Board of Trustees
Trustee
Fouad Bawarshi
Biography: 

Fouad Bawarshi is Vice President- General Manager of GEZAIRI HOLDING S.A.L. – the holding company of a group of leading international freight forwarding and shipping companies in the Middle East with head office in Beirut and branch offices and joint ventures in the Middle East and Europe (www.gezairi.com).Fouad Bawarshi joined the group of GEZAIRI TRANSPORT in January 1981 as Executive Managing Director of the group’s International Freight Forwarding Department and was for 2 years (1983-1985) the Managing Director of GEZAIRI TRANSPORT IRAQI  CO. LTD. Since beginning 1986 up to end 2012, Fouad Bawarshi was Deputy CEO and General Manager of GEZAIRI TRANSPORT S.A.L. of Beirut – Lebanon. He is also on the Board of Directors of several other companies affiliated with Gezairi Transport, such as Gevo Maritime & Transport Ltd. S.A.R.L. (Shipping Agencies), CP World S.A.L. (NVOCC), Arkas Levant S.A.L. (shipping agency of Arkas Line), Gezairi Express (FedEx licensed agent) and Hellmann Worldwide Logistics of Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq  (Logistics Provider). 

As a fresh BBA graduate, Fouad Bawarshi joined in 1970 Middle East Economic Survey (MEES) – a weekly reputable newsletter on oil and gas in the Middle East (www.mees.com) - as researcher and was shortly promoted to be editor of the Finance and Banking section till 1979. The section was a comprehensive source of news and analysis to decision makers around the world on energy related financial developments in countries  of Middle East and North African After getting his MBA in 1977 and before joining GEZAIRI, Fouad was the Executive Managing Director of Dar El-Fata Al-Arabi (1979-1981) – a Beirut based leading Arab publishing house specialized in Children’s books and publications noted for their creative and purposeful illustrations. 

Currently, Fouad is a member of several international and regional professional associations, such as International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA), International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Arab Union of Land Transport (AULT) and Lebanon’s representative to the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT). Fouad Bawarshi was Committee Chair on Maritime & Surface Transport of ICC-Lebanon (2006-2009) and its representative at Lebanon’s National Committee for Trade and Transport Facilitation (NCTTF).  Fouad was a speaker at several conferences and meetings of  international and regional bodies on issues related to the development and implementation of an integrated transport system among the Arab countries. He played a leading role in founding Lebanon’s National Committee for Trade and Transport Facilitation (NCTTF) in 2003. 

Socially, Fouad is quite active among Lebanese and Palestinian NGOs, associations and clubs. Currently, Fouad Bawarshi is a BOT member of Taawon (Welfare Association) and Chairman of its Lebanon’s branch, as well as member of the Board of Directors of ANERA Lebanon (www.anera.org). For over 12 years, he served as President of the Health Care Society – an NGO that provides medical support to the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. He was an active member of the Board of Trustees of the Dr. Mohamad Khaled Social Foundations (www.khaledfoundations.org) during the period 2010 – 2013.  He served on the BoD of Nejmeh Sporting Club (1996-2005) as a member and Vice President as well as on the Administrative Board of his Alma Mater’s Alumni Association of International College (1997-2000) in Beirut. 

Born in Beirut in 1948, Fouad Bawarshi grew up in Lebanon and spent his school years at the International College (IC) from where he graduated with distinction in 1967. He is a graduate in Business Administration from the American University of Beirut. He got his BBA degree in June 1970 with the Dean’s List of Honors for Outstanding Academic Achievement and his MBA degree in February 1977. His Thesis Project was on Balancing Business and Family in Family Owned Businesses with case studies on Lebanese family owned enterprises. During his undergraduate years at AUB, Fouad was President of the first elected Student Council (1969/1970) and an active student in many committees on campus. 

Fouad Bawarshi is fluent in Arabic (native language) and English and has a good command of French. He has developed his communication skills, both interpersonal and written, through working with people aiming to achieve common objectives. His hobbies are reading, listening to music and watching football games.