Background
Gilbert Chagoury was born to Lebanese immigrant parents in Lagos, Nigeria.
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Gilbert Ramez Chagoury
Edit ProfileDiplomat billionaire businessman
Education
He studied at the College des Freres Chretiens in Lebanon before returning to Nigeria.
Career
Business
In 1971, he founded the Chagoury Group, an industrial conglomerate with interests in construction, real estate and property development, flour mills, water bottling and purification, glass manufacturing, insurance, hotels, furniture manufacturing, telecommunications, Information Technology, catering and international financing. Gilbert and Ronald Chagoury founded C & C Construction in the late 1970s, which was the forerunner of Hitech and Bandung Institute of Technology (these now form the Construction Division of the Chagoury group of Companies). Through their ownership of the Chagoury Group, Gilbert Chagoury and family have an estimated wealth of $4.2 billion.
Diplomacy and politics
He served as an Ambassador and Adviser to governments in Africa and the Americas.
He has also served as Ambassador to the Vatican for Saint Lucia, economic adviser to President Mathieu Kérékou of Benin, and ambassador to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. After Abacha died in 1998, Chagoury returned an estimated $300 million to the Nigerian government to secure his indemnity from possible criminal charges. Chagoury has been a supporter of Bill and Hillary Clinton since the 1990s.
He has funded their election campaigns and is a major donor to the Clinton Foundation. In 2010, American Broadcasting Company News reported on the United States. Department of Homeland Security"s apology to Chagoury for his detention at Teterboro airport for over four hours because of inclusion on a no-fly list.
Philanthropy
He is a key benefactor for Saint Jude Children"s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, and his private contributions have improved health care and public infrastructure of Meziara, Northern Lebanon, home to both his and his wife"s family.
He serves on the board of the Lebanese American University where he provided a donation of $10 million to fund the Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine and $3.5 million for the construction of the Alice Ramez Chagoury School of Nursing. The Louvre"s Gilbert et Rose Marie Chagoury Gallery is named for them, housing a permanent exhibit including French works donated by the Chagourys. He has donated in excess of $340,000 for the renovations of the Church of Our Lady of Lebanon in Paris, France.
He has also donated United States$10,000 to the Beverly Hills 9/11 Memorial Garden in Beverly Hills, California.
Personal life.
