Md. Abdul Awal completed his studies in Agricultural Economics at Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, and commenced his banking career in 1980 as a senior officer at a state-owned commercial bank in Bangladesh. Notably, while working at Sonali Bank, he spearheaded the innovation and development of three Microcredit & Microenterprise products. In 2004, he assumed the role of Director at the Credit and Development Forum (CDF) and later advanced to the position of Executive Director (CEO) in 2009. Additionally, he gained experience as a Microenterprise Specialist at Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), a wholesale funding agency.
At CDF, Awal has successfully expanded the organization’s network and partnerships with various domestic and international institutions. He has fostered connections with microfinance institutions, private and public banks, foreign entities, donor agencies, research organizations, and the Federation of NGOs in Bangladesh. Internationally, he has engaged with esteemed organizations such as the Microcredit Summit Campaign, SEEP Network, BWTP, INAFI, and SAMN.
Awal has completed post-graduate training programs abroad, including at the University of Bradford (UK), Kenya School of Monetary Studies-KSMS (Nairobi, Kenya), Naropa University (Colorado, USA), Asian Institute of Management (Manila), and Harvard Business School (Boston, MA). He actively participated in numerous overseas microcredit summits and conferences, representing CDF and sharing his expertise.
