Mishal Hamed Kanoo (, born 25 February 1969), is an
Emirati business magnate and currently serves as the
Chairman of
The Kanoo Group
The Kanoo Group (Arabic: مجموعة كانو) is a large family-owned by conglomerate based in the UAE and Oman. It is a part of the parent company Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo Group (established in ), founded in Bahrain by Haji Yusuf Bin Ahmed Ka ...
based in UAE and
Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...
. Kanoo was listed as one of the ''Top 100 Powerful Arabs 2017'', ''Power 100'', ''Rich List 2009'', and ''The World's Richest Arabs''.
Kanoo is the 4th generation to run the Kanoo family business. Established in
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
in 1890, The Kanoo Group's parent company, founded by Haji
Yusuf bin Ahmed Kanoo, grew from its early trading and shipping enterprise into a diversified conglomerate across the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
. From Bahrain, the business spread to
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
in the 1930s. In 1967, Kanoo's father, Hamed Kanoo came to the UAE to expand the family business. He successfully put up The Kanoo Group as a trade name in the country, which currently operates in UAE and Oman.
In 2015, Kanoo took over his role as the Chairman of The Kanoo Group after the death of Chairman Yusuf Ahmed Kanoo in 2014. Today, The Kanoo Group operates across a range of industries in shipping, travel, machinery, logistics, property, energy (oil, gas, electric, water),
industrial chemicals
The chemical industry comprises the companies that produce industrial chemicals. Central to the modern world economy, it converts raw materials (oil, natural gas, air, water, metals, and minerals) into more than 70,000 different products. The ...
, training, retail, and commercial activities, as well as other joint ventures.
Furthermore, Kanoo is a member of the Superbrands Council of the United Arab Emirates.
Early life and education
Born in
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
and educated until high school locally, Kanoo continued his college studies in the United States. He took Comparative Theology and Philosophy and double major in
economics
Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...
as his first degree and later earned his
MBA
A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...
in
Finance from the
University of St. Thomas in Houston. He joined the family firm fresh out of university in 1991 as an Assistant Shipping Manager.
Kanoo left the business for a time to pursue higher learning and later earned his second MBA at the
American University of Sharjah
American University of Sharjah (abbreviated AUS; ar, الجامعة الأمريكية في الشارقة) is a private university in the United Arab Emirates. It was founded in 1997 by Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and ...
, where he subsequently became a visiting lecturer on a course in Family Business.
He worked at
Arthur Andersen
Arthur Andersen was an American accounting firm based in Chicago that provided auditing, tax advising, consulting and other professional services to large corporations. By 2001, it had become one of the world's largest multinational corporat ...
in Dubai as an auditor before returning to The Kanoo Group as the Deputy Chairman in 1997.
At that time, his uncle, Mubarak Kanoo, was the chairman of the holding company. He served as the Deputy Chairman until the time he took up his most recent role.
Career
Kanoo is a frequent
speaker
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** I ...
at conferences in the Middle East, and around the world at events where an independent Middle East view is required. Some of his speaking engagements include the World Summit on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Dubai, and
The International Herald Tribune
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
s CEO Roundtable in Malaysia.
As visiting lecturer at the American University of Sharjah School of Business Administration, he is an advocate of education and believes that it allows people to take responsibility and control of their lives.
He was a columnist for ''
MONEYworks'' Magazine, ''
Arabian Business'', ''Gulf Business'' and ''
7days'', and continues to voice his views by regularly writing articles for local and regional media about social and business affairs in the Gulf and global capital markets, adeptly spelling out the ethical and religious values, blending them with modernity and progress.
Other businesses
Apart from the family business, Mishal is also a Professional and Motivational Speaker and holds chief positions as Chairman /
Director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
of other companies including:
* Dubai Express LLC/ Freightworks
* Johnson Arabia LLC
* Wolffkran Arabia LLC
* BRC Arabia LLC
* AkzoNobel UAE Paints LLC
* Gulf Capital Pvt. JSC
* AXA Insurance (Gulf) (C) BSC
* Green Crescent Insurance Company PJSC
[
* Dalma Capital Management Limited
* KAAF Investments
* KHK & Partners Ltd
]
Philanthropy
Kanoo has been integrating corporate philanthropy in one of his missions to foster community-based sustainable developments in areas such as arts, education, health, social welfare
Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...
, project management
Project management is the process of leading the work of a team to achieve all project goals within the given constraints. This information is usually described in project documentation, created at the beginning of the development process. T ...
, sports, and the natural environment
The natural environment or natural world encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally, meaning in this case not artificial. The term is most often applied to the Earth or some parts of Earth. This environment encompasses ...
.
Interests
Meem Gallery
Kanoo is involved in the progress of Dubai's art scene. As an eccentric collector, a pride of place in his office goes to a painting of Cuban revolutionary by the Bahraini artist Jamal Abdul Raheem. He supported the creation of one of Middle East's fastest-growing art districts in Dubai, the Meem Gallery in 2007. He launched the Meem Gallery together with Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi
Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi ( ar, سلطان سعود القاسمي) is an Emirati educator, art collector, scholar, and columnist. As an Al-Qassemi, he is a member of the ruling family of Sharjah.
Al-Qassemi is an influential commentator on Arab ...
, a member of Sharjah's royal family and founder of Barjeel Art Foundation and British curator, Charles Pocock.
Meem Gallery's expertise lies in modern and contemporary Arab and Iranian art. In addition to exhibiting important modern and contemporary works, the Meem Gallery encourages a greater understanding of Middle Eastern art through its publications available at Noor Library. The Noor Library of Middle Eastern Art, held at Meem Gallery, is one of the largest international resource centres for the arts of the Middle East.
Collections
As an art connoisseur, Kanoo's hobbies include a collection of fine paintings, as well as Islamic art
Islamic art is a part of Islamic culture and encompasses the visual arts produced since the 7th century CE by people who lived within territories inhabited or ruled by Muslim populations. Referring to characteristic traditions across a wide ra ...
such as Spanish masters and calligraphy. He is also fascinated with exclusive pens and watches. In November 2014, Kanoo placed to spotlight more than 200 ‘Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces' in Dubai to preview the highlights of the auction to be held in Geneva
, neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier
, website = https://www.geneve.ch/
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...
by hosting one of the world's premier watch exhibitions, Antiquorum (the first auction house to auction fine watches over the Internet in the 1990s).
Kanoo finds time to cultivate his love of books most especially about arts, literature and philosophy genres. He is also a motoring enthusiast.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kanoo, Mishal Hamed
Emirati businesspeople
1969 births
Living people