Sukhtian Group

ABOUT THE FOUNDER AND FOUNDING STORY

Munir Sukhtian was born around 1910 in Tulkarm, Palestine, to an entrepreneurial father, Nablus-born Ridha, who ran a tobacco factory and a pharmacy. Upon finishing high school, Munir relocated to pursue an undergraduate pharmacy degree at the American University in Beirut, which he completed in 1933. Now a pharmacist, Munir returned to his hometown and purchased his father’s pharmacy, setting the cornerstone for what would later become a regional business empire in pharmaceuticals. Munir married a woman from Jerusalem, and their first son, Nidal, was born that same year. The couple also had two daughters — Abeer and Rima — and two more sons: Ghiath and Munjed.^{[6] [7] [8]}

GROWTH PHASE

After Munir took over the pharmacy, he modernized it to serve as more than a mere redistribution outlet. He set up a space for compounding, where he would prepare, mix, assemble, and package his own licensed prescription medications, quickly making a name for himself in the field.^[9]

The occupation of Tulkarm in 1948 caused massive challenges for local businesses. The armistice line cut through the city, leading to a heavy military presence, loss of fertile land, urban segregation, and near-total isolation from the surrounding towns and communities.^[10] Munir left with his family, reestablishing his business in the cities of Amman and Nablus, and diversifying into fields such as the import-export of chemicals, FMCG, general trade, and medical equipment. During the 1950s, the business grew into a major wholesaler — now known as the Munir Sukhtian Group — while adding agriculture and veterinary business lines.^{[11] [12]}

In 1960, Munir Sukhtian passed away at only 50 years old.^[13] Following his death, second-generation Nidal, Ghiath, and Munjed took over the family business. Nidal headed the Amman office and Ghiath the Nablus office. The family’s operations were greatly affected by the occupation of the West Bank territories in 1967, as restrictive import policies disrupted their usual supply channels. To counter this, the Sukhtian brothers started manufacturing their own products.^[14] Ghiath set up a small laboratory in his mother’s garage and, with the help of a team of pharmacists and lab technicians, began producing medicines.^[15] Before the turn of the decade, the Sukhtians established Beit Jala Pharmaceuticals (BJP) on the outskirts of Bethlehem — one of the first pharmaceutical manufacturing plants in Palestine.^[16]

In the early 1970s, the Arab oil embargo opened many opportunities for the brothers, who branched out into disinfectants, toothpaste, cosmetics, and detergents. The creation of a subsidiary in Abu Alanda in Amman, Household and Toiletries Manufacturing (HTM), was a milestone in the family business’s evolution into an important regional manufacturer of household cleaning products and toiletries. Gradually, they began exporting medicine to different countries in the MENA region, Europe, Central Africa, and Southeast Asia.^{[17] [18]}

In 1980, the Munir Sukhtian Group established a new subsidiary, Jordan Greenhouse Manufacturing Company, responding to the regional crisis in the supply of fresh water. Over the course of the decade, the company expanded into the IT sector, creating Arabian Office Automation (AOA) in 1986 — a pioneer in the Jordanian market. The group established United Pharmaceuticals (UPM) in 1989 to produce generic drugs and it expanded geographically five years later, opening Tabuk Pharmaceuticals in Saudi Arabia.^[19]

In the aftermath of the Gulf War, Jordan refrained from participating in the international sanctions imposed on Iraq, thus becoming the primary conduit for the import and export of goods to and from its neighbor. Seizing the opportunity, the Sukhtian Group started trading with Iraq and built a substantial presence in the country. In 2002, the business entered the food distribution sector, creating a dedicated food division and importing a diverse range of chilled, frozen, and dried goods from the United States and Europe.^[20]

TODAY

Today, the Munir Sukhtian Group has grown into a diversified conglomerate headquartered in Amman, Jordan.^[21] The group has ten associated and subsidiary firms in Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.^[22] With operations mainly centered in Jordan and Palestine, it exports its products worldwide.^{[23] [24]}

The group is primarily led by members of the second generation of the family,^[25] with Nidal as chairman and chief executive,^[26] Munjed as chairman of Munir Sukhtian International (MSI),^[27] and Ghiath as vice chairman of the Group.^[28] Third-generation members are also involved at high levels: Anoud, Nidal’s daughter, is a board member.^{[29] [30]} Faisal, Ghiath’s son, is executive director of Munir Sukhtian International.^{[31] [32]} His other son, Mughith, is an MSI board member. ^[33] In 2014, Household and Toiletries Manufacturing (HTM) opened a new facility in Jordan’s Zarqa region, which was subsequently upgraded to meet growing market demands. In the following years, Sukhtian Pharma Co. was established to provide high-quality pharmaceutical products to the local market and countries in the MENA region and Europe.^[34]