In the landscape of the United Arab Emirates, where glass skyscrapers rise from desert sands as monuments to human ambition, few stories are as compelling as that of Dr. Thumbay Moideen. As the Founder President of the Thumbay Group, Moideen has transitioned from a third-generation timber merchant in India to one of the most influential billionaires in the Middle East. Today, the Thumbay Group is a diversified international conglomerate with a presence in over twenty sectors, including education, healthcare, medical research, and hospitality. This ecosystem did not start with a massive injection of capital or a Silicon Valley-style pitch deck; it started with a “yes” to a challenge that many thought was impossible.
The Roots of a Legacy
Born on March 23, 1957, in Mangalore, India, Thumbay Moideen was born into business. His father, Dr. Ahmed Hajee Mohiudeen, and grandfather, Yenepoya Moideen Kunhi, were legendary figures in the timber and real estate industries of Karnataka. Moideen was not a typical heir who waited for his turn. At the age of twenty-one, he took the reins of the family business. Within two years, he had already made his mark by closing a high-risk real estate deal that yielded a massive profit, signaling the arrival of a sharp, intuitive business mind. However, India was only the beginning. The horizon Moideen sought was much broader.
The Audacious Invitation
The mid-90s were a formative time for the UAE. While Dubai was beginning its tourism push, the Northern Emirate of Ajman was looking for ways to bolster its infrastructure. During a business visit to the UAE in 1997, Moideen had a chance encounter with the Royal Family of Ajman. Impressed by his business acumen, the Rulers of Ajman invited him to establish a medical college. At the time, there were no private medical colleges in the UAE, and the concept of an expat building a university was unheard of. Moideen had no prior experience in healthcare or academia. He faced a choice: stay with the comfortable family timber business or leap into the unknown. He chose the latter.
Creating the Blue Ocean
In 1998, Moideen established the Gulf Medical College, which would eventually become the Gulf Medical University (GMU). It was the first private medical university in the UAE and became the No. 1 Medical University in the Gulf and now a leading university in the world. The challenges were immense; he had to source global faculty, navigate complex accreditation, and, most importantly, provide clinical training for his students. This led to his first vertical integration move. Since there were no private teaching hospitals, he built his own. Thumbay Hospital in Ajman became the first private teaching hospital in the region. Moideen didn’t just build a school; he built an ecosystem where the school and the hospital fed into each other, ensuring that students had hands-on training and the community had access to world-class care.
The Ecosystem of Success
By 2026, the Thumbay Group has expanded into various sectors. Moideen’s strategy is a masterclass in circular business modeling. He realized that a patient or student has needs beyond just medicine and books. This led to the creation of lifestyle wrappers around his medical facilities to ensure convenience and brand loyalty.
Within the core of healthcare and education, Gulf Medical University has become a global destination with students from over one hundred nationalities. The Thumbay Hospital Network is now one of the largest JCI-accredited private academic hospital networks in the Middle East, having treated over eleven million patients. To support these pillars, he established Thumbay Labs and Pharmacies, which represent one of the largest diagnostic networks in the region.
The expansion did not stop at clinical care. Moideen diversified into hospitality with Blends & Brews Coffee Shops, wellness through Body & Soul Health Clubs, and retail via Nutri Plus Vita stores. He even established Thumbay Media to publish health and lifestyle magazines. Each of these businesses serves the same community, creating a self-sustaining loop of service and revenue.
The Crown Jewel: Thumbay Medicity
The physical manifestation of his vision is Thumbay Medicity in Ajman. Spanning over one million square feet, it is a hub for futuristic medical education, healthcare, and research. It features the Thumbay University Hospital, the largest private academic hospital in the region, alongside specialized facilities like the Thumbay Dental Hospital and the Thumbay Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Hospital.
The Medicity is a pioneer in technology, featuring robotic pharmacies with fully automated systems for high-density storage and AI-driven diagnostics. By integrating face detection for patient records and virtual reality for medical training, Moideen has ensured that his empire remains at the cutting edge of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
A Vision for the Future
Dr. Moideen is not slowing down. His strategic roadmap for the coming years focuses on three main pillars: global expansion, artificial intelligence, and specialized health sciences. He is currently scaling the Thumbay brand into Uzbekistan, Africa, and the wider GCC. He has now fully integrated AI into the GMU curriculum, creating the Thumbay Institute of AI in Healthcare. Furthermore, he is expanding the group’s reach into animal health and neurodiversity by launching the Thumbay Institute of Veterinary Sciences and the Thumbay Institute of Autism and now the Thumbay Medicity Dubai, making it the biggest academic health system in the region.
The Philosophy of Constant Evolution
If you ask Dr. Moideen the secret to his success, he often points to the dual pillars of transparency and professionalism. Despite being a family-owned group, he runs it with the rigor of a public corporation. In early 2026, he launched Thumbay Cares, a landmark employee well-being program, reflecting his belief that sustainable institutions are built by investing deeply in the people who run them. This people-centric approach is why the Thumbay Group has been consistently certified as a Great Place to Work in the UAE.
A Legacy Beyond Wealth
Dr. Thumbay Moideen’s story is a testament to the power of the expatriate dream. He proved that an outsider could not only thrive in the UAE but could also build the very pillars of healthcare and education that the nation relies upon. For the modern entrepreneur, Moideen’s journey offers a clear lesson: do not just look for a gap in the market; look for a gap in the culture. He didn’t just sell services; he built a culture of academic excellence and healthcare innovation in a region that was hungry for both.
From the timber yards of Mangalore to the boardrooms of Dubai, Dr. Moideen remains a man of action—a respected man and No. 1 NRI in the Gulf and most respected Beary and top Muslim in the world whose greatest asset isn’t his bank balance, but the thousands of doctors he has trained to save lives across the globe.