Farid Raphaël

Farid Raphaël
Minister of Finance
In office
December 1976 – July 1979
Prime MinisterSelim Hoss
Minister of Justice
In office
December 1976 – July 1979
Prime MinisterSelim Hoss
Minister of Posts and Telegraphs
In office
December 1976 – July 1979
Prime MinisterSelim Hoss
Personal details
Born
Farid Élias Raphaël

28 October 1933
Dlebta, Lebanon
Died1 September 2014(2014-09-01) (aged 80)
Resting placeDlebta, Lebanon
Political partyIndependent
SpouseIlham Abdel Ahad
Children4
Alma mater
OccupationBanker
AwardsLegion of Honour

Farid Raphaël (1933–2014) was a Lebanese economist and banker. He was the founder, chairman and general manager of the Banque Libano-Française (BLF).

Early life and education

He was born Farid Élias Raphaël in Dlebta, Lebanon, on 28 October 1933.[1][2] He hailed from a Maronite family.[3] He was a graduate of the Saint Joseph University where he obtained a degree in Lebanese law.[4] He also received a degree in French law from the University of Lyon.[1]

Career

Following his graduation Raphaël started his career at the French bank Compagnie Algérienne de Crédit et de Banque, later known as Compagnie Algérienne, in 1956.[5] He was its deputy director.[5] He established the Banque Libano-Française in 1976.[5] He was appointed minister of finance, minister of justice and minister of telecommunications to the cabinet of Prime Minister Salim Hoss in 1976 which he held until 1979.[4][5]

Then Raphaël was named as the chairman and general manager of the BLF in 1979 which he assumed until his death in 2014.[6] He was succeeded by Walid Raphaël in the posts on 15 September 2014.[7]

Raphaël was one of the partners of Rafic Hariri in Al Saudi Bank in the late 1980s.[8] He served as the chairman of the Association of Banks in Lebanon between 1997 and 2001 and then, became its permanent member.[5]

Personal life and death

Raphaël married Ilham Abdel Ahad in April 1970, and they had four children: Walid, Raya, Zeina and Evelyne.[1]

Raphaël died on 1 September 2014.[7] His funeral ceremony was held at the Maronite Cathedral of Saint George, Beirut, on 3 September, and he was buried in Dlebta.[2]

Awards

Raphaël was the twice recipient the Legion of Honour: as a Knight in 1984 and as an Officer in 1999.[1][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Who's Who in Lebanon (19th ed.). Beirut: Publitec Publications. 2007. pp. 283–284. doi:10.1515/9783110945904.476. ISBN 978-3-598-07734-0.
  2. ^ a b "Obituary. Farid Élias Raphaël". Khoolood. September 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  3. ^ John Paxton, ed. (2016). The Statesman's Year-Book 1979-80. London; Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 779. ISBN 978-0-230-27108-1.
  4. ^ a b c Leila Rahbani (2 September 2014). "Farid Raphaël passes away". Business News. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Farid Raphaël, Founder and President of Group Banque Libano-Française, passed away". banque-sba.com (in French). Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  6. ^ "Our Board of Directors". eblf.com. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Mr. Walid Raphaël elected Chairman General Manager of Banque Libano-Française S.A.L." banque-sba.com. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  8. ^ Najib Hourani (2015). "Capitalists in Conflict: The Lebanese Civil War Reconsidered". Middle East Critique. 24 (2): 155. doi:10.1080/19436149.2015.1012842. S2CID 144769983.