Azad Moopen

Azad Moopen, a doctor and former lecturer at the Calicut Medical College, visited the UAE in 1987 to raise funds for the renovation of a mosque in his hometown of Kalpakanchery in Kerala. Recognising that the healthcare sector had yet to boom in the UAE, he decided to set up his own medical practice out of a two-bedroom apartment in Bur Dubai near Port Rashid.

The Aster DM Healthcare group that he founded – which includes three brands: Aster, Medcare and Access – has since scaled exponentially to 388 medical establishments in eight countries, with a combined workforce of around 20,000 employees and revenues of $1.07bn in 2018-2019. In February, the company also received approvals to obtain 100 per cent ownership of its business within Dubai.