Ahmad Dawood
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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
