In 1961, after completing his education Ali started being involved in business. Once in the UK, he transformed himself from an ordinary waiter to a leading entrepreneur. He still has links with UK through his family members, who live in London as well as in
Bradford, where majority of his father's family now live in. Ali is the chairman of Sylhet Tea Company Ltd. and several other tea estates in
Sylhet and
Chittagong. He is also the managing director of Kohinoor Industries Ltd. He is the chairman of
Southeast Bank Limited. He has played a pioneering role in the tea industry. He is involved in charitable activities and has set up numerous trusts and educational institutions. Ali is the founder chairman of
Jalalabad Ragib-Rabeya Medical College. He is also the immediate past chairman of
North South University Foundation. He is also the founder of
Leading University and
University of Asia Pacific. He also contributed in many schools and established many colleges around Bangladesh. == Controversy ==