Dr. Atiur Rahman is a Professor of Department of Development Studies, University of Dhaka. Dr. Rahman served as the Governor of Central Bank of Bangladesh during the period of May 2009-March 2016. He occupied different positions in eminent research and academic institutions. After obtaining M.A. in Economics from Dhaka University, he pursued studies in the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London under a Commonwealth Scholarship, securing M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics (1983). He was also awarded a Commonwealth Development Fellowship at the University of Manitoba in Canada (1989), a Ford Foundation Post Doctoral Fellowship at The University of London (1991-92), and a Visiting Research Fellowship, at the Institute of South-East Asian Studies, Singapore (1998-99).

The defining feature of Dr. Rahman’s tenure as a Governor was his decisive drive reorienting the institutional objectives and ethos to support a pro-poor, inclusive and sustainable development model through his flagship initiatives of financial inclusion and environmentally benign green banking. His consistent support for widespread digitization of both central banking and commercial banking has helped achieve robust transparency and accountability in the financial sector in Bangladesh. He made significant contribution in the 3GF conference, Rio+20, COP18 and MDG Global Compact international negotiations linking sustainability and socio‐economic development goals as a member/panelist of Bangladesh delegation. He was also a member of the UNEP Enquiry on designing ‘global sustainable financing’. Under his dynamic leadership, Bangladesh Bank was awarded the ‘Best Employer of the Year 2014’ by Bdjobs.com (the largest online job portal in Bangladesh).

Dr. Rahman has published 56 books in English and Bengali, besides, numerous papers in national and international journals. Dr. Rahman has won many awards and Gold Medals including Indira Gandhi Gold Plaque-2011 for his outstanding contribution to international cooperation towards human progress, a certificate of world record by Hong Kong based World Record Association as the central bank governor undertaking the highest number of pro-poor and financial inclusive programs in the world, ‘Regulator with a Human Face’ by the University of Dhaka, and Manila based GUSI Peace Prize International 2014 in the field of Economics. Dr. Rahman has been awarded the Best Central Bank governor – Asia Pacific, 2015 by The Banker magazine, a Financial Times publication for his role in channeling credit towards environmentally and socially responsible development projects and very recently, the Emerging Markets (a subsidiary of the Euromoney) has also awarded him the ‘Central Bank Governor of the Year for Asia 2015’ in recognition of  his unparallel leadership to build confidence among the mass people, visually reflecting their faith in central bank policy. Bangla Academy has honored him with the Bangla Academy Literary Award for 2015 for his extraordinary contribution in bangla literature.