In the early 1800s, Mulamoottil family patriarch Mulamoottil Mathen settled in Kozhencherry, a major business hub in the erstwhile princely state of Travancore (now part of Kerala state in India). He was a prominent merchant and money lender. His son Mathen Mathen expanded the money-lending activities and ventured into tobacco trade that was in vogue at that time. His son Mathen Mathai got trained, and got into the Ayurvedic discipline of eye care that his maternal family had expertise in.
In 1885, Mathen Mathai returned to Kozhencherry and started an Ayurvedic eye care facility at the family home. He was a proficient physician and was revered for his selfless service. Being a prominent merchant who was financially stable, he devoted his medical service to the people and did not charge a fee.
Even today, Mulamoottil family is known widely across Kerala state as a family of Ayurvedic eye physicians.
Mathen Mathai's son MM Abraham concentrated more on financial services business than eye care. He started a retail banking business known popularly in India as the Chit business.
MA Thomas, a gold medallist MA graduate from Kerala University broke tradition and served in the British government at its provinces in Malaysia and south east Asia. He managed a rubber estate in Malaysia before the Second World War, divesting it at the start of the war and moved to Ceylon (Sri Lanka). He launched a banking business in Ceylon around the time the country gained independence. The consequent turmoil in the country saw him return to India and launch a construction and trading business in 1966 besides continuing the family business in money lending.
His son, Jacob Thomas (Sunny Mulamoottil) is the present chairman of Mulamoottil since 1984. He is the sixth-generation business leader from the family and the most prolific entrepreneur the family has ever seen. His dynamic visionary leadership saw the group reach great heights. When he took over, the group had a traditional banking business (money lending & chits), a trading company (construction materials) and under-utilised land.
He increased the presence of Mulamoottil to 4 districts and added independent businesses like Realty, NBFC, Micro-Finance, Leasing, Mortgage Loans and spearheaded the Chit (retail banking) business in the early 1990s.
Dr. Ashley Jacob Mulamoottil is the current Vice-Chairman of Mulamoottil Group. With his pioneering vision and innovative thinking, Dr. Ashley oversaw the group’s entry into new segments like Healthcare, Education and Agriculture. His experience working in 3 different continents has led to a renewed focus on the work culture, making Mulamoottil a great place to work at. Dr. Ashley is an Eye Surgeon, MBA, Author, Speaker and Educationist. He is especially known for his keen interest in using primary school education to engage the minds of children and create Ethical Leadership qualities in them.
He is also a basketball champion, biker and Environmental Enthusiast having a unique interest in sustainable organic farming techniques. He is a passionate advocate for free Health Education.
