After graduating in 1965 from the prestigious Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Mohammad Fazlul Azim started his career in the Automobile Industry where he worked for nine years at home and abroad, including in countries such as Denmark. He had higher training in Industrial Engineering from the United Kingdom.

In 1975, Mohammad Fazlul Azim left his last job in the Automobile Industry to establish Azim Group. Over the years, it has grown into a multinational holding company and has consistently employed over 20,000 people including employing 27,000 people at its peak. Azim Group’s primary focus since the 1980s has been on Garment Manufacturing, but it had also diversified its businesses in Engineering Consultancy, Agrobusiness and the latest being Steel Manufacturing since 2018.

Mohammad Fazlul Azim is a former Senior Vice President of Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). M F Azim played an influential over four decades in Bangladesh’s success to become the second largest garment supplier to the world. With over 40 years of experience in garments, Mohammad Fazlul Azim is the most experienced entrepreneur in Bangladesh Garment Industry’s history. He was also a Fellow Member of the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB), which is regarded as the most prestigious National Professional Organization in Bangladesh and includes all disciplines of Engineering.

On April 2018, Mohammad Fazlul Azim inaugurated Azim Group’s first ever steel manufacturing plant in Dhamrai, Dhaka. The factory area is located in the outskirts of Dhaka, and stretches over a land of 30 acres, with a production capacity of 40,000 tons per annum of tower and 15,000 tons per annum of hardware. M F Azim mentioned at the inauguration ceremony that Azim Group’s long success in garment manufacturing encouraged the organization to start its new steel business. Azim said he hoped the steel factory would create at least 1000 new jobs.

In his political career, Mohammad Fazlul Azim was elected three times as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 273 Noakhali-6 Constituency, Hatiya Island. He is a former member of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Water Resources, former member of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Textile and Jute, former Member of Privatization Commission, former Member of National Minimum Wage Board, former Member of National Labour Law Commission, former Member of National Export Council.

As the lone Independent MP elected in the Bangladesh Parliament between 2008 - 2013, M F Azim was highly regarded within the political arena as the voice of the common people, often raising constructive opposition to Bills without affiliations to any political party. He was a regular guest on television talk shows where he raised concerns of the common people. Azim was the only Independent MP as opposition to the ruling party in the House during most of this time, as the Opposition Party was absent due to parliament boycotts. He debated as the lone MP against the Parliament Majority, which he often termed as the “brute majority”.

M F Azim’s objections to Bills gave rise to rational debate in the Parliament House. At times when he was refused floor to raise his objections to important Bills being passed in the House, he staged walkouts as protest. Azim did not contest the highly controversial 2014 elections, sticking to his stance of opposing elections being held under the supervision of the party in power, unlike the elections between 1996 – 2008 that were held under a Neutral Caretaker Government. The 15th Amendment Bill abolishing the Caretaker Government, which M F Azim famously called a “historical mistake”, passed with a vote of 291-1. M F Azim was the only MP to vote against the 15th Amendment Bill, a first in Bangladesh Parliament history.

In the 2018 elections, M F Azim rejected the elections by 10:00 am on election day morning, despite having 80% voter support in his constituency and public opinion predicting a comfortable win. Voters in his constituency Noakhali-6 expressed their frustrations of being forcefully barred from entering voting booths, and that all their votes had been cast illegally by ruling party cadres, hours before election officially started at 8:00 am. Votes at Noakhali-6 constituency were rigged from the night before election. The law enforcement itself was alleged to have engaged in corruption and vote rigging on election day.

Mohammad Fazlul Azim has been socially active in various communities. He is a member of various social and community clubs. He is a Member of Dhaka Club Limited, Life Member of Gulshan Club Limited, Life Member of Gulshan Society, Member of Baridhara Diplomatic Enclave Club Limited, Member of Chittagong Club, Member of Kormitola Golf Club, Member of Chittagong Bhatiary Golf & Country Club, Shaheen Golf and Country Club. M F Azim is associated with many other National and International social, sports and cultural organizations.

M F Azim represented Bangladesh in various international forums. In 2018, M F Azim was part of a high-level business delegation led by Commerce Minister of Bangladesh, Tofail Ahmed, for a three-day visit to Cambodia. The delegation attended a bilateral meeting with business leaders from Cambodia, headed by the Cambodian Commerce Minister. Between 2008 – 2013, M F Azim represented Bangladesh as a Parliament delegate in several international forums, including giving speeches at the Asian Human Rights Council (AHRC).

Mohammad Fazlul Azim was awarded IEB Best Entrepreneur medal in 2003 by the Institutions of Engineers, Bangladesh in recognition of his meritorious performance, service to the nation and to the Engineering profession as well as his valuable contribution towards enhancement of enterprises.

M F Azim was born in Hatiya Island of Noakhali District in a middle-class family and was the youngest of six siblings. With the continuing erosion of Hatiya Island, his family moved across the sea to Maijdee neighborhood in Noakhali when he was a child. He had spent majority of his childhood growing up in Lawyers’ Colony of Maijdee Court in Noakhali. He went to Noakhali Zilla School from where he graduated at the age of 16 and moved to the Capital City of Dhaka to enroll at the prestigious Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). He graduated from University at the age of 20, and started his career.

Mohammad Fazlul Azim is married for over 35 years to Shamima Azim. They have two sons and a daughter. Alongside his highly successful business and political career, he is known to be a family man of high caliber. M F Azim enjoys regular dialogues with the younger generations and believes that the next generation will take Bangladesh forward on its next step of reaching glorious economic and social growth.

M F Azim has an all-female college under his name called Prokousholi Mohammad Fazlul Azim Mohila College. The college is located in Mohammad Fazlul Azim's hometown Hatiya Island, located in Noakhali District. He has been a long-standing supporter of women’s empowerment. He believes the way to economic progress in Bangladesh is to have an inclusive society in which women will have the same opportunities as men. He has spoken on several occasions about the importance of women to get access to education for a sustainable future.

M F Azim is an advocate of environmental sustainability. All factories owned by Azim Group are compliant with sustainability standards set by reputed global governing entities. Furthermore, every commercial complex owned by Azim Group has its own fruit and vegetable gardens and is almost self-subsistent in terms of food. He firmly believes that the future is organic and green.

Mohammad Fazlul Azim regularly donates to charities and philanthropical initiatives, including disaster and emergency reliefs.