With humble beginnings in India, Mr. PNC Menon’s long-standing journey commenced when he set up an interior decoration firm (STC) in the Sultanate of Oman in 1976. Filled with passion, he was determined to create and provide the best products in terms of quality and craftsmanship. By 1984, the business had established itself as a premier interior outfit on its course to win big contracts.
Through sheer perseverance and demonstrated excellence, the company went on to work for the royalty of Oman, Bahrain, Brunei, Qatar, and the president of Tajikistan in the next few years. Mr. PNC Menon spent the most glorious part of his career designing and developing palaces, royal facilities, and mosques. The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque is a standing testimony of his excellent craftsmanship. Over eight years, he developed a strong bond with Oman that facilitated a thriving foundation to achieve elevated success in the upcoming years. In 1995, the Sultan of Oman granted Omani citizenship to him and his family.
After his phenomenal success in the Middle East, Mr. PNC Menon entered the Indian real estate market at a nascent stage when it was in dire need of quality construction. In 1995, he founded Sobha Developers, headquartered in Bangalore. Presently, Sobha Ltd. is a publicly listed approximately USD 2 billion market-cap company, with a pan-India presence in 27 cities and 14 states across India. For the last five years, Sobha has emerged as the top developer amongst more than 12,000 developers in India. With a reputation for unmatched construction and interiors, Sobha Ltd. has delivered over 140 million square feet of residential, contractual and commercial projects since its inception.
In 2003, Mr. Menon expanded his entrepreneurial footprint to the business capital of the Middle East, Dubai. Known for its world-class infrastructure, sustainable economic growth, and access to international talent, Dubai was the ideal location to establish Sobha Realty. As a privately held company, Sobha entered the luxury residential market with a mission to provide residential development, construction, glazing, metal works, and furniture manufacturing, along with a vision to diversify across GCC and a few regions in Asia and Europe.
Developing world-class luxury homes and offices for over five decades, Mr. Menon decided the bar had to rise even higher. He believed three elements were essential in creating an exceptional residence: exquisite design, uncompromised quality, and on-time delivery of projects. Sobha Hartland was the sublime brainchild of Mr. Menon to house the world’s most discerning at the epicentre of Dubai. This resort-style luxury housing development was launched as a USD 4 billion project in Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum City. Encompassing 8 million square feet of freehold community and mixed-use development, 30% (2.4 million square feet) of the community has been reserved for green and open spaces.
In this enterprising journey, Mr. Menon has positively changed the lives of thousands of people by giving back to the community in ways that would uplift their lives and propel them to a better future. His philanthropic initiatives under the Sri Kurumba Educational and Charitable Trust such as Sobha Hermitage, Sobha Rural Women Empowerment Program, , Sobha Icon, Sobha Healthcare Centre, Sobha Social Weddings, Sobha Vocational Training Centre, Sobha Academy, and Sobha Green Initiative have earned him a place in the hearts of people around the world. He serves on the Board of Governors of the Rashid Centre for People of Determination in Dubai while being a valued partner of the Al Jalila Foundation run by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Global Initiatives. In 2016, Mr. PNC Menon and Mrs. Sobha Menon signed The Giving Pledge — an initiative undertaken by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Mr. Warren Buffet, to donate 50% of their wealth to charity to address the significant problems of society.
Mr. Menon’s mission has always been to create beautiful experiences. His inimitable sensibility and deep passion for details have ensured that every product from Sobha is a boundary-breaking confluence of sophisticated style and flawless quality. These attributes deservedly earned him numerous awards over the years, including the Leaders Transforming the Regions Real Estate Sector Award and Top Indian Leaders in the Arab World from Forbes Middle East, Real Estate Company of the Year from Entrepreneur, Sustainable Project of the Year from Construction Business News, Business Excellence Award from ILAAP, Investment Appreciation Awards from Business Leaders Forum, Best Employer Brand Award from GCC Leadership, and many more international property awards.
One of the Top Unlisted Real Estate Companies in the Arab World
by the Forbes Middle East
Achieving Guinness World Record title with ‘Largest Helmet Mosaic Formed by People'
Prestigious Emirates Labour Market Awards for Establishments - LATINEM SECURITIES
organised by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation
Prestigious Emirates Labour Market Awards for WORKFORCE – Mohan Naik (Junior Foreman)
organised by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation
Prestigious Emirates Labour Market Awards for Business Services Partners – Sobha Realty
organised by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation
Project of the Year – New construction for the Crest Project
at CPI Climate Control Awards
HVAC Technician of the Year
at CPI Climate Control Awards
REM Times Realty Confex Award – for being one of the key contributors in transforming the landscape across UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Brunei and India since 1976
The Luxury Property Specialist Award
at The Ultimate Realty Awards 2024
The Outstanding Contribution to Real Estate Awards
at The Pillars of Real Estate Awards 2024
Customer Experience Award
at the MEFMA Awards of Excellence in FM 2024
CSR Initiatives Award
at the MEFMA Awards of Excellence in FM 2024
Best Overall Sustainable Performance
at The Middle East Sustainability Leadership Awards 2024
Exemplary Circular Economy Programme 2024 Award
from the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy
Lifetime Achievement Award
from The Tycoons of UAE’s Realty Awards 2024
Best Company to Work for - Large
at the prestigious Employee Happiness Awards 2024
Best Workplaces for Millennials for GCC 2024
by the renowned Great Place to Work Organisation
Real Estate Deal of the Year Award
at the IFN Awards 2023
Global Sustainability Awards 2023 – Platinum Winner
New Construction – IEQ (Healthcare, Academic, Hospitality, Commercial, Residential) Award
by CPI Industry
Top Brand of Indian Real Estate Sector for the 4th Consecutive Year
by the Brand X Report, an annual study conducted by Track2Realty
Ranked 9th in the Top 50 GCC Developers Rankings
by the Construction Week
Lifetime Achievement Award
by the NDTV Profit
Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Puraskar
by the President of India
