Dr. Muhammed Majeed, founder and chairman of the Sami-Sabinsa Group, has died at the age of 75.
Majeed passed away peacefully surrounded by his family, following complications from surgery.
His daughter, Dr. Anju Majeed, succeeds him as chair of the Sami-Sabinsa Group.
Muhammed Majeed pioneered the development of standardized herbal extracts from India’s Ayurvedic plants and created a global market for them.
In 1988, he started operation of the Sabinsa Corporation in New Jersey as the first phase of his vision.
Initially launched to make generic drugs, he saw an opportunity to introduce ingredients based upon traditional Ayurvedic knowledge backed by modern science at a time when Americans were turning towards natural health care options.
In 1991, Dr. Majeed set up Sami Labs, a cutting-edge research and manufacturing facility in Bengaluru, India.
Today, Sami, a division of Sami-Sabinsa Group alongside Sabinsa, operates 11 manufacturing facilities and employs over 1,400 people, including over 120 senior scientists.
Sabinsa Cosmetics was formed in 2001 to market specialized ingredients for the personal care and cosmetics industries.
When the wellness wave hit India in 2010, Dr. Majeed seized upon the direct-to-consumer business model and started Sami Direct to market his company’s ingredients in consumer product goods.
Sami Direct now offers 20 products, ranging from weight management, joint health, bone strength, detox supplements, and skincare and cosmetics.
Over 36 years, the Sami-Sabinsa Group expanded its operations in the US and India, and established full-fledged operations in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, UAE, and Vietnam, in addition to satellite offices in France, Hungary, Spain, Taiwan and the UK.
Majeed was born in September 1945 and grew up in Kollam, in Kerala, India, one of six children.
After earning an undergraduate degree in pharmacy from the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College in 1973, he worked as a teacher before emigrating to the US in 1975 with eight dollars in his pocket.
Initially working in a pharmacy, he pursued his Master’s in industrial pharmacy from Long Island University in New York.
He then went on to complete his doctorate in industrial pharmacy from St. John’s University in New York in 1986.
Majeed is survived by his daughters Anju and Sami, his son Shaheen, and grandchildren Rizwan, Johara, Nasneen, Ramses, Sunayna, Rajah, and Maximo.
