IUB marks International HR Day 2026 with discussions, competitions

Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) observed International HR Day 2026 through a day-long programme on its campus on Wednesday, bringing together human resource professionals, academics, students and industry representatives, says a press release.

The event was jointly organised by the university's Department of Human Resource Management and Human Resource Department under the global theme, "Empower People to Lead Change."

The programme began with an HR Day rally in the Bashundhara area, followed by an inauguration ceremony at the IUB Center Court and an opening session at the university auditorium.

The opening session featured remarks from Dr Ikramul Hasan, associate professor and head of the Department of Human Resource Management, and Shibli Hussain Ahmad, head of HR.

Among others, IUB Board of Trustees Chairman Didar A Husain, Trustee Dr Husne Ara Ali, Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr M Tamim and Pro Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr Daniel W. Lund addressed the event.

Dr Md Musharrof Hossain, human resources adviser at icddr,b, and M Zulfiquar Hussain, chief executive officer and lead consultant of Grow n Excel, delivered keynote presentations on the global theme. The presentations were followed by a discussion involving corporate HR professionals and academic leaders.

The programme also included panel discussions on green human resource management, social impact, contemporary HR challenges and organisational change.

Sharmin Sultan, chief people officer of GPH Ispat Ltd, and Mohammed Ferdous Yusuf, chief human resources officer of bKash Limited, delivered presentations during the event.

In the second half of the day, participants took part in an industry-academia roundtable titled "Celebrating HR Day: Bridging Theory and Practice", an HR case competition and a poster presentation competition.

International HR Day was launched in 2019 by the European Association for People Management (EAPM) and is observed globally on May 20 each year to recognise the contributions of HR professionals.

This year, the day is being celebrated across 100 countries, highlighting the role of HR in promoting future-focused leadership, responsible digital transformation, and continuous learning.