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CEO
Nabil Chartouni Tells His Success Story |
AUB trustee Nabil Chartouni described his experiences as a CEO to a crowd of listeners on February 21 in an informal talk arranged by the School of Business. Chartouni's family was very poor and he began working at a young age to earn his living. His first job was washing dishes, but later he studied tourism and the hotel industry at Michigan State University. During an Elvis Presley performance he managed to get hold of Presley's autograph, which he sold for $50,000. He was soon promoted to the position of general manager of the Holiday Inn Hotel and at the age of 28, he became the youngest Vice President of Holiday Inn, in charge of the Middle Eastern Region. Seven years later, he opened a hotel in Beirut with 18 branches throughout the Middle East. Chartouni talked about how he soon got "tired of working for other people," and decided to start his own company in London, where he began building a 120-room hotel. The next field he explored was banking. He explained his career as a constant search for "something different," an unending accumulation of knowledge and learning about other cultures. "Most importantly, recognizing that you do not know is the beginning of the process of learning. You should always give of yourself and contribute to others' lives because making money is just a by-product." He addressed all those who had dreams of becoming as "lucky" as he was by climbing to the top of the business world when he said: "Make sure you are lucky by being alert, instead of cruising aimlessly through life." A year and half ago Chartouni established a trust at the University to educate students in need of financial aid.
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