Prominent NRI Dr. Thumbay Moideen to receive Honorary Doctorate from Mangalore University
Dr. Thumbay Moideen, the founder president of Thumbay Group is set to receive an honorary doctorate from Mangalore University at its 42nd annual convocation on June 15. This recognition adds to his numerous accolades and underscores his contributions to business, healthcare, and education.
Dr. Thumbay Moideen, born on March 23, 1957, in Mangalore, India, is a third-generation entrepreneur hailing from a prominent business family. He took over the family business established by his father and expanded it into a global enterprise. As the founder and president of the Thumbay Group, a diversified international business conglomerate headquartered in the Dubai International Financial Centre, Dr. Moideen has overseen the group's expansion into 20 sectors. The Thumbay Group employs over 15,000 people in the UAE and has been recognized by Forbes Middle East as one of "The Top Indian Business Leaders in The Arab World."
Dr. Moideen's influence extends beyond business. He serves as the Chief Patron of several organizations, including the Ajman Indian Association, Indian Business Council in Ajman, Beary’s Association in Dubai, and Karnataka Sangha in Sharjah. He is also the president of the Asian Hospital Federation's UAE region, a member of the International Hospital Federation in Ferney Voltaire, France, and a member of the International Association of University Presidents.
The Thumbay Foundation, under Dr. Moideen's leadership, supports numerous charitable activities in healthcare and education. The foundation provides scholarships, grants, bursaries, awards, fellowships, endowments, and donations, helping students pursue education and training across various institutions.
Dr. Moideen's contributions to medical education, trade, industry, and socio-economic development have earned him numerous accolades. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate at the Annual Convocation of Amity University, Dubai. Additionally, he received the 'Gulf Karnataka Ratna' Award, highlighting his leadership in healthcare delivery and medical education. Remarkably, Dr. Moideen is the only Indian in the world to own and operate the largest private medical university outside India.
In 2022, Dr. Moideen was honored with the ‘Vishwa Manya’ award by the Maharaja of Mysore, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, and Anand Guruji. He has also featured on the cover of Forbes Middle East in a special 'Healthcare' issue released on March 31, 2018. Forbes introduced him as the founder of the “iconic” Thumbay Group, noting his ongoing commitment to global expansion. In 2016, he was honored with the 'Global Leader' award at the NDTV Gulf Indian Excellence Awards.
Dr. Moideen's journey began at the young age of 21 when he took charge of the business established by his father, Dr. B. Ahamed Hajee Mohiudeen, a prominent entrepreneur and community leader. His grandfather, Yenepoya Moideen Kunhi, also inspired him. In 1998, Dr. Moideen founded the Thumbay Group in the UAE. Under his dynamic leadership, the group has achieved tremendous growth, providing livelihoods to hundreds of families over the past decade.
Today, the Thumbay Group operates across 20 sectors, including education, healthcare, medical research, diagnostics, retail pharmacy, health communications, retail optical, wellness, nutrition stores, hospitality, real estate, publishing, technology, media, events, medical tourism, trading, and marketing & distribution. The group employs over 15,000 people and its Thumbay chain of hospitals, which are teaching hospitals of the Gulf Medical University (GMU), serve patients from over 175 nationalities. GMU is one of the leading private medical universities in the region, attracting students from over 80 nationalities. Dr. Moideen continues to focus on strategic plans to grow Thumbay Group's businesses tenfold and expand its operations globally.
Dr. Thumbay Moideen's story is one of vision, dynamism, and determination to succeed. Recognized in India and beyond for his achievements, his name has become synonymous with professionalism and a positive approach. Through his leadership, Thumbay Group has not only grown into a diversified international conglomerate but has also contributed to the fields of healthcare and education, earning Dr. Moideen a well-deserved reputation as a global leader.
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Explosive device kills 13, injures 38 on bus in southwestern Colombia as violence persists
Bogota (Colombia) (PTI): An explosive device killed 13 people travelling on a bus in southwestern Colombia on Saturday, an attack the country's army chief described as a “terrorist act" that also left at least 38 injured as violence linked to drug trafficking in the region escalates.
Octavio Guzman, the governor of the region of Cauca, said on X that the device was set off while the bus was travelling along the Panamerican Highway in the municipality of Cajibio. Five children were among the injured, Cauca Health Secretary Carolina Camargo told Noticias Caracol, a TV news program.
Gen. Hugo Lopez, commander of Colombia's Armed Forces, told a news conference that it was a “terrorist act" and blamed the network of a man known as “Ivan Mordisco” — one of Colombia's most wanted figures — and the Jaime Martínez faction. Both are dissidents of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia that operate in the region.
Neither Ivan Mordisco nor the Jaime Martínez faction abide by the peace agreement signed with the state in 2016.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the attack on X.
“Those who carried out the attack and killed seven civilians — and wounded 17 others — in Cajibío — many of them Indigenous people — are terrorists, fascists, and drug traffickers,” he wrote.
The attack is the latest in a spate of explosions that have attempted to target public infrastructure. At least 26 incidents have taken place in the past two days in southwestern Colombia, which Lopez said have only affected civilians.
They included a shooting at a police station in the rural area of Jamundi, and an attack on a Civil Aviation radar facility in El Tambo, where authorities took down three explosives-laden drones earlier on Saturday. No one was hurt.
On Friday, two vehicles rigged with explosives were detonated near military units in Cali and Palmira, causing material damage.
The escalation of violence in that region — a territory contested by illegal armed groups linked to drug trafficking — prompted the mobilisation of high-ranking officials on Saturday. Led by Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez, the delegation that includes regional governors and local authorities, was meeting in Palmira when the deadly explosion occurred.
“These criminals seek to instil fear, but we will respond with firmness,” Sanchez said on X.
Meanwhile, Francisca Toro, governor of Valle del Cauca, has called upon the national government to provide “immediate support.” In a message on X, Toro called for a reinforcement of public security forces, enhanced intelligence operations and “decisive actions” against crime in the face of a “terrorist-level escalation.”
According to authorities, Cauca and Valle del Cauca serve as a critical hub for illicit activities of illegal armed groups vying for control over sea and river access routes leading to the port of Buenaventura — a key transit point used to traffic drugs to Central America and Europe.
The government has also offered a reward of more than 1 million dollars for information leading to the capture of “Marlon,” who is identified as the leader of the region's dissident group. On Friday, local authorities offered more than USD 14,000 for information leading to the identification and location of those behind the attacks in Cali and Palmira.
