Ambassador Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury is likely to be appointed as Bangladesh's next Foreign Secretary

The government is set to reshuffle several key diplomatic positions, with Ambassador Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury, Bangladesh's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, likely to be appointed as the country's next Foreign Secretary, officials said.

Current Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam is expected to be named Bangladesh's High Commissioner to India, one of the country's most strategically important diplomatic postings.

A career diplomat, Ambassador Noman joined the Bangladesh Foreign Service in 1998. Before taking up his current assignment at the UN, he served as Bangladesh's Ambassador to Nepal from November 2020 to December 2024.

Over a diplomatic career spanning more than two decades, he has served at Bangladesh missions in New Delhi, the Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, the Consulate General in New York, and the High Commission in Islamabad.

At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka, he has worked in the United Nations, Economic Affairs, Administration, Protocol, External Publicity and Southeast Asia Wings, and also served at the Foreign Service Academy.

Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam, who assumed office on June 20, 2025, joined the Bangladesh Foreign Service in 1995.

Before becoming Foreign Secretary, he served as Bangladesh's Ambassador to the United States, with concurrent accreditation to Guyana, and as Permanent Representative to the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

He also served as Ambassador to Austria from 2023 to 2024, with concurrent accreditation to Hungary and Slovenia, and as Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Vienna and the OPEC Fund.

Earlier, Ambassador Siam served as Bangladesh's Ambassador to the Philippines from 2017 to 2021, with concurrent accreditation to Palau, and as Permanent Representative to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

His overseas assignments also include serving as the first Consul General in Milan, Assistant High Commissioner in Manchester, and diplomatic postings in Jakarta and Bangkok.

At the foreign ministry, he has held several senior positions, including Inspector General of Missions, Rector of the Foreign Service Academy, Chief of Protocol, Director General of the Europe and EU Wing, and Director in the offices of the Foreign Adviser and the Foreign Secretary.

Officials also said Mohammad Abdul Muhith, the current Rector of the Foreign Service Academy and former Permanent Representative to the United Nations, is likely to be appointed Bangladesh's next High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. The post has remained vacant since March.

Meanwhile, BNP Information and Technology Secretary AKM Wahiduzzaman is expected to be appointed Deputy Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York.

In another likely appointment, M Farhadul Islam, currently Secretary (Intergovernmental Organizations) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is expected to become Bangladesh's next Ambassador to Mauritius.