Pakistani billionaire who died in Titan submarine implosion was not the WEF vice-chairman

By: Umme Kulsum
June 26 2023

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Context

A deep-sea submersible that was carrying five individuals to the Titanic wreckage in June suffered a catastrophic implosion that killed everyone on board. Following this incident, social media users widely shared a TikTok video claiming that the Titan submersible's implosion had something to do with a passenger's affiliation with the World Economic Forum (WEF). The organisation has been the target of various conspiracy theories over the years.

The viral TikTok video shows a screenshot of a page on the WEF's website that lists Shahzada Dawood as "Vice-Chairman, Engro Corporation, Dawood Hercules." The man in the video misleadingly claims that Dawood was the vice-chairman of WEF. 

Referring to the screenshot, he can be heard saying, "What is the coincidence that the father and the son that is trapped on this contraption right here, in this tin can, are part of an organisation that we Americans and Canadians all despise." He further goes on to say, "Well, well, well. He is part of the World Economic Forum. He's also the vice chairman of the World Economic Forum. What is the coincidence of him being stranded at sea to see the Titanic." The video posted on Facebook had more than 400 views while writing this story.

However, the forum's page does not corroborate any claims made in the viral post. The actual text on the WEF's webpage reads, "Vice-Chairman, Engro Corporation, Dawood Hercules."

In Fact

Logically Facts reached out to WEF spokesperson Yann Zopf who told us that Dawood was never the organization's vice chairman or employee. Zopf said, "Shahzada Dawood was Vice-Chairman of Engro Corporation, Dawood Hercules. He was neither vice chairman of the World Economic Forum nor an employee. As a member of the World Economic Forum's Family Business Community, he came to some of our events." Engro is a subsidiary of Dawood Hercules Corporation Ltd, a publicly listed investment company, and Shahzad Dawood headed both corporations as its chair.

The WEF's webpage says Dawood is the vice chairman of Engro Corp., a Pakistani holding company. It further says Dawood holds experience in mergers and acquisitions of publicly traded companies in various industries, including textiles, fertilisers, food, and energy. 

Furthermore, it can be noted that he is not mentioned among the WEF's leadership. 

According to a press release by Engro Corp, the company became an affiliated member from Pakistan to join the WEF's Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP) in 2021 as a part of sustainability efforts to promote the circular economy and contribute to achieving zero plastics waste.

Moreover, partners of WEF are welcome to attend WEF events for networking. It does not mean Dawood is an employee of WEF which is chaired by its Founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab.

Dawood and his son Suleman were among five others aboard the OceanGate Titan submarine that suffered an implosion on June 18, a Reuters report said. The investigation is still underway.

The Verdict

Dawood, who died along with his son in the Titan submersible disaster, was the Vice-Chairman of the Pakistani companies Engro Corporation and Dawood Hercules. He was not an employee of the WEF. Therefore, we mark this claim as false.