Who is MA Yusuff Ali? All About LuLu Group Chairman Who Settled Kerala Woman's Rs 8 Lakh Loan

A woman in Kerala was forced to leave her home after she failed to pay a loan of Rs 8 lakh. She had borrowed Rs 4 lakh from Manappuram Finance, a non-banking financial company based in Kerala, to build her house in 2019. However, in 2021, her husband abandoned her and their two children, which halted the loan repayments. Over the years, interest accrued and the outstanding amount doubled. This prompted the NBFC to initiate foreclosure proceedings after multiple warnings went unheeded.

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The officials from the private institution replaced the locks on her house, leaving the family of three on the streets. The incident sparked outrage among locals and drew media attention. When LuLu Group Chairman MA Yusuff Ali learned about the situation, he not only paid off the woman’s loan but also provided her with an additional Rs 10 lakh to help her start a fixed deposit.

But, do you know who is Lulu Group Chairman MA Yusuff Ali?

1- MA Yusuff Ali was born in Kerala on 15 November 1955. He moved to Abu Dhabi in 1973 to join his paternal uncle’s small distribution business, which he helped transform into the billion-dollar empire it is today.

2- He completed his schooling at St. Xavier’s High School in Karanchira and later a diploma in Business Management and Administration.

3- Yusuff Ali serves as the chairman and managing director of LuLu Group, which operates the global LuLu Hypermarket chain and LuLu International Shopping Mall. The group has a total of four malls in India – the first in Kochi, followed by Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, and Lucknow.

4- According to Forbes, Yusuff Ali, known as the “Middle East retail king”, has a net worth of $7.4 billion.

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5- Forbes Middle East ranked Yusuff Ali No. 1 on its list of the Top 100 Indian Business Owners in the Arab World in 2018.

6- He also served as the Second Vice-Chairman at the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

7- He is married to Shabira Yusuff Ali and they have three daughters. Their elder daughter Shabeena is married to billionaire businessman Shamsheer Vayalil. Their second daughter, Shafeena, is married to Adeeb Ahamed, who heads Lulu International Exchange and Twenty14 Holdings. The youngest daughter, Shifa, is married to Sharoon Shamsudheen, who runs successful IT businesses.