Nazra Mahjabeen Sabet

Nazra Mahjabeen Sabet is a Bangladeshi social entrepreneur and development professional leading sustainable social enterprises that empower artisans and marginalised communities through heritage crafts, slow fashion, and sustainable business solutions. She currently serves as CEO of Friendship Colours of the Chars and has over two decades of experience in social entrepreneurship, strategic planning and community empowerment.

@friendship.colours

Cathy Stevulak

Cathy Stevulak is a filmmaker and international development professional, known for the award-winning documentary THREADS, which highlights Bangladeshi women artisans and the refinement of traditional kantha embroidery into a recognized representative art form of Bangladesh. With over 20 years of global development experience, she combines storytelling and heritage preservation to promote sustainable craft and cultural empowerment.

kanthathreads.com

Runa Khan

Runa Khan is a globally recognised leader in social innovation. With a deep commitment to dignity, empathy, and inclusion, she has transformed lives in some of the most remote and marginalised communities of Bangladesh through healthcare, education, and sustainable development. She founded Friendship in 2002, drawing from her broad experience in education, tourism, business, and communication. What started as one floating hospital has now become a full-scale social purpose organisation, impacting over 7.5 million people through services in healthcare, education, climate resilience, inclusive citizenship, cultural preservation, and sustainable economic development. Runa’s work is deeply rooted in values of empathy, respect, justice, and simple logic. She believes development must always be human-centric and inclusive, ensuring dignity is preserved at every step. Her approach is practical, ethical, and highly effective — leading to award-winning innovations like floating hospitals and solar-powered learning centres. In 2019, she founded Friendship Colours of the Chars, a leading Bangladeshi slow fashion brand featuring products made by women in char communities across international stores. Runa is a Rolex Laureate, Ashoka Fellow, and Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur, and has received global recognition for her work. Runa is also a published author of eight books — six on pedagogy and two children’s storybooks. She is the Country Chair of Global Dignity Bangladesh, and the Co-chair of Friendship International, which supports Friendship from five European countries. She has spoken on leading platforms like the World Economic Forum and Harvard Business School, and TEDx, inspiring global audiences to reimagine development with empathy and inclusion. Runa has also been recognised by the World Economic Forum for her leadership in social innovation.

@runakhanzs

friendship.ngo

Saiful Islam

Saiful Islam is a Bangladeshi who studied engineering and business administration and worked in a number of multi-national companies. He is settled in the UK and currently the managing director for Majority World, an international photo agency, and Bengal Muslin. He has researched and worked on muslin since 2014 and has held an exhibition, published the book "Muslin. Our Story" and produced an award-winning film "Legend of the Loom" regarding this textile. The film has won multiple awards and the book is in its second print. His pioneering research into muslin is on-going as he continues to cultivate the cotton species and weave classical motifs into the high cotton cloth. In parallel, Saiful and his team spread the story of Bangladesh’s connection with muslin and supporting the weavers who make the legendary fabric.

@bengalmuslin

bengalmuslin.com

Kishwar Chowdhury

Kishwar Chowdhury entered the culinary scene with a bang when she stepped onto the 13th season of Masterchef Australia, placing 2nd runners up at the finale. Born and raised in Melbourne, her interest in heritage cuisine, sourcing ingredients and growing rare produce was cultivated in her from an early age. What sets Kishwar’s food style apart is her attention to seasonality, origins of food, cultural history and relevance of the dishes she creates. Kishwar completed a Bachelor of Commerce from Monash University before heading to the UK to study at the University of the Arts in London. Following a stint in Germany and Bangladesh, Kishwar returned to Melbourne in 2015. Having lived on three different continents, and being an avid traveler, her knowledge of understanding ingredients and culinary trends from across the globe, gives her food and style a unique edge. Since heading into the Melbourne food scene, Kishwar staged Ishizuka, training under Michelin Star chef Masahiko Yomoda. She also collaborated with celebrated chef Adam D’Sylva to create a modern Australian-Bengali inspired menu for iconic Melbourne institution TONKA. A lover of anthropology and history, Kishwar finds herself continuously evolving as a chef through her understanding of heritage, history and philosophy blended with movements of the culinary world, techniques and inspirations from around the globe.

@kishwar_chowdhury

kishwar.com.au

Farah Kabir

Farah Kabir is a renowned feminist and justice advocate, who has been working in the field of development and research for over three decades. With extensive experience in governance and risk management, she is a leader in the areas of climate justice and gender justice, and has advocated for equity on a global and national level. Farah began her career in the 1990s as a research associate at the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) before moving onto working for the Asia Pacific Women in Politics (APWIP) Secretariat as a programme officer, where she was also the editor of APWIP Women in Politics Newsletter – the sole regular quarterly newsletter on women in politics in the Asia Pacific at the time. Since then, she has worked in governance and gender empowerment in both Bangladesh and Scotland, as well as developing strategy, programmes and networking opportunities for the British Council in Central Asia, South Asia and Southern Africa. Since returning to Bangladesh in 2007, Farah has been serving as the country director of ActionAid Bangladesh (AAB). During the Rohingya refugee influx of 2017, she led the country’s humanitarian response and secured funding to deliver programmatic interventions for Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar. As an active member of many professional societies, Farah has served on multiple international boards and committees. For her significant contribution to the empowerment of Bangladeshi women, she received the Nawab Ali Chowdhury National Award in 2012. Under her leadership, ActionAid Bangladesh also received the UN Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction. Farah’s dedication to addressing the pressing issues of climate change and disaster resilience also led to ActionAid’s recognition through the Momentum for Change Lighthouse Activity Award in 2013. She is recognised as one of the 100 climate women activists and in 2024, Farah received the Lifetime Achievement Award by Junior Chamber International Bangladesh. With her strategic vision, outstanding leadership and deep-rooted passion for justice, Farah continues to be an inspiration for women in Bangladesh and beyond.

Mahenaz Chowdhury

Mahenaz Chowdury is a seasoned cultural researcher, curator and conscious designer, recognised for her decolonial approach to cultural preservation and harnessing the power of artisanal crafts to foster collaboration. She is the founder of Broqué, and head of workshops and craft market curator at Dhaka Makers. Through her work, Mahenaz translates lived experiences into impactful socio-economic change grounded in academic inquiry. She led the “Once There Were Rivers” project, documenting the socio-environmental struggles of river-dependent Jamdani weavers’ communities in Sonargaon, Bangladesh. Her other curatorial projects, such as “Matarbari Tales: Home is where the Heart is”, “Stitching” and “Weaving Continuity,” take a pluriversal approach to exploring the versatile medium of Bangladeshi craft and artisanal knowledge, creating space for artistic collaboration and continuity in areas fighting displacement due to urbanisation and climate change. She also curated the multidisciplinary artistic collaborative exhibition “Loomscape,” exploring how to decolonise the space between heritage crafts and contemporary art with Jamdani textiles.

@mahenaz_chowdhury

thebroque.com

Asad Sattar

Asad Sattar is the founder and creative director of Arka Studio and the force behind Arka Fashion Week—Bangladesh’s largest, most progressive fashion event. Known for merging fashion, media and culture, he builds platforms that champion young talent, representation and modern Bangladeshi identity. His work spans large-scale fashion festivals, designer showcases, concerts, TV series and other cultural works. Asad’s approach is bold: democratise fashion, challenge industry norms and craft experiences that feel global while staying deeply rooted in Dhaka’s creative pulse. His vision has shaped a new generation of fashion culture—raw, experimental and unmistakably contemporary.

@dreamscapelyfe

Lidewij Edelkoort

Co-Founder World Hope Forum

Li Edelkoort is a trend forecaster, publisher, humanitarian, design educator and exhibition curator. From 2015-2020 she was the Dean of Hybrid Design Studies at Parsons in New York where she founded a Textile Masters and the New York Textile Month festival. Her thought-provoking writings and podcasts have become increasingly popular at a time when she is regarded as an activist and champion for change. In 2020, she co-founded the World Hope Forum with Philip Fimmano as a platform to inspire the creative community to rebuild a better society. Launched in 2020, PROUD SOUTH is a mesmerising visual book that celebrates the creative forces from the southern parts of the planet. Through the colourful and expressive lens of contemporary fashion, photography, styling and art, Edelkoort and Lili Tedde bring together emerging and established talents from wide and far, illustrating that the axis of global creativity has indeed dramatically shifted. In 2025, Edelkoort is launching a second edition of PROUD SOUTH focusing on craft and design. Of the movement, she says, “A southern generation of creatives is standing up, expressing local craft, embracing regional materials, recognising ancestral practices and cherishing indigenous values.”

@lidewijedelkoort