Deen Mohammad (3 August 1938 – 15 September 2022) was a Bangladeshi industrialist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist.[1][2] He was the founder of City Bank and chairman of the Phoenix Group of Industries.[3]
Mohammad began his entrepreneurial journey in 1960 with a hardware business, starting with Pakistani Rupee 20,000 given to him by his father Haji Nur Mohammad.[5][6] He founded the Phoenix Group of Industries, which comprises companies including Phoenix Textile Mills Limited, Phoenix Spinning Mills Limited, Phoenix Fabrics Limited, and Eastern Dyeing and Calendaring Works Limited.[5] Under him, the group grew to employ nearly 20,000 people.[5]
Mohammad also served as the founder chairman and director of The City Bank Limited, Phoenix Finance and Investments Limited, and Phoenix Securities Limited.[5] He was the chairman of Phoenix Insurance Company Limited from 2000 to 2006.[5] Additionally, he was the proprietor of Apollo Steel and a partner in Rupayan Group, a real estate company.[5] He also founded Phoenix Garments Limited, Apollo Ishpat Complex Limited, and Rangdhanu Spinning Mills Limited.[2] He founded Apollo Ishpat in 1994 as a pioneering manufacturer of corrugated iron sheets.[7] It established a galvanizing line in 1997.[7] The company was on the verge of collapse in 2020 due to embezzlement by a director.[7]
Lalbagh Mosque where his funeral prayers were held
In 2004, Mohammad's Phoenix building collapsed, killing 22 and injuring more.[8][9] Police filed a case against seven, including Mohammad.[8] High Court Division bench of Justices Surendra Kumar Sinha and Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury rejected his bail petition and asked him to surrender Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court for his bail hearing.[8]
Mohammad died on 15 September 2022 at Anwer Khan Modern Hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh.[5] His death followed a prior COVID-19 infection, which had severely damaged his lungs.[5] He was one of three top businessmen who died during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh along with M. A. Hashem and Anwar Hossain.[10] His funeral prayers were held at Lalbagh Shahi Mosque and later in Shyamoli. He was laid to rest at the Lalbagh mosque premises.[5]
