Azam Saigol (17 November 1951 – 24 January 2018) was a Pakistani businessperson and politician. He held executive positions at Kohinoor Industries, Saritow Spinning Mills, Pak Elektron, and Azam Textile Mills. He was on the

Pakistan International Airlines Pakistan International Airlines, commonly known as PIA, is the flag carrier of Pakistan. With its primary hub at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, the airline also operates from its secondary hubs at Allama Iqbal International Airport ...

board from 2013 to 2016, and was chairman in 2016.

Early life and education

Saigol was born on 17 November 1951 to Mian Yousuf Saigol, who founded

Saigol Group The Saigol Group ( ) is a group of companies headquartered in Lahore. It was founded by Ameen Saigol in the 1930s with a small shop that eventually developed into the Kohinoor Rubber Works. Ameen Saigol had four sons: Yousaf, Sayeed, Gull and Ba ...

. He was educated at the Aitchison College, Lahore and

Government College University, Lahore The Government College University (colloquially known as GCU; Punjabi, Urdu: ) is a public research university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded as Government College, Lahore, in 1864 under British administration, it became a university i ...

. For further education, he went to England and studied at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

and earned a bachelor's degree in economics.

Career

He held executive positions at Kohinoor Industries, Saritow Spinning Mills, Pak Elektron, and Azam Textile Mills. He was on the

(PIA) board from 2013 to 2016, before being chairman in 2016. He resigned in December 2016 citing personal reasons. Press noted that a week prior, a PIA plane had crashed with 47 fatalities, with ''The News'' stating that Saigol had been pressured to resign afterwards."Pakistan International Airlines chairman resigns days after plane crash"
Reuters, 12-12-2016 The airline went without a chairman until December 21, 2016, when Prime Minister

Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who served as the 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms, first serving from 1990 to 1993, then ...

announced that the chairmanship had gone to Irfan Elahi, Aviation Secretary."PIA's free fall"
Dawn, 11-26-2017

Personal life

He was married to Amber Haroon Saigol, a scion of

Haroon family Harun (, ), also transliterated as Haroon or Haroun or Hamroun, is a common male given name of Arabic origin, related to the Hebrew name of the Prophet Aaron. Both are most likely of Egyptian origin, from '' ꜥḥꜣ rw'', meaning "warrior lion". ...

, who heads ''

Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the diffuse sky radiation, appearance of indirect sunlight being Rayleigh scattering, scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc ha ...

''."The Haroon-Saigol Family"
Freedom Network His eldest brother was

Rafique Saigol Mian Muhammad Rafique Saigol (1 September 1933 – 10 December 2003) was a Pakistani businessman and politician who served as a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan in 1965. He also served as a chairman of the Pakistan International Airlines ...

(1933-2003). Azam's daughter, Nazafreen Saigol Lakhani, married into the Lakhani family. Saigol died on 24 January 2018. Mian Muhammad Mansha (Nishat Group, MCB) is married with the sister of Azam Sehgal.

References

1951 births 2018 deaths Pakistan International Airlines people Aitchison College alumni Saigol Group {{Pakistan-business-bio-stub