1. Born in Palakkad (Kerala), Puthan Naduvakkatt Chenthamaraksha (PNC) Menon had a tough start. At the age of ten, he lost his father and had to survive with an illiterate grandfather and an often sick mother. Menon had to drop out of college to do something for his family.
2. He did a small interior design job without formal training, but then an opportunity stuck. During one of the chance meetings at a hotel lobby in Kochi, he met Captain Sulaiman Al Adawi from the Sultanate of Oman. He needed people for a small furniture store in Oman. Menon saw the opportunity and took it right away. 🙌
3. In September 1976, PNC Menon set out for Muscat (Oman) with Rs 50 in his pocket. With a Rs 75,000 loan, they started Services and Trade Interiors and Contracting. ✅
4. At that time, the seaside city of Muscat saw frenzied industrial development due to the booming oil reserves. Menon targeted the ultra-rich class, and it worked. Within eight years, Menon had beaten the top European firms and worked at the Sultan's palaces of Oman and Brunei. But he was not satisfied. 🤔
5. He was missing his homeland. In 1991, he came to India to shift to the real estate sector. He wanted to make luxury homes and villas in Kerala and Karnataka. In the heart of Bangalore, PNC Menon started a new company in his wife's name. In 1994, Sobha Developers was born. 🚀
6. For one of its first luxury projects - Sobha Sapphire in Bangalore, Menon flew in 100 workers from the Gulf and made metal and wooden products at its Bangalore factory. The project was a success and finished in just two years. And then the big break came. 👇
7. Sobha built the Infosys campus in Bangalore. Seeing the intricate details of the building, Infosys Chief Narayan Murthy was so happy that he handed another order for the 337- Acres Infosys global education centre in Mysore, Karnataka. Sobha kept its focus on quality construction and developed 19 projects in Bangalore by 2006. And another big moment came. 👇
8. On 20 December 2006, Sobha listed on the stock markets after a massive 569.17 CR IPO that oversubscribed by 126 times. As it touched 1 billion market cap, it expanded to Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Pune. By 2011, Sobha touched revenues of 1460 CR and net profit of 320 CR. 🙌
9. Sobha became the largest builder in South India, its clients included Trident Hotels, ITC and many others. Its quality construction and before time delivery won uncountable awards. By 2018, Sobha managed 100.31 million square feet of real estate space and touched revenues of 2836.5 CR. 📉
10. Today, Sobha has achieved sales of 15,782 CR and a profit of 6,802 CR. It is the 3rd largest player and headquartered in Dubai. But PNC Menon's heart always beats for India. 🇮🇳
➡️ He supports education for over 10,000 girls of the poor families in Palakkad. The very same place from which he started his journey from Rs 50. 🙏
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This post was originally shared by Aditya Arora on Linkedin.