The award recognised a long, successful career in construction for Khimji, who started in industry with a single hardware shop in 1976 before moving into villas. Since then, his business has grown into a diversified empire that includes contracting, oil & gas services, MEP and landscaping services, as well as a group of building materials arms that have concrete batching plants, precast factories, steel and aluminium fabrication plants and joinery & carpentry arms.

Khimji recently told CW that he has built the group through “reverse engineering” to ensure it receives a greater share of income from contracts as well as offering more control and certainty over supplies.

The 75-year-old, who grew up in India and studied in the US, has been a naturalised Omani citizen for decades and has retained all of his business investments within the Sultanate. Al Turki Enterprises now employs over 15,000 people and has a turnover of around $520mn.

Khimji is planning to retire within five years.