The Family Business Council Gulf (“FBCG”) announces the appointment of its Chairman, Omar Alghanim, as a new board director at the Family Business Network International (“FBN”).
The appointment marks the first time a GCC representative has been elected to the international board of FBN, the global affiliate of FBCG. FBN is the largest worldwide network of family businesses with a membership of more than 4,000 families and 16,000 individuals across 50-plus countries.
H.E. Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair, Chairman Emeritus of the FBCG, said Mr Alghanim’s active role in building the family business community in the Gulf was decisive in the awarding of a seat on the global board of directors
“As a Founding member and Chairman of FBCG, Omar has helped drive our expansion throughout the GCC, so that today our board includes some of the most respected family business owners in the region. His experience in leading an inter-generational business and improving governance will be an asset on the global board”.
Mr Alghanim said that over his three-year term on the board he intends to build closer ties between the Gulf members and FBN’s global community, create a financially sustainable model for the global chapter, and engage members in new ways to strengthen their governance during a moment of great change.
“I’m honoured to join the FBN’s global board. Economies around the world are building back from the COVID pandemic with greater emphasis on a sustainable model for future generations. Family businesses will have a huge bearing on this transition, and I will work to ensure that our members benefit from global insights and lessons, and vice versa”.
With a membership spanning all six GGG states, FBCG businesses play an important role in the GCC. Research by the International Monetary Fund shows that family-owned businesses contribute 60 percent of the region’s gross domestic product and employ more than 80 per cent of the workforce.
Mr Alghanim joins business and philanthropic leaders on the FBN board. They include Alex Scott from Applerigg in the UK, Alessandra Nishimuro of Brazil’s Jato Group, Philipp Grodner of Simone Perele in France and Joaquin Uriach, from Spain’s Grupo Uriach.
