Rubaba Dowla replaces Ishfaq Ahsan as BCB director

The National Sports Council (NSC) has withdrawn its nomination of businessperson Ishfaq Ahsan as a director of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) over alleged affiliations with the ousted Awami League government.

In his place, the NSC on Tuesday nominated corporate personality and women’s sports organiser Rubaba Dowla to the BCB board.

Rubaba Dowla is currently serving as Country Director of Oracle in Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. She previously held top positions at telecom operators Grameenphone and Airtel, including Chief Communication Officer and Chief Marketing Officer at Grameenphone.

She has also been active in sports administration. From 2009 to 2015, she served as President of the Bangladesh Badminton Federation and was a board member of Special Olympics Bangladesh.

Between 1998 and 2009, during her tenure at Grameenphone, Rubaba was a familiar presence in the cricketing community as a representative of the team’s main sponsor. Grameenphone sponsored the Bangladesh national cricket team from 2003 to 2011.

She also contributed to the establishment of the National Cricket Academy at Mirpur in 2007, a joint initiative of Grameenphone and the BCB.

According to BCB sources, Rubaba Dowla is expected to be given charge of the board’s women’s wing.