Iqbal Ahmed
| Iqbal Ahmed OBE | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Iqbal Ahmed August 1956 (age 57) Sylhet, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) |
| Residence | Wilmslow, Cheshire, England |
| Nationality |
British Bangladeshi |
| Ethnicity | Bengali |
| Alma mater | City College Westminister |
| Occupation | Chairman & Chief Executive of Seamark Group[1] |
| Home town | Manchester, England |
| Net worth |
 $ 1.2 billion [2] |
| Religion | Islam |
| Website | |
| www.seamark.co.uk | |
Iqbal Ahmed, OBE (Bengali: ইকবাল আহমেদ; born 4 August 1956), is a Bangladesh-born British entrepreneur. Based in Manchester, he made his fortune importing shrimp. The success of his two companies, Seamark and Ibco, have turned him into one of the United Kingdom’s richest men. He is also the highest British Bangladeshi to feature on the Sunday Times Rich List.
Early life
Ahmed was born in Sylhet, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).[3] In 1971, at the age of 15, he moved to the United Kingdom. He attended the City College in Westminster, and a few years later he joined his family’s business located in Oldham, which his brothers Kamal and Bilal joined later after the business expanded.
Seamark Group
The Seamark Group was created alongside with Ahmed’s brothers. The company Ibco is a supplier to the catering trade and Seamark is the frozen-food processor. He also owns a hotel development, a Thai restaurant and bar called the Vermilion and Cinnabar (opened 14 November 2007), on Hulme Hall Lane which is worth £5 million, close to the City of Manchester Stadium.[4]
In 2004, Seamark and Ahmed’s brothers made a combined profit of £5.1 million on £108 million.[5] The Ahmed family featured in the Sunday Times Rich List 2006, coming at number 511 with a total worth of £110 million.[6] In 2007 however the rank fell to 574, and in 2008 to 644 at £120 million.[2]
Ahmed and his family’s Manchester-based business has a £200 million revenues across the city, with also a workforce of 2,000 in Bangladesh, which is where he was born.[7] The products are exported across Europe and America,[5] in popular brand names such as Mr Prawn, Lily, Classic and Tiger. In 2001, a new sales office was created in the United States to distribute products in North America, located in New Jersey and in Brooklyn, New York City.[8] He is popularly known by the British community, 'Mr Shrimp' or 'King Prawn'.[9]
Recognition
In 2001, Ahmed was awarded an OBE, for services to international trade.[10]
Personal life
Ahmed now resides in Wilmslow, Cheshire. His brothers Bilal Ahmed and Kamal Ahmed live nearby, on a private estate in the wealthy Cheshire town. He is married with three children, his son Manzur joined Ahmed’s business in the restaurant sector.[11]
His hobbies include travelling, playing golf, tennis and swimming.[8]
See also
References
- ↑ "Iqbal Ahmed". Bangladesh-British Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "2008 Rich List Search". Rich List 2006 (The Sunday Times). Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ↑ Foster, Peter (2 December 2006). "Britain's Bengalis stage great curry takeaway". The Telegraph. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ↑ Barry, Chris (22 October 2007). "Iqbal's £25m blueprint". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "32. Iqbal, Kamal and Bilal Ahmed: £100m (£95m)". Manchester Evening News. 31 May 2005. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ↑ "The Ahmed Family". Rich List 2006 (The Times). Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ↑ "Top 20 richest Asians". The Telegraph. 19 April 2006. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Mr Iqbal Ahmed OBE". British Bangladeshi Who's Who 2008. British Bangla Media Group. October 2008. p. 155. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ↑ Zaman, Tamara (16 October 2008). "British Bangladeshis who have made a mark". New Age Xtra. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ↑ "Iqbal wants corporate culture in Bangladeshi business community". The Asians. 6 December 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
- ↑ "Seamark to build major Thai Restaurant as anchor for Manchester development". Free Online Library. 1 January 2005. Retrieved 4 April 2009.