Puthan Naduvakkatt Chenthamaraksha Menon, also known as P. N. C. Menon (born 17 November 1948) is an Omani billionaire businessman[1] born in Palakkad, Kerala. He is the founder and chairman of Sobha Ltd (Formerly Sobha Developers Ltd)[2][3][4]& Sobha LLC.[5][6]
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Born | Vadakkencherry, Malabar District, Madras State, Dominion of India (present day Palakkad, Kerala, India) | 17 November 1948
Nationality | Indian (till 1995) Omani |
Alma mater | Sree Kerala Varma College, Thrissur |
Occupation | Business |
Employer(s) | Founder and Chairman of Sobha Ltd. |
Spouse | Sobha |
Children | 3 |
Early Life
editMenon was born on 17 November 1948 in the Puthan Naduvakkatt house. He grew and studied in Thrissur, where his father was doing business. At the age of 10, he lost his father, and had to shoulder the responsibility of providing for his family. Financial struggles forced him to abandon his studies after primary education. Afterwards, he dropped out of Sree Kerala Varma College, Thrissur, to do interior decoration business without completing his education.[7][citation needed][8]
Biography
editAt the age of 26, he left Kerala for Oman,[9] where over the years he developed his interior decoration business into a profitable venture. In 1995, he started Sobha Ltd. in Bangalore[10] named after his wife. He is married to Sobha and they have three children: two daughters, Bindu and Revathi, and one son Ravi Menon[11][12][13]
The turning point in his career came in the 1990s when Menon identified the opportunities and potential in the real estate sector. He contributed towards building iconic structures like Oman's Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque and Al Bustan Palace.
In 2009, he was honoured with the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman by the President of India.[14]
Philanthropy
editP. N. C. Menon, established the Sri Kurumba Educational & Charitable Trust[15] in 1994, a year before he founded Sobha Developers. The trust adopted Vadakkencherry and Kizhakkancherry - two Panchayats each consisting 2 villages in Palakkad district, Kerala,[16] his native state, in 2006. In the adopted villages, the trust helps families with very low monthly income and provides education to children from 2,500 poor families (about 11000 people).[17]
In 2016, Menon and his wife Sobha joined The Giving Pledge list a philanthropic initiative started by Warren Buffett, former Microsoft chairman Bill Gates and his wife Melinda.[18]
In February 2024, Menon contributed INR 110 million (USD 1.3M) to the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi, UAE with the aim to support the ongoing construction and upkeep of the temple, marking a significant milestone in the project.[19]
Awards and honours
edit- 2015: Arabian Indian Czar Award from News Channel Times Now [20]
- 2015: Management Leadership Excellence Award from Calicut Management Association[21]
- 2014: Golden Peacock Lifetime Achievement Award for Business Leadership from Golden Peacock Awards [22]
- 2014: Dhanam Lifetime Achievement Award from Business Magazine Dhanam[23]
- 2014: Malayalee Business Achiever Award from Pegasus Group[24]
- 2014: Featured among top businessmen on Faces of UAE PNC Menon (formerly Faces of Dubai)[25]
- 2014: Excellence in Business Award for corporate Social Responsibility by The Times of India[26]
- 2013: Business Man of the Year from State Forum of Bankers Clubs Kerala [27][28]
- 2013: 4th Rank in Top 100 Indians in UAE by Forbes[29]
- 2013: Lifetime Achievement Award, from NDTV[30][31]
- 2012: Special Recognition for "Dedicated Service to Civil Engineering and the Construction Industry" - Civil-Aid Techno Clinic Pvt. Ltd.[32]
- 2009: Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, by the Government of India[33][34]
References
edit- ^ "Forecast 2015: PNC Menon". Arabian Business. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- ^ "Sobha group founder PNC Menon to give 50% of fortune to charity: Report". The Economic Times. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
- ^ "A career built brick by brick". Mint.com. 24 June 2011. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
- ^ Bose, Praveen (14 March 2013). "Newsmaker: PNC Menon". Business Standard India. Business Standard. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
- ^ "An Inevitable Cycle: Interview with PNC Menon, Sobha Group - Construction Business News Middle East". Construction Business News Middle East. 18 April 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- ^ Pnc investments corporate overview. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- ^ "Meet man, a college dropout, who left home with Rs 50, then went on to build Rs 10,000 crore company, business is..." DNA India.
- ^ "PNC Menon: A Businessman By Choice, Billionaire By Chance". Forbes India.
- ^ Editor, Saifur Rahman, Business (21 October 2011). "A rags-to-riches developer's story with a difference". GulfNews. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
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has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Forbes Asia. "Arabia-Asia: P.N.C. Menon's Real Estate Empire Spans India and the Gulf". Forbes. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- ^ "Indian Power List 2011". Arabian Business. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
- ^ "A career built brick by brick". Livemint. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
- ^ "From Rs 50 to over Rs 10,000 crore: The remarkable journey of PNC Menon, founder of Sobha Limited". 24 January 2024.
- ^ "From Rs 50 To Rs 14,000 Crore Empire, How College Dropout PNC Menon Built Sobha Limited". News18. 5 April 2024.
- ^ "Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Three Other Indians on Forbes' Philanthropy List". indiacsr.in. indiacsr. 2 June 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- ^ "CSR project: Sobha Group's PNC Menon developing Kerala's Palakkad region & educating children". The Economic Times. S Sanandakumar. 24 June 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- ^ "PNC Menon - built to last". Arabian Business Publishing Ltd. arabianbusiness.com. 12 April 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- ^ "Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, PNC Menon join The Giving Pledge list - Times of India". The Times of India. 1 June 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
- ^ "Sobha Founder PNC Menon's INR 110M Gift Boosts BAPS Hindu Mandir - Arabian Post". Arabian Post. 10 February 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "PNC Menon honoured with Arabian Indian Czar Award". The Hindu Business Line. Anil Urs. thehindubusinessline.com. 3 July 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
- ^ "Management Leadership Excellence Award" (PDF). cmacalicut.org. CALICUT MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ^ "P.N.C Menon, Chairman Emeritus, Sobha Developers receives Golden Peacock Life Time Achievement Award 2014". goldenpeacockawards.com. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
- ^ "Dhanam Business Excellence Awards 2013 Announced". newindianexpress.com. Express News Service. newindianexpress. 19 June 2014. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
- ^ "P N C Menon, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Sobha Ltd wins MBA Award 2014". uniquetimes. uniquetimes.org. 27 December 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ^ "PNC Menon". FacesofUAE. facesofuae.com. 27 December 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ^ "Excellence in Business Award for Corporate Social Responsibility' by The Times of India". einnews. csr.einnews.com. 6 September 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ^ "Sate forum of bankers clubs kerala awards 2013". keralabiznews.com. keralabiznews.com. 28 December 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ^ "Business Man of the Year – Mr. PNC Menon". NDTV Profit. profit.ndtv.com. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ^ "Forbes Unveils Top Indian Business Honchos in UAE". Outlookindia. outlookindia.com. 27 June 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ^ "PNC Menon receives the Lifetime Achievement Award at the NDTV Property Awards". No. indiantelevision. indiantelevision.com. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ^ "NDTV Property Awards". bestmediainfo. bestmediainfo.com. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ^ "CWAB'Y Award 2012 Platinum Award of Excellence". constructionworld. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- ^ "PNC MENON, industrialist and philanthropist, was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman for social service and numerous charitable projects in India". INDIA EMPIRE. indiaempire.com. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
- ^ "India and Oman Bilateral Relations". indemb-oman.org. Indian Embassy, Oman. Archived from the original on 18 January 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2016.