Akij Group is one of the largest well known industries of Bangladesh which was established by

industrialist Mr. Sheikh Akijuddin.

Mr. Sheikh Akijuddin was a Bangladeshi entrepreneur and the founding chairman of Akij
Group. Akijuddin was born on 1929 in Madhyadanga, Phultala, Khulna, East Bengal. He was an
only child of his parents. His family was very poor. He admitted in a school, but it was very
difficult to continue his study. At the school life, he had started worked for meeting their family
expenses. And finally he had to discontinue his studies to help his family income.

After his father’s death, he left home for earning & sleeps in Sealdah railway station in Kolkata
while looking for work. He started work as a cleaner in a Hotel. He once saw retailers sales fruits
to vendors. He opened his store in Kolkaka called ‘Nilamwala Chhay Ana’ where everything
cost six ana. He was arrested and fined after which he sold of his assets in Kolkata. He moved to
Peshawar from Kolkata and stayed there for two years. He started a job in a company at
Peshawar, saved some money for doing business. Few months letter, he started a small business
at Peshawar and two year letter he returned to Kolkata with some capital from Peshawar.

He started a small business in Kolkata, which he sold and returned to his home town in Phultala
with 10,000 rupee. He met a friend of his father, Bidhu Bhushan, who used to manufacture Beeri
(hand-rolled cigarettes). Akijuddin started to manufacture beeri with the help of Bhushans in
1952. He opened up a grocery store alongside his beedi factory. From 1954 he sold them under
Akij Beedi label. The companies were restructured into Akij group in 1972. Akij Group includes
textiles, tobacco, food & beverage, cement, ceramics, printing and packaging, pharmaceuticals,
consumer products etc. Finally, Mr. Akijuddin died on 10 October 2006.