Ambassador A F M Gousal Azam Sarker (Retd)

A F M Gousal Azam Sarker, Director and the CEO of BIEI, is a former Bangladesh Ambassador to Sweden, Lebanon, and Iran who served in Bangladesh Foreign Office and other Bangladesh Missions abroad. His diplomatic career spanned over three decades since 1989 leaving high mark of bilateral and multilateral diplomacy while some of his accomplishments speak uniquely of his abilities and skills of negotiations, conferencing, and advancing international processes. He worked for a number of Head of State and Head of Government level delegations, played key role in organizing international conferences, was the conference coordinator of the OIC Foreign Ministers’ Conference in Dhaka in 2018, made important contribution in preparing Bangladesh’s claim for the extended continental shelf, and did the organizational and ground work for the OIC led Gambia case in the ICJ in favour of the persecuted Rohingya. In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dhaka, he served notably as Director (Americas), Director General (Europe) and Director General (International Organisations). His research and analytical felicity enabled him to lead Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS, a leading think tank) as its Chairman during August 2023-July 2025.

Ambassador Sarker had his Honours degree in English literature and Masters in Linguistics from Dhaka University in the eighties. Later he earned a second Masters (Masters of International Policy and Practice (MIPP)) in the Elliott School of the George Washington University, Washington D.C. U.S.A. Earlier, he had a diploma in International Relations and Young Professional Course from Institut International d’Administration Publique (IIAP), Paris and took a month long course in the Hague Academy of International Law.

As he took some courses in two private universities in Bangladesh, Amb. Sarker takes immense interest in quality higher education and research that enables learners to do R&D, explore and develop technology, go for start-ups and contribute to the development of the country and changing its people’s lot. He also taught young Bangladesh civil servants and foreign service officers in their academies to instill national vision and inspiration in them. Institution building is a part of his ambition that has drawn him to the venture of BIEI and exciting collaboration with great US university systems of which he is already familiar with.