Background
| 1945: | A. K. Khan & Co. Ltd. founded by late Founder Chairman Janab A. K. Khan. |
| 1945-1958: | A total of 8 new company setups in the field of textile, shipping, jute and electronic motors, match & plywood. |
| 1958-62: | Janab A. K. Khan inducted as Federal Minister for Industries, works, Irrigation, power and Natural Resources in Gen.Ayub's cabinet of Pakistan. |
| 1974: | All major industrial units of the group was nationalized by the Govt. |
| 1979: | Bengal Fisheries to established as a pioneer in Deep Sea Fishing sector. |
| 1982: | Most of the nationalized units were returned excepting Eastern Insurance and Eastern Mercantile Bank. |
| 1989: | Tootal Thread (later renamed Coats Bangladesh) established as the pioneer Sewing thread company. |
| 1991: | Janab A. K. Khan, pioneer industrialist of Bangladesh passes away. |
| 1991-1995: | Chairman Janab A.M.Zahiruddin Khan sworn in as Planning Minister and later took over as Industrial Minister of The Government of Peoples Republic of Bangladesh. |
| 1996: | TM International (BD) Ltd, a joint venture Company with Telecom Malaysia Berhad awarded cellular license. |
| 2002: | AKCEYCOM LIMITED Established |
Corporate Management
| The group is managed by a Board of Directors comprising at present with the following: | |
| Mr. A. K. Shamsuddin Khan | Chairman |
| Mrs. Zebun Nahar Islam | Vice Chairman |
| Mr. Salahuddin Kasem Khan | Managing Director |
| Mr. Sadruddin Khan | Director |
| Mr. A. M. Ziauddin Khan | Director |
| Mrs. Yasmin Khan Kabir | Director |
| Mr. Abul Kasem Khan | Director |
About A. K. Khan Founder Chairman
 Janab A. K. KHAN our founder chairman is recognized as the pioneer industrialist of Bangladesh. Janab Khan was born on 5 th April, 1905 in Chittagong . He obtained Bachelor of Law Degree from Presidency College, Kolkata University Standing first class second in order of merit. He practicsed as a junior with Shere -e-Bangla A.K.M. Fazlul Huq and was a close associate of Khawaja Nazimuddin. He entered the Bengal Judicial Service in 1935, when he entered business during Second World War. After independence, he establishes many industries in citation and pioneered Insurance, banking and Shipping. He was Chairman of Pakistan International Airlines.As an active member of Muslim League, he was involved in the Pakistan Movement in Bangal. He was President of Chittagong District Muslim League. He was elected member, constituent Assembly of India in 1946, which he resigned on the advice of Mohammed Ali Jinnah. He was reelected as member, Pakistan Constituent Assembly of Pakistan in 1947. Mr. Khan joined the first Ayub Khan Cabinet (1958-62) and held the portfolios of industries, Works, Irrigation, Power and Mineral Resources. It was during his tenure considerable development of industries took place in the country. He was member of the National Assembly from 1962-1968 as an opposition member. He passed away on 31st March 1991 . The Prime Minister of Bangladesh Begum Khaleda Zia condoled the passing away of Janab A. K. KHAN. She said “in his death the country has lost a renowed industrialist, a seasoned politician and social worker”. |
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The Daily Star (Dhaka, Tuesday April 2, 1991) A Tribute to A. K. Khan: An important Chapter in Bangladeshi entrepreneurship comes to a close with the death on Sunday of Abul Kasem Khan.A noted industrialist and politician of Chittagong , whose influence and reputation extended far beyond his home base as well as the country as well a whole. And, indeed, this reputation was of yesterdays –origin. In the days when, soon after our independence from British rule, local businessman of what was then East Pakistan had found a small place in the commercial world or in the industrial field. Primarily due to lack of incentives, the late Mr. Khan emerged as a symbol of our nascent pioneering spirit, a spirit that took several decades to make its impact on a nationwide scale in Bangladesh. The late industrialist was a highly successful businessman. In a way, his commitment to trade and commerce formed part of his abiding concern for the advance and progress of his people. It is possible that it is this concern that prompted him to involve him self in politics. In his wide range activities, from business and politics, philanthropy and social work, the late Mr. Khan was constantly guided by a set of traditional values, such as honesty, integrity, hard work and dedication to duty. Indeed, by practicing these values, the late Mr. Khan Group of Industries become a model of reliability, while the Eastern Mercantile Bank, the first ever east Pakistan based bank, set up by the late industrialist , turned out to be a source of inspiration for the next generation of young bankers in Bangladesh. The late A. K. Khan has left behind a legacy that the new generation of Bangladeshi entrepreneurs should treat as respect, a legacy that should be a part of our emerging business culture which must be based on a combination of modern management techniques and old traditional ethics and values gains roots in this country. We shall look upon the contribution of the late Mr. Khan as an Integral part if its foundation. |
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Holiday (Dhaka, April 5, 1991) Industrial Pioneer Passes away: Abul Kasem khan had many features in his Cap-a brilliant academic career, participation in the independence movement against the British Raj and against Pakistan Government membership of the constitution of Pakistan and holding of the post of central minister of the industry, works, irrigation and power under the Pakistan government in 58. In spite of being busy of opposition politics, he enlarged and diversified his business concerns and established the A.K.Khan group of industries, which comprises jute, textiles and leather complexes. He founded the Eastern mercantile Bank, which was the first institution of its kind to be based in Bangladesh. His list of Commercial and Business achievements is too long to be discussed in detail. An entrepreneur's mentally is totally different from that of a wheeler-dealer. The latter need cunning, ruthlessness and determination. The entrepreneur needs, in addition to all these qualities, intelligence, foresight, commitment and patience. By producing goods he creates value and adds something to the Gross Domestic. He provided much needed employment and directly or indirectly he participates in improving the infrastructure. A. K. Khan is remarkable because he was a real entrepreneur in land dominated by traders and smugglers. He is a shinning example to all those who do not want to enrich themselves at the country's expense and who believe that money should be earned by giving value for value. Holiday Deeply mourns his death and prays for the salvation of its departed soul. |
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Entrepreneurs in India and Bangladesh by Nagoya University The aim of this chapter is to analyze the formative principles and processes of business groups in South Asia by comparison of business groups in India (Muslim dominant society) and Bangladesh (Muslim dominant society). However, this analysis is as yet incomplete. Therefore, in this paper, the author could not but present the data researched and, based on them, some tentative arguments. The business groups researched here are the Tata group (India), the A. K. Khan group (Bangladesh), and the Islam group (Bangladesh). In South Asia, It is very difficult to collect detailed materials on business group because there are, in each group, so many companies which take the form of private Company Ltd. Especially in the A. K. Khan group and the Islam Group, almost all companies are of this type. In the case of the private company Ltd. the companies are not under any obligation to open data such as balance sheets, profit and loss statements, etc. Therefore, this time, the author could not but deal mainly with materials such as the family trees of entrepreneurs, the organization of each business group, and the methods of here control. The A. K. Khan business group and Islam Business Group in Bangladesh: In tracing the growth of the bourgeoisie in Bangladesh, the focus will be on Muslim bourgeoisie in the Bengali population of the region, at the partition of Entrepreneurs in India and Bangladesh. Bengali bourgeoisie to further their build-up as a class (refer to Table). In the initial phase, the main beneficiaries of this policy were a small class of Bengali contractors. A. Farouk points out that entrepreneur who are now engaged in the tiny private sector of modern industries of Bangladesh can be divide into three groups:
One of the oldest and largest private sector organizations in the Republic of Bangladesh and the group employed about 6,150 people in 1985. The Financial profile of the group is shown in Table 5. The group is organized into many divisions and the manufacturing sector is divided into five divisions to rationalize production activities and consolidate management A . K. Khan & Co. Ltd. plays an important role in the control of the group. As the Holding company, it is based in Chittagong. The principal activities of this company have been the promotion and acting as managing-agent for the diverse units of the group.
Meanwhile, A. K. Khan is the Chairman of all companies and the directors of all companies are controlled by him and his sons (refer to Figure 4 and Table 6). A. K. Khan Group seems to be still a big family firm. It is also very interesting to point out that at present Morshed Khan is a relative of A. K. Khan. 1. A. K. Khan Business Group Abul Kasem Khan was born to a respectable family in Chittagong. His Father was a distinguished government officer. He received his education first at Government College, Chittagong and then Presidency College, Calcutta from which he graduated with honors in English in 1927. He then joined the University Law College and stood second in order of merit in the final B.L. Examination in 1933. He then joined the Calcutta High Court as a advocate in 1934. He married a daughter of the late A. Bari Chowdhury, a great business magnet of Rangoon. When the Second World War broke out, he resigned from the judicial service and started doing business at Chittagong with his father-in-law. He started his business life as a Construction Contractor and Success immediately began to come to him. After the British evacuation from India, he felt the need of industrial development to create as economic infrastructure and employment. He as pioneer industries of his own with a view to providing employment and helping the development of East Pakistan. At present the A.K. Khan group is
Figure: 3 Organization of A. K. Khan Group (as 1986) Has formed another business group named Pacific Group, and that, further. M.R. Siddiqi, son-in-law of A. K. Khan has formed another business group, Sidko, with his five sons, both of which groups are independent of the A. K. Khan Group (refer to Figures 4, 5,and 6)
Tentative Conclusion Through the comparison of business groups in India and Bangladesh, we can roughly indicate the following two observations as key points. First, in either case, family members play very important roles in the ownership and top management of the group companies. Furthermore, in the case of Tata business group, the parsi community plays an especially important role in the decision-making of the top management. Second, in order to point out the distinctions between the Indian business group (Tata) and the Bangladesh ones (A.K. Khan and Islam), we must pay more attention to their scale and histories. In Bangladesh, both the A. K. Khan group and the Islam group are even now in the era of their founders. They are still literally family firms, based upon a smaller scale and shorter business organization history than Tata. It appears that, for them, the problems of modernization in management will be from this time forth. Either way, it is considered that more investigations of these points are necessary. References
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A. M. Zahiruddin Khan Past Chairman
 Mr. Zahiruddin Khan, a prominent industrialist, former Minister and freedom fighter, died of cardiac arrest on the morning of Tuesday , March 29,2005, at Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok. He was 68 years old. Mr.Zahiruddin Khan, was born on July 5,1936. He was the eldest son of late A. K. Khan After schooling at St.Paul's, Darjeeling he completed his education at Aitcheson College, Lahore. Mr.Zahiruddin Khan entered business, becoming at an early age, Managing Director of A. K. Khan Group of Industries in 1958, and its Chairman in 1991 and its Joints Venture Companies. He was Chairman of T.M. International (Bangladesh) Ltd. (AKTEL) with Telekom Malaysia Berhad, Bengal Fisheries Ltd. with Maruha and Mitsui of Japan and COATS Bangladesh Ltd. with Coats UK, until his demise. During his distinguished business career, he played an active role in developing Bangladesh's business sector. President of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce & Industry for two terms. Mr. Khan served as president of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FDCCI) in 1997. As president, he recognized the potential of the world's Islamic market, initiating and mooting formation of the Islamic Chambers of Commerce & industry at the ILO in Geneva in 1975 as Representatives of Bangladesh Employers. In recognition, he was unanimously elected Chairman of the Working Group for drafting the Islamic Chamber Constitution in the Istanbul Conference of the Business Leaders of Islamic Countries in 1997. Mr. Khan was the Chairman of (Eastern Zone) All Pakistan Textile Mills Association founder Chairman of Bangladesh Textile Mills Associations (BTMA), 1983-1985; founder Director of Investment Corporation of Bangladesh; Founder Director of IFIC Bank and Director Shadharan Bima Corporation. He also served as Chairman of the Sonali Bank, the largest Government Commercial bank of the country. Mr. Khan played an active role in the War of Liberation in 1971. He joined politics in 1978, and was elected Member of Parliament in 1979. He became a member of Begum Khaleda Zia's Cabinet as Minister of Planning 1991-1995. As Industries Minister, he promoted the innovation of green jute pulp for producing paper and rayon fiber. From young age, Mr. Khan displayed a highly innovative and creative spirit. He was a gifted painter, eclectic designer poet an avid patron of the arts. He leaves behind his wife, two daughters and two sons, grandchildren, four brothers and four sisters, and a host of relatives, friends and well wishers. He was buried at the family graveyard at Batali Hills, Chittagong with State Honour as a Freedom Fighter during the War of Liberation of Bangladesh. |
Message from Chairman
 I am delighted that you are visiting our website to learn more about our company. Here, we are providing helpful information about our company and business, the causes we support and the values we uphold.Every day in many ways, the dedicated people of A. K. Khan & Co. Ltd. demonstrate their commitment to our mission of extending and enhancing the business in and abroad. Since our company's founding in Chittagong, the port city of Bangladesh in 1951, we have grown to become one of the leading industrial conglomerates of Bangladesh with strong Joint venture business relationships with the foreign countries. Pursuing our mission also means working hard to expand our business links in and abroad. We are striving toward this goal through public/private partnerships and joint venture projects. In these and indeed in all of our company's endeavors, we are guided by the values expressed in A. K. Khan & Co. Ltd. Pledge. I hope you will find our website useful and interesting and thank you for visiting our Website. |
Message from Managing Director
 A. K. Khan & Co. Ltd. is evolving in a highly competitive globalised business world. We have grown in last 50 years, from a small family-owned company established in 1951 into a diversified company. Our strategic corporate policy of joint venture with some of the leading multi-national companies of the world and particularly of the region; like Telekom Malaysia, Mitsui and Maruha of Japan, Ceylinco of Sri lanka and Coats of U.K in Telecommunication, Textiles, Deep Sea Fishing, ICT and Engineering - is bearing fruit. We fell it is crucial to have access to R&D and remain internationally competitive in the market place by introducing state-of-the-art technologies to the country and this can only be possible by collaboration with leading companies.We are, therefore, continuously seeking reputable international partners in new sectors - in the Hotel and Tourism Sector, Logistics and Infrastructure like ICD, Container Terminals, Power and partners for our existing manufacturing plants. Our mission is to become one of the most valued company in the country. In this, we are guided by the values embedded in our company philosophy by our Founder Chairman, Late Janab A. K. Khan, recognized as a pioneer industrialist of the country. His Mission in life was to create an industrial and service sector base to provide gainful employment and contribute to economic development. This mission we believe is a "Trust" entrusted to the management and the board of company, so that we give value to our customers, our employees, our share holders and above all to our country-in its relentless effort towards economic take off in this century. This website, we hope will introduce you A. K. Khan & Co. Ltd. of today and highlight progress made over the last 5 decades in pioneering many industrial sectors, financial Institutions, including Bank and Insurance companies. You can learn about our company history, our achievement and our commitment to be a good corporate citizen of Bangladesh, through the activities of A. K. Khan Foundation. |
Corporate Social Responsibility
| A. K. Khan Foundation established by Janab A. K. Khan provides social services particularly in the field of health and education. He extended co-operation to Chittagong art College, Chittagong Children hospital and Chittagong Diabetic Association.
If more information necessary, please contact us |