DHAKA — Career diplomat Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury has been appointed Bangladesh's 29th foreign secretary, replacing Asad Alam Siam, the Daily New Nation reported from a Ministry of Foreign Affairs notification issued on Sunday, November 8. The notification said Chowdhury, who had been serving as a secretary at the ministry, will hold the post until further orders and that the appointment takes immediate effect in the public interest.

Source: Daily New Nation, Nov 8 2026 — Salahuddin Noman Chy 29th foreign secretary

The changeover happened the same day in Dhaka. Officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs bade farewell to outgoing Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam and welcomed his successor at a ceremony on Sunday, The Business Standard reported, and Chowdhury took charge as the new foreign secretary.

Source: The Business Standard, Nov 8 2026 — Salahuddin Noman takes over as new FS

The incoming foreign secretary

Chowdhury is a 17th-batch officer of the Bangladesh Civil Service (Foreign Affairs) cadre who joined the foreign service in 1998, the Daily New Nation said. He previously served as Bangladesh's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York — an assignment he took up in January 2025 — before being recalled to the Foreign Ministry, and he accompanied Prime Minister Tarique Rahman during the prime minister's recent visit to Japan. Before New York, he was Bangladesh's Ambassador to Nepal from November 2020 to December 2024.

Source: Daily New Nation, Nov 8 2026; The Business Standard, Nov 8 2026

Over a career spanning more than two decades, Chowdhury has served at Bangladesh's High Commission in New Delhi, its High Commission in Islamabad, the Consulate General in New York and the Permanent Mission to the United Nations, The Business Standard reported. At headquarters in Dhaka he worked in several wings, including the United Nations, Economic Affairs, Administration, Protocol, External Publicity and Southeast Asia wings, as well as at the Foreign Service Academy.

Source: The Business Standard, Nov 8 2026 — Noman's postings

Siam moves to the New Delhi post

Siam had served as foreign secretary since June 20, 2025, both outlets reported, and is now posted to New Delhi as Bangladesh's High Commissioner to India. India formally approved the appointment — the agrément — in September, according to reporting at the time, and Times Now reported on October 28 that Siam was scheduled to assume the New Delhi role on November 16, succeeding M Riaz Hamidullah, who has moved to Geneva as Bangladesh's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Ambassador to Switzerland.

Source: Times Now World, Oct 28 2026 — Siam to assume India post Nov 16; The Business Standard, Nov 8 2026

Siam joined the Bangladesh Foreign Service in 1995, The Business Standard reported. Before becoming foreign secretary he was Bangladesh's Ambassador to the United States, with concurrent accreditation to Guyana and as Permanent Representative to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund; from 2023 to 2024 he was Ambassador to Austria, with concurrent accreditation to Hungary and Slovenia and roles at the UN Office in Vienna and the OPEC Fund; and from 2017 to 2021 he was Ambassador to the Philippines, with concurrent accreditation to Palau and as Permanent Representative to the Asian Development Bank and the International Rice Research Institute. His earlier postings included Milan, where he was the first Consul General, Manchester, Jakarta and Bangkok, and in Dhaka he served as Inspector General of Missions, Rector of the Foreign Service Academy and Chief of Protocol.

Source: The Business Standard, Nov 8 2026 — Siam's career

What the New Delhi posting carries

The High Commissioner post in New Delhi is widely regarded in Dhaka as one of Bangladesh's most important diplomatic assignments, and the incoming envoy's file is heavy. Times Now's October report said a primary focus for Siam would be preparations around a proposed visit to India by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, and the renewal of the Ganga Water Sharing Treaty — the 30-year agreement signed in December 1996 that is due to expire in December 2026. Those are reported expectations for the posting, not announced agreements, and no visit date has been formally announced by either government.

Source: Times Now World, Oct 28 2026 — priorities facing the incoming High Commissioner

What happens next is procedural and close: on the reporting available on Sunday, Siam is scheduled to take up the New Delhi post on November 16, while Chowdhury begins work in Dhaka immediately, at the top of a foreign ministry whose two most sensitive files — the relationship with India and the Rohingya crisis with Myanmar — both have deadlines arriving within weeks.