Syed Manzur Elahi
{{Short description|Bangladeshi businessman (1942–2025)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Syed Manzur Elahi
| native_name = সৈয়দ মঞ্জুর এলাহী
| native_name_lang = bn
| birth_date = {{birth date|1942|02|26|df=y}}
| birth_place =
| death_date = {{death date and age|2025|03|12|1942|02|26|df=y}}
| death_place = Singapore
| nationality = Bangladeshi
| education = University of Dhaka, St. Xavier's College, Kolkata
}}
Syed Manzur Elahi (26 February 1942 – 12 March 2025) was a Bangladeshi businessperson and chairman of Apex group.{{cite web |last1=O'Driscoll |first1=Shaun |title=The Results – UKBCCI Business & Entrepreneur Excellence Awards 2019 |url=https://www.ukbcci.org.uk/the-results-ukbcci-business-entrepreneur-excellence-awards-2019/ |website=UK BCCI}}
Early life
Elahi's father Sir Syed Nasim Ali was the Chief Justice of the undivided Bengal on 26 February 1946.{{Cite news |title='I Never Thought to be Second' |url=https://www.daily-sun.com/printversion/details/273966/2017/12/09/%E2%80%9CI-never-thought-to-be-second%E2%80%9D |newspaper=Daily Sun |first=Firoz Al |last=Mamun |date=9 December 2017}}[https://www.tritiyomatra.com/profile/302 Syed Manzur Elahi][https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/syed-manzur-elahi-visionary-entrepreneur-and-nation-builder-3845771 Syed Manzur Elahi: a visionary entrepreneur and nation-builder]
Elahi received his B.A. from St. Xavier's College, Kolkata. He earned his master's degree from the University of Dhaka in Economics. He founded and was the chairman of Holiday Publications Limited. {{Cite news |title=The mentality of 'winner takes all' does not bring democracy |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-63193 |date=14 November 2008 |work=The Daily Star |language=en |access-date=26 May 2020}} He moved to Dhaka in 1962 from Kolkata. In 1972, he resigned from his job and started working as an agent for a French leather importer. In 1975, the Bangladesh government started to privatize companies that were nationalised. He bought one such company, Orient Tannery, in Hazaribag, Dhaka for 1.2 million taka. {{Cite magazine |last=Karmali |first=Naazneen |date=September 2014 |title=Bangladesh's Apex Group Emerges As Shoemaker To The World |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/naazneenkarmali/2014/08/27/bangladeshs-apex-group-emerges-as-shoemaker-to-the-world/ |magazine=Forbes Asia |language=en |access-date=26 May 2020}}
Career
Elahi ventured into the business world on his 30th birthday after a seven-year tenure at British American Tobacco. He was the chairman of Apex group.{{Cite news |title=Apex Group Chairman Manzur Elahi, his wife Niloufer of Sunbeams school test positive for coronavirus |url=https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/public/national/apex-group-boss-manzur-elahi-his-wife-niloufer-of-sunbeams-school-test-positive-for-coronavirus-1590293128 |work=The Financial Express |location=Dhaka |language=en |access-date=26 May 2020}} He was an administrator of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry.{{Cite news |title=Dhaka should study WTO competition policy |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-20410 |date=24 January 2008 |work=The Daily Star |language=en |access-date=26 May 2020}} He was an adviser to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh.{{Cite news |title=Bangladeshi migrants get less for lack of language skill |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/business/bangladeshi-migrants-get-less-lack-language-skill-160540 |date=21 October 2015 |work=The Daily Star |language=en |access-date=26 May 2020}} He was the chairman of the Trustee board of East West University.{{Cite news |title=EWU hosts photo exhibition titled 'Photo Fest Asia 2019' |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/shout/bulletin-board/news/ewu-hosts-photo-exhibition-titled-photo-fest-asia-2019-1775800 |date=25 July 2019 |work=The Daily Star |language=en |access-date=26 May 2020}} In 2008, he was the president of Dhaka University Alumni Association.{{Cite news |title=MTBL-DUAA stipends for meritorious DU students |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-27976 |date=16 March 2008 |work=The Daily Star |language=en |access-date=26 May 2020}} He held a term as the chairman of Pioneer Insurance Company Limited.{{Cite news |title=Pioneer Insurance elects chairman |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-90204 |date=28 May 2009 |work=The Daily Star |language=en |access-date=26 May 2020}} He was the chairman of the Bangladesh Freedom Foundation.{{Cite news |title=The Daily Star Roundtable |url=https://archive.thedailystar.net/RoundTable/2012/october/02/index.html |work=The Daily Star |access-date=26 May 2020}}
Personal life and death
Elahi was married to Niloufer Manzur. She had founded Sunbeams School in Bangladesh. Both of them contracted COVID-19 in 2020 where Elahi survived but Niloufer died on 26 May 2020.{{Cite news |title=Niloufer Manzur, founding principal of Sunbeams, dies from Covid-19 |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/coronavirus-deadly-new-threat/news/niloufer-manzur-founding-principal-sunbeams-dies-covid-19-1905628 |date=26 May 2020 |work=The Daily Star |language=en |access-date=26 May 2020}}
Elahi died in Singapore on 12 March 2025, at the age of 83.[https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/obituary/syed-manzur-elahi-passes-away-83-1090526 Syed Manzur Elahi passes away at 83]
References
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Category:University of Calcutta alumni
Category:Advisers of caretaker governments of Bangladesh
Category:Place of birth missing
Category:20th-century Bangladeshi businesspeople
Category:21st-century Bangladeshi businesspeople
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