Mimma Afrin

Mimma Afrin, currently serving as technical lead (laboratory operation) at TRACE Consulting, is a highly regarded quality and laboratory management specialist with over 10 years of experience bridging technical expertise and strategic leadership in laboratory accreditation, food safety, and international trade compliance. She has demonstrated strong technical leadership in advancing ISO compliance, accreditation processes, and institutional capacity building across both public and private sectors to strengthen national quality systems.  

Most recently, Mimma served as the technical coordinator for laboratories' improvement under the USDA-funded Bangladesh Trade Facilitation (BTF) project, driving national initiatives to enhance agricultural trade capacity. She collaborated directly with key government agencies and commercial laboratories, providing targeted technical assistance to BSTI, BCSIR, CDIL, PRTC, PRAN, and AKIJ to achieve ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation. Under her coordination, the project successfully deployed a laboratory information repository hosted on the BFSA website and implemented laboratory information management systems (LIMS) across DoF, PRTC, CDIL, and PRAN, automating sample traceability and significantly reducing the turnaround time for test results.

Mimma also supported the government and technical partners in preparing accredited Proficiency Testing Provider (PTP) laboratories in ISO/IEC 17043 for institutions like BCSIR, BRICM, and Intertek. She played a pivotal role in assisting BSTI with establishing the National Halal Laboratory, aligning it with ISO/IEC 17025 accreditations. Furthermore, she contributed to the development of a Laboratory Quality Management Systems (LQMS) Certificate Course Curriculum (Skill Level 5), which was approved by the National Skills Development Authority (NSDA), thereby building a robust training framework to upskill laboratory personnel for long-term institutional capacity.  

Earlier, as quality manager at PRAN Dairy Ltd. for over a decade, Mimma oversaw comprehensive analytical (chemical and microbiological) operations for a diverse portfolio of consumer products. She maintained rigorous adherence to corporate policies and regulatory standards mandated by BSTI, BFSA, FDA, FSSC, and BRC, successfully managing numerous external audits and regulatory inspections. She was instrumental in investigating quality deviations, leading Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) training, and serving as a key technical liaison for plant operations.  

Mimma holds both a bachelor's and a master's degree (with a dean's award) in biotechnology and genetic engineering from Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University. She is passionate about applying international standards, advanced analytical techniques, and digital laboratory solutions to ensure product reliability, food safety, and global market compliance for Bangladesh's exports.