BUILDING DREAMS: The Sidharthan Kizhkutt Story – 50 Years at The Kanoo Group | A Four-Part Series
Forty-five years ago, the Founding Father of The Kanoo Group UAE Mr. Hamed Kanoo drove three remarkable cars: a white Impala, a gold Rolls Royce, and a red Jaguar.
In those days, only two people in all of Dubai owned a Jaguar— Mr. Hamed Kanoo and the owner of Al Ghurair. These vehicles were the epitome of luxury, turning heads wherever they went. Sidney felt a surge of pride every time one of those cars pulled into the office driveway.
But here's what made Hamed Kanoo truly extraordinary. Despite the luxury cars, despite running a group of companies, you would never know it from how he treated people.
Since there were no proper concrete roads yet—just that single lane of Sheikh Zayed Road—the contrast between his success and his humility was striking. He was humble to his core. He made it clear to every employee that if you have something to say, come straight to me and speak. His office door was always open. Grievances were settled face-to-face, person-to-person. No bureaucracy. No hostility.
Like any family, there were office misunderstandings from time to time. But they were always settled fairly, with respect on all sides.
Daily Life at The Kanoo Group
Coming to the office meant no time clocks monitoring arrivals and departures. Everything was handwritten, tracked simply.
Sidney's daily commute became part of his routine. He travelled by abra, crossing from Deira to Bur Dubai every morning just like thousands of workers do today across Dubai. He wore the mission and vision of The Kanoo Group with pride, and more importantly, he wore it in his heart.
Transportation was mostly by bus or taxi. But when the Kanoo Machinery department relocated to Al Quoz, everything changed. The area was as bare as the Sahara then—no roads, no infrastructure, just open desert. The company provided a pickup truck, license plate 290, as the Machinery division's employee transport service. It would approach from any direction across the sand because there were no roads to follow, no streetlights to guide the way.
Salaries came in envelopes, handed out personally.
Respect That Echoed
Mr. Hamed Kanoo was respected throughout the city like royalty. If you told anyone, anywhere, that you worked for The Kanoo Group, that respect extended to you too. Doors opened. People listened. The company's reputation became each employee's reputation.
Sidney was lucky, and he knew it. He never took it for granted.
So, he worked. He gave his dedication, his energy, his loyalty to a company that saw him, respected him, and believed in him. It wasn't just about the salary or the job security. It was about belonging to something greater, being part of a family that valued who you were, not just what you could produce.
A Personal Loss
When Hamed Kanoo passed away, sadness swept through the company. For Sidney, the loss cut especially deep.
He didn't just lose the owner of the company. He felt like he lost a friend. Someone who had welcomed him as a young man fresh off a boat, who had given him a chance, who had made him feel like family for decades.
The grief was real. The gratitude, even deeper.
Part 4 will be published next Friday, December 5, 2025. Watch out for the final chapter!
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