Bangladeshi Zia Us Samad Chowdhury JP has been named in the UK King’s Birthday Honours List 2024. He is to receive an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for his outstanding contribution and services to the Bangladeshi community in the West Midlands.

The British monarch grants this honour to distinguished individuals for their notable contributions across various fields, including social, cultural, political, economic, and rare personal achievements.

On June 15, Buckingham Palace released a list of honourees which included Zia Us Samad. He is from a renowned family of Nurpur village in Fenchuganj upazila, Sylhet. His brothers, Ahmed Us Samad Chowdhury and the late Mahmud Us Samad Chowdhury MP, are also well-known and respected figures both in Bangladesh and abroad.

Their father was the esteemed Delwar Hossain Chowdhury of Fenchuganj. The 85-year-old Zia Us Samad is a proud father of five, all of whom are established professionals in their respective fields.

Zia served as a senior magistrate and Justice of the Peace at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court. He was the first Bangladeshi-origin Justice of the Peace in the West Midlands and retired from his judicial position in 2004.

Zia completed his BA from the University of Dhaka in 1960 before moving to the UK for higher studies. He pursued education in transport management, sales and marketing, accounting, advanced counseling, judicial administration, and community development.

While still studying, he started a catering business and successfully managed restaurants in various UK cities. Eventually, he transitioned to employment, serving for 18 years as the Chief Bangladeshi Community Development Officer in Sandwell Metropolitan Borough. During this period, he represented nearly 17,000 local Bangladeshis through the management of the government's Single Economic Regeneration Budget.

In his retirement, Zia Us Samad dedicated himself to literature. He has published “Memoirs of Bangladesh” and several poetry collections, including “Monochhash”, “Monmuruli”, “Monmohana”, and “Monodoy”.