Fadi Nahas
CEO
Na Plus
Honorary Consul General of Ecuador in Turkey
Professional
Fadi probably first discovered his real vocation of bridging cultures when in 1969 as an eleven year old Lebanese Christian he was chosen to present the Koran to the late Pope Paul VI. Since then he faced serious challenges without ever taking himself seriously. At the traditional and conservative schools and university he attended in Lebanon he was better known for his water-polo championship than for his academic achievements and high grades.
The schools that he excelled at were the street, the port, the fruit markets, and the war..."schools" that are chaotic and loaded with obstacles. And yet he has always preserved the moral values that he set up for himself while adapting to "business unusual".
Doing business under the bombs taught him not to fear controversy and thus helped him enter the emerging markets in the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Middle East. As the leader of the cold chain in the area he was the pioneer in introducing Latin American products to emerging countries in the Black Sea and Mediterranean where he was the first to introduce Ecuadorian bananas and Brazilian poultry and meat products. Most important was Turkey where importing bananas became the symbol of free trade.
He believes in "visibility studies" - visual contact - in addition to the commonly used "feasibility studies", in "romance of business" rather than plain standard business, loves to work while playing and play while working; his team works "with him" and not "for him". His keywords are Epicure, Passion, Loyalty and Generosity.
In record time he would attend a meeting of the World Economic Forum, participate in the Rally raid of Tunisia, join "Innocence in Danger" an organization based in Paris combating internet pedophiles, support the Beirut Marathon - an event that brings together 18 confessions under the flag of sport and love -, sponsor seven Ecuadorians on a bicycle trip from Paris to Cairo carrying an urgent message of the need to protect the rain forests and a warning of the ecological dangers looming in the future, be part of the Galapagos Foundation trip, organize the visit of Ecuadorian artists in Turkey, join sailing teammates for the Swan cup of Porto Cervo, edit a book about the Ecuador Panama Hat to try and give it a second life and save this disappearing "artisanat", help found the American Chamber of Commerce in Georgia. A true believer of empowerment of women he slaloms between a meeting of Women Waging Peace at Harvard University and supporting any Arab woman who could serve as an example to help awaken and educate the women of the Middle East.
Proud to represent Ecuador in Turkey he can work to promote the country and can mix work with his social relationships. A good communicator and a man of multiple cultures with one foot in the desert and another in the West he can be a much needed corner stone of the bridge between hearts.
He owes a lot to his wife Rita for supporting and putting order to his "crazy" ambitions but his biggest weakness that puts him down on his knees and makes him melt is his daughter Rayya.
Memberships & Affiliations | Honors & Awards
- Co-Founder of "Lebanon 2020"
- Recipient of the Excellence in Leadership Award of the Inter-American Economic Council in 2005
- Founder of “Act for Lebanon”
- Co-Founder and Secretary General of Pan Arab Cultural Icons/WAYYAK
- Member of the Board of Trustees of the Beirut International Marathon
- Member, Dean's International Council, Harris School of Public Policy Studies, University of Chicago
- Founding Board Member of Endeavor Turkey
- Recipient of “The Humanitarian Rose Award” by the People’s Princess Charitable Foundation, Inc. in 2006
- Holder of the medal “l’Ordre du Merite Libanais”
- Nominated as Advisor Counselor for the development of the “Universite Saint Joseph” in Lebanon
