Mr. Sadruddin Hashwani hails from an illustrious family of Karachi. In 1960, he entered the business of cotton trading and through his hard work and genius he, within a decade, emerged as a prominent businessman on Pakistan’s industrial scene. Within a short span of 10 years, Mr. Hashwani was at the pinnacle of cotton business and was rightly known as the "Cotton King" being top exporter of cotton, besides rice and other commodities.

In 1972, Mr. Hashwani diverted his attention to other business ventures in diverse areas such as hotels, and real estate development. Again he made history when in less than a decade, he earned the reputation of a highly successful hotelier. He built Holiday Inn hotel in Islamabad in 1979 and then Holiday Inn in Karachi in 1981. These are owned and operated by Hashwani Hotels Limited. In 1992, these hotels were totally revamped and refurbished to qualify for the well-known international 5-Star hotel chain Marriott. It was first time ever in the history of Marriott Corporation to have given franchise for their brand name to hotels, which are not under their own management. This in itself speaks volumes for the trust and confidence international big names in the hotel industry repose in Mr. Hashwani.

Today Islamabad and Karachi Marriott hotels enjoy the reputation of world-class deluxe hotels. Since the year 1999, the Islamabad Marriott Hotel has been consecutively winning the coveted Marriott awards of distinction.

In 1985, Mr. Hashwani purchased the controlling shares of Pakistan Services Limited, which owned Inter Continental Hotels in Pakistan. These hotels were in bad shape and losing money. He changed their name, to “Pearl Continental Hotels.” By dint of persistent hard work against all odds combined with extraordinary sense of correct direction of the future, he transformed the Pearl Continentals into Pakistan’s largest and most elegant five-star hotel chain having presence in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Peshawar. Mr. Hashwani took another bold initiative by the construction of a new Pearl Continental hotel at Bhurban in the picturesque Murree Hills. The Pearl Continental Hotel, Lahore was expanded with the addition of a new wing called Atrium Wing and refurbished with most modern amenities. The Pearl Continental, Karachi is recognized as “One of the Leading Hotels of the World”.

Mr. Hashwani’s business acumen encouraged him to diversify into Petroleum Industry. In 1995, he acquired controlling stocks of the US based Corporation, Occidental of Pakistan Inc., (now known as Orient Petroleum Inc.), which is actively engaged in the exploration and production of Oil & Gas in the country. He is also active in information technology, pharmaceuticals, ceramics, mining, real estate and trading. His industrial conglomerate is known as Hashoo Group of Companies.

He is an outstanding host and recognized and reputed highly in Pakistan and abroad. Mr. Hashwani is well known philanthropist who has promoted the cause of the underprivileged and is founding Chairman of the Hashoo Foundation. The Hashwani family has also setup HOAP International for skill training, extending healthcare and finding jobs for the poor segment of the population. Another Charitable organization by the name of Umeed-e-Noor is being run by Mrs. Sadruddin Hashwani for the care and education of handicapped children.

In recognition of his contributions to Pakistan’s business and economic progress, the Institute of Business Administration, Karachi honoured Mr. Hashwani in 1988 with the “Outstanding Professional Contribution Award”. For his distinguished services to the Tourism Industry of Pakistan, he was awarded a Gold Medal at the Tourism Convention held in 1993.

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