . 20 April 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161220162700/http://www.banglanews24.com/national/article/51327/NBR-probing-into-Bangladeshi-names-on-Panama-Papers . 20 December 2016 . dead.
  23. Web site: Bergman . David . Bangladesh Politico: ICIJ 2013 leak database . Bangladeshpolitico.blogspot.co.uk . 8 April 2016 . 20 April 2016.
  24. News: Aziz Khan as honorary consul general of Finland in Bangladesh . BanglaNews24 . 26 June 2016.
  25. News: Finland opens honorary consulate general in Bangladesh . bdnews24.com . 26 June 2016.
  26. Web site: RSS Nieuws – BIO-Invest.
  27. Web site: Summit eyes listing with S'pore stock exchange . 13 March 2016 . Share Bazar BD 24 . 26 June 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160531205017/http://www.sharebazarbd24.com/news/details/Share_Bazar/123 . 31 May 2016 . dead.
  28. News: Arun Devnath More stories by Arun Devnath . Bangladesh's Top Utility to Invest $2.5 Billion in LNG, Power . Bloomberg . 7 September 2016 . Bloomberg L.P. . 1 April 2017.
  29. News: Md Fazlur Rahman . Summit Group to raise $2.5b . The Daily Star . 1 April 2017.
  30. News: Summit signs deal to build $500m LNG terminal . The Daily Star . 5 January 2017 . 15 January 2017.
  31. News: Japan Mitsubishi Corp says to acquire 25 pct stake in Bangladesh LNG terminal . Nikkei Asian Review . 17 August 2018 . 17 August 2018.
  32. News: Japan Mitsubishi Corp says to acquire 25 pct stake in Bangladesh LNG terminal . NASDAQ . 16 August 2018 . 16 August 2018.
  33. News: JERA to buy 22% stake in Bangladeshi utility for $327m . Nikkei Asian Review . 8 October 2019 . 8 October 2019.
  34. News: Japan's JERA buys stake in power unit of Bangladesh's Summit for $330 million . Reuters. 7 October 2019 . 7 October 2019.
  35. News: Japan's JERA acquires 22pc stake of Summit Power for $330m . The Daily Star . 8 October 2019 . 8 October 2019.
  36. News: From plastics, Aziz Khan powers his way to business empire . The Straits Times . 10 September 2018 . 10 September 2018.
  37. Web site: Forbes profile: Muhammed Aziz Khan . Forbes . 19 August 2020.
  38. News: Bangladesh Giant Seeks to Invest $2.3 Billion in LNG Projects . Bloomberg L.P. . 6 April 2021.
  39. Web site: Summit Power International . summitpowerinternational.com.
  40. Web site: Summit Alliance Port Limited (SAPL) . saplbd.com.
  41. Web site: Summit Technopolis Limited . summittechnopolis.com.
  42. News: Summit's Aziz Khan becomes Finland's honorary consul general . The Daily Star . 2 June 2016 . 26 June 2016.
  43. Web site: Prothom Alo Trust প্রচ্ছদ . trust.prothom-alo.com . 18 April 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160407231626/http://trust.prothom-alo.com/about/ . 7 April 2016 . dead.
  44. Web site: Empowering Bangladesh we can and we will : Summit Power Limited's 2015 Annual Report . 123.49.46.158 . 20 April 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160504224831/http://123.49.46.158/reports/Annual%20Reports/ANNUAL%20REPORT/Fuel%20And%20Energy/Summit%20Power/Summit%20Power%202005.pdf . 4 May 2016 . dead.
  45. Web site: Summit Power Limited . summitpowerinternational.com . 24 November 2017.
  46. Web site: Summit Oil and Shipping Company Limited (SOSCL) . soscl.net.
  47. Web site: Summit communications Limited . summitcommunications.net.
  48. Web site: Cosmopolitan Communications Limited . cosmocom.net.
  49. Web site: IPCO Hotels and IPCO Developments Limited . ipco.com.bd.
  50. Web site: National Housing Finance and Investments Limited . National Housing Finance and Investments Limited Annual Report 2013 . 26 June 2016.
  51. News: Prothom Alo awards six journalists . The Daily Star . 27 June 2013 . 27 June 2013.
  52. News: Prime Minister's Office Singapore . Prime Minister's Office Singapore . 1 June 2023.
  53. News: Muhammed Aziz Khan gets Sher-e-Bangla Peace Award . The Business Standard . 5 November 2023.
  54. News: Singapore PM Office awards Aziz Khan for contributing to society in pandemic . The Financial Express . 31 October 2023.
  55. Group . Summit . Singapore PM Office awards Public Service Medal to Muhammed Aziz Khan . 2023-10-31 . PR Newswire . en.
  56. News: Priyadarshni Academy awards Summit Group Chairman Aziz Khan . The Business Standard . 20 September 2022.
  57. News: 38th Anniversary Global Awards Function . priyadarshniacademy . 19 September 2022.
  58. News: Muhammed Aziz Khan recognised as Asia's Outstanding Leader at ACES Awards 2020 . The Business Standard . 18 November 2020.
  59. News: Muhammed Aziz Khan wins Outstanding Leader in Asia 2020 . acesawards . 18 November 2020.
  60. News: Aziz recognised as the 'Global Asian of the Year 2018' . New Age . 29 January 2019.
  61. News: Laurels for Brilliance in Business . The Daily Star . 18 April 2016.
  62. Web site: 2023-10-26 . Singapore PM Office awards to Muhammed Aziz Khan . 2024-07-08 . The Business Standard . en.
  63. Web site: Nahas Ahmed Khalil . bengal.institute.
  64. Web site: Director . Summit Technopolis Limited.
  65. Web site: Junior Research Fellow Wolfson College, University of Cambridge . University of Cambridge.
  66. News: Faruk Khan takes it easy . 2021-11-08 . bdnews24.com.
  67. News: Country's longest mural at Summit Gazipur Power Plant . Daily Sun . 26 February 2019.
  68. News: 2022-10-28 . Anjuman and Aziz Charitable Trust joins Unicef's Int'l Council . 2022-10-31 . The Daily Star . en.