The Kanoo Group is one of the largest, independent, family-owned, groups of companies in the Gulf Region. Established in UAE in the 1960's, the group grew from its early trading and shipping to become amongst the most diversified and highly regarded business houses in the Gulf region and beyond. In 1967, Hamed Kanoo came from Saudi Arabia to the UAE to establish and grow the family's business. He
managed to successfully put up "The Kanoo Group" as a trusted name in the country from a humble beginning of 5 people, including him. There are over 1,200 people working for the group and its joint ventures in the UAE. The Kanoo family remained true to their early values. This adherence to ethics and beliefs made The Kanoo Group an essential component of the UAE's business life. One of the first industries that Kanoo excelled at was shipping. No one could have predicted that it would challenge the monopoly of long-established foreign companies. The company went on to become the largest regional shipping agency in the Middle East. Today, Kanoo Shipping covers an extensive network area, including the Gulf, Red Sea, and Indian Sub-continent and represents some of the oldest, largest and most respected ship owners and operators in the world. It handles 11,000 port calls every year, which covers all ports in the Suez to India range. The historic rise of Kanoo Travel has proven similarly impressive. Kanoo Travel became the first IATA agency in the Gulf and then in 1997, became the very first travel company in the Middle East to receive the ISO certification. The group's another success story begun in mid 1960s. Kanoo Machinery used to supply construction and material handling equipment in the region. At that time, the UAE was just setting up its oil and gas industry and developing its infrastructure. By providing the government and private sectors with world-class equipment and services, Kanoo Machinery helped lay down the foundations of the vital sectors of UAE's economy. Today, Kanoo has diversified business industries in shipping, travel, machinery, energy, logistics, specialty chemicals and business centers, and other retail and commercial activities; and operates extensively throughout Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen and Qatar.
