Dr Fahmida Khatun, a prominent figure in Bangladesh’s economic policy landscape, is set to assume the role of Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) from September 1, 2026. This transition comes after her successful tenure of more than nine years as the think tank’s Executive Director.
The decision to appoint Dr Khatun as Distinguished Fellow was approved at the 68th meeting of the CPD Board, as stated in a press release. She has been an integral part of CPD since joining in 2003, serving as its Executive Director since February 2017.
Under her leadership, CPD experienced significant growth in the scope, diversity, and quality of its research programmes. The number of funded projects and programmes, as well as funding organisations and development partners, increased substantially during her tenure.
Dr Khatun’s strategic initiatives led to a remarkable 590 percent increase in CPD’s development fund and a 171 percent increase in annual income. She also played a crucial role in enhancing the organisation’s physical and technological infrastructure, improving staff professional development, research capacity, publication quality, digitalisation, and institutional governance.
Before joining CPD, Dr Khatun served as a Research Fellow at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) and held senior positions at the UNDP and USAID missions in Bangladesh. She has taught economics at universities in Bangladesh and the United Kingdom and has been associated with several internationally recognised research and policy institutions.
Dr Khatun earned her PhD and master’s degree in economics from University College London and conducted postdoctoral research at Columbia University in the United States. Her research areas include macroeconomic policy, fiscal and monetary policy, governance of the banking and financial sectors, international trade, and economic transformation of least developed countries.
In addition to her new role at CPD, Dr Khatun is involved with several national and international institutions. She is a member of the Independent Expert Advisory Panel on the United Nations Secretary-General’s Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) and the High-Level Advisory Board on the Productive Capacities Index of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). She also serves on the boards of BRAC and Bangladesh Bank.
