Ferdausur Rahman

Practice Areas

1. Strategic Investment

2.Corporate Advisory

3.Corporate Governance & structuring-restricting including M&A

4.International & Commercial Contracts

5.Compliance & Governance

6.Regulatory Matters

7.Labor & Employment Law

8.Govt., NPO, NGO & Charitable Org

9.Arbitration & Mediation

Professional Memberships

•Member of Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn (UK)

•Member, Dhaka Bar Association

•Member, Bangladesh Bar Council

•Member, Int’l Bar Association

•Associate Member, Bangladesh Society for Human Resources Management (BSHRM)

Publications

•Contribution in Doing Business Project of World Bank from 2011 onwards, in respect of following areas:

1.Enforcing Contracts

2.Paying Taxes

3.Benchmarking Public Procurement

•Contribution in Benchmarking PPP Project, 2017 of World Bank

•Policing the Police: A Judicial Intervention (Published in Corporate Livewire)

•Bangladesh: The New Business Hub of Asia (published in Corporate Vision)

•The Past & Future of Feminism and Gender Bias: The Legal Contribution (Published by TAGLaw)

•Overseas Investment: A New Policy for Bangladesh (Published by IFLR1000)

•Contractual Research Organization-A New Era of Opportunity (Published by TAGLaw)

Personal

Ferdausur Rahman is one of the partners and the CEO of A.S & Associates, a Legal500 Top Tier Ranked, Chambers & Partners, IFLR1000, AsiaLaw and Global Law Experts Reccommended Law Firm in Bangladesh, having princiapl office in Purana Paltan and branch offices at Gulshan, Shamoli, Mymensingh and a network firm at Sylhet. The Firm under the leadership of Mr. Rahman is operating as the collaborator firm of Andersen Global (former Aurther Andersen), and exclusive jurisdiction member of TAG Law and ADVOC, having reach over 190+ countries.

Mr. Rahman has recently won AsiaLaw Regional Award for Outstanding Practioner-Bangladesh and has been awarded as The Highest Rated Lawyer in Asialaw’s Client Excellence Rating 2021. He has also been recognized by Asialaw and IFLR1000 as a Highly Regarded Practitioner. Mr. Rahman is also ranked as a Recognized Practitioner by Chambers & Partners. Mr. Rahman was named as the Top 20 Leading Bangladeshi Lawyers listed by Asia Law and as one of the A List Bangladesh’s Top Lawyer by Asia Business Law Journal.

Mr. Rahman is a legal professional with cross-cutting expertise with business management and HR consultancy experience spreading over 18 years. His areas of practice include- strategic investment, foreign investment, business and operational expansion, project management and govt. relation related strategic advisory, divestment, cross-border M&A, internal control & compliance, regulatory matters, corporate advisory, corporate governance, employment, labor and HR matters, cross border & international commercial contracts, NGO/NPO related issues and matters related to govt. policy and legislative reforms representing global brands, including IFC/World Bank Group, Etihad, Huntsman Corporation, Archroma, Samsung THE, Benetton, NJS Construction, Evonik, MSF (Doctors without Borders), Salvation Army, Water.Org and Govt. of Bangladesh (BPDB, BIDA).

Moreover, he brings year of experience as the primary in-house legal counsel for different international entities, allowing him to work not only as a legal consultant, but as a business partner for his clients. Mr. Rahman regularly works with leading global law firms, including Dentons, Nishimura & Ashahi, DLA Pieper, Baker Mackenzie etc. and CA firms, including Deloitte, PwC and E&Y. Mr. Rahman is also an expert of alternative dispute resolution mechanism and is an Accredited Mediator of CEDR, UK and enlisted with BIAC. He has participated in various out of court settlement process on behalf of his clients.

He has the experience of working with number of government agencies, national & international organizations and non-profit/charitable institutes as primary in-house and external counsel He is currently acting as the Primary Local Legal Consultant for World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) for introducing various regulatory and legislative reforms, including introducing secured transaction law, secondary trading platform for NPL, Asset Based Lending and reform of the insolvency regime for Bangladesh. Previously, he has worked as the lead local lawyer for IFC for the Diagnostic and Implementation of One Stop Services in Bangladesh and Legislative and G2G/G2B Processes reforms for improving investment climate and for Ease of Doing Business in Bangladesh.

Amongst other notable projects in recent years, Mr. Rahman has provided consultancy service to Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) as the lead legal adviser of its Land Database Project for ascertaining documentary compliance of immovable properties owned by BPDB all over Bangladesh.

He has assisted different national and international organizations, including Rosatom, GreenAtom, Unigreen, ICDDR,B, Water.Org, MSF, Deutsche Bank, Doha Bank, Etihad, New Times Group, Himalaya, Benetton, Huntsman, Archroma, Evonik, Sarens, JMI Group, Medtronics and Christian Aid etc. with achieving strategic and operational statutory and legislative compliance and played pivotal role in setting up of their internal legal departments, Department of Regulatory Affairs, initiating their Provident Funds, drafting and implementation of various policies & procedures of such organizations (Staff Rules, Code of Conduct, Procurement Manual, Grievance & Non-compliance Event Policies etc.) and advising senior management of these entities with strategic legal, financial, HR and other organizational issues.

Mr. Rahman is also well known for his expertise in the field of International and commercial contracts, having experience of working with foreign donor agencies such as USAID, AUSAID, CIDA, SIDA, DFID, the World Bank, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Global Fund.

As an expert of Internal Control, Mr. Rahman, in collaboration with Dentons (Germany) has advised Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft (“VW”), a global automotive group with automotive and automotive related products and services, in implementing its global Group Policies for Business Partner Due Diligence and Whistleblower System. For the project, which is currently being implemented in 91 jurisdictions, Mr. Rahman acted as the lead adviser for Bangladesh.

Furthermore, he is currently leading the overhauling of internal control mechanism of various entities e.g. MSF-Belgium, JMI Group and MBM Group by conducting Process Diagnostic, Gap Analysis and Process Improvisation for those entities internal control system, including HR, Procurement and Finance. He is also leading global projects of Littler (Workday), Libryo and Deloitte India for periodic updates on employment law compliance for robust internal control of their various clients.

On Regulatory Matters, amongst other notable projects, Mr. Rahman, in collaboration with White & Case LLP, has advised Jumo, an international Mobile Financial Services Platform for Mobile Network Operators and Banks for introducing Micro and Mobile Finance Services in Bangladesh. In collaboration with Mayer Brown LLP, Mr. Rahman has advised Deutsche Bank for introducing Factoring based transaction for purchase of rights receivable and accounts payable by international bank. He has also assisted Hogan Lovells, one of the top ten law firms of the world with regulatory framework analysis for Data Protection Law related to e-marketing and acted as Off Counsel for PwC in collaboration with local CA Firm for regulatory mapping of telecommunication regime in Bangladesh with a view to introduce new products by PwC’s Client. Mr. Rahman has also acted as the lead counsel for Man Energy Solution SE, a concern of Volkswagen Group and Mitsui Corporation regarding validity and enforceability of e-signature.

He has also advised other leading INGOs, e.g., Watershed, Simavi, Justice Care, Malala Foundation, Fred Hollows Foundations, Japan Platform, ADRA, Walkfree Foundation, Freedom Fund, Ashoka India, etc. with their various regulatory and compliance issues.

Mr. Rahman has extensive experience and reputation as an expert of internal, multiparty or Govt. funded project investigation and he was the Chair of the Compliance and Oversight Committee for JMI Group of Industries, a group of industries with 37 local and international business entities. He was a panel member of the Inquiry Panel for determining non-compliance of a US Federal Funded research project in Bangladesh. Also, with Deloitte (Kolkata), he coordinated the investigative audit of Vertical Extension Project of an international organization located in Bangladesh. Recently he has represented a Japan based multinational construction entity in a Govt. inquiry of a JICA and World Bank funded project and an INGO with review of its patient referral system to govt. hospitals. Also, he acted as the Committee Chair for internal investigation of the local consulting firm of BDO. Currently he is chairing an internal process investigation for Christian Aid-Bangladesh and Water.org.

He has completed his legal studies from the University of London in 2006 and was called to the Bar of England and Welsh by Lincoln’s Inn of UK. He has also completed his PGDL, MBA and PGDHRM from different universities of UK, USA and Bangladesh. Mr. Rahman is a member of the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn (UK), Dhaka Bar Association and International Bar Association. He is also an Associate Member of Bangladesh Society for Human Resources Management.

Mr. Rahman also enjoys teaching law and was an adjunct faculty of Eastern University and Bhuiyan Academy.