Profile

Professor Dr. Salim Mahmud is a Member of Parliament in Bangladesh and a lawyer who has a diverse background that encompasses academia, legal practice, the energy industry, regulatory governance, arbitration and dispute resolution, banking, and active engagement in the political arena.

Dr. Salim Mahmud started his career in 1994 as a qualified lawyer in Bangladesh. Dr. Mahmud started his academic carrier as a Lecturer of Law in Chittagong University in Bangladesh in late 1990s and later joined Dhaka University as a Lecturer where he voluntarily retired as a Professor of Law in 2020. He taught as an Adjunct Faculty at the Business School of North South University, Bangladesh (2009 to 2010).

Dr. Mahmud completed his PhD in Energy Law and Policy from the Dundee University's (UK) internationally reputed Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy (CEPMLP) under the supervision of former UN Inter-Regional Adviser on International Investment Policy and Petroleum Legislation and globally reputed energy expert and lawyer Professor Thomas Walde. Brilliant since his student life, Dr Mahmud stood third in Secondary School Certificate Examination and first in first class in LLB Hons from Dhaka University. Dr Mahmud won Special Dean's Award for his outstanding performance in PhD research from Dundee University.

Dr. Mahmud was a Member of the Legal Education Committee, Bangladesh Bar Council (2009-2012).

Dr. Salim Mahmud has been one of the longest serving energy regulators in South Asia serving ten years (2009 - 2019) as energy regulator in Bangladesh with the status of a Supreme Court Judge. In that period, Dr. Mahmud served as the Chairman of Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission Tribunal and the Member (Commissioner) of Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission.

As a regulator in the energy sector, Dr. Mahmud made significant contributions in reforming the regulatory segment of the energy sector of Bangladesh, specifically, reforming the tariff adjustment practices, dismantling subsidy regime and establishing financial discipline through regulatory audit in the energy sector.

As an energy regulator, he played historic role to establish a separate dispute settlement mechanism through arbitration for the energy sector under the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission Act 2003. Dr. Mahmud was the Chairman of the BERC Dispute Settlement Regulations Draft Committee in 2013. At the active initiative of Dr. Mahmud, Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission Dispute Settlement Regulations was framed through gazette notification in 2014, which was the first law for regulating dispute settlement in energy sector in Bangladesh. At his initiative, this law was further improved in 2016 through amendments to address the ongoing challenges for dispute settlement through arbitration.

Dr. Mahmud conducted 48 arbitrations either as the Chair or the sole arbitrator or as one of the arbitrators in the arbitral tribunals. He conducted more than 20 arbitrations as the Chair or the sole arbitrator in the arbitral tribunals.

Dr. Salim Mahmud is the Head of Chamber of the Legal Insights- a legal and consulting firm based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Dr. Mahmud was the Lead Consultant of the Government of Bangladesh (Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources) for the implementation of High Capacity Interconnection between India and Bangladesh-765 kV Katihar-Parbotipur-Bornagar Project (2023).

Dr. Mahmud's International Experiences as Independent Consultant/Adviser include: Co Consultant for Government of India on Gas Clauses in Production Sharing Contracts (2006); Co Consultant for Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (AIPN), Houston, USA (the global think-tank on developing oil and gas contracts, regulations, model Production Sharing Contracts, Upstream (E&P) petroleum procurement documents etc.) on International Unitization of Oil and Gas Fields: The Legal Framework of International Law, National Laws, and Private Contracts (2005); Co Consultant for Government of Latvia (2004); Advised World Bank on Power Tariff Issues (2012); Consultant for Shell International (2002-2005); Consultant for Cairn Energy (2002-2005); Associate of Thomas Walde and Associates in several international energy dispute settlement arbitrations including Nykomb v. the Republic of Latvia dispute- the first arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty (2004-2008).

Dr. Mahmud was elected as a Member of Parliament on 7th January 2024. He worked as a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources. Dr.

Mahmud was the Member Secretary of Bangladesh Awami League's Parliamentary Elections Manifesto Committee for the 2014 Elections.

Dr. Mahmud has significant experience in the banking sector. He worked as Director of two reputed first generation private banks in Bangladesh - the City Bank Limited and the United Commercial Bank (UCB) Ltd for about eleven years. He was also the Chairman of the Audit Committee of the City Bank Ltd (2022-2024).

Dr. Mahmud made important contributions in the drafting of the following laws, rules and regulations: the Electricity Act 2018, the Gas Act 2010, the Power and Energy Fast Supply Enhancement (Special Provision) Act 2010, Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (Amendment) Act 2010, Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) Act 2012, Energy Efficiency and Conservation Rules 2013, Renewable Energy Rules 2013, Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission Disputes Settlement Regulations 2014, Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission Transmission Tariff Regulations 2016, Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission Distribution Tariff Regulations 2016, Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission Dispute Settlement Regulations (Amendment) 2016, Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission License Regulations (Amendment) 2010, Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission Natural Gas Distribution Tariff Regulations 2010 and Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission Natural Gas Transmission Tariff Regulations 2010.

Dr Mahmud is the author/co-author of a good number of international and national publications including a major and prestigious AIPN (Association of International Petroleum Negotiators) Study (book) entitled "International Unitization of Oil and Gas Fields: The Legal Framework of International Law, National Laws, and Private Contracts" - published by the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators, Houston, USA.

On behalf of the host Government of Bangladesh, Dr. Mahmud supervised a number of development partners funded projects in the energy sector of Bangladesh: 1) The World Bank funded projects for the overall capacity building of the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (2009-2016); 2) The USAID funded projects (International Capacity for Energy Access Program- ICEA; Catalyzing Clean Energy in Bangladesh -CCEB) for the strengthening of the legal and regulatory capacity of the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (2009-2016). For these programmes, Dr. Mahmud worked with World Bank, US institutions NARUC (National Association of the Regulatory Utility Commissioners), NRECA (National Rural Electric Cooperatives Association), Deloitte and Resources International.

Dr. Mahmud worked as a Member of Local Consultative Group (LCG/Energy)- the Coordination Forum for the Development Partners in Bangladesh (2011-2016) for reviewing the donor funded projects in the energy sector in Bangladesh.

Dr. Salim Mahmud acted as a Member of the South Asian Inter Governmental Task Force for promoting cross border energy and power trade - Task Force 3, South Asian Regional Initiative/Energy Integration (SARI/EI) - a Programme comprising eight SAARC countries for promoting cross border energy and power trade (2014-2018).

Dr. Mahmud participated in significant number of international training programmes on energy and related issues, participated as Resource Person in international conferences/ seminars and also represented Government of Bangladesh /Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission in international/regional forums.

Dr. Mahmud is the Founder of Palakhal Rostam Ali Degree College (founded in 1995 after his father's name) in his parliamentary constituency (Chandpur 1) in Kachua Upazila under Chandpur District. He was one of the members of the Board of Trustees of the Mararat International University, Bangladesh (2022-2024).