Foysol Choudhury MBE MSP
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Shadow Minister for Culture,
Europe and International Development
Foysol Hussain Choudhury, MBE, born 5 January 1969, is a Bangladeshi-born British businessman, and a Scottish Labour politician. He has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Lothian region since May 2021.
Choudhury is Chairman of the Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council. He is one of the founding directors and the Vice Chair of the Edinburgh Mela. He is also Chairman of the Bangladesh Samity Edinburgh.
Choudhury was born in the village of Badardi, Bausha Union, Nabiganj, Habiganj, Sylhet District, the then East Pakistan now Bangladesh, and grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland. Choudhury’s parents are the late Al-Haj Gulam Rabbani Choudhury and Rukeya Rabbani Choudhury. He is eldest of six siblings, he has one brother and five sisters. In 1982, his father came and settled in Edinburgh. Choudhury’s uncle is businessman Wali Tasar Uddin.
During his time studying at the University of Edinburgh, Choudhury took responsibility for his ailing father’s business. He expanded the business and is now an entrepreneur with interests in catering, hospitality, finance and real estate across the United Kingdom and Bangladesh.
Choudhury is a community activist in the UK. He has worked with the Scottish Government and various councils to improve community relations. He has played a leading role in several charities.
He has been involved with the Edinburgh and Lothian’s Regional Equality Council (ELREC) since he was a teenager and has been an active campaigner for equality and good race and interfaith relations in Scotland. He has served the ELREC as a Trustee, company secretary, Vice Chair and he is currently its chairman. Choudhury has led the organisation through its transition from the race equality council to a pan-equalities regional council. In 2013, he was re-elected for a fourth term.
In 1991, Choudhury co-founded the Edinburgh Mela and is currently its vice-chair. In 2010, he was elected as the Chairman of the Bangladesh Samity Edinburgh (Bangladesh Association Edinburgh). He has organised, annually, Bangladesh Independence Day Celebrations and other events to promote strong community relations. Choudhury is the Chairman of the Guild of Bangladeshi Restaurateurs of Scotland and as one of the founding members of Dine Bangladeshi Campaign.
At the snap 2017 general election, Choudhury was selected as the official Labour Party candidate for the Edinburgh South West constituency. However, he was not elected and finished in third place with 13,213 votes.
He was elected at 2021 Scottish Parliament election for the Lothian region, becoming the first MSP of Bangladeshi background to be elected. In 2004, Choudhury was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2004 New Year Honours for his services to the community. In 2006, he was awarded from the Channel S Award for his outstanding role as community worker and leader. Choudhury is married Tahmina (Moni) Choudhury. He is involved in fundraising campaigns, raising over £250,000 for causes including Bangladesh Cyclone Appeal in Scotland, St Colombia’s Hospice, Leukaemia and Cancer appeal, Sick Kids appeal, the British Heart Foundation and many others. In addition to this, he is also one of the organisers who built two shelter and 40 houses for the survivors of Cyclone Sidr Bangladesh in 2010.
