GILBERT R - Key Persons

��Philanthropy has always been at the core of my belief system and has defined my mission in many ways.�� - Ambassador Gilbert Chagoury Friend and confident to Presidents, Heads of State and business leaders around the world, insider of real-politics and advisor in policy matters and issues of diplomatic sensitivity in West and Central Africa, Ambassador Gilbert Ramez Chagoury is a family man at heart. Ambassador Chagoury has built a career on acute business acumen with visionary leadership and humble philanthropic service that has made him one of the most highly respected industrialists in the world. But perhaps more than any other single attribute, Ambassador Chagoury has demonstrated a dedication to democracy, peace and the cultivation of healthy, thriving economic environments in which the average person can employ his full range of talents to reach his God given potential. The Chagoury Group is an industrial conglomerate with interests in construction, real estate, property development and hotels. The Chagoury Group own, as well, industries in agribusiness, flour mills, water bottling, glass, aluminum, furniture and other construction-related manufacturing. The Group is also owner of companies in telecommunications, IT, insurance, and international finance. The Chagoury Group �s approach to business was innovative for the time in that to ensure that its businesses had access to the best quality materials and services, the firm started enterprises to meet the demands of Chagoury high standards. From construction firms to meet the needs of the development business, to clean water for its agribusiness interests, the Chagoury Group spurred new business development and job growth across West Africa, setting the standard for firms in the African marketplace. Ambassador Chagoury requires that his companies operate under international safe-safety standards, and provides private healthcare, pensions and family benefits for his employees. The Chagoury Group is a leading Nigerian employer, with a workforce numbering tens of thousands of Nigerian and other African and international personnel. Today, Gilbert Chagoury, with his brother and partner Ronald, is overseeing one of the most ambitious land-reclamation projects ever attempted: Eko Atlantic. In search of a permanent solution to safeguard Bar Beach in Victoria Island, Lagos, from flooding and the effects of severe coastal erosion, Lagos Governor reached out to experts and developers for a solution. But it was the Chagoury Group that provided the answer. Eko Atlantic, a 10 Million Square Meters city is rising out of the ocean, changing the face of Africa. With more than 25 million people expected to live and work in Lagos by 2015, Eko Atlantic will transform Lagos into Africa�s first mega-city and will become the new financial epicenter of West Africa by the year 2020.