Antigua pays tribute to Sir Aziz Hadeed

Sir Aziz Hadeed, one of Antigua and Barbuda's most accomplished businessmen and philanthropists, died suddenly on Saturday, May 24, after collapsing while visiting Chicago, where his wife, Dr. Mahasen Hadeed, previously practised medicine. He had been expected to return to Antigua that weekend.

Born to the late Fares and Ramza Hadeed, Sir Aziz arrived in Antigua in the early 1960s, attended St. Joseph's Academy, and joined the family business — F.E. Hadeed and Sons — after completing his secondary education in 1965. 

He pursued accounting and business training through correspondence courses while working, and by 1980 had become chairman of what would grow into the Hadeed Group of Companies, widely regarded as one of the Eastern Caribbean's largest private-sector conglomerates.

His business reach extended into regional aviation and energy: he served as chairman of LIAT (1974) Limited from 1995 to 1998 and was instrumental in establishing the Antigua Power Company in 1996, which now supplies the majority of the island's electricity generation. 

In public life, he served two terms as an Independent Senator from 1994 and later held a Cabinet position from 2004 to 2006. In 1995, Ernst & Young named him Master Entrepreneur of the Year for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.

In 2016, Queen Elizabeth II appointed him CBE. Last October, Prince William knighted him at Windsor Castle, conferring the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George. The government has since announced he will receive an official state funeral.

• Died Saturday, May 24, after collapsing in Chicago • Arrived in Antigua in the early 1960s; joined family business in 1965 • Became chairman of the Hadeed Group in 1980 • Chairman of LIAT (1974) Limited from 1995 to 1998 • Established Antigua Power Company in 1996 • Served as Independent Senator from 1994 (two terms) and Cabinet member 2004–2006 • Named Ernst & Young Master Entrepreneur of the Year for Barbados and Eastern Caribbean in 1995 • Appointed CBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 2016 • Knighted by Prince William at Windsor Castle in October 2025 • To be accorded an official state funeral

Sir Aziz Hadeed's death removes one of the Eastern Caribbean's most active bridges between private enterprise and public good. 

His leadership of the UWI Five Islands Campus alone reshaped tertiary education access in Antigua and Barbuda: according to local reporting, enrollment grew from roughly 178 to more than 1,100 students under his watch, and he was instrumental in efforts to secure roughly US$80 million for expansion plans with a long-term goal of accommodating up to 5,000 students. 

One detailed report notes he personally donated more than EC$1.2 million toward the campus startup and funded annual scholarships. His energy-sector legacy — particularly Antigua Power Company — continues to underpin the island's electricity supply.

"According to local reporting, enrollment at UWI Five Islands Campus grew from about 178 students to more than 1,100 within five years of Sir Aziz's chairmanship, with efforts reportedly underway to secure roughly US$80 million for expansion toward a 5,000-student facility."

— Antigua News Room, citing university and local reporting

Sir Aziz Hadeed's story is quintessentially Caribbean — an immigrant family arriving in Antigua in the early 1960s, building from the ground up, and ultimately reshaping the island's economic and social landscape across six decades.

Starting out at F.E. Hadeed and Sons after completing secondary school in 1965, Sir Aziz taught himself accounting through correspondence courses while working, eventually ascending to chairman of what became the Hadeed Group of Companies — widely considered one of the Eastern Caribbean's largest private-sector conglomerates — by 1980.

His fingerprints are across Antigua's modern infrastructure: the Antigua Power Company, which he helped establish in 1996, now supplies the majority of the island's electricity. His chairmanship of LIAT (1974) Limited from 1995 to 1998 placed him at the centre of regional aviation during a critical period. More recently, as inaugural chairman of the UWI Five Islands Campus council from 2019, he helped grow enrolment from roughly 178 to more than 1,100 students — personally donating over EC$1.2 million toward its startup and funding annual scholarships. He was knighted by Prince William at Windsor Castle just months before his death.

Government and political leadership: PM Browne publicly mourned Sir Aziz during his Browne and Browne radio programme, referring to him affectionately as 'Comrade Aziz' and extending condolences on behalf of the Antigua Barbuda Labour Party to the Hadeed family. His government's decision to accord Sir Aziz an official funeral signals the state's recognition of his national contributions.

Business and regional community: Regional media and business observers consistently frame Sir Aziz as a rare figure who combined commercial success with genuine civic generosity — from pandemic food relief and utility vouchers for vulnerable citizens to land donations for a youth symphony orchestra — setting a benchmark for private-sector responsibility in the Caribbean.

Education sector: His role as inaugural chairman of UWI Five Islands Campus is regarded as foundational. According to local reporting, he not only steered institutional growth but personally financed student scholarships and helped guide curriculum expansion into Artificial Intelligence, Climate Change and the Blue Economy — areas critical to small island futures.

"So I want to take the opportunity once again to extend my sincerest condolences and certainly condolences on behalf of the leadership and membership of the Antigua Barbuda Labour Party to the Hadeed family."

— Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, via Antigua News Room