Seth Ahmed Dawood was the
Pakistani Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of the
The Dawood Group, the CEO of Dawood
Cottom Mills Ltd, the CEO of the Central Insurance Company, and the
owner of Dawood Hercules Chemicals Limited. He was one of the
wealthiest people in Pakistan, and is considered to have been a
great
philanthropist and respected
entrepreneur.
The
strategy of diversification was marked by the setting up of Dawood
Hercules Chemicals (manufacturing urea
fertilizer), followed by Transpak (baby
food, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and other consumer goods), Dawood
Yamaha (
motorcycles), Dawlance (
refrigerators and
microwaves), Descon
Engineering (construction), and Meiji
Biscuits.
Dawood then moved into the financial
sector, and established the Central
Insurance Company, BRR Capital Modaraba, BRR
Second Modaraba, and Equity International Modarba. All three
Modarabas have since been merged into one: BRR International
Modarabal. Other concerns include Orient Insurance Company, and the
latest, Dawood Leasing Company Limited, a joint venture among the
four brothers and other financial institutions in Pakistan. Prior
to the establishment of
Bangladesh, the Dawood family also owned and
managed Karnaphuli Paper Mills Limited and Karnaphuli Rayon and
Chemicals Limited, which used
bamboo as the raw material for all of their products.
Karnaphuli
Jute Mills Ltd was
established in
East Pakistan.
In the
1970s, when Pakistan was under the government of
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Dawood Petroleum
Limited and Central Life were taken over by the State and
nationalised.
Eventually, the Dawood industrial empire was
divided among the brothers, Seth Ahmad Dawood, Suleman Dawood,
Siddiq Dawood, and the late Ali Mohammad Dawood, and are each owned
and managed by one of the brothers or their descendants.
Dawoods
played a leading role in the public welfare. Dawood Foundation was
set up in 1961 with a capital of Rs25 million. Dawood Engineering
College was set up in sixties which was later nationalized. It is
still a leading institution of technical education
Mr Ahmad, son
of Dawood, was born in
Bantva, a small sleepy town in
Kathiawarhe passed away January
2, 2002 at the age of 97
See also
Memon Bantva