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Bahrain and the wider Gulf region have lost one of their finest business leaders and philanthropists. The recent passing of Khalid Mohammed Kanoo represents more than the departure of a respected leader, it is the farewell to a kind, generous and visionary individual who touched countless lives.

I recall vividly the first time that I met Khalid, more than 35 years ago, on a flight from London to Bahrain, when we were fortuitously seated together. Already a leading figure in his family’s business dynasty, I, conversely, had a more discreet profile at the time. While I knew him by name, we had never met before. The meeting of minds and chemistry between us was evident instantly and we spoke throughout the length of the journey on a variety of topics, including finance, business and regional affairs, before I even realized whose esteemed company I was in.

Although he had by then only chaired the Yusuf bin Ahmed Kanoo Group for the past decade, he would be a visionary leader within the business for scores more. He was always more than simply a custodian of the family enterprise; he played a pivotal role in modernizing the business, turning it into a regional powerhouse spanning trade, logistics, travel, real estate and investment. He also understood, before many of his contemporaries, that family businesses within the region needed to become public companies, they needed infusions of outside capital, and they needed strong corporate governance to become both sustainable enterprises and engines for growth and jobs in the future.

Khalid once said that a family business only survives if it is run on merit, not inheritance. He lived by that principle. Khalid believed in surrounding himself with the best people, listening to them, empowering them and giving them the space to grow. This also meant bringing outside expertise into his own ranks, rather than the “yes men” often employed by other business families in the region. Long before others in the Gulf spoke about gender inclusion, Khalid was quietly making it a reality, not because it was fashionable but because many of the most capable people, in Bahrain at the time and in ����ֱ�� and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries today, are in fact women.

Many of my fondest recollections of Khalid are from the myriad business delegations that we jointly participated in, notably when I was vice chair of the Arab Business Council of the World Economic Forum and we participated in the forum’s regional events together in the years coinciding with the George W. Bush administration. There was a particularly notable Arab Business Council visit to Singapore along with many friends, including the departed Farouk Al-Moayyed and with King Abdullah of Jordan.

Khalid cared deeply for his country and the welfare of the people. His business role only told part of the story and he gave his time generously to the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which he chaired for many years. He sat on the Central Bank of Bahrain board and he advised the Economic Development Board. He was also instrumental in expanding the Young Presidents Organization within the GCC. Most telling was his work in healthcare through the establishment of the Gulf Diabetes Specialist Center in collaboration with Harvard’s Joslin Diabetes Center. It was Bahrain’s first dedicated diabetes facility, born from Khalid’s conviction that prosperity must be matched by well-being.

He was also a man of culture and reflection. Khalid wrote about family businesses and their future and about the story of the Kanoo family itself. His books were both important annals of history for the GCC region and gifts of knowledge to younger generations, who could learn from both his successes and struggles. He wanted the Gulf’s future leaders to understand that progress must be grounded in an understanding of the past.

Khalid once said that a family business only survives if it is run on merit, not inheritance. He lived by that principle.

Khalid Abdulla-Janahi

Khalid’s principal asset was his character. He carried himself with warmth and humility. He listened more than he spoke. He was generous without seeking recognition. He had that rare ability to make people feel valued in his presence, whether you were a sheikh, a minister, a young entrepreneur or an employee on your first day at work.

The turnout at his funeral in Manama spoke volumes. Public officials, business leaders and ordinary citizens gathered side by side to pay their respects. Khalid’s legacy will live on through the Kanoo Group, a family business rooted in tradition and an evolutionary approach and mindset. His example in both business and society also reminds us that what matters most is not what we build, but the lives we impact.

Only a few weeks before he passed away, I received a call from Khalid asking after my own well-being out of genuine friendship and empathy, at a moment when Khalid was facing his own difficulties. This last conversation will remain prominent in my mind and is a true reflection of Khalid’s character and outlook. For those of us who had the privilege of calling him a friend, we will sorely miss him. For many of us across the region, may his example continue to inspire.

• Khalid Abdulla-Janahi is a leading financier, global strategy pundit and philanthropist. He is co-founder of the Maryam Forum Foundation (UK). He previously served as co-chair of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on the Middle East and North Africa and vice chair of the Arab Business Council.