PROFILE OF

Ms. Zakia Sultana

Senior Secretary, Ministry of Industries

Ms. Zakia Sultana has been serving as Secretary, Ministry of Industries from 16th May 2021 and she has been promoted to Senior Secretary to the Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh on 27 September 2023. Ms. Zakia Sultana is an officer of BCS (Administration) of the 10th batch. Prior to her present position, she worked as Chairman of Bangladesh Energy and Power Research Council as a Secretary of the Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh since 10th January 2021. Before that she worked as an Additional Secretary of the Financial Institutions Division under Ministry of Finance.

Ms. Zakia Sultana was born in Singra upazila of Natore district. Her father was late Khandaker Afzal Ali and mother was late Anowara Begum. She obtained her B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Anatomy from the Post Graduate Medicine and Research Institute (IPGMR) of Dhaka University in 1989 and 1991 respectively.

Ms. Zakia Sultana joined the administration cadre of the Bangladesh Civil Service in 1991. She served in various important positions of the Govt at field level in Narayanganj and Munshiganj districts. Besides, at different times in her career, she held various important positions in the Ministry of  Women and Children Affairs, Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Rural Development and Cooperatives, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Ms. Zakia Sultana has achieved advanced degrees and training from various reputed universities and institutes in the country as well as abroad. She has completed her MS degree in Environmental Management from Victoria University, Australia in 2007 with distinction number. She was selected one of the best students from Asia region in the Victoria University and awarded by the Australian Governmentfor her outstanding achievements. She completed a short course in Top Management (MATT-2) in Singapore and a Super MATT course from the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom. She also completed a course in strengthening of BCS Admin Cadre Officials from Duke University in the United States. She participated in various conferences, workshops, and trainings in United Kingdom, Spain, Japan, Switzerland, Belgium, Sweden, France, Italy, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Philippines, Malaysia, Maldives, Sri Lanka and India. Under participating in different training courses in the Country, she acquired knowledge on Rural Development, Women's Empowerment, Human Resource Management, Environment Development, Budget & Accounts Management, WTO Notification Procedure and Obligation and Investment Treaty Negotiation and Disputes.

She was a member of the Board of Directors of Bangladesh Industrial Technical Assistance Center (BITAC), Bangladesh Child Hospital, Bangladesh Institute of Research of Rehabilitation in Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolic (BIRDEM), Bangladesh Palli Sanchay Bank and Sadharan Bima Corporation.

Ms. Zakia Sultana is married and the mother of two daughters. Her husband Mr. Md. Atiqul Islam is an Additional Inspector General of Bangladesh Police.