Thumbay Group UAE, Founder President, Ajman, UAE, Healthcare, Medical Education and Research
The Thumbay Group has established a significant presence in Healthcare, Medical Education and Research in the GCC, apart from successfully foraying into many other ventures.
At its helm is the visionary leader Thumbay Moideen who simply strives for excellence and has earned tremendous goodwill and respect for his hard work. Apart from targeting a value of over USD 2 Billion in the next 5 to 7 years, the group also plans to create employment for 5000 to 7000 people in the next 5 to 6 years.
A chance meeting in the year 1997 with H. H. Sheikh Humaid Bin Rashid Al- Nuaimi, Member of the UAE Supreme Council and Ruler of Ajman, led Moideen to launch the UAE’s first teaching and research facility, first Private Medical College – Gulf medical College Ajman in 1998.
The institution became a University in the year 2008 following a Decree by His Highness Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, United Arab Emirates.
GMU has won numerous recognitions and accolades, including being rated as one of Asia’s 100 Best & Fastest Growing Private Education Institutions, and presented with an award during the Asian Education Excellence Summit 2014 in India recently.
The Thumbay Group has evolved into a conglomerate of multifarious business activities with operations spread across the globe.
Arduous Journey from Mangalore to Ajman
The 56-year-old third generation entrepreneur hails from an esteemed business family from Thumbay, Karnataka which has diverse interests in timber trading, real estate and construction.
He was exposed to the rudiments of business and was naturally drawn towards the challenging and fascinating world of business from a young age. He acknowledges that his business acumen is inherited from his father and grandfather.
Drawn by the UAE’s exponential growth and its investor-friendly policies, Moideen brought the family business to the Gulf with the launch of Thumbay Group, UAE in 1997.
He started off by seeking a confident positioning in the real estate sector. He set himself up in Ajman as he felt the Emirate had a large scope for growth.
While establishing his first venture he had to painstakingly learn the rules, regulations and the cultural values of the country, which eventually helped him in the expansion of his businesses over the years.
Heeding to Advice
Thumbay Moideen acknowledges “Our rapport with the Rulers and the government authorities of UAE has helped us a great deal in increasing the scope of business.
His Highness Shaikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the U.A.E. and Ruler of Dubai merits a special mention here who has been my role model right from the inception of Thumbay Group in U.A.E ”.
He goes on to say, “In fact it was during one of my meetings with H. H. Sheikh Humaid Bin Rashid Al-Nuaimi, Member of the UAE Supreme Council and Ruler of Ajman that he suggested I branch out from the timber and construction industry to set up a medical education institute in the region.
Thus, I took upon the challenge and under the Thumbay Group established the UAE’s first private medical college, the Gulf Medical College in Ajman”.
The rest is history as the college grew into a university followed by a chain of hospitals and from there on to a multi-faceted conglomerate of businesses.
The String of Pearls
Today the Thumbay Group is a large business house with diversified interests and a number of companies all held together like a string of pearls. Some of the major initiatives of the group are: Medical Education and Research (Gulf Medical University) / Healthcare (GMC Hospitals in Ajman, Sharjah, Fujairah) / Chain of pharmacies known as GMC Pharmacy in Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman and Fujairah / Chain of GMC Diagnostic laboratories in Dubai, Ajman and Fujairah / Zo & Mo Opticals – Chain of Optical Centres in Ajman and Fujairah / Blends & Brews – Chain of International Coffee Shoppe in Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman / Body & Soul Health Club & Spas – A chain of Health Clubs & Spas in Dubai, Ajman and Sharjah / The Terrace Restaurant-Ajman / Information Technology / Thumbay Marketing & Trading Distribution Co – Ajman /Procurement/ Timber / Shipping / Imports & Exports / Construction (Thumbay Builders) and Real Estate , Health Communications, Publishing and Aafia Insurance.
Of Challenges and People Management
One of the challenges that Moideen faced was in finding quality staff because of the stringent licensing processes in the U.A.E. Retention and development of qualified healthcare professionals required tremendous effort.
As dedicated personnel are vital for any company’s success, Moideen set an example by working hard and hands-on with his team.
As a true leader he infused dedication, discipline and hard work at all levels by becoming one with the workforce and making it clear that all were equal in terms of their importance to the organisation, though their roles may vary. Says Moideen “ I am fortunate to have an excellent team who through their dedication and hard work helped me through the years in realizing many of my dreams.
We enjoy a mutual respect, which has been one of the main reasons for our success. We strive to be an international role-player and a driving force for regional development in the field of higher education, research and healthcare.
This gives a tremendous sense of purpose to the team and makes all of us realise that we serve a higher calling when we go about our daily work.”
Going Forward as a Team
The Thumbay Group, which plans to increase its staff from the current 2,200 to 3,500 by end of 2014, owes its tremendous success to support from the country’s leaders and their visionary policies, which, by encouraging Public Private Partnerships and branding private players in healthcare, have ushered in competition and raised standards of the healthcare industry in the country.
Under Moideen’s leadership and organizational ethics of dedication, discipline, mutual respect and hard work, the Thumbay Group has emerged over the past 15 years as an international role-player and a driving force for regional development in higher education, research, and healthcare.
The well-known Body & Soul Spa and Health Club chain, the Blends & Brews Coffee Shops and the ZO & MO Optical outlets too belong to the Group.
In keeping with the Group’s vision to become a global player in medical education and healthcare, Moideen plans to grow the Thumbay Group into a $2 billion entity with 7,000 employees on its payrolls over the next seven years by expanding across India and other countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
A state-of-the-art Medical Research Facility named the Center for Advanced Biomedical Research & Innovation (CABRI) has been set-up at GMU, to pursue excellence in biomedical research that shall have an impact on the education and the outcome of clinical care.
The university has also established a Center for Advanced Simulation in Healthcare (C.A.S.H), a multidisciplinary educational facility to integrate simulation as an educational tool to provide a state-of-the-art, safe learning environment that promotes professional development of students, faculty, health care providers and members of the community through high quality and internationally recognized education and training programs.
Gulf Medical University is in the final stages of opening campuses in Malaysia and South Africa while negotiations are on to establishing branches in Nigeria, Egypt and India.
Regionally, the Group aims to increase its presence in Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah and Abu Dhabi with 15 more hospitals, including a 300-bed Multi-Specialty Teaching Hospital in Ajman and a 100-bed Multi-Specialty Hospital in Dubai.
Centres of Excellence are to be established at GMC Hospital, Ajman for specialist care in Cardiology, Endocrinology, In Vitro-Fertilization, Nephrology, Urology, Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery, and Ophthalmology.
A Lasik Center is also on the anvil. Academic programs and treatment facilities are proposed in complementary and alternative medicine systems such as Ayurveda, Homoeopathy and Unani.
Retail healthcare expansion plans include opening of 50 GMC Pharmacy outlets, 25 GMC diagnostic centres, and 25 Nutri Plus Vita Stores, ZO & MO optical outlets. No prizes for guessing – Zo and Mo stands for Zohra and Moideen.
The Thumbay Foundation
Corporate Social Responsibility is a full-fledged activity of the Group for which the Thumbay Foundation was formed as a charitable trust established to support charitable activities in Healthcare, Education and other areas by family members in India and the extended family in the U.A.E.
The Thumbay Foundation provides funds and support by the provision of scholarships, grants, bursaries, awards, fellowships, endowments, donations and other forms of financial assistance to economically weak students pursuing any level of education or training in any educational or training institution or establishment.
Along with many other charitable initiatives the Thumbay Group is at the forefront among business houses who see philanthropy as a duty to society and as an act of giving back rather than an act of charity.
Care and Share Program
The ‘Care & Share’, Sponsor A Medical Professional Program, provides a global platform for corporates, philanthropists, service organizations, non-governmental organizations and agencies of the State to contribute their might in resolving the dearth of medical professionals all over the world. It is an opportunity to develop a global partnership for healthcare development.
‘Care & Share’ Program is a small contribution by the Thumbay Group to provide opportunities for academically bright but economically weak students to pursue their academic programs in their chosen field.
Currently over 20% of the students at Gulf Medical University are benefited through this program and plans are on to extend this benefit to over 80% in the next 5-7 years. A truly unique program when one understands the extent of the beneficiaries.
GMC Hospital – A Patient Touch
GMC Hospital, Ajman started operations in 2002 as an integrated healthcare delivery component of Gulf Medical University. GMC Hospital Ajman is the first hospital in Ajman to achieve international accreditation from JCI International. The hospital treats patients from over 175 nationalities.
The Patient Affairs Department of the GMC Hospital is the first ever such initiative by a private sector hospital in the U.A.E. Several needy patients have been offered complete free treatment to help them get quality medical care.
Regular visits are carried out by the faculty, students from the Medical Colleges of GMU, specialist doctors of GMC Hospitals to the people from the Home for the Aged, mentally challenged children, students from the primary to high schools, to conduct free health checkups and awareness camps, distribution of medicines at free of cost or at subsidized rates to the deserving patients.
Over 500,000 people in U.A.E have benefited from the regular free health camps organized by the GMC Hospitals.
The Family
Thumbay Moideen is married to Zohra Moideen, an accomplished artist in her own right. Her paintings often adorn the corridors of the university campus and hospital lobbies. She is involved in charity works and heads Thumbay Foundation, which mainly supports both education and healthcare for the needy. The couple is blessed with two sons Akbar Moideen Thumbay,Akram Moideen Thumbay.
Akbar manages the Thumbay Group’s Hospitals as Director-Operations Healthcare & Retail Division. Akram is pursuing Masters Program in the UK., but in his spare time he is actively involved in the Construction Division of the Group, Thumbay Builders, which is currently managing the expansion of the Gulf Medical University Campus.
On spending time with his family Moideen says, “Although I am passionate about my work and businesses, I also strive to balance time between work and home.
As a family, we go on holidays and spend quality time together. Days are such that I seldom find the time but when I do, I ensure my wholesome involvement and not just for the sake of it.”
Being More Than One Can Be
Thumbay Moideen’s message to the new generation is “Life is a brilliant teacher only if one is a good student. We get many lessons from everyday events but if we do not learn from them, it is only we who are to blame and not life or fate as people generally tend to shift the blame to”.
Thumbay Moideen set out as a real estate and timber businessman but emerged as a leader in the field of healthcare and medical education. And along with his diverse array of business ventures, it can be rightly said that here is a man who has stretched his abilities to the fullest aptitude.
“I think a man’s success should be measured by the number of lives he has touched and the respect he has gained not just in the eyes of society but among his children and subordinates as well. I aim for these objectives because I know that once these are taken care of, the rest will fall in place”, discloses a thoughtful Moideen.
Awards & Accolades
- Chief Patron
of Ajman Indian Association & Indian Business Council, Ajman.
- Chief Patron
of Beary’s Association, Dubai
- President
of Asian Hospital Federation, UAE region
- Member
International Hospital Federation, Ferney Voltaire, France (Greater Geneva Area)
- Best
Achievement in the field of Medical Education & Healthcare Award from H.H Sheikh Humaid Bin Rashid Al- Nuaimi
- “Mayura Award”
for ‘Achievements in the field of Medical Education & Healthcare’ by Karnataka Sangha, Sharjah
- Honored
at the House of Lords, U.K. for invaluable contributions in the fields of Healthcare and Medical Education
- CEO of the
Year-Education’ Award 2012 by the ITP Publishing Group.
- NGI Excellence
Award 2012 at the Global Indian Business Meet (GIBM), New York, U.S.A.
- Honorary
Fellowship of International Medical Science Academy (IMSA).
- 2010, 2011& 2012
Featured among the top 100 most influential Indians in the Middle East (as per the survey undertaken by The Arabian Business Magazine –ITP Publishing, U.A.E.
- “Cover Story”
in the International Indian Magazine in April 2011 issue
- Featured
amongst the influential Indians in the UAE in the Special Report of Gulf News Focus dated August 15, 2012
- GCC’s 50
Richest Indians list (2013) by Arabian Business Magazine – ITP Publishing Group, U.A.E.)
- Thumbay
Group, UAE ranks 44 in the list of “Top 100 making an impact In The Arab World”, a list compiled by Forbes Middle East in the 2013.
- Listed Among
the Top 100 Indian Leaders in the UAE by Forbes Middle East