| Muhammad Jalaluddin Sayeed | |
| Birth Date: | 1920 12, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Hyderabad, Deccan, British India |
| Death Place: | Karachi, Pakistan |
| Nationality: | Pakistani |
| Known For: | Maritime industry |
Muhammad Jalaluddin Sayeed (1 December 1920 - 17 September 2005) was a Pakistani maritime sailor and industry veteran who was the founding director of Neptune Orient Lines (NOL), a Singapore-based shipping company. He had vast experience as a maritime sailor.
Sayeed was born in December 1920 in Hyderabad Deccan. His father Dr Lateef Sayeed was the secretary of the Indian National Congress of Hyderabad state, a journalist, and friend to Rabindranath Tagore, to the Nizam of Hyderabad, to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and to Jawaharlal Nehru.[1] Syed Mohammad Ahsan, the Chief of Naval Staff of the Pakistan Navy from 1966 to 1969, was his first cousin.[1]
In 1939, Sayeed signed on Jalapadma, a converted cargo vessel, owned by the Scindia Steam Navigation Company. In 1947, Sayeed qualified as a Master in London. He returned to Bombay to help organize the Maritime Union of India. In 1952, went back to London to study for his Extra Master Mariner's certificate. In 1953, after getting his certificate, he returned to the sea until 1956 when he came ashore to stay. He later joined Karachi's National Shipping Corporation as a marine superintendent in 1960, and worked his way up to become the commercial manager.
In 1968, the Singapore government requested the government of Pakistan for an expert to advise them on the formation of a shipping company. Sayeed was chosen for this task by the Pakistan, which the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation agreed to as well. In Singapore, Sayeed formed Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) in 1969 and worked there until 1973. At the time of his departure, the then Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, wrote him the following farewell letter.
During his career at NOL, Goh Chok Tong worked as a financial controller under him in NOL. After his death, Goh sent the following message to his wife Zareena
In 2006, NOL established Scholarship is in memory of the late Muhammad Jalaluddin Sayeed for Master of Science in Maritime Studies jointly offered at Nanyang Technological University and Norwegian School of Management.[2]
In NOL's own word, "It (the scholarship) recognises Sayeed's pioneering spirit and his contributions to NOL and the maritime industry in Singapore."[3]
Jalaluddin married Zareena Sayeed, and have 4 daughters, Mahjabeen, Nazneen, Lubna and Fatima. He is also first cousin of Syed Mohammad Ahsan.