Group Growth

From motor vehicles to property and philanthropy, billionaire businessman Ghassan Aboud is the quintessential entrepreneurial success story. Speaking with Gulf Business, he recalls his rise to the top, reveals how his conglomerate – Ghassan Aboud Group – has helped drive humanitarian efforts, and explains why Dubai is the perfect place to start a bu siness

- Neil King

THERE’S NOTHING LUCKY about a 25-year success story. That kind of longevity is reserved only for those who can prove decade after decade that they are not only capable of innovative business at the highest level, but consistent in their delivery of it too.

One of this rare species of a business leader is UAE-based Syrian entrepreneur Ghassan Aboud, who’s eponymous international conglomerate Ghassan Aboud Group (GAG) has earned a strong reputation in several key sectors including automotive, hospitality, retail, F&B, media, real estate, and logistics.

Since launching in Dubai in 1994, the group has become active in some 100 countries across the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Europe, with offices in Belgium, Jordan, Turkey, and Australia.

And according to Forbes, Aboud has amassed a fortune of around $1.75bn in the process, putting him 27th in the publication’s 2019 Billionaires in the Middle East list – 16th among Arab billionaires.

Aboud’s story is indeed an impressive one, and his successes are deserving of such recognition. But rewind just over 25 years and things could have turned out very differently.

“I arrived in the UAE [in 1992] soon after my graduation in journalism from Damascus University, and initially I took up full-time employment in the media sector in an effort to start a career,” explains Aboud of his early forays into the world of work.

“However, after some time I realized that I was made more for business rather than employment; I hail from a family that has been running businesses for generations.

“Having decided to start a business, I sensed an opportunity in selling products to importers from other countries. The UAE at that point was just emerging as a hub for re-exports – based on its locational strength and other factors.”