DHAKA, Insurance Bulletin: The Financial Institutions Division of the Ministry of Finance issued a official notification on Tuesday (June 16, 2026), appointing Mir Nadia Nivin as the new Chairman of the Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA).
She has been appointed on a contractual basis for a three-year term from her date of assuming office, subject to the condition of severing all operational ties and relationships with other institutions and organizations.
The top post at the insurance regulatory body fell vacant following the resignation of former IDRA Chairman Dr. Aslam Alam on March 2. The vacancy triggered widespread speculation within the insurance sector regarding the next leadership.
The appointment comes in the wake of a recent legislative update. On May 5, the government published a gazette amending the law governing the appointment of the IDRA Chairman and members. Notably, this amendment abolished the maximum age limit for the position, though the core professional experience requirements remained unchanged.
Prior to this regulatory appointment, Mir Nadia Nivin served as a member of the interim government's Election System Reform Commission.
Her direct involvement in the insurance industry began recently in October 2025, when she joined Delta Life Insurance Company Limited as an Independent Director. According to sources within Delta Life, she is still actively serving in that capacity until she transitions to her new regulatory role.
According to a recent interview published on April 13 by the online English news outlet The Prestige, Nadia Nivin was born in Kuwait, where she began her early education at an English-medium school before relocating to Bangladesh in the fourth grade.
She holds a strong academic background from elite international institutions:
Master's Degree (2006): California State University, Sacramento. Master's in Public Administration (MPA): Harvard University.
Nivin has built a robust nearly two-decade career heavily anchored in international development, governance, and institutional reform:
Began her career as a Program Officer at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Bangladesh, where she also contributed to the government’s flagship a2i (Aspire to Innovate) program.
Transitioned to the international arena, starting with an assignment in Germany. She later moved to the UNDP Headquarters in New York as a member of the Global Elections Team, providing policy and strategic support to UNDP country offices worldwide.
Served as an Election Program Specialist in Afghanistan, managing portfolios spanning parliamentary affairs, elections, public financial management, local governance, central administration capacity building, and gender equality.
Deployed to Pakistan, focusing on rehabilitation and resettlement programs for displaced populations in the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Worked in Malaysia, collaborating closely with the national Election Commission, the Parliament, and the Prime Minister’s Office’s anti-corruption policymaking bodies.
Stationed in Myanmar, where her portfolio expanded into digital healthcare initiatives, border-based vaccination drives, and the UN's first Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven human rights monitoring framework.
Nivin’s extensive global background in governance, compliance, and institutional restructuring is expected to steer IDRA as it navigates structural reforms and modernization within Bangladesh's insurance sector.
