Shareef Muhammed
Shareef Muhammed, the Founder and Managing Director of Cubes International Group, is among India’s most prominent young industrialists, renowned for setting a unique benchmark in the logistics industry, operating currently in India, Qatar, and the UAE. In 2023, Shareef has skilfully transformed his company’s fortunes by diversifying into verticals such as logistics, media production, architecture, shipping, civil and MEP engineering, general trading, and construction under the Cubes International banner, making each a successful venture.
Embarking on his entrepreneurial journey in 2011, Shareef Muhammed dedicated his extra hours after work to conceptualize the vision for Cubes International Group. He utilized his personal savings from his salary to establish a labour contract and manpower consultancy in West Asia. From this business venture, through his remarkable business acumen and sharp eye for opportunity, Shareef built his company, transformed it, and ensured that the investments became a profitable venture.
Despite facing challenges such as the global pandemic of COVID-19, Shareef Muhammed’s success at a young age has earned him the respect of many in the business world across India and West Asia.
Shareef Muhammed: The Entrepreneurial Spirit from Humble Beginnings
Shareef Muhammed is a man whose story embodies the indomitable human spirit. Born on June 2, 1986, in Thalikulam, Thrissur, Kerala, into a middle-class family, Shareef lost his father at the tender age of six. Despite this early setback, his mother Laila singlehandedly raised and provided for him. Shareef still credits his mother who instilled in him a sense of resilience and strength that has served him well throughout his life.
Shareef’s journey into entrepreneurship began with a brief foray into the sports business during his late teens, which unfortunately did not pan out. Nevertheless, his passion for sports and business remained undimmed. After completing his higher secondary education in 2005, he wanted to pursue Physical Education, but parental pressure forced him to change course. He then set his sights on becoming a flight attendant and joined the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Training and Development Institute in 2006. In 2008, he also completed his undergraduate degree in Commerce.
In late 2008, Shareef moved to Dubai in search of better job opportunities but struggled to find work due to a lack of experience. Undeterred, he eventually landed a job as a sales coordinator. However, he soon realized that he needed to take a bold step if he wanted to achieve his dreams. The quench for setting up his own venture was born after toiling in West Asia. After a few months, he secured a rewarding job at a construction company but was left waiting for almost six months for the offer letter, which never arrived. Instead of giving up, he decided to move to Qatar to start afresh.
Initially, life kept throwing a curve ball at Shareef in Qatar. The first job he landed lasted for only three months as the company was negligent in paying salaries. Despite numerous setbacks, Shareef persevered, and it was in 2011 that he finally gave full vent to his entrepreneurial drive. With a passion for labour contracting, Shareef saved up a part of his earnings while working as a Procurement Officer at an airport construction company in Qatar to start his own venture, Manpower Consultancy. As is often the case with start-ups, Manpower Consultancy faced numerous challenges. Nevertheless, Shareef’s indomitable spirit and resilience kept him going. He lost his job at the construction company, he quickly found another opportunity at a vehicle leasing firm. Recognizing a chance to grow his budding enterprise, Shareef seized the moment and made a deal with the firm’s client to provide drivers. He started with 300 drivers but quickly grew to 1300, laying the groundwork for his business empire.
With his labor contracting service booming in Qatar, Shareef set his sights on his motherland, Kerala, to fulfil his late mother’s dream of starting a business there. He established Cubes International Logistics in 2018, when India implemented Goods and Service Tax (GST) and simplified tax processes. Shareef took full benefit of this reform to lay the foundation of his logistics company.
Personal Life
On 9 December 2012, Shareef Muhammed got married to Jumana Hameed. They have two children – Freya Mariam (born on 19 March 2015) and Ayah Mariam (born on 24 October 2016).
