Dawood Group
Native name | داؤد گروپ |
|---|---|
| Company type | Private |
| Industry | Conglomerate |
| Founded | 1948[1] |
| Founder | Ahmed Dawood |
| Headquarters | Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan |
Area served | Pakistan |
Key people | Hussain Dawood |
| Products | Diversified businesses |
| Owner | Dawood family |
| Subsidiaries | Dawood Hercules |
The Dawood Group (Urdu: داؤد گروپ), also referred to as the Dawood Group of Companies, is a term used in Pakistan to describe a collection of diversified businesses owned by the Dawood family. The family's business activities were initiated by Ahmed Dawood (1905-2002).[2][3]
The Dawood Group is not a legally registered corporate entity; rather, it is a descriptive designation for the family's various business interests. Dawood Corporation (Pvt.) Limited, founded in 1948, serves as a family-owned company within this structure.[1][4]
The Dawood family established and expanded its industrial and commercial activities during the early decades following the independence of Pakistan, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s. The group's operations are headquartered in Karachi and encompass a range of sectors across industry and commerce. Ownership remains with the Dawood family.[1]
History
Ahmed Dawood was considered as one of the country's senior industrialists.[5] By 1933, his firm had become the largest supplier of imported yarn to the textile mills in India.[6] Following the Partition of British India in 1947, he migrated to Pakistan with his brothers Suleman Dawood, Siddique Dawood, Sattar Dawood, and Ali Mohammad Dawood.
In 1948, the family established Dawood Corporation (Pvt.) Limited in Karachi as a trade enterprise. In the same year, Dawood (England) Limited started business operations in Manchester.[7] The group began with a small office and a retail outlet in Saddar and expanded its business significantly over the decades.[8]
By 1970, the combined undertakings of the Dawood family was one of the largest business groups in the country. The following year marked a substantial change: After the creation of Bangladesh in 1971, approximately 60% of the businesses led by Ahmed Dawood, including all investments in former East Pakistan, were lost as a result of the nationalisation policies there.[9] The remaining enterprises in Pakistan were affected by nationalisation measures implemented in the early to mid-1970s.[10]
Former subsidiaries
West Pakistan (later Pakistan)
- Burewala Textile Mills, established by the Punjab Government in 1952, was acquired in May 1957 from Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) and later merged into Dawood Lawrencepur Limited in 2004[11]
- Central Insurance Company, founded on 15 August 1960, was later known as Cyan Limited[12][13][14]
- Dawood Mines, it was established with a paid-up capital of Rs. 0.5 million and was involved in coal mining[15][16]
- Dawood Cotton Mills Limited, foundation in 1951 in Landhi, Karachi, merged into Dawood Lawrencepur Limited in 2004[11][14]
- Dilon Limited, merged into Dawood Lawrencepur Limited[11][14]
- Lawrencepur Woolen & Textile Mills Limited, merged into Dawood Lawrencepur Limited[11][14]
- Memon Cooperative Bank, it was founded in 1958 by Dawood family as an intra-caste credit bank for Memon community.[17][15] The bank had a paid-up capital of Rs. 1 million and was nationalised in 1974.[16][13]
- Dawood Petroleum, nationalised in 1973, now part of Pakistan State Oil[13]
East Pakistan (later Bangladesh)
- Karnaphuli Paper Mills at Chandraghona, East Pakistan - management took over from PIDC in October 1959[18]
- Karnaphuli Rayon & Chemical[19]
- Dawood Jute Mills[20]
- Dawood Shipping[20]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Dawood - Family Business Histories". familybusinesshistories.org. Dubai: Tharawat Family Business Forum and New York University Abu Dhabi. 22 January 2024. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ^ Bordonaro, Agatha (6 January 2017). "Five Tips for Leading a Successful Family Business". Columbia Business School (Columbia University). Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ Shoukat, Ayesha (2020). "From Rags to Riches: Corporate Elite of Pakistan from 1947-1970". Asian Journal of Social Sciences and Management Studies. 7 (1): 12. doi:10.20448/journal.500.2020.71.8.16. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ "Case 1335/Merger CCP/22" (Legal Document). Islamabad: The Competition Commission of Pakistan. 28 November 2022. p. 3. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ^ Cragg, Claudia (1996). The new maharajahs : the commercial princes of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. London: Century. p. 68. ISBN 0712677615.
- ^ TDF (20 April 1961). "Brochure in Commemoration of the Inauguration of the Dawood Foundation" (PDF). The Dawood Foundation. 1 (1): 6. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ^ TDF (20 April 1961). "Brochure in Commemoration of the Inauguration of the Dawood Foundation" (PDF). The Dawood Foundation. 1 (1): 31. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
- ^ TDF (20 April 1961). "Brochure in Commemoration of the Inauguration of the Dawood Foundation" (PDF). The Dawood Foundation. 1 (1): 33. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ^ Yusuf, Muhammad Fazlul Hassan (1980). "Nationalisation of Industries in Bangladesh. Political and Administrative Perspectives" (PDF). University of Tasmania. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ "Company 1974". dhpartners.com.pk. DH Partners Ltd. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ^ a b c d Report, BR Web Desk | Recorder (13 May 2020). "Dawood Lawrencepur Limited". Brecorder.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ TDF (20 April 1961). "Brochure in Commemoration of the Inauguration of the Dawood Foundation" (PDF). The Dawood Foundation. 1 (1): 29. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ^ a b c "Managing state-owned enterprises | Political Economy". The News International.
- ^ a b c d Hussain, Dilawar (12 June 2003). "Dawood Hercules gets 61m shares of SNGPL". dawn.com. Dawn. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ^ a b Levin, Sergey (2 June 1974). "The Upper Bourgeoisie from the Muslim Commercial Community of Memons in Pakistan, 1947 to 1971". Asian Survey. 14 (3): 231–243. doi:10.2307/2643012. JSTOR 2643012.
- ^ a b "Dawood Hercules Chemicals Limited Urea Project – World Bank" (PDF).
- ^ Ahmad, Mumtaz (December 1987). "Agricultural research in Pakistans private sector" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- ^ TDF (20 April 1961). "Brochure in Commemoration of the Inauguration of the Dawood Foundation" (PDF). The Dawood Foundation. 1 (1): 24. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ^ "Behind the Headlines: Dawoods: Empire and the Terror". Pakistan Forum. 3 (3): 13–16. 1972. doi:10.2307/2568939. JSTOR 2568939.
- ^ a b Ur-Rehman, Shahid. "Pakistan' Economic Saga". richpaki.tripod.com. Retrieved 25 February 2026.