Fuad El-Hibri was interviewed a few months ago by Ricardo Karam. This interview was aired in the 2011 season on the Ricardo Karam’sShow, which focuses on successful people from the Arab community. Ricardo Karam is a well known talk show host who has interviewed many high profile people, such as Celine Dion, Charles Aznavour, Paolo Coelho, Valentino, Kofi Annan, Andre Agassi and others.
Here is a summary of the televised interview: (Note that the interview begins in Arabic but switches to English within the first few minutes).
Born in Germany, Fuad El-Hibri came to America to be a self-proclaimed entrepreneur. With a strong ancestry from Europe and the Middle East, he believes that,“one identifies oneself by the way one is brought up.” “One never really loses one’s ancestry,” he says, as he describes his strong relationship with both a German and Middle Eastern Heritage. Being fluent in both English and Arabic, he describes language as a matter of practice and opportunity.
Born of a German mother and Lebanese father, he was brought up within multiple cultures. Having such a broad exposure to cultures, he was able to pick and choose aspects that fit his personality and life the best, creating a well-rounded lifestyle and culture that he looks fondly at.
He is a dedicated citizen to the U.S., being that the U.S. is where he lives and works. However, no matter how long he lives in the U.S. and adopts American culture, he will never forget his heritage and the cultures he originates from.
Ever since he was a young teen, El-Hibri had the goal of becoming an entrepreneur. He worked towards this goal while attending Stanford University. He views himself, “very lucky” to have all of the opportunities that were offered to him, like the ability to attend a prestigious college and obtain a good education. El-Hibri was then introduced by his father to a group of honest, hardworking businessmen that helped tojump-start his career.
His dream of becoming an entrepreneur always stemmed from wanting to do something meaningful; something that could help people’s lives, help with communication and help the environment. He did not want to create a company whose main goal was trade or simple moneymaking; profit was not his overall objective. Most importantly he wanted to build something that he and his family could be proud of.
Being very fortunate as a child and young adult, he was given the means and opportunities to make his dreams possible. Without his parents’ support, both emotionally and financially, he may never have accomplished everything he has toady. As the current CEO of Emergent BioSolutions, he was able to make his dreams come true.
Although he was given the support he needed to make his dreams become reality, none of it could have been possible without the hard work, effort and perseverance he put into his work. Becoming an entrepreneur didn’t come easily, and could never have been achieved without the determination El-Hibri has.
Looking fondly at his culture, family and life experiences, El Hibri has become the success he always wanted to be. Through hard work and perseverance, he can say that both he and his family are proud of everything he has accomplished.
