Personal Info
- Country of residence: Jordan
Information
Chairman and CEO of Fresh Del Monte Produce.
Born in Jerusalem in 1942, Abu-Ghazaleh amassed his fortune importing fruits into the Middle East. By the early 1970s, he had become one of the biggest banana importers in the Gulf. Then in 1996 his business empire grew further after he acquired US-based Fresh Del Monte, one of the world’s largest fruit and vegetable production companies, for a reported $120 million. The following year Fresh Del Monte was listed on the NYSE, selling 30 percent of its shares for $255 million. The company, which has over 38,000 employees, had net sales of $3.8 billion in the fiscal year ending April 2013.
In 1997, Fresh Del Monte established the National Poultry Company, which is now one of Jordan’s largest poultry producers with over 1,400 employees. The vertically integrated company controls its production from breeder chicks to the distribution of poultry meat to outlets.
Abu-Ghazaleh is also Chairman of the International Wings Group, which was established in 2009 as the parent company of Royal Jordanian Air Academy, Queen Noor Civil Aviation College, Arab Wings, and Gulf Wings. These companies (overseen by CEO Ahmad Abu-Ghazaleh) provide everything from private jet chartering and management services, to pilot and aviation engineering and training.
Source Achievements and Awards
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