Ahmad Dawood

Seth Ahmad Dawood (1899 – 2 January 2002) was a Pakistani industrialist, pioneer merchant and a philanthropist.[1] He was the founder of the Dawood Group and Dawood Foundation which established a college, Dawood Engineering College, named after him.[1]

Seth Ahmad Dawood

Seth Ahmad Dawood
Born1899[1]
Bantva, Kathiawar peninsula
Gujarat, British India
Died2 January 2002 at age 103[2]
Karachi, Pakistan
NationalityPakistani
OccupationIndustrialist and a Philanthropist

Early life and career

Born in Bantva, Kathiawar peninsula in Saurashtra (region), Gujarat, British India, to a Memon family,[3] Ahmed got introduced to business basics at an early age through working at his grandfather's shop of cotton yarn and various utilities. In 1920, he established his own shop in Bombay and succeeded in establishing a trading house there that dealt in commodities, textiles, jute and yarn.[2] He migrated to Karachi, Pakistan in 1947 and initiated a number of industrial projects in East and West Pakistan upon the appeal and encouragement of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of then new state of Pakistan in 1947.[2] Dawood Group's Karnaphuli Paper Mills used to meet the newsprint requirements of Pakistan before separation of East Pakistan in 1971. Ahmed Dawood and Dawood Group of companies had played a key role in industrializing of Karachi city of Pakistan.[2]

Business setbacks
  • First major setback was the partition of British India in 1947, when he lost his established businesses in Bantva, Calcutta, Madras and Bombay because he chose to migrate to Pakistan and leave those businesses behind.[1]
  • Separation of former East Pakistan into the new state of Bangladesh in 1971 and the subsequent loss of businesses there by Ahmed Dawood and his Dawood Group of companies.[2]
  • Massive nationalization in 1972 during Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto regime in Pakistan and the subsequent losses in life insurance and petroleum businesses.[2]

Dawood Group of Companies

Death

Ahmed Dawood died on 2 January 2002 at age of 103 years after a protracted illness in Karachi. Among his survivors are two sons Hussain Dawood and Aziz Dawood, who, along with his nephew Abdul Razak Dawood, attended his funeral in Karachi.[2]

Legacy
  • Dawood College of Engineering and Technology (now Dawood University of Engineering and Technology) established in Karachi, Pakistan in 1962 by The Dawood Foundation.[5]
  • The Dawood Foundation (established in 1961 with initial capital of Rupees 25 million).[2]
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References
  1. Amanullah Bashar (13 September 1999). "Hardwork is the key to success, says Ahmed Dawood". pakistaneconomist.com website. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  2. Seth Ahmed Dawood passes away Obituary and profile on Dawn (newspaper), Published 3 January 2002, Retrieved 23 October 2017
  3. Patel, Aakar (10 March 2011). "Why India is part dysfunctional, fully functional". Livemint.
  4. Hub Power Company to set up 1,320MW coal-based power plants Dawn (newspaper), Updated 20 January 2015, Retrieved 24 October 2017
  5. Higher Education Commission of Pakistan's rankings of Dawood College of Engineering and Technology on hec.gov.pk website, Retrieved 24 October 2017


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