Iqbal Quadir

Iqbal Quadir (born 13 August 1958) (Bengali: ইকবাল জেড. কাদীর) is a Bangladeshi-American entrepreneur and academic, known for founding the telecommunications company Grameenphone and for his work on development-oriented technology initiatives.

In the 1990s, Quadir initiated and helped establish Grameenphone, a mobile telecommunications company in Bangladesh that expanded telephone access beyond urban centers. According to The Economist, Quadir is described as an early participant in the global mobile telecommunications expansion, noting his focus on mobile device usage in low-income regions.

He served as a Research Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government for four years, where he conducted research on how emerging technologies influence governance and economic development in low- and middle-income countries. In 2007, he established the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at MIT and serves as its director. In 2006, he co-founded the journal Innovations (published by MIT Press) and remains an editor.