KARAHCI: Niloufer Patel, Director Circu­lation and Coordination, Dawn, passed away on Tuesday morning. She was 59. She leaves behind her husband, Cyrus Minocher Patel, and son, Zeyrus Cyrus Patel.

Ms Patel was born on Dec 1, 1959 in Bombay (now Mumbai). In the 1960s, her family migrated to Pakistan. Ms Patel passed her matriculation exam from a school in Karachi, earned a gold medal at the intermediate level and went on to obtain her MBA degree from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA).

On July 24, 1983, Ms Patel joined Dawn as a research officer. Her diligence as a worker and the ability to perform with the utmost dedication the duties that she would be entrusted with soon enabled her to assume important positions in the organisation. She became General Manager, Circula­tion, on Dec 22, 1991, and Director, Circulation, on July 1, 2007. And on July 1, 2012, she was promoted to the post of Director Circu­lation and Coordination. It was an association of 36 years. Being someone who knew the importance of multitasking, she was also the focal person for the Dawn Spelling Bee, an extremely successful initiative of the Dawn Media Group.

Ms Patel was a strong supporter of freedom of expression. Not too long ago, when Dawn’s newspaper distribution system was harmed, she worked her heart out to ensure that copies of the daily reached its readers.

The news of Ms Patel’s death shocked her friends, colleagues and loved ones for a number of reasons. Apart from being a thorough professional, she had an endearing personality, someone with a heart of gold. She was always willing to lend help or give a piece of advice to her colleagues with a disarming smile.

Ms Patel’s funeral was held on Tuesday at her residence at 11am.

Meanwhile, the All Pak­is­­tan Newspapers Society has expressed sorrow over the demise of Ms Patel.

Hameed Haroon, President, and Sarmad Ali, Secretary General of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society, have expressed profound grief on behalf of APNS office-bearers and members of the Executive Committee over the sad demise of Niloufer Cyrus Patel, Director Circulation & Coordination, Dawn.

The APNS has offered condolences to the bereaved family and prayed the Almighty may rest the departed soul in eternal peace and give them courage and patience to bear the loss.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2019