This is a list of notable British Bangladeshis (Bengali: উল্লেখযোগ্য বিলাতী বাংলাদেশীদের তালিকা). This includes Bangladeshi immigrants settled or residing in the United Kingdom and British-born citizens of Bangladeshi national origin.
Abdul Latif – Restaurateur known for his dish "Curry Hell".[4]
Aktar Islam – Restaurateur, curry chef and businessman. In 2010, his restaurant Lasan won the Best Local Restaurant category on Channel 4's The F Word.[5] In 2011, he won the Central regional heat to reach the final of the BBC Two series Great British Menu.[6][7]
Foysol ChoudhuryMBEMSP – Businessman, community activist and Chairman of Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council.[16]
Iqbal AhmedOBE – Entrepreneur, and chairman and chief executive of Seamark Group.[17]In 2006, he became the highest British Bangladeshi to feature on the Sunday Times Rich List (listed at number 511).[18] He has a net worth of $250 million.[19]
Iqbal WahhabOBE – Entrepreneur, restaurateur, journalist and publisher. He founded Tandoori Magazine and multi-award-winning restaurant Cinnamon Club.[20]
Jobeda Ali – Social entrepreneur, documentary filmmaker and chief executive of Three Sisters Care.[21] In 2010, she won the Social Business Leader award at Ogunte Women's Social Leadership Awards.[22]
Muquim Ahmed – Entrepreneur who became the first Bangladeshi millionaire at the age of 26[28] due to diversification in banking, travel, a chain of restaurants with the Cafe Naz group, publishing and property development.[29]
Ragib Ali – Industrialist, pioneer tea-planter, educationalist, philanthropist and banker[30] who has a net worth of $250 million.[19]
Sabirul Islam – Author, entrepreneur and motivational speaker. He has written three self-help books and developed a board game. Since 2011, he has spoken at over 700 events worldwide as part of his Inspire1Million campaign.[31][32]
Siraj Ali – Restaurateur and philanthropist.[34] In 2011, he was awarded the British Bangladeshi Who's Who "Outstanding Contribution Award" for his long standing contribution to the hospitality and catering industry.[35]
Syed Ahmed – Entrepreneur, businessman and television personality. He is best known for being a candidate on series two of BBC reality television programme The Apprentice in 2006.[36]
Ali Shahalom – Comedian who hosts his own YouTube channel called Aliofficial1 with comedy sketches.[46] Since 2014, he has hosted The Variety Show on Channel S.
Fazle Lohani – Journalist, writer, television presenter and filmmaker. He was best known as the presenter of variety television programme Jodi Kichhu Mone Na Koren.[47]
Nurul Islam – Broadcast journalist, radio producer and presenter. He is best remembered for his work with the BBC World Service.[59]
Reshmin Chowdhury – Sports journalist and broadcaster. Since 2010, she has broadcast as a sports presenter for the BBC News Channel and BBC World News.[60] In 2015, she won the Media Award at the Asian Football Awards.[61]
Rizwan Hussain – Television presenter, philanthropist, international humanitarian aid worker, barrister, and former Hindi music singer and producer. He presents Islamic and charity programmes on Channel S and Islam Channel.[62]
Syed Neaz Ahmad – Academic, writer, journalist, columnist and critic. He is best known for anchoring NTV Europe current affairs talk show Talking Point.[64]
Tasmin Lucia-Khan – Journalist, presenter and producer.[65] She is best known for delivering BBC Three's nightly hourly "World News" bulletins on 60 Seconds[66] and presenting E24 on the rolling news channel BBC News.[67] She currently delivers news bulletins and breaking stories on ITV breakfast television programme Daybreak.[68]
Ash Sarkar – British journalist and political activist, currently a Contributing Editor at Novara Media.[75]
Fareena Alam – Former editor of British Muslim magazine Q News.[76] She was named Media Professional of the Year by Islamic Relief in 2005 and at the Asian Women of Achievement Awards in 2006.[77]
Shelina Begum – Journalist and editor of Asian News.[86] In 2006, she was named North West Journalist of the Year at the British Nuclear Fuels-sponsored press wards.[87]
Foysol ChoudhuryMBEMSP – Labour PartyMember of Scottish Parliament for the Lothian region. He is the first British Bangladeshi to be elected as a Member of Scottish Parliament as well as being a businessman, community activist and Chairman of Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council.
Nadia Shah – Labour Party politician, councillor in Regent's Park ward and former Mayor of Camden. In May 2016, she became the first female mayor in the United Kingdom of Bangladeshi origin.[102]
Nasim AliOBE – Labour Party politician, councillor in Regent's Park ward, Cabinet Member for Young People in Camden Council and former Mayor of Camden. In 2003, at the age of 34, he became UK's youngest mayor as well as the first Bangladeshi and first Muslim mayor.[103]
Farida Anwar – Labour Party politician, councillor for Headington Hill and Northway in Oxford City Council. In 2014, she became Oxfordshire's first city councillor from a Bangladeshi background.[108]
Nahid MajidOBE – Civil servant, chief operating officer of Regeneration Investment Organisation and Deputy Director within the Department for Work and Pensions.[120] She is currently the most senior British Bangladeshi Muslim woman in the civil service.
Tozammel "Tony" Huq MBE – Educationist, former Ambassador of Bangladesh to France, Spain and UNESCO, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General of UNESCO.[127][128]
Haroon Shamsher – Alternative dub dance music DJ, record producer who was member of Joi.[132]
Idris Rahman – Clarinettist, saxophonist and music producer. He has produced and mixed albums, including two Mercury Prize-nominated albums (Zoe Rahman's second album Melting Pot and Basquiat Strings' debut album Basquiat Strings with Seb Rochford) and two albums by vocalist Julia Biel.[137]
Kishon Khan – Jazz composer, pianist arranger and music producer. In 2009, his score for The Last Thakur won a Grand Jury award for Best Music at the South Asian International Film Festival in New York.[138]
Lucy Rahman – Singer who has been one of the lead singers of the jazz music group Grand Union Orchestra since 1998.[139]
Manzur Iqbal – Electronic music producers who is one half of DJ/producer duo Futurecop! alongside Peter Carrol.
Nazeel Azami – Religion-based musician whose debut album Dunya was released in 2006.[144]
Rubayyat Jahan – Singer who reached the final round of Brit Asia TV's Asian Superstars in 2010.[145] In 2013, she was nominated for Best Female Act at the Brit Asia TV Music Awards.[146]
Shama Rahman – Singer-songwriter, sitarist and actress. In 2013, her debut solo album Fable:Time was released.[156]
Shapla Salique – Bengali folk singer-songwriter and harmonium player.[157] She has released two solo albums; Siyono na Siyona in 1997, and Lai Lai in 2002.[158]
Suzana Ansar – Hindi and Bengali folk singer, actress and television presenter based in the UK and Bangladesh. In 2009, her debut band album Suzana Ansar with Khansar was released.[163] In 2013, her second album Mehvashaa, co-recorded with Raja Kaasheff, was released.[164]
Zoe Rahman – Jazz composer and pianist. In 1999, she was awarded the Perrier Young Jazz Musician of the Year Award.[165] In 2006, her album Melting Pot was nominated for Album of the Year at the Mercury Music Prize.[166]
Dino Shafeek – Actor and comedian. He starred in several sitcoms during the 1970s and early 1980s. He is best remembered for his comedy roles of Char Wallah Muhammed in It Ain't Half Hot Mum and Ali Nadim in Mind Your Language.[169]
Farzana Dua Elahe – Actress and music DJ. She is best known for her role of Parveen Abbasi in BBC soap opera EastEnders in 2009.[170]
Jan Uddin – Actor best known for his roles as Jalil Iqbal in BBC soap opera EastEnders in 2008 and Sweet Boy in the film Shank.[173]
Jayasree Kabir – Actress best known for starring in Bangladeshi films Shimana Periye and Rupali Shoikotey.[174]
Leesa Gazi – Writer, playwright, director, and actress. She is best known for the play Birangona: Women of War and her award-winning 2019 documentary film Rising Silence.[175][176]
Menhaj Huda – Film and television director, producer and screenwriter, best known for directing and producing Kidulthood in 2006.[177]
Munsur Ali – Film producer, screenwriter and director. He wrote, directed and produced Shongram, a romantic drama set during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.[179] This was the first time a British film was simultaneously written, produced and directed by a British Bangladeshi.[180]
Ramzan Miah - Actor, Model and Dancer. Best known for playing the South Asian Ken in the Barbie Movie.
Ruhul Amin – Film director who has made 15 films for the BBC and Channel 4, including 1986 television feature film drama A Kind of English.[183] Most of his films are documentaries and experimental dramas.[184]
Sadik Ahmed – Film director, cinematographer and writer.[185] He wrote and directed short film Tanju Miah, which was the first Bangladeshi film to be officially selected in the Toronto, Sundance and Amsterdam film festivals in 2007.[186] He directed feature film The Last Thakur in 2007, which opened screenings at the London, Dubai, Mumbai, New York and other film festivals.[187]
Akram KhanMBE – Dancer and choreographer with a background in classical kathak training and contemporary dance.[193] He has received numerous awards, including Outstanding Newcomer 2000, Best Modern Choreography 2002 and Outstanding Male or Female Artist (Modern) 2005 at the Critics' CircleNational Dance Awards.[194] In 2012, Khan and his dance company performed at the London Olympics opening ceremony.[195]
Kaniz Ali – Makeup artist and freelance beauty columnist.[198] In 2011, she was awarded the Best Make-Up Artist category at International Asian Fashion Awards.[199]
Momtaz Begum-Hossain – Journalist and craft expert.[200] She has a blog called Cos I Like Making Stuff and has written two craft books.[201] She has been named one of the Top 100 influential crafters in the UK.[202]
Nadiya Hussain – Winner of the 2015 The Great British Bakeoff, Author and Television Presenter [203]
Rezia WahidMBE – Textile artist whose work has been exhibited both in the UK and abroad.[204]
Ruby HammerMBE – Fashion and beauty makeup artist,[205] and founder of Ruby & Millie cosmetics brand.[206]
Sanchita Islam – Artist, writer and filmmaker.[211] In 1999, she founded Pigment Explosion, which has branched out into projects, including film, painting, drawing, writing and photography.[212]
Sunara Begum – Visual artist, filmmaker, photographer and writer, she uses installation, film, photography and text. In 2006, she co-produced the short film The Idea and founded Chand Aftara Visual Arts, an interdisciplinary arts organisation based in London.[214]
Dilwar Hussain – Research fellow at The Islamic Foundation in Leicester. He co-authored the 2004 book British Muslims Between Assimilation and Segregation and is on the Home Office's committee tackling radicalisation and extremism.[217]
Naila Kabeer – Social economist, research fellow and writer. She works primarily on poverty, gender and social policy issues. Her research interests include gender, poverty, social exclusion, labour markets and livelihoods, social protection, focussed on South and South East Asia.[220][221]
Nazneen Rahman – Geneticist who specialises in cancer and heads up the Cancer Genetics Clinical Unit at the Royal Marsden. Her research has seen success in identifying genes that cause cancer particularly in women and children.[222]
Yasmin Mannan - Senior Quality Analyst. She wrote a thesis on the effects of Botrytis cinerea on Strawberry plants. Botrytis is a necrotrophic fungus that affects many plant species.
Akhlaq Ur-Rahman Choudhury – Barrister specialising in employment law and public law.[224] In 2017, he became the first became the first British person of Bangladeshi origin and Muslim faith to have been appointed as a High Court of Justice.[225]
Jelina Berlow-Rahman – Solicitor whose practice J R Rahman Solicitors specialises in human rights, asylum, family and immigration legal advice and assistance.[226]
M. A. Muid Khan – Barrister who was selected as the Best Human Rights Lawyer of England and Wales for 2012 by the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX). In September 2012, he was ranked as third in the top five Chartered Legal Executive Lawyers of England and Wales by the Law Society.[230]
Abdur Rouf Choudhury – Bengali diaspora writer and philosopher. He has received numerous literary awards from Bangladesh, and life membership from the Bangla Academy.[231]
Ghulam Murshid – Author, scholar and journalist. He has received numerous literary awards from India and Bangladesh, including the Bangla Academy award.[234]
Kia Abdullah – Best-selling novelist who has written three books: Take It Back, Truth Be Told and Next of Kin.
Mya-Rose Craig, ornithologist, campaigner for equal rights, youngest British person to receive an honorary doctorate in science[262][263]
Nazia KhanumOBE – Management consultant, researcher, Director of Equality in Diversity, non-executive director for NHS Luton and chair of various voluntary community organisations.[80] In 2008, she carried out a research study of "Forced marriage, family cohesion and community engagement: national learning through a case study of Luton" for the Home Office and Metropolitan Police Service.[264]
Saif Uddin Ahmad – Humanitarian and chief executive officer of Al-Khair Foundation. He was formerly the chief executive officer of the UK charities Muslim Aid and Islamic Help, and he also founded the charities Faith Regen foundation, MADE in Europe and Global One 2015.[266]
Sandra Kabir – Philanthropist, executive director of BRAC UK, Labour Party politician and councillor for Queensbury ward in Brent Borough.[267]
Bulbul Hussain – Wheelchair rugby player who plays mostly in a defensive role for Kent Crusaders and the Great Britain paralympic team. In 2008 and 2012, he played for Great Britain at the Paralympic Games.[273]
Robin Das – Cricketer who playing county cricket for Essex County as a right-handed batsman.
Imranur Rahman - Sprinter Faster Bangladeshi Athlete. Personal Best 10.11 seconds in 100m
Jahid Ahmed – Cricketer who played county cricket for Essex County as a right-handed lower order batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler.[274]
Hammad Miah – Professional snooker player. In 2013, he qualified for the 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 professional Main Tour as one of four semi-finalists from the first Q School event.[275]
Ruqsana Begum – Muay Thai kickboxer. In 2010, she became the current British female atomweight (48–50kg) Muay Thai boxing champion. In September 2012, she was nominated as captain of the British Muay Thai Team.[279]
Roshonara Choudhry – Student who stabbed MP Stephen Timms on 14 May 2010 during his constituency surgery in an attempt to kill him. She was found guilty of attempted murder and jailed for life with a minimum term of 15 years.[290]
Syed Talha Ahsan – Poet and translator who won the 2012 Platinum and Bronze Koestler Award for his poetry. On 19 July 2006, he was arrested in response to a request from the U.S under the Extradition Act 2003 and detained without trial or charge over six years before being extradited to the United States on 5 October 2012. He is among the longest British citizens detained without trial or charge in legal history.[295]
"Did You Know ...?"(PDF). Kaleidoscope: Newsletter of the Embassy of Bangladesh, Sweden. Vol.1, no.11. March–April 2007. p.19. Archived from the original(PDF) on 25 September 2007. Retrieved 29 April 2009.
"Suzana Ansar with KHANSAR". A Baishakhi Mela in Banglatown, Brick Lane. 23 May 2010. Archived from the original on 26 May 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2010.