Luxury Locations issue 26

MY ANTIGUA

Sir Aziz Hadeed: ‘Honesty is the key to success’ The newly knighted businessman talks exclusively to Luxury Locations Magazine about his journey to the helm of the Hadeed Group

A ziz Hadeed has worn many hats over the decades. Director of the country’s largest conglomerate, patriarch of one of Antigua’s most illustrious dynasties, independent senator, cabinet minister and philanthropist are just a few. In October, he added arguably his most prestigious to date when he received a knighthood from the British crown. Here, the Syrian-born chairman of the Hadeed Group – which includes a leading car dealership and Antigua’s primary electricity producer, among others – talks rubbing shoulders with royalty, the secrets to his success, and why you’ll never hear him discuss religion. How did you come to be in Antigua? I moved to Antigua from Syria in 1963 when I was a teenager. My father went to Trinidad first in 1952; his brother was already there. They tried several other islands in the Caribbean but they saw life was happy in Antigua. Five days after I got here, I started school at St Joseph’s Academy. I got on well with the other students and I am still friends with many of them now. It was a very easy move for me, even though we were the first Syrian family to come to Antigua. Tell us about your route into business. After school, I joined my family’s business. They had a garments, furniture and appliances store in High Street; it was called FE Hadeed & Sons. Later, they opened two more and I ran one of them. In the 1970s, we moved into car dealership. It was when we supplied 270 pickups to the US base that the dealership took off. By 1982, Hadeed Motors was the number one car seller in Antigua. In 1984, we opened Finance & Development Company Ltd to provide financing for used vehicles, which the local banks would not do at the time. We founded Antigua Power Company in 1994. APUA put out an international bid for an electricity supplier which we won and decided to concentrate our efforts on. We supply 100 percent of APUA’s electricity. Every three hours I receive a report on how much electricity we have available and how much is being consumed. We keep rates among the lowest in the Caribbean through rigid training and rigid policy. Today, Hadeed is Antigua’s largest conglomerate.

Congrats on the knighthood. What was the ceremony like? I got a CBE from the Queen in 2016 so I already knew how to present myself on the day. Prince William knighted me because the King was not well. When I came in front of him, he looked at me and said, I know you!

Aziz Hadeed was knighted for services to the economy and social development

I told him that when he was a boy and flew to Antigua with his brother on British Airways, I transferred them to the K Club in Barbuda. I have actually met him three times; the government twice hosted a dinner in his honour and I was a guest. I have also met Prince Edward, Charles, Harry who has been here several times, and Princess Ann who spent her honeymoon

here; I was involved in her transportation too. What’s your top tip for a successful business?

To be successful you have to be honest. If you are wrong, say you are wrong. If the customer is wrong, I still say the customer is right; I do my best to satisfy the customer. I take chances in business; you might fail but you have to know how to come back. Success depends on your assessment of

the market and your interaction with the people. Finally, tell us more about who Aziz Hadeed is.

I rate myself equal to everybody and I do not believe in looking for respect because of one’s position or pocket. Family values and straightforwardness are the most important qualities. I have been Chairman of the UWI Five Islands Campus Board since 2019 and I personally give out up to 20 scholarships each year. I don’t want to know who the recipients are; getting credit for a contribution is not a contribution anymore. I do not speak about a subject that does not belong to me; I give advice but I don’t gossip. I have a policy of not discussing politics, religion or race. It is not my business what religion a person is or if they have none at all. I have no children myself but I have a huge, very bonded family. We know how to pass the mantle; this is our way of respecting each other. n

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