{{Short description|Bangladeshi businessman and politician (born 1949)}} {{EngvarB|date=March 2017}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2026}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Abdul Awal Mintoo | honorific_prefix = [[The Honourable#Bangladesh|The Honourable]] | native_name = {{nobold|আবদুল আউয়াল মিন্টু}} | native_name_lang = bn | image = 2026-04-06 Abdul Awal Mintoo, Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, meeting (cropped).jpg | caption = Mintoo in 2026 | office = [[Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Bangladesh)|Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change]] | prime_minister = [[Tarique Rahman]] | predecessor = [[Syeda Rizwana Hasan]] | term_start = 17 February 2026 | office1 = [[Member of Parliament (Bangladesh)|Member of Parliament]] | constituency1 = [[Feni-3]] | parliament1 = Bangladesh | term_start1 = 17 February 2026 | predecessor1 = [[Masud Uddin Chowdhury]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1949|02|22}} | birth_place = [[Feni District]], [[East Bengal]], [[Dominion of Pakistan]] | party = [[Bangladesh Nationalist Party]] | spouse = Nasreen Fatema Awal | children = 3 including [[Tabith Awal]] | alma_mater = {{ubl|[[Bangladesh Marine Academy]]|[[State University of New York Maritime College]]}} | occupation = Businessman, politician }}
'''Abdul Awal Mintoo''' (born 22 February 1949)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.parliament.gov.bd/members/list-of-members?view=current&searchBy=name&page=1&search=Mintoo|title=Member details|publisher=Bangladesh Parliament|accessdate=2026-03-12}}</ref> is a Bangladeshi businessman and politician. He is the incumbent [[Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Bangladesh)|minister of environment, forest and climate change]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Gazette notification on allocation of portfolios to ministers, state ministers |url=https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/government/nlsgfo6hl9 |access-date=19 February 2026 |work=Prothom Alo|date=18 February 2026 |language=en}}</ref> He is the incumbent [[Jatiya Sangsad]] member representing the [[Feni-3]] constituency since February 2026.<ref name=feni2>{{Cite news|title=BNP's Abdul Awal Mintoo unofficially elected in Feni-3|url=https://www.bssnews.net/news/360436 |access-date=2026-03-13 |date=2026-02-13|website=BSS}}</ref>
==Background and education== Mintoo was born in a village named Aleyarpur in [[Feni District]]. He passed [[Secondary School Certificate|SSC]] from [[Feni Government Pilot High School]] in 1964 and [[Higher Secondary School Certificate|HSC]] from [[Comilla Victoria College]] in 1966. In 1968, he obtained a diploma in nautical science from [[Pakistan Marine Academy]] (now [[Mercantile Marine Academy (Chittagong)|Mercantile Marine Academy]]). He then earned a bachelor's degree in marine transportation science from the [[State University of New York Maritime College]], following it up with a master's degree in transportation management and advance chartering problems and arbitration.<ref name=fbcci>{{cite web |url=http://www.fbcci-bd.org/MEMBERS/president.html |title=President, FBCCI |website=Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081029004354/http://www.fbcci-bd.org/members/president.html |archive-date=29 October 2008}}</ref>
==Business career== Mintoo has been a director of [[National Bank Limited]] and General Insurance, the largest private general insurance company in the Bangladesh. He is the chairman of the marketing and sole distribution of [[Johnson & Johnson]] products in Bangladesh.<ref name=fbcci/>
Mintoo was elected president of the [[Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry]] (FBCCI), the apex trade body of Bangladesh, in 2003.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mintoo elected FBCCI president |url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-79000511.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160220194713/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-79000511.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 February 2016 |newspaper=The Independent |location=Dhaka |date=28 August 2003 |via=HighBeam Research}}</ref>
Within the Bangladeshi manufacturing sector, Mintoo has been director of the Chittagong Cement Clinker Grinding Co. Ltd. (Heidelberg Cement) and an advisor to Dulamia Cotton Spinning Mills Ltd. He is also active in agricultural-based industries, having served as Chairman of OP and Hybrid Vegetable seeds production, processing and research and has also been active in the following organisations:<ref name=fbcci/> * Bangladesh India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BICCI) Chairman * [[Bangladesh Association of Banks]] (BAB) Member, Executive Committee * Bangladesh Seed Merchants Association Adviser * Bangladesh Seed Dealers Association Chief Adviser * Bangladesh Employer's Federation President (1997–1999) * Bangladesh Ocean Going Ship Owners Association chairman (1988–2000) * Bangladesh Marine Fisheries Association EC Member (1992–1995) * [[Bangladesh Textile Mills Association]] EC Member (1995–1996) * Islamic Ship Owners Association (Jeddah) EC Member (1988–2000) * [[Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association|Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers & Exporters Association]] (BGMEA) Member, Council of Adviser
Mintoo has also been active in hotel groups in Bangladesh and has been a member of the Board of Governors, Academy for Planning and Development, Ministry of Planning, the [[Dhaka Stock Exchange]] (DSE) and the [[Bangladesh Olympic Association]].<ref name=fbcci/> He is a member of the National Bank Foundation and founded several colleges in Bangladesh including Iqbal Memorial College, Bodarernessa High School and Alhaj Safiullah High School.<ref name=fbcci/> He is also a member of the Board of Governors, at [[Bangladesh Open University]] (BOU) and at the [[Bangladesh Institute of Management]].<ref name=fbcci/>
==Political career== Mintoo is a senior leader of the [[Bangladesh Nationalist Party]] (BNP), one of the major political parties in Bangladesh. He has served as Vice Chairman of the party and has been involved in national political activities and policy advocacy.
On 12 February 2026, Mintoo won the [[2026 Bangladeshi general election]] contesting at the [[Feni-3]] constituency securing 157,425 votes while his nearest opponent [[Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami]] candidate Mohammad Fakhruddin received 108,160 votes.<ref name=feni2/>
==Personal life== Mintoo is married to Nasreen Fatema Awal.<ref name=mongolia>{{Cite web |title=Nasreen Awal appointed Mongolia’s Honorary Consul General |url=https://thefinancialexpress.com.bdundefined/ |access-date=2026-03-13 |website=The Financial Express |date=2024-11-25|language=en}}</ref> Nasreen is the founding president of the Women Entrepreneurs Association of Bangladesh (WEAB) and has been serving as the honorary consul general of Mongolia to Bangladesh since November 2024.<ref name=mongolia/> They have three sons, [[Tabith Awal]], Tafsir Awal and Tajwar Awal.<ref name=paradise>{{Cite news |title=Paradise Papers: Mintoo family named |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/paradise-papers-mintoo-family-named-1493095 |access-date=2026-03-13 |date=2017-11-18|work=The Daily Star |language=en}}</ref> 2017 [[Paradise Papers]] named all the family members.<ref name=paradise/>
==References== {{reflist}}
==Further reading== {{commons}} * {{cite news |title=Bangladesh Business Leaders for Shorter Terms |agency=Xinhua News Agency |date=21 March 1999}} * {{cite news |title=Bangladeshi ex-premier, five others charged over South Korean frigate deal |newspaper=The Independent |location=Dhaka |agency=UNB |date=4 August 2003}} * {{cite news |title=FBCCI chief talks to The Independent |newspaper=The Independent |location=Dhaka |date=29 December 2004}} * {{cite news |title=Frigate torpedoed by mean politics |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/2007/06/03/d7060301011.htm |newspaper=The Daily Star |date=3 June 2007}} * {{cite news |title=Delwar stays secy general |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=120112 |newspaper=The Daily Star |date=2 January 2010}} * {{cite news |last=Ara |first=Ferdous |date=1 April 2015 |title=Mintoo wealthiest, Hajjaj at bottom |url=http://newagebd.net/107839/mintoo-wealthiest-hajjaj-at-bottom/ |newspaper=New Age |location=Dhaka}} * {{cite news |title=Mintoo's Mistake Mysterious |url=http://thedailynewnation.com/news/48331/mintoos-mistake-mysterious.html |newspaper=The New Nation |date=3 April 2015}} * {{cite news |title=SC turns down Mintoo's review petition |url=http://thedailynewnation.com/news/49222/sc-turns-down-mintoos-review-petition.html |newspaper=The New Nation |date=7 April 2015}} * {{cite news |title=SC asks Mintoo, Anwar, Aman to surrender |url=http://www.theindependentbd.com/printversion/details/9203 |newspaper=The Independent |location=Dhaka |date=28 July 2015}} * {{cite news |title=MK Anwar gets bail, Aman lands in jail |url=http://www.theindependentbd.com/printversion/details/10046 |newspaper=The Independent |location=Dhaka |agency=UNB |date=2 August 2015}} * {{cite news |title=Mintoo gets bail in violence case |url=http://www.daily-sun.com/post/65705/%3Cp%3EMintoogets-bail-inviolence-case%3C/p%3E |newspaper=Daily Sun |location=Dhaka |date=9 August 2015}} * {{cite news |last=Azad |first=Rafiqul Islam |date=16 January 2016 |title=BNP eyes reshuffle in top party body |url=http://www.theindependentbd.com/printversion/details/30454 |newspaper=The Independent |location=Dhaka}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mintoo, Abdul}} [[Category:1949 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Daganbhuiyan Upazila]] [[Category:Feni Government Pilot High School alumni]] [[Category:Comilla Victoria Government College alumni]] [[Category:State University of New York Maritime College alumni]] [[Category:Bangladeshi businesspeople]] [[Category:Bangladesh Nationalist Party politicians]]