Biography

Professor Abdul Hannan Chowdhury is one of Bangladesh’s most distinguished academic leaders and public intellectuals, currently serving as Vice-Chancellor of North South University (NSU) and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Grameen Bank, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning institution. With more than 38 years of leadership across higher education, research, and institutional governance in Bangladesh, Canada, the United States, and China, he occupies a rare position at the intersection of academic leadership, national development, and global engagement.

His leadership trajectory reflects sustained service at the highest levels of university administration. In addition to his current role at NSU, he previously served as Vice-Chancellor of Primeasia University and Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Eastern University. At NSU, he held multiple senior leadership positions including Dean of the School of Business and Economics (three terms), Director of the BBA Program (three terms), Executive Director of External Relations, Director of Career Services, and Member of the Syndicate. Across these appointments, he has been instrumental in strengthening academic governance, advancing internationalization, and positioning Bangladeshi institutions within global academic networks.

Internationally, Professor Chowdhury has built an exceptional record of academic diplomacy and representation. He has participated in more than 80 international conferences across over 45 countries and represented Bangladesh’s higher education sector across more than 100 universities in over 30 countries. A globally respected academic voice, he has delivered convocation addresses and moderated or chaired more than 100 scholarly sessions at international conferences and universities worldwide.

His leadership also extends to international accreditation and quality assurance. He spearheaded NSU’s eligibility process for accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and served as an international peer reviewer for the South Asian Quality System (SAQS) under AMDISA. He led Outcome-Based Education (OBE) curriculum development at NSU in alignment with University Grants Commission requirements and was featured by AACSB at ICAM 2022 in New Orleans for outstanding leadership in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).

Professor Chowdhury holds a PhD in Industrial Engineering and an MS in Operations Research from Northeastern University, Boston, along with an MSc and BSc (Hons) in Statistics from Jahangirnagar University. He has held faculty appointments at the University of Windsor and the University of Calgary in Canada, Northeastern University in the United States, and Yunnan Normal University in China. He also taught at Islamic University, a public university in Bangladesh, giving him a comprehensive understanding of both public and private higher education systems.

His research and institutional development initiatives have been supported by leading global organizations including the British Council, World Bank, IFC, NSERC, the U.S. National Science Foundation, Nortel Networks, the One Asia Foundation (Japan), PIMS, and the Institute of Sustainable Communities. He has successfully mobilized significant international funding for academic and institutional development programs.

Professor Chowdhury is internationally recognized as a leading figure in the Social Business movement. Working closely for more than a decade with Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, he has played a major role in advancing Social Business globally through research, policy engagement, and institution-building. He is the Founder and President of the Professional Society for Social Business and served as Chairman of the Bangladesh Country Forum of Social Business Day.

He has been a regular invitee to the Global Social Business Summit and Social Business Academia Conferences across Europe and Asia. With support from the U.S. Department of State, he helped organize the First South Asian Youth Leaders’ Summit on Social Business in Dhaka. Most recently, he led the Social Business Academia Dialogue (SBAD) and the Three Zero Club Convention in Bangladesh, strengthening the country’s global leadership in inclusive and socially responsible economic development.

His scholarly contributions include more than 70 peer-reviewed publications, books, and book chapters in leading international journals such as the International Journal of Production Economics, International Journal of Bank Marketing, Benchmarking, Journal of Enterprise Information Management, and The Learning Organization. He has presented over 75 papers at international conferences and authored more than 25 analytical articles in national newspapers and magazines.

In recognition of his global academic standing, he was awarded an Honorary Professorship by Nanjing Audit University in China. Through sustained leadership in higher education, accreditation, social business, and international engagement, Professor Abdul Hannan Chowdhury continues to strengthen Bangladesh’s global academic footprint and advance higher education as a powerful driver of inclusive and sustainable development.