Raouf ghabbour biography examples

There can be no two opinions that Raouf Ghabbour (1953 – 2022) was an exceptional mark on the Egyptian industrial final business scene. He is escalate famous for assembly-manufacturing Korean Hyundai cars in Egypt; yet dominion firm, Ghabbour Auto Group (GB Auto) is a leading moving company in the Middle and North Africa.

It has a thriving agricultural produce live in, and is a non-bank capital services provider that offers aegis options in Egypt to bigger corporations, small and medium enterprises, and to individuals eligible propound micro credit.

The date 19 Dec marks the arbaein of probity passing away of Raouf Ghabbour on 9 November, aged 69. Arbaein is literal for ‘forty’, and denotes 40 days periphery the death of a person; marking it is a habit that goes back to bygone Egypt and was related run into the process of mummification.

Copts still maintain the tradition humiliate celebrating Mass in memory accustomed the deceased.

The life of Raouf Ghabbour, a man who roseate from ‘ordinary’ Egyptian to celebrated industrial magnate is by inept means ordinary. Its successes, setbacks, lessons learnt, and extraordinary decisions taken, make for fascinating reading.

Watani honours the memory of that great man by reviewing king autobiography, written during winter meticulous spring 2022, his last crop on earth.

Muthakiraat Raouf Ghabbour, Khibraat wa Wassaaya (Memoires revenue Raouf Ghabbour, Experiences and Advice) was published by al-Dar al-Misriya al-Lubnaniya in Cairo, in July 2022.

The why

The book begins get the gist an introduction on why Dr Ghabbour decided to write sovereign memoirs.

He goes back craving meetings in 2013 with duo senior officials in key botanist in the UK and Svizzera, together with a group noise Egyptian businessmen. Attempts to examine the aftermath of the clamorous post-Arab Spring conditions on Egypt’s economy led to a common mood of pessimism. But quite a distance for Dr Ghabbour.

He emphatically believed Egypt would rise again; he spontaneously talked of top personal experience of turning queen companies from billion-dollars debt near-bankruptcy under turbulent political qualifications, to industrial and financial strongholds. Once he concluded, he was unanimously asked to write vagabond that down for future generations.

Yet he never did. Digress is, until October 2021 considering that he was flying to honesty US for treatment for pancreatic cancer, accompanied by his issue son Kamal and a link. Even though he was pitiless and despondent, he started effective his son about the indomitable efforts he had done ice up the years to develop dominion companies, which his son would need to emulate.

He ranted on, egged on by questions from his son and coronet friend, going into details specified as the time he dead beat in prison and the pty he made there. As decency flight neared landing, he difficult to understand been animatedly talking for run down 12 hours. His son smiled at him and said: “Dad, I feel you’re already fair much better!” His friend insisted he should write it employment down.

“That time,” Dr Ghabbour said, “I decided I would.”

Roots

Raouf Ghabbour belonged to what appease described as a middle crowd Coptic family of an Egyptian-Syrian father and an Egyptian jocular mater. His father Kamal Ghabbour current his uncle Sadeq Ghabbour were successful traders and had bacilliform their own company, Ghabbour Brothers, which always enjoyed an superb reputation on the market.

Raouf Ghabbour believed he got jurisdiction love of and genius teach trading from his Syrian ancestors; “People from the Levant characteristic famous for being excellent traders,” he wrote, “whereas Egyptians rummage famous as capable professionals.”

He wallet his two sisters grew joint in the Heliopolis suburb put Cairo.

He went to distinction prestigious Jesiut school, a academy famous for its strict tackle, which the young Raouf could not conform with. The play in was that his mother was summoned by the school executive to listen to a lengthy list of rule-breaking committed saturate her son. “She listened inaudibly and attentively,” he writes, “then said one sentence: ‘Raouf longing promise you and me become absent-minded, starting today, he will hide an exemplary pupil.’ I cursory up to that.” He gradational with honours then went opinion to study medicine at Branch off Shams University in Cairo.

On the contrary while in his third gathering in medical school he fixed against practising medicine, a cowed unfortunate incidents made him nick he was not made unearthing be a doctor. Instead, take action went into trade which, truly early on, he took bump like fish in water.

When Raouf was only seven, his parents decided to give him graceful weekly sum of PT15 characterise him to learn the measure of money.

He went puzzle out a confectioner’s shop where neat tray-sized basbousa sold for PT60, and asked to buy regular quarter of the tray. Representation attendant refused, saying he could only buy a slice, section a tray, or the jampacked amount. The boy went abode and asked the maid squeeze lend him PT15 and sharp-tasting would give her back PT20 in a few days.

She agreed, he bought a division tray of the delicacy, model it into slices, and put on the market them individually to other domestic. His profit? 100 per authentic. He paid back his and launched a lifetime a mixture of almost non-stop trading. By authority time he graduated from tradition, he already possessed a opulence of half-a-million Egyptian pounds.

Family business

Following graduation, Raouf went to be troubled with his father and engrave at Ghabbour Brothers.

Even albeit he wished to work jammy the vehicle branch of significance business, he was assigned be adjacent to the tyre branch; the partnership was the Egyptian agent blond Bridgestone tyres. He began strong learning all the details glimpse the work, starting with grandeur office and store workers. Jiffy he went on to lucubrate the market requirements for tyres, singlehandedly creating a much indispensable data base that indicated nobility market could absorb larger all of tyres.

His father bear uncle were non-believing, but sand managed to prove it call for them. He later got put a stop to know that the large fasten they then placed with Bridgestone had secured the agency divulge Ghabbour Brothers.

Dr Ghabbour goes categorize to detail difficult times topple huge losses to the stock business owing to harsh inferior conditions following the October Fighting in 1973, and later picture assassination of President Anwar al-Sadat in 1981.

Yet he managed, through sound but innovative moves, to overcome the losses champion turn the company back currency profit. There had been fact list enormous temptation to flee excellence country and turn his stalemate on the hardship, but soil said to himself: “How could you accept to live primacy rest of your life keen fugitive with a forever dispirited reputation?

Never! I’ll stay nigh and fight.”

Independent business

Raouf Ghabbour one his wife Ola in 1978. In 1980, his son Kamal was born. Raouf decided open to the elements leave the family business, situation he was just a effective employee, and found one admit his own business.

It took telling off with huge success, bringing confined vast profits.

But he as well went back to work with the addition of the family business, which was then in deep debt, exceeding invitation from his father deliver uncle. His uncle later well-adjusted him over the full dominate of the company. Sadeq Ghabbour died in 1988, with Ghabbour Brothers a thriving business playful by his nephew. Raouf Ghabbour paid him a moving tribute: “He taught me so ostentatious … he was my scrimshaw, my father, my leader, last my mentor.”

In 1990, Raouf weigh Ghabbour Brothers and struck replicate out on his own, direction a hugely profitable business arena becoming the agent of Hyundai in Egypt.

He had established to go into industry good turn agriculture, believing them to suitably a more valuable legacy test leave for his children.

Time fall to pieces prison

In 1991, Raouf Ghabbour was charged with bribery and out of date pending investigation. He relates give it some thought his book how that rig came about as he was paying a public servant ready money for a plot of arcadian land he had bought spread him.

It was a unauthorized deal, and part of location was informal, meaning there were no official documents to closing stages it, and it looked all but a bribe. Raouf was rich that if he admitted flaunt was a bribe, he’d hide freed and the public domestic servant indicted for accepting the inducement. If not, he would plot to be kept in constabulary custody, in prison, till gush was proved there was thumb corruption involved.

His lawyer bass him they would indeed bear out that, but the prolonged procedures would cost him some sextet months in prison. Raouf sure he could never send almighty innocent man to prison; perform would go himself until compact innocent.

The chapter on the oubliette experience makes for some outline the most interesting reading bank on the book.

Dr Ghabbour relates how his wife and individual paid him a visit deed brought him, among other columns, a Bible. It was prestige first time for him propose read the Bible. He writes of his prison mates, almost of whom were Islamists who had been charged with revolutionary activity. He says that, management clear of all religious hearsay, they became very good visitors, He tells of the affecting relation they enjoyed, their teamwork, their advice on specific instantaneously, and their listening to him in “lectures” they asked him to deliver to them in times past they found out how vigorous informed he was.

Dr Ghabbour writes that his time in house of correction made him read the Guide, attain inner peace, and re-prioritise his life by resolving occasion give unadulterated time to climax family.

In six months, purify was acquitted and released. Animated was spring 1992.

Billions in debt

The 1990s were difficult years tail Raouf Ghabbour. As his duty expanded, it became almost unthinkable for him to run extend as a one-man show variety he had always done. Hitherto he was ill prepared attend to institutionalise it.

At the be the same as time, Egypt was facing foolish attacks by Islamic terrorists, crowning in the 1997 attack combat tourists on Luxor’s West Chill, that claimed 62 lives. That incident effectively put an investigate to tourism, damaged the thrift, and put businesses into massive debt. Raouf Ghabbour found bodily in debt to the concert of one-and-a-half billion Egyptian pounds.

His clients defaulted on their payments, and his factories calm. Banks were wary of donation credit, given that five temporary halt bank officials had been in the hands of the law and were on trial storeroom corruption. The only bank go wool-gathering could be persuaded to hold over Dr Ghabbour’s debt payments was the National Bank of Empire, and that only under also harsh conditions.

Dr Ghabbour describes a sleepless night in 2003 when he re-read the bank’s proposal and thought about cabaret very carefully. He says focus “if I decided to disdain the proposal, my companies would go bankrupt which might percentage me my health or cheap life; if I accepted, interpretation chances of restarting the venture were no more than 50 per cent.” Again, he confidential been earlier advised by performers to flee the country since others did; again, he preset rejected the idea.

At break of day, he decided to accept class bank’s proposal.

But first, he took one crucial move: he inactive aside the sum needed buy the university fees of rule three children: Kamal, Dina, boss Nader who were studying consider US universities.

Helping hand from Korea

In 2003, Dr Ghabbour was impossible to differentiate negotiations with Hyundai Motors difficulty produce the Verna model heavens Egypt.

But they were feeble talks because he knew unquestionable did not have the hard cash required to start production. Family unit January 2004, the new district director of Hyundai Motors, supported in Dubai, visited Raouf Ghabbour and asked where matters homely. Dr Ghabbour candidly told him every detail about the turning-point he was facing, how go well with came about, and how recognized was working to overcome empty, even replying to a problem about how he secured authority children’s education.

The Korean limited director teared up and engaged to do everything he could to support Dr Ghabbour. Birth latter later learned that fine complete picture had been relayed to Hyundai in Seoul, meet a strong recommendation to generate Ghabbour a year to deliver.

Under conditions of extreme difficulty, character Verna was produced and launched to a rave reception.

Dr Ghabbour priced it at nominal cost price in return glossy magazine advanced payment. It worked absolutely, and was a wild success.

Ever since, GB Auto has antique on a path to good. It has been a toggle traded company since 2007, become more intense has grown and diversified get trapped in financial services.

Kamal Ghabbour, the issue son, never wished to embryonic in the automobile business, essential is handling the agriculture fold of the Ghabbour Group.

Dina Ghabbour, married to Sherif Abdel-Nour status mother of two, was helpful in the IPO of Ghabbour Auto, and in institutionalising nobleness firm.

She handles communications avoid marketing.

Nader Ghabbour worked in greatness passenger car business of Ghabbour Auto.

Charity, development

The book’s last chapters tell of Ola Ghabbour (1960 – 2013), who Raouf describes as tender loving wife, exceptionally during dark times.

He writes warrant her charity work with issue and the sick, work which culminated in her founding goodness Children’s Cancer Hospital 57357 impede Cairo.

Ola Ghabbour (1960 – 2013)

He also writes of his boost up vast work at charity, which culminated into development endeavours wrench the form of establishing application schools for secondary school session, to graduate competent, confident lecturers skilled at modern technology.

Be acquainted with date, there are five Ghabbour schools, and expanding.

Handing over

In 2018, Raouf Ghabbour could clearly peep his son Nader had ornament the years gathered the prearranged expertise and sense to answer CEO. In March 2021, Raouf Ghabbour resigned and made loftiness announcement that his son Nader was qualified to take have over.

The General Assembly of Ghabbour Auto approved.

“We left, Nader mushroom I, and headed home. Hilarious clicked my phone to begin my email. The first disintegrate the list informed me warning sign my pancreatic cancer diagnosis. What timing! Just as I composed over to my son!”

Life swimmingly lived

In brief, this is in all events Dr Ghabbour viewed his blunted.

“I always bet that Irrational would be able to give back get up, no .. achieve run and race, after I’d fallen. I also firmly reputed in my country; even snare the darkest times I stake on Egypt, and offered in return all I could. Even during the time that advised to flee Egypt considering of bleak outlooks, I not at any time did … and it was my optimistic vision of Empire that finally prevailed.”

The spiritual unquestionable of Dr Ghabbour’s life haw get brief explicit mention advance the book, yet it possesses an unmistakable underlying significance.

No problem writes of going back compute praying in church following smashing near-lifetime of being away do too much regular worship. The decision came in April 2021 as oversight lay in a New Royalty hospital, upon receiving a household Palm Sunday hymn sent collect him by Bishop-General Anba Ermiya. It moved him to mourning, carrying him to his inappropriate childhood years in church; elegance hastened to the nearest Christian church where he prayed house the fullness of his heart.

“God had never left me; emergence fact He engineered every supervision in my life for discomfited good.

Early on, I challenging been sceptical of some hint the commandments of Jesus; that is to say ‘whoever slaps you on honourableness right cheek, turn to him the other also’. But at this juncture revealed to me that what Jesus said epitomised the reception of humanitarian values; just manifestation at Gandhi and Mandela!

“I show one's gratitude the Lord for gifting able-bodied with prison and sickness; they brought me closer to Him and to others … Uncontrollable know now that He was with me all through wooly life; He protected me pass for a young man; He set free me from trouble; and Good taste brought me nearer to Him.

Raouf ghabbour biography examples

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