Facebook (Christine Dawood)/Dawood Family Foundation Shahzada Dawood and his wife Christine Dawood.
Shahzada and Suleman Dawood, a father and son who hail from a prominent Pakistani business family, are two of the five passengers who died on the Titanic submersive, according to The British Asian Trust.
“The British Asian Trust is devastated by the terrible news that Shahzada Dawood, one of our supporters, is on board the missing submarine that set off to see the wreck of the Titanic. He is with his son Suleman,” British Asian Trust tweeted.
Shahzada Dawood is married to wife, Christine Dawood. They also have a daughter named Alina, according to BBC.
Azmeh Dawood, Shahzada Dawood’s sister, told NBC News that her nephew, Suleman, told a relative that he “wasn’t very up for it” and was “terrified” about the trip, which he went on anyway as a Father’s Day gift for his dad, who was interested in the Titanic.
“I am thinking of Suleman, who is 19, in there, just perhaps gasping for breath … It’s been crippling, to be honest,” Azmeh Dawood told NBC.
“A debris field was discovered within the search area by an ROV near the Titanic. Experts within the unified command are evaluating the information,” the U.S. Coast Guard tweeted on June 22, 2023. BBC reported, according to a friend of passengers, that it was a landing frame and rear cover of the Titan submersible.
The Coast Guard and OceanGate say the five men died when the submersible faced catastrophic failure. “We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost,” the company said in a statement to CNN.
Rear Admiral John Mauger said in a news conference on June 22, 2023, that a remote-operated vehicle discovered the tail cone of the Titan lying 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic on the sea floor. “The degree is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber,” Mauger said.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Shahzada Dawood Is From a Wealthy Pakistani Family That Runs Dawood Hercules Corporation
According to CNN, the Dawoods “are a prominent Pakistani business family. Dawood Hercules Corporation, their business, is among the largest corporations in the country.”
Shahzada Dawood leads a division in the family company, CNN reported. According to Al-Jazeera, the Dawoods are citizens of the United Kingdom.
According to BBC, Shahzada Dawood, 48, “is from one of Pakistan’s richest families.”
2. The Dawood Family Spent a Month in Canada Before the Sub Excursion, Reports Say
BBC reported that Shahzada Dawood, his wife, and their daughter Alina live in Surbiton, in Southwest London, but they spent a month in Canada before the submersible trip.
“We are very grateful for the concern being shown by our colleagues and friends and would like to request everyone to pray for their safety,” the Dawood family said in a statement, according to CBS News.
“The family is well looked-after and are praying to Allah for the safe return of their family members,” the family’s statement continued, according to Al-Jazeera.
3. Suleman Dawood Was Described as a Science Fiction Fan Who Enjoyed Rubik’s Cubes
A family statement to BBC described Suleman Dawood as a “big fan of science fiction literature and learning new things.”
The teen is interested in Rubik’s cubes and volleyball, BBC reported. Suleman Dawood, 19, is a student, according to BBC.
“Shahzada is a loving father to Suleman and Alina, husband to Christine, brother to three siblings, and son to Hussain & Kulsum Dawood. His 19-year-old son, Suleman Dawood, is currently a university student,” the family’s statement read, according to BBC.
4. Christine Dawood, Who Is of German Heritage, Started an Organic Agriculture Business
Dawood Family FoundationChristine Dawood
According to the Dawood Foundation, Christine Dawood “grew up in a family business environment and started her own successful organic agriculture business on a commercial scale in Punjab.”
The site describes her as “the Executive Coach and CEO of Next Step Now Ltd; she believes everybody can reach their full potential. She draws from a range of models and approaches but in particular cognitive behavioural, person-centred, solution-focused, and strengths-based methodologies.”
The site says she is of German heritage but lived in Asia for more than a decade, attributing this combination to Christine Dawood developing “a wide understanding of the many nuances in individual’s behaviours and found an appreciation and fascination for those differences. This skill is especially helpful when analysing organisational cultures, in particular when there is a need of change.”
According to the site, Christine Dawood “holds an BSc (Dipl. Ing.) in Textile Technology and Management, an Executive Masters degree in ‘Consulting & Coaching for Change’ from the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School and HEC Paris, and a MSc. in Occupational & Business Psychology, from Kingston University, London.”
A woman wrote in a recommendation on Christine Dawood’s LinkedIn page, “Working with Christine is always a joy. She brings with her endless, positive energy and uses her drive for action to achieve excellent results. A selfless, humble and compassionate person, she puts the wellbeing of others at the heart of what she does.”
5. Shahzada Dawood Was Called a ‘Leading Voice’ Who ‘Aspires to a Sustainable Future’
A World Economic Forum biography for Shahzada Dawood says he “joined the Board of Engro Corporation in 2003 and currently serves as the Vice-Chairman. He has over two decades of experience in corporate governance and the transformation of industries, including growth and innovation opportunities through mergers and acquisitions of diversified public-listed companies across textiles, fertilizers, foods, and energy.”
That bio continues:
Shahzada is a leading voice in the institutionalization of key international networks and contacts. He aspires to a sustainable future and believes in inclusive business models involving low-income communities building value chains along business interests. In line with this, Shahzada serves as Trustee on the Boards of both Engro Foundation and The Dawood Foundation. In addition, he is a member of the Global Advisory Board for Prince Charles’ Charity, Prince’s Trust International. In December 2020, he also joined the Board of Trustees of the SETI Institute. Shahzada serves as Director across Boards of various industries, including investment holdings like Dawood Corporation (Pvt) Ltd, Dawood Hercules Corporation Ltd, and Patek (Pvt) Ltd. Shahzada holds an M.Sc. in Global Textile Marketing from Philadelphia University, USA, and a LLB from Buckingham University, UK.
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