Adnan Kassar
Lebanese lawyer, businessman and politician (1930–2025)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Adnan Kassar (Arabic: عدنان القصار; 1930 – 2 May 2025) was a Lebanese banker, businessman and politician, who served in different cabinet posts.
Adnan Kassar | |
|---|---|
| |
| Minister of State | |
| In office 9 November 2009 – June 2011 | |
| Prime Minister | Saad Hariri |
| Minister of Economy and Trade | |
| In office 2004–2005 | |
| Prime Minister | Omar Karami |
| Preceded by | Marwan Hamadeh |
| Succeeded by | Demianos Khattar |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1930 |
| Died | (aged 94) |
| Party | Independent |
| Spouse | Raedaa Miskaoui |
| Children | 1 |
| St. Joseph University | |
Early life and education
Kassar was born into a Sunni Muslim family in Beirut in 1930.[1] His father, Wafiq Kassar, was a prominent diplomat who served as the ambassador of Lebanon to Pakistan and Turkey.[1] His mother was Chafika Diab.[1]
In 1951, Kassar received a law degree from St. Joseph University in Beirut.[1][2][3]
Career
At age 25, Kassar managed to build a business partnership with China in 1955.[4] In addition to being a businessman, he was a banker dealing finance investments. He founded and owned various companies concerning trade, shipping and travel, and industry. He was one of the owners of the Banque Libano-Française together with Farid Raphael, his brother Nadim Kassar and Victor Kassir.[5] Kassar acquired the bank in 1980.[6]
Kassar served as the president of the Beirut Chamber of Commerce and Industry for nearly thirty years to which he was elected in January 1972.[7][8] In June 1997, he became the president of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Lebanon.[8] From 1999 to 2000, he headed the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) based in Paris,[7] being the first Arab to preside over it.[9] On 1 January 2001, Richard D. McCormick, who served as his deputy at the ICC, succeeded Kassar as head of the ICC.[10]
In January 2003, Kassar was appointed member of the patrons committee of the Anglo-Arab organisation.[2] In addition, Kassar and his brother were shareholders of Fransabank, a large Lebanese commercial bank.[11] As of 2013 Kassar was serving as the chairman of the bank.[12] He was also chairman of the general union of Arab chambers of commerce, industry and agriculture and of Lebanon's economic committees.[13]
In October 2004, Kassar was appointed minister of economy and trade to the cabinet led by Prime Minister Omar Karami, replacing Marwan Hamadeh as economy minister.[14] His tenure lasted until 2005 when Karami resigned from office due to the pressures exerted by Lebanese people as a protest over the assassination of Rafik Hariri.[15] Kassar was succeeded by Demianos Khattah in the post.[7][14] Later Kassar served as the minister of state in the cabinet led by Prime Minister Saad Hariri from November 2009 to 2011.[12][16] Kassar was one of the cabinet members appointed by the Lebanese President Michel Suleiman.[17]
Kassar was regarded as a potential prime minister since the beginning of the 2000s.[7][18]
Personal life and death
Awards and honors
Officier de la Legion d'honneur (France)[2]
Officer, National Order of the Cedar (Lebanon)[2]
Officer, National Order of Merit (France)[2]
Knight Commander, Order of Merit (Italy)[2]
Commander, Order of Rio Branco, (Brazil)[6]
_Ribbon.png){kind=small}
Kassar was also given other awards, including, Commander of the Order of La Pléiade, Hungarian Order of Merit, and the prize of the Crans Montana Forum (2000).[2][6] The Union of Arab Banks awarded him the title of the Banker of the Year for the period 2012–2013.[9] He was the recipient of the Business for Peace Award (2014)[20] and was named as the honorary chairman of the Silk Road Chamber of International Commerce in 2016.[6]
In April 2015 the School of Business at the Lebanese American University was named after Adnan Kassar.[21]