Mustafa Kassam
Published onMustafa Kassam is co-founder and a director of the Midas Safety Group, exporting to 80 countries and 200 customers worldwide.
Midas Safety is the world’s no. 1 private-label safety glove manufacturer, and its sister business Midas Corporate & Industrial Clothing is a leading manufacturer of work clothing.
For the last decade, however, Mustafa Kassam has become increasingly involved in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects in the Sub Continent, with education and health as integral parts of his welfare agenda.
Exceptional service
Mustafa Kassam was born in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, became an industrial management trainee at the age of 18 and by the time he was 22 had ventured into setting up a business manufacturing industrial clothing. His products were shipped to the Middle East, USA and Canada. The company expanded to add industrial gloves to its range, and soon found an international customer base for these that allowed it to sell into Asia as well.
For over 30 years, a large portfolio of globally renowned personal protection safety brands have been relying on Midas Safety. Its vast product range makes it a “supermarket for gloves”, committed to consistent high quality and innovation. Their customers know their business can progress and thrive safely when they work with Midas.
This is demonstrated every day through exceptional customer service, high quality manufacturing and industry knowledge. It is no surprise that his clothing business also counts superior customer service among the pillars of its Business Philosophy, along with ethical trading (applying fair trade practices among all stakeholders who in turn benefit fairly from the organisation`s success) and long-term relationships with its business partners i.e. customers, suppliers and employees.
Improving quality of life
Mustafa Kassam’s CSR focus is predominantly on education and healthcare and is targeted towards underprivileged and marginalised communities in the Sub Continent. His contribution is not limited to funding projects, as he gets actively involved to ensure they operate professionally, effectively and efficiently. He provides both hands-on support but also, crucially, brings his entrepreneurial acumen to offer vision and strategy for future direction.
He believes that CSR is the continuing commitment by a business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large.
This approach combines ethics with business strategy, each fuelling the success of the other. Year after year Midas clients choose to work with the company because the Kassam family is focused on a safer and more productive world. They can rely on Midas to develop their products while adhering to the highest standards of energy efficiency and employee health.
Quality education
In the education sector, the Kassam family is creating institutes and programmes that offer quality education, achieved through commitment to high goals. The promotion of vocational education is close to his heart because of the shortage of skilled workers, which both hinders business development and prevents communities becoming more prosperous.
Midas Safety provides scholarships, particularly scholarships for girls, and essentials such as school bags, so that nothing comes between pupils and their dream of a bright future.
Patient welfare
Within the health sector, his priority is patient welfare and the governing principal is to provide affordable and easily accessible medical facilities to the underprivileged. With partner agencies, he is setting up clinics and funding life-saving treatments.
Midas has provided medical equipment, ambulance, medicine and other accessories to government hospitals, and regularly runs blood-donation campaigns for health welfare.
Disaster relief
Disaster relief is also an integral part of the Kassam family’s CSR activities and Midas Safety is always ready to help by providing essential goods for flood victims and displaced people. To facilitate river water transport, boats have also been made available for people to travel with ease.
Mustafa Kassam currently lives in Dubai with his wife and four children.