ARAB BUSINESS LEADERS SHAPING THE GLOBE

CARLOS GHOSN: As CEO and Chairman of Nissan of Japan and CEO and President of Renault of France, Carlos Ghosn, a French Lebanese businessman has achieved phenomenal results in business and is largely credited to turning Nissan around. This impressive turnaround of Nissan was responsible not only for his celebrity status in Japan but also the publication of several books. Born in Brazil in the 1950s, Ghosn moved to Beirut with his mother at a young age and then to Paris where he graduated with an engineering degree from the Ecole Polytechnique in 1978. He is married with four children and is fluent in four languages; French, English, Arabic and Portuguese. In 2003, Ghosn was voted Man of the Year by Fortune Magazine’s Asian edition and is now on the board of Alcoa, Sony and IBM. Despite the fact that Ghosn is not a UK citizen, he was named Knight Commander of the British Empire in 2006, however whilst he may use the impressive KBE honor he is unable to use the title “Sir’’

FADI GHANDOUR: For those who don’t know, Fadi Ghandour is the CEO and Founder of Aramex. Established in 1982, Aramex is a relatively small player in the Middle East despite being DHL’s first real competitor in the Region. By 1997 Aramex became the first Arab-based international company to be listed on the NASDAQ. Since then it went public on the Dubai Financial market and has become renowned for its focus on sustainability. In 2006 it released its first annual sustainability report making it the first company in the region to do so. Alongside this, Aramex has joined the United Nations Global Compact and has expressed its commitment to going carbon neutral. To-date, the company that Fadi built from scratch now has 8,000 employees working for the company in 150 locations.

JOE SADDI: As a senior partner and Chairman of the Board at Booz and Co, Mr. Saddi has a wealth of regional and international experience. With more than 20 years experience in consulting and restructuring services he now leads Booz and Co’s activities in the Middle East. In a recent interview with ‘The National’ he discussed the role that Booz and Co played in developing Plan Abu Dhabi 2030, a plan aimed to transform the UAE capital’s economy. As a dual Lebanese and French citizen, Saddi previously worked in Europe and also in the US at Bain and Co. He has an MBA from Cornell University and a bachelor’s diploma from ESSEC in Paris. His work over the years has included; leading major privatization programs, advising Middle Easter governments on sector deregulation and sector policy as well as working with large family owned companies to help design governance and portfolio strategies.

BASSAM GHRAOUI: As the CEO of Ghraoui chocolate, Bassam has a love for the sweeter things in life. In just a few short years he has taken his father’s previous company and revolutionized it into something truly amazing. Today, Bassam, who is of Syrian Origin, is CEO of the company that sells world class chocolate. Previously a small company in Syria that employed just six people, the company now employs 250 people and is continuing to expand. Paris is next in line, as is London. What makes the chocolate at Ghraoui so special is not just its amazing taste but also its brand values. Under his leadership and vision, Ghraoui chocolate is now available in the UAE in Dubai Festival City, Dubai Mall and DFC. What is clear about Bassam is that he has real passion, passion for business and passion for chocolate which he now imports from Côte d’Ivoire and exports to Switzerland. With 80 per cent cocoa solids in some of Ghraoui’s chocolate products, the taste is amazing. To ensure that his company maintains its Syrian Origins, Bassam ensures that in every Ghraoui store there is a member of staff from Syria. In addition even the names of his chocolates evoke and reflect his country’s rich heritage. With four busy seasons a year; Ramadan; Eid al Adha; Christmas, New Year and Easter, Bassam is a busy man. Not only does he produce some of the finest chocolate he also makes fruit jellies, fondants, marzipan and of course the candied miniature aubergines, prickly pears and apples that Damascus is so well known for.