Women in Tech Triumph: IEB Launches Support Systems for Female Engineers

The Women Engineers Chapter of the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) has celebrated its first founding anniversary. Marking the occasion, the organization announced initiatives to establish a modern day-care center at IEB and to form a strong anti-harassment committee to create a more supportive working environment for women engineers.

The anniversary was celebrated on Tuesday, 22 April, at the Council Hall of the Shaheed Prokousholi Bhaban at IEB headquarters in Ramna, Dhaka, with a cake-cutting ceremony. The event was chaired by the Chapter’s Chairperson, Engineer Shahnaz Sharmin, and moderated by its Secretary, Engineer Ishrat Jahan.

The Vice-President (Academic and International) of IEB, Engineer Khan Monjur Morshed, attended as the chief guest. He said that within a short period of its inception, the Women Engineers Chapter has achieved commendable success through various activities, which he described as a significant milestone in advancing women engineers.

He further noted that the participation of women engineers across various sectors in the country is steadily increasing, and their skill development is enriching the engineering sector. He expressed optimism that such initiatives would play a crucial role in fostering leadership and enhancing professional capacity among women engineers in the future.

Delivering the welcome address, IEB Honorary General Secretary Professor Dr. Engineer Md. Sabbir Mostafa Khan stated that an initiative has been undertaken to launch a modern day-care center at IEB to make workplace participation easier and more supportive for women engineers. He also affirmed the commitment to establishing an effective anti-harassment committee to ensure a safe and respectful working environment.

Special guests included IEB Vice-President (HRD) Engineer Sheikh Al Amin, Vice-President (Administration and Finance) Engineer A.T.M. Tanvir-ul Hasan (Tamal), and Chairman of Dhaka Centre Engineer Helal Uddin Talukdar. Speakers said that since its establishment, the Women Engineers Chapter has been playing a vital role in enhancing the skills and professional development of women engineers through training, seminars, and various development initiatives.

In her remarks, the Chapter’s Vice-Chairperson Engineer Dilruba Farzana said that the interest and enthusiasm of women engineers to participate across different sectors are increasing day by day. She added that members of the Women Engineers Chapter are not limited to empowerment activities alone; they are also actively participating in conferences and technical meetings of various engineering divisions within IEB.

While speaking as the president, Engineer Shahnaz Sharmin expressed gratitude to the invited guests. She said that since the Chapter’s inception, various training programs and seminars have been organized to enhance the skills of women engineers, contributing to their professional development, and she expressed her optimism that such initiatives would continue in the future.

In her concluding remarks as moderator, Engineer Ishrat Jahan said that the core objective of establishing this Chapter is to create a strong platform where women engineers can develop skills, exchange experiences, and build leadership capacity. She noted that women engineers are now playing significant roles not only in technology but also in leadership, innovation, and decision-making, and that the Women Engineers Chapter is a key initiative to further advance this potential.

On the occasion of the first anniversary, executive and committee members of the Women Engineers Chapter—Dr. Rimi Rashid, Nazifa Tasnim, Nazifa Anjum, Fariha Islam Mou, and Faria Tasnim—were greeted with floral felicitations from IEB.

Leaders from various levels of IEB, central council members, and members of the Women Engineers Chapter were present at the event.

DBTech/SE/EK/OR