Civil service career

Noorul Quader passed the Pakistani government's civil service exam (CSP) in 1960 and began his career as a government officer in 1961. In 1963, he was appointed as the subdivisional officer for Chandpur Mahakuma. His work as an administrator was notable, and he was quickly promoted to the state ministry as a deputy secretary. He served as district commissioner of Chittagong until 1970, when he was appointed as the district commissioner of Pabna. After the Bangladesh Liberation War, Noorul Quader served as the first chairman of the Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, then known as the Tourism Bureau. Under his leadership, the bureau was corporatized and a logo was designed by Kalidas Karmakar.^[1]

Establishing the Desh Group

Noorul Quader established the Desh Group in 1974. In December 1977, he established Desh Garments.^[10] In 1978, the Daewoo Corporation of Korea proposed a joint venture with Bangladesh, proposing that manufacture of wheels, processed leather products, cement, and readymade garments be centered in the country. The Bangladeshi government chose to lead with readymade garments, and chose Noorul Quader's proposal due to his experience with both foreign business and government work.^[11] A joint venture deal was signed between Desh Garments and Daewoo Corporation on 4 July 1978.^[7][12] With this, Desh Garments became the first export oriented garment industry in Bangladesh and a pioneer of the textile industry in Bangladesh.^[13][7] The factory sent staff to South Korea to learn about the garments trade from Daewoo in the early 1980s.^[1]

Desh Agencies Limited was established in 1978 as a clearing and forwarding agency.^[14]

Desh Real Estate Limited was established in 1980 as an industrial land developer near Dhaka and Chittagong.^[15]

Jenk Industries Limited was established in 1988 as a manufacturer of cardboard boxes.^[16]