The Zubair Corporation

ABOUT THE FOUNDER

Mohammad Al Zubair was born in Muscat^[7] into a family with a long history of trade and entrepreneurship. His grandfather, a Muscat-based trader in what was then the Omani empire, served as a financial intermediary between the central ruling figures^[8] in Oman and modern-day Zanzibar.^[9] His father, Al Zubair bin Ali, served as first clerk to Sultan Faisal bin Turki. Thanks to the family’s connections with the Omani elites, they became business pioneers in the early 20th century.^[10]  In 1911, the Al Zubairs participated in setting up the first two public companies in Oman, one for power generation and the other for ice manufacturing.^[11]

After completing his secondary education in Muscat,^[12] in 1962, Mohammad went abroad to continue his studies.^[13] He eventually returned to Oman and took a job at the Petroleum Development Oman Company (PDO).^[14] He worked there for five years as a manager,^[15] developing his management and leadership skills.^[16] He also married and had a total of seven children.^[17]

FOUNDING STORY

When oil production started in Oman in the mid-1960s,^[18] Mohammad Al Zubair recognized the opportunities a new era of economic growth would offer. Quitting his job in 1967,^[19] he established his own business, the Muscat Trading Company.^[20]  Among the first officially incorporated companies in Oman,^[21] it specialized in providing industrial supplies and machinery to his previous employer, PDO. In the early days of the oil boom, many first-generation entrepreneurs in the Gulf similarly left government jobs to launch privately owned suppliers for their former employers.

GROWTH PHASE

The Muscat Trading Company met with immediate success, allowing Mohammad to expand into a range of industries such as retail.^[22] In 1971, Zubair Furnishings LLC was established to supply interior furnishings for the hospitality industry. This venture was very successful as well, thanks to the Omani middle-class market emerging as a result of the oil boom, and Mohammad was able to expand his operations geographically into the larger Gulf region market.^[23]

In 1973, Mohammad rebranded his business the Zubair Corporation.^[24] That same year saw the establishment of the Zubair Automotive Group, which would grow into the core business unit of the family-owned conglomerate,^[25] and Zubair Telecommunications, which would play a key role in Oman’s emerging modern infrastructure.^[26] Four years later, Mohammad launched a new furniture-making business, Jawahir Oman, focusing on local craftsmanship. By the early 2000s, the company announced that over 45 percent of its collection was made by Omani craftspeople.^[27] The brand is now known as Majliya.^[28]

In 1981, the business further diversified its operations with the establishment of Oman Computer Services LLC (OCS Infotech).^[29] Later in the decade, Al Zubair entered the field of education with the National Institute of Computer Education and Business Training (NICE), which partnered with the Omani government to provide employee training and retraining for the unemployed.^[30] During this period, the family turned the founder’s childhood home, built by his father almost a century before, into a museum. Dedicated to the display of Omani heritage, Bait Al Zubair Museum opened its doors in 1988.^[31]

The business expanded into the oil and gas industry at the beginning of the 1990s with the creation of Zubair Oil and Gas (Zogas). Zogas began operating in Abu Dhabi in 1991, but soon shifted its focus to Oman, providing pipeline and support services for PDO in an echo of Mohammad’s first enterprise.^[32] In 1992, Hani, the founder’s son, became executive chairman of the Zubair Automotive Group.^[33] Four years later, eldest son Rashad became deputy chairman of the Zubair Corporation and vice chairman of its subsidiary Ominves.^{[34] [35]}

In 2006, Zubair Tourism Development was founded as a wholly owned subsidiary.^{[36] [37]} As it prepared to transition to the next generation of leadership early in the following decade, the company was restructured: the flagship business, Zubair Automotive Group, became a separate company, allowing Mohammad Al Zubair to focus on his responsibilities in various positions with the Omani government.^[38] Members of the second generation began joining the company after obtaining their degrees abroad.^[39]

TODAY

Today, the Zubair Corporation is headquartered in Muscat, Oman.^[40] It has grown into a conglomerate with over 60 subsidiaries located across the Middle East, India, East Asia, Europe, and the United States.^[41] The subsidiaries are involved a wide range of industries, including energy, engineering and contracting, real estate and hospitality, finance, banking and investments, automotive, IT and electrical equipment, and furniture.^[42] Founder Mohammad Al Zubair is no longer involved in the management, and the family business — with over 2,500 employees — is now primarily run by members of the family’s second-generation members .^[43]