Ainee Islam
Program Director, Bangladesh
Ainee Islam is a passionate development professional with over 13 years of experience working in Bangladesh, Nepal, Ethiopia, and the United Kingdom. She is a program director at The Asia Foundation in Bangladesh, leading one of the country’s flagship programs for women workers in the readymade garment sector. She’s also involved in program design and implementation across diverse sectors, such as women’s empowerment, local governance, and education.
Throughout her career, she has led teams of researchers and consultants, managed multi-million-dollar budgets, and designed successful programs for various organizations. Her work experience spans both the private and development sectors, providing her with a unique perspective on development challenges and solutions. She started her career at the Enterprise Program Management Office of Robi Axiata. In Ethiopia, she worked as a consultant for Arabica Investments, which focused on private sector development and impact investment. After her master’s degree in the UK, she worked as a consultant for Nathan Associates in the UK, and as a portfolio manager at Innovision Consulting in Bangladesh. She has been with the Asia Foundation since 2021, working in various capacities as a program director.