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The Daily Star could not reach her family members.

Ridma Khan, a director on the BWCCI board, said she breathed her last around 6:30pm yesterday.

Selima’s body would be brought home tomorrow, said Ashraful Haq Chowdhury, president of the Saudi Arabia-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Chowdhury is a venture partner of Nitol-Niloy Group Chairman Abdul Matlub Ahmad in Star Infrastructure Development Consortium Ltd.

In a condolence message, the BWCCI said her passing is an immeasurable loss to her family, friends, colleagues, and the wider business community.

“She was hailed as a visionary entrepreneur and pioneering advocate for women’s economic empowerment in Bangladesh,” it said.

“Her leadership and dedication touched countless lives, leaving a legacy of compassion and empowerment that reshaped opportunities for women in business across the country,” the BWCCI said.

Selima, also a former lawmaker, founded the BWCCI in 2001.

The trade body was established at a time when women-owned businesses faced significant barriers in accessing finance, training, markets, and institutional support.

Under her leadership, BWCCI grew into a leading platform for women entrepreneurs, working with policymakers, financial institutions, and development partners to address challenges faced by women in business.

She helped promote the development of more than 7,000 women entrepreneurs by planning, designing, and facilitating different programmes, according to the BWCCI website.

Selima developed 600 grassroots women through training and access to information to ensure their active and increased participation in socio-economic and civic life and to broaden opportunities for women’s social networks, it said.

Among her notable honours was the Oslo Business for Peace Award in 2014. She is survived by her spouse, two sons, six grandchildren, and numerous relatives.