DR. SONY SEBASTIAN
Founder & Managing Director,
Fusion Shipping Worldwide
‘There is a leader in everyone, but very few discover it…. There is an achiever in everybody, but very few have the will to realise it. What makes Dr. Sony Sebastian unique is that he realised his potential quite early in his life and channelized it right to achieve newer heights.’
Born in 1968, at Kottayam, as the son of V. D Sebastian (Appachan), a small-scale merchant and a farmer, and Kunjamma Sebastian, a home maker, Sony was an ordinary man with an extra ordinary resolve and determination to fight against all odds and to make it out in the world. It was that resolve, and determination made this first-generation businessman who started his career in sales, to become an entrepreneur of integrity and international repute.
After completing his schooling from St. Aloysius High School, Athirampuzha, pre-degree and BSc in Chemistry from K.E. College Mannanam, he felt it is time to explore new possibilities in law and joined the School of Indian Legal Thought, under MG University, to pursue LLB, which he chose to discontinue and shoulder the responsivities of his family due to financial challenges that his family faced with.
Sony was an ordinary man with an extraordinary resolve and determination to fight against all odds and to make it out in the world. It was that resolve, and determination made this first-generation businessman who started his career in sales, to become an entrepreneur of integrity and international repute.
With no solid plan or clarity on the roads ahead, he set out his journey in Jan 1993 to Mumbai, an unknown territory for him hitherto, where he worked as a sales executive in 4 different companies including Godrej and Eureka Forbes Ltd. Soon he got a major break in his career with an offer from Management Systems International KSA, in early 1994 where he started as a trainee sales rep and worked his way up to become a Squad Leader and a Regional Pacer, responsible for setting the pace of the team that includes recruiting, training and managing a sales team specialized in selling books version of encyclopedia and other educational products like, Early Learning Fun, GEOSAFARI etc. in KSA, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Bangladesh and Nepal.
Due to internet revolution and on slaught of CD ROM encyclopaedia, the book version of encyclopaedia selling was waning, and Sony had to look out for himself and got into a newer trade and joined Al Qabandi & Partners Co, in December 1997 where he would start learning the ropes of Freight Forwarding for the next two years.
His next destination was a medium size multi-national company, Freight Systems Co. Ltd., Kuwait, where he joined in November 1999. In the next six years and eight months, he successfully built a high performing sales team and was responsible for the country’s sales budget. Now, he felt the need for him to get into bigger leagues and associate himself with companies of international repute where he can gain global exposure, deal with greater challenges and learn the trick of the trade. He found that opportunities with Wilhelmsen Ships Services, Kuwait, a Norway head quartered company, the largest port and service provider in the world.
According to Sony’s own words it was Wilhelmsen who helped to transform him into a full-fledged logistics professional where he had the fortune to avail training materials of Wilhelmsen Academy and benefit immensely from the able leadership of Alex Lewis to whom he used to report to. He was given full authority and freedom there to restructures division, recruit his teammates, develop new products and bring in new agents. In a little over 3 years, he tripled the profitability of the division under him. The tenure Sony had with Wlhelmsen Ship Services exposed him to the Global Logistics world where he would travel extensively and develop agents around the world and made him realize his latent potential and shaped him to be a proven leader.
Now the time is ripe for an entrepreneurial leap, felt Sony Sebastian. That was how, with solid experience in diversified areas, he launched Fusion Shipping Worldwide, a logistics service provider offering logistics solutions worldwide, in January 2010.
Right from the beginning, Sony wanted it to be the most customer-friendly logistics service provider, at the same time a cordial environment for the employees. Today, Fusion Shipping Worldwide has grown to a medium-size business group with over 500 employees, establishing its presence in the region with world-class service to its customers. There are over 15 different companies and subsidiaries under this group, operating in 6 different countries and affiliations with over 20 brands. Fusion Group today has operations in freight forwarding, warehousing, Intl moving, relocations, rental & leasing, NVOCC, ISO tank, Flexi Tanks, manufacturing, medical equipment, trading & contracting, media & entertainment, Holograms & Seals, interior designs and Restaurants.
A born entrepreneur, risk taker and a team player, his interest in business grew over the years and he quickly understood the route and dynamics of business, which resulted in the growth of Fusion Group of Companies, which comprise companies in Kuwait, UAE, UK, Uganda and India, Iraq.(The companies under this umbrella are: Fusion Shipping & Logistics Co.WLL., Kuwait Fusion Scientific Contracting Co.WLL., Kuwait, Raise Intl Trading company Co WLL, Kuwait, 360 Vison Shipping Logistics Co.WLL, Kuwait, Fusion Specialized Shipping & Logistics LLC, Dubai, UAE, Eagle Specialized Transport Co. Dubai, UAE, Fusion 360 LLC., UAE, Genesis Chemical Tank Containers LLC. Dubai, UAE, Fortis Gen. Trading LLC., Dubai, UAE, Tauji group of restaurants, UAE, Fusion International Shipping, Abu Dhabi, UAE, HYPERTECH Holograms and Seals LLC., UAE 360 Vision Shipping & Logistics Co., Kuwait, Mighty Shipping Line, BVI Ltd., UK, Fusion Apparels Ltd, UK, Fusion Industries Pvt Ltd., India.
The group has been diversifying its business, increasing its portfolio and growing steadily across the Middle East, Europe and India, thanks to Dr. Sony’s business acumen, participatory leadership qualities, risk taking appetite and eternal positivity. He believes that teamwork yields better results. So, the best-of-the industry professionals are happy to join Fusion, which has been successful inbuilding a talent pool that ensures every effort is made towards fulfilling its mission and vision.
“Now looking back, I feel happy and humbled at the same time about the long strides we have taken together as a team and strongly believe that the core team Fusion has, is capable of doing greater things and taking the group to the higher orbits, he says.
He is of the opinion that the word “self-made man’ is a wrong concept as according to him everyone in this universe is interconnected and no one can achieve anything without being drawn from the very society he or she belongs to and hence, it’s only fair that one pays the debt back to the society where he or she draws the energy from and giving back to the society is a norm Sony adheres to. To this end, Fusion Group has been engaged in providing training and internship to fresh graduates, apart from cash awards and recognitions to the children of the employees, who score high marks in 10thand 12th standards. Further, he sponsors academic activities promoting digital educations, upgrading school libraries, socials, cultural and sports activities apart from philanthropic activities for social and economic causes.
Dr. Sony has been a regular contributing member to many global forwarding networks, and he has participated in more than 40 freight forwarding network conferences in over in over 30 countries and he still continues to do so. Also, he has appointed as a board member of Global. Forwarding Partnership and represents as the Executive Director, Middle East region since 2014.Moreover, Fusion has been appointed as the official logistics provider for many exhibitions including the Gulf Defence and Aviation exhibitions in 2013,2015 and 2017 held at Kuwait.
A born Achiever, Dr. Sony won many laurels at the personal and professional front. He was awarded the Honorary doctorate in shipping and logistics from the Open International, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2015 and also Honorary Doctorate from Kings University, USA. In 2010, he was elected International Vice President of JCI, Athirampuzha, Kerala, India- and also he was the Joint Secretary of Trivandrum Royal Rotary Club in 2015-16.Some of the that he got include Lifetime Achievement Award by Global Pravasi Malayalee Council, Manchester, UK (2015), Lifetime Achievement Award by Rotary club of Trivandrum Royal (2015), which was presented at the British Parliament Hall, London, Deepika Business Achievement Award (2017), Garshom Business Excellence Award (2018) and Lincoln Best Entrepreneur Award (2018).
Other awards include CEO of the year Award (2011 – 2012 & 2012 – 2013), by Global Forwarding Partners Inc., Young International Award (2011) – GFP, Project Forwarding Award (2012) – GFP, Quantum Elite Award (2014) WWPC, TOBIP (Three Outstanding Businessman /Industrialist/Professionals) Award (2014) by JCI India and GFP Chairman’s Award (2015).
He has been married for 24 years with Shiny Sebastian and been blessed with 3 lovely daughters: Nicole, Neorah and Norabel.