At its second annual Members’ Meeting, the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety (Alliance) has elected Tapan Chowdhury, founder of Square Textiles Limited and former president of the Dhaka Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Simone Sultana, chair of BRAC UK, to serve on its board of directors, it said in a press release. “The Alliance Board is focused on more strategic engagement in the coming years of the Alliance, and the realignment of the board to include the members elected today reflects this focus,” said Ellen Tauscher, independent board chair of the Alliance. “Tapan Chowdhury is a respected leader in Bangladesh and brings valuable government and private sector experience, across a wide spectrum of industries including the ready-made garment sector to the Alliance Board. Simone Sultana is a valued Alliance partner and will assist us in ensuring that the Alliance-BRAC association continues its groundbreaking efforts to provide direct support to factory workers in Bangladesh. We are very pleased to have both of them join the Alliance board of directors.” The Alliance also elected two new members to its board of advisors, including Rumee Ali, former managing director of BRAC Enterprises & Investments; and Vidiya Amrit Khan, director of Desh Garments Ltd. and director of Bangladesh garment manufacturers and exporters association (BGMEA). The Alliance board of advisors provides expertise and counsel to the Alliance board of directors and senior leadership, and the membership relies on their guidance and counsel to inform their efforts to bring about safe working conditions for garment factory workers in Bangladesh. The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety was founded by a group of North American apparel companies and retailers and brands who have joined together to develop and launch the Bangladesh Worker Safety Initiative in 2013 afte the Rana Plaza tragedy. It is a binding, five-year undertaking that will be transparent, results-oriented, measurable and verifiable with the intent of improving safety in Bangladeshi ready-made garment (RMG) factories. Collectively, these Alliance members represent the overwhelming majority of North American imports of RMG from Bangladesh, produced at more than 580 factories. (SH)
