P Mohammed Ali is as well known in Oman as he is in Kerala.
An entrepreneur, his flagship enterprise, the Galfar Group of companies is one of the biggest industrial groups in Oman. A native of Kerala's Thalikulam, Ali reached the Gulf in 1970 when he was 22, with a diploma in Civil Engineering.
He worked in Coastial, a large European oil company in Dubai and later joined a known construction firm in Oman and turned it into Galfar Engineering and Construction, the largest enterprise in Oman.
The $250 million Galfar empire has interests in oil drilling, construction dams, ports, stadiums, pipelines, airports and highways. It employs over 14,000 people and has offices in Brunei, UAE, Qatar, Yemen and India.
He is also deeply involved with the education sector in Oman. He is the promoter of The Indian School of Al Ghoubra and is involved with The Caledonian College of Engineering Oman. He is also promoting The Oman Medical School, the first private medical college in Oman, in academic partnership with West Virginia University, USA.
In Kerala, Ali has built an amusement park, a convention centre and a five star hotel. Ali was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman for his service to the Diaspora and his homeland of Kerala.