He is survived by wife Mariam, sons Ali and Ahmed and
daughters Lamya, Hana and Safia. His immediate relatives were too shocked to
comment on his death. He was buried after Asr prayers. A number of top
management executives based at the Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo Group headquarters in
Dammam went to Bahrain to attend the funeral.
The Kanoo Group that Abdulla Ali Kanoo headed as chairman
and chief executive officer is a diversified business conglomerate with
activities across the world's most dynamic industries from shipping, travel,
machinery, oil and gas, power and industrial projects to exhibition services,
courier services, logistics, specialty chemicals and business centers.
He was in Dammam on Saturday for the inauguration of Kanoo
Terminal Services' high-tech inland container depot. He was too frail to speak
at the event and remained in his wheelchair throughout the ceremony but took a
keen interest in the speeches that were delivered by KTS executives and foreign
partners. He smiled and shook hands with all those who approached him.
“It is a big loss for Saudi Arabia and the Eastern Province
in particular,” said Jasim M. Al-Yaqout, general manager of the Ministry of
Culture and Information in the Eastern Province. “He was a nice man and was
endowed with a sharp business acumen,” he said. “It was this attribute of his
that led him to play a key role in promoting a number of businesses.”
Arab News Editor in Chief Khaled Almaeena said Kanoo was a
fine gentleman. “He was not just a big businessman. He was a towering
personality with a kind heart. He cared for others. He got along well with all
people. He was a rarity and will be missed by all of us,” he said. “Our prayers
are with his brothers and children.”
Businessman Salman Al-Jishi paid fulsome tribute to the
genius of Kanoo. “He was a pioneering businessman in many ways. He created new
businesses and scripted many success stories. He earned everybody’s admiration
and respect with the way he ran and managed the family-owned group. Kanoo
ultimately became a role model group for all family-run businesses. His
contribution to the growth of Saudi private sector has been immense.”
“I am very sorry to hear about his death,” said Yasin
Alireza, a Jeddah-based businessman. The Alirezas and the Kanoos, he pointed
out, have had long-term family and business ties. “Abdulla Ali Kanoo’s death is
a big loss for both the Saudi business community and the society at large
because he was a very respectable member of a very respectable family,” said
Alireza.
Kanoo Terminal Services General Manager S. Krishna Kumar
said he was shocked beyond words when he heard about Kanoo's death. "More
so because despite his ill health he attended yesterday's inaugural ceremony of
our new facility in Dammam. That only showed his fighting spirit. He continued
to lead by example till the end ... He had this inimitable charm and was a
great human being."
Journalist Saeed Haider, who reported extensively on the
group’s successes in the 1980s and 1990s, described Kanoo as the father of
modern business in Saudi Arabia and a strong proponent of Kingdom’s
diversification plan. “In these last 40 years that he has been at the helm of
this path-breaking business group, he infused modern techniques and defined a
prominent role for professionals in otherwise family-owned business houses.”
Besides being the head of Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo Group,
Abdulla Ali Kanoo was also chairman of the National Bank of Bahrain,
International Paint Saudi Arabia Ltd., Kanoo Terminal Services Ltd., King
Wilkinson (Saudi Arabia) Ltd., AXA Cooperative Insurance Co., Inspectorate
International (SA) Ltd. and Port Services Containers Co. He was also the vice
chairman of Saudi Arabia's United Arab Shipping Agencies Co. Ltd.
