The New Forum

Interviews with leaders in Politics, Business and Current Affairs

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Her Excellency, Abida Islam @abida1968 is the High Commissioner of the People's Republic of Bangladesh to the United Kingdom.

A career diplomat, she joined the Bangladesh Foreign Service in November 1995 as part of the 15th batch of the Bangladesh Civil Service. Over the course of her distinguished career, she has held important postings in Dhaka and abroad, including roles in the Bangladesh Missions in London @BDHCLondon, Colombo, Brussels, and Kolkata (as Deputy High Commissioner to India).

Prior to her current appointment, Abida Islam served as Bangladesh’s Ambassador to Mexico (also accredited to Costa Rica, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Honduras) from mid-2022 to late 2024. Before that, she was Ambassador to South Korea from December 2017 to August 2021, during which she promoted cultural exchange, education, and economic ties.

In Dhaka, she held senior leadership roles within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including as Director General of the Americas division, where she engaged on bilateral diplomacy with countries across the Western Hemisphere.

A strong advocate for women’s rights and gender equality, High Commissioner Islam was honoured in July 2025 with the prestigious Women in Diplomacy Award in London, recognising her leadership and commitment to empowering women in diplomacy.

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Lord Deben, Agriculture and Environment Minister - on Chancellor Rachel Reeves' tax reforms and the effect on farmers and businesses... #ukpolitics #ukfarming #ukeconomy

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Sir Graham Boyce, Ambassador to Qatar, Kuwait and Egypt - how natural gas has fuelled Qatar's growth over the last 30 years... #qatar #middleeastern #althani

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@anne_limartin It should be up now!

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Deputy Defence Chief, Sir Simon Mayall - explains the five pillars of the Modern Middle East... #middleeast #geopolitics #arab

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Deputy Defence Chief, Sir Simon Mayall - on the importance of learning history... #history #geopolitics #middleeastern

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@anne_limartin Sure! Will do

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World's Biggest Classic Ferrari dealer, John Collins - the process of designing your own Ferrari.. #ferrari #carcollection #classicferrari

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BBC's Evan Davis - on money laundering in London, unexplained wealth and the billionaire cello player... #geopolitics #finance #russian

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Sir Bill Browder - raising $25 million from the world's biggest private banker, Edmond Safra... #banking #finance #russia

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Evan Davis - cryptocurrency and the role of bubbles in technological development! #cryptocurrencies #investing #technology

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Deputy Defence Chief, General Simon Mayall - on History's Greatest Generals #history #generals #militaryhistory

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Sir Bill Browder - Russian privatisation program and a $1 billion fleet! #billbrowder #russia #geopolitics

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World's Biggest Classic Ferrari dealer - buying cars for the Sultan of Brunei! #ferrari #talacrest #carcollection

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Indo-Pacific Conference, 2025 @HCI_London!

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Evan Davis - globalisation and the biggest creation of wealth in human history! #globalization #geopolitics #wealthinequality

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Mercenary King, Tim Spicer - the world's largest private army! #iraq #usmilitary #privatesecurity

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World’s Largest Classic Ferrari dealer, John Collins - the story of how I started my career selling over $1 billion of Ferraris! #ferrari #talacrest #classicferrari

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Sir Bill Browder - tracking down $232 billion of dirty money! #billbrowder #investigation #finance

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CEO of British Land, Simon Carter - Al devaluing labour and the impact on land prices!