P. N. C. Menon | |
---|---|
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 |
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]
Menon 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]
At 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 Puraskar by the President of India.[14]
P. 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]