Ahsan Akbar is a writer and founder of cultural institutions.

 

He founded The Future Forum with Tilda Swinton, a London-based institution convening leading figures from the arts, international affairs, intellectual life and capital.
 

He previously co-founded the Dhaka Literary Festival, originally established as Hay Festival Dhaka, which developed into one of South Asia's leading international literary gatherings.

His work is concerned with the intersection of culture, ideas and power, and with creating spaces for dialogue across disciplines, institutions and borders.
 

Born in London and raised between Dhaka, Paris and Washington, DC, Akbar studied at Exeter before pursuing a career in equities trading and private banking in London and Southeast Asia.
 

His poetry collection, The Devil’s Thumbprint, is taught as part of the English literature programme at SOAS, University of London.
 

A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, he has previously served on the boards of the Working Men's College and the Royal Female School of Art.