M. M. Ispahani
Encyclopedia
M. M. Ispahani Bengali
, Urdu
is a family which run M. M. Ispahani Limited
, a Bangladesh
i business conglomerate.
His grandson Haji Mirza Mehdy Ispahani
(1841–1913) moved the corporate headquarters to Madras. He also spent twelve years in Cairo
expanding his trade - leather, tea, turmeric; tamarind, peanuts and other produce of India
. He opened a branch office in Dhaka in the year 1888. His son Mirza Mohamed Ispahani (1871–1925) established the Calcutta office of MM Ispahani & Sons in the year 1900, when a branch office was also established in London
.
Mirza Ahmad Ispahani
(1898–1986) eldest son of Mirza Mohamed Ispahani joined the partnership in 1918 and established the private limited company, M.M. Ispahani Limited in 1934 in Calcutta along with his younger brothers Mirza Abol Hassan Ispahani and Haji Mirza Mahmood Ispahani. The final move was made in 1947 with the shifting of the corporate headquarters to Chittagong
in the newly created East Pakistan
where it stands today. The Company continued to operate as a foreign company in Calcutta until 1965 when its operations in India were taken over by the Indian Government.
It was under the visionary leadership of Mirza Ahmad Ispahani that the company rapidly expanded its business. By 1947, MM Ispahani Limited was the foremost exporter of shellac, kapok, hessian, jute bags, tea and chemicals. In 1948 Mirza Ahmad Ispahani left the family business for public service where he and his brother Mirza Abol Hassan Ispahani played a pivotal role in the formation and industrialisation of the new country of Pakistan (which included what is now Bangladesh).
His son Mirza Mehdy Ispahani (a.k.a. Sadri Ispahani) born in 1923, was made chairman of M.M. Ispahani Limited in 1949 and remained in that post until he died in 2004, when his son Mirza Ali Behrouze Ispahani was elected chairperson of M.M. Ispahani Limited and its sister concerns.
The company now has corporate offices in Chittagong, Dhaka
and Khulna
where it employs over 20,000 people in many sectors such as tea, textile, real estate, crisps, poultry, shipping and internet services.
Sir Mirza Ismail
Prime Minister
of the princely state of Mysore, Jaipur
and Hyderabad, India from 1926 - 1947 was his cousin.
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
is a family which run M. M. Ispahani Limited
M. M. Ispahani Limited
M. M. Ispahani Limited is a Bangladeshi industrial conglomerate. This group employs approximately 10,000 people. This company has got Bangladesh Business Awards 2003 in the category enterprise of the year. According to The Daily Star, Ispahani group is one of the most respected business concerns in...
, a Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
i business conglomerate.
History
Haji Mohammed Hashem (1789–1850) the founder of The House of Ispahni, moved from Ispahan (Esfahan) origins from ancient Ispadana in Persia to Bombay in 1820 and established what was to become one of the most largest business concerns of the Sub-Continent. The family subsequently expanded to include a broad range of businesses stretching from Bombay in the west, to Madras in the south and Burma in the east which until the 1930's was part of British India. Mirza Abu Talib Ispahani was one of the earliest visitors from the sub-continent to England in 1799, and the family have maintained a presence and properties in Richmond, London, UK. Many of their descendants were educated at English fee paying private Schools and top universities in UK. Some held legal, diplomatic, and political positions in the West as well as some in the sub-continent.His grandson Haji Mirza Mehdy Ispahani
Mirza Mehdy Ispahani
Mirza Mehdy Ispahani son of Mirza Ahmad Ispahani was Chairman of M.M. Ispahani from 1949 till 2004.In Bangladesh he served as one of the first directors of Biman Bangladesh Airlines....
(1841–1913) moved the corporate headquarters to Madras. He also spent twelve years in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
expanding his trade - leather, tea, turmeric; tamarind, peanuts and other produce of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He opened a branch office in Dhaka in the year 1888. His son Mirza Mohamed Ispahani (1871–1925) established the Calcutta office of MM Ispahani & Sons in the year 1900, when a branch office was also established in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Mirza Ahmad Ispahani
Mirza Ahmad Ispahani
Mirza Ahmad Ispahani or M A Ispahani was the first and longest serving chairman of Pakistan International Airlines from its inception until 1962. In the days when Pakistan was still in the offing Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, requested Mr. M.A...
(1898–1986) eldest son of Mirza Mohamed Ispahani joined the partnership in 1918 and established the private limited company, M.M. Ispahani Limited in 1934 in Calcutta along with his younger brothers Mirza Abol Hassan Ispahani and Haji Mirza Mahmood Ispahani. The final move was made in 1947 with the shifting of the corporate headquarters to Chittagong
Chittagong
Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading...
in the newly created East Pakistan
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...
where it stands today. The Company continued to operate as a foreign company in Calcutta until 1965 when its operations in India were taken over by the Indian Government.
It was under the visionary leadership of Mirza Ahmad Ispahani that the company rapidly expanded its business. By 1947, MM Ispahani Limited was the foremost exporter of shellac, kapok, hessian, jute bags, tea and chemicals. In 1948 Mirza Ahmad Ispahani left the family business for public service where he and his brother Mirza Abol Hassan Ispahani played a pivotal role in the formation and industrialisation of the new country of Pakistan (which included what is now Bangladesh).
His son Mirza Mehdy Ispahani (a.k.a. Sadri Ispahani) born in 1923, was made chairman of M.M. Ispahani Limited in 1949 and remained in that post until he died in 2004, when his son Mirza Ali Behrouze Ispahani was elected chairperson of M.M. Ispahani Limited and its sister concerns.
The company now has corporate offices in Chittagong, Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
and Khulna
Khulna
Khulna is the third largest city in Bangladesh. It is located on the banks of the Rupsha and Bhairab rivers in Khulna District. It is the divisional headquarters of Khulna Division and a major industrial and commercial center. It has a seaport named Mongla on its outskirts, 38 km from Khulna...
where it employs over 20,000 people in many sectors such as tea, textile, real estate, crisps, poultry, shipping and internet services.
Sir Mirza Ismail
Mirza Ismail
Amin-ul-Mulq Sir Mirza Muhammad Ismail, KCIE, Kt, OBE ; was a Diwan of the Kingdom of Mysore, Jaipur and Hyderabad....
Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
of the princely state of Mysore, Jaipur
Jaipur
Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....
and Hyderabad, India from 1926 - 1947 was his cousin.
Awards
- 2003 - Enterprise of the Year - Bangladesh Business Awards
- 2004 - AmCham Business Execitive of the Year (for managing director M. Salman Ispahani) - American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh