Forum has nominated ABM Samsuddin to leadin the next Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) election, which is slated for 4 April.

"Forum has nominated me as the panel leader at a group meeting held the day before yesterday. We will announce full panel within two-three days,"Samsuddin told The Business Standard on Friday eveningconfirming his nomination.

Samsuddin is currently the chairman of HannanGroup -- one of leading sweater exporters – and also a former vice president of the BGMEA.

In the garment exporters' polls, he will be contesting Faruque Hassanof SammilitaParishad.

Apparel entrepreneurs traditionally compete to elect their leadership for two years under the banners of SammilitaParishad and Forum, the panels of BGMEA's registered members.

In October last year, SammilitaParishadannouncedFaruquewill lead it in the election.

Faruque Hassan is a former senior vice president of the BGMEA. He also served as the president of the Dutch-Bangla Chamber of Commerce and Industries.Currently, he serves as the honorary consul general of Greece in Bangladesh.

On 3 January, an online emergency board meeting of BGMEA formed an election board and an election appellate board to conduct the polls for the 2021-22 term.

According to the election schedule, the last date to pay due subscription fees is 2 February while 9 February is the last date for submitting nominations to be listed as voters.

The last date for nomination submission is 25 February while 4 March is the deadline for candidacy withdrawal.  

The BGMEA election board is headed by Prof Syed Ferhat Anwar, director of the Dhaka University's Institute of Business Administration.

Other members are AbulKasem Khan, chairperson at the Business Initiative Leading Development, and Habibullah N Karim, vice-president at the Bangladesh Employers' Federation. 

The election appellate board is headed by Kamran T Rahman, president at Bangladesh Employers' Federation. Other members are Syed NasimManzur, former president of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and ShafquatHaider, chief executive officer of the Consortium for Business Development Services.