Antoun Sehnaoui (born 3 November 1972) is a Lebanese banker and film producer, He is the chairman of the board of the SGBL Group, comprising the Société Générale de Banque au Liban (SGBL), the Société Générale de Banque in Jordan (SGBJ), and financial company Fidus Wealth Management. He is also the chairman of the board of the Compagnie Financière Richelieu, a European banking group comprising Banque Richelieu France, Banque Richelieu Monaco, and Richelieu Gestion. He is also a member of the board of the Lebanese Banking Association, and a member of the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...

Early life and education

Sehnaoui was born in Beirut on November 3, 1972, to Nabil Sehnaoui and May Chehab Sehnaoui, the great-granddaughter of Emir

Bashir Shihab II Bashir Shihab II (, also spelled Bachir Chehab II; 2 January 1767–1850) was a Lebanese people, Lebanese emir who ruled the Mount Lebanon Emirate, Emirate of Mount Lebanon in the first half of the 19th century. Born to a branch of the Shihab dy ...

, who ruled Lebanon in the first half of the 19th century. He grew up in Lebanon during the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...

and attended the Collège Notre-Dame de Jamhour. He then moved to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

where he graduated from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

Banking

Sehnaoui suddenly became chairman of the SGBL Group in October 2007. In 2011 SGBL acquired most of the assets of the Lebanese Canadian Bank and in 2017 it expanded into the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

, opening a fully owned subsidiary within the

Abu Dhabi Global Market Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) is an international financial centre and free zone located on Al Maryah Island in the United Arab Emirates's capital, Abu Dhabi. The financial centre was established in 2013 and became fully operational in Octobe ...

, and into the USA market by acquiring Pikes Peak National Bank in

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

. SGBL is the third largest bank in Lebanon in terms of deposits and assets, and the fourth in terms of profitability. Sehnaoui expanded into Europe in 2018 with the acquisition of Banque Richelieu in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

Media

In 1998, Sehnaoui created NewsMedia SAL, a publishing company, and then

Executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...

, an independent business magazine focused on Lebanon and the GCC countries. Executive is a publication concerning economic and financial matters across the Middle East and North Africa (

MENA The Middle East and North Africa (MENA), also referred to as West Asia and North Africa (WANA) or South West Asia and North Africa (SWANA), is a geographic region which comprises the Middle East (also called West Asia) and North Africa together ...

) region. In 2010, Executive became a member of the Business Publications Audit (BPA) Worldwide.

Yasser Akkaoui Yasser Akkaoui (born March 22, 1969) is a Lebanese-Swiss corporate governance activist and publisher. He advises companies and regulators in the Middle East on how to embed a culture of accountability and transparency in their corporate culture. A ...

is the

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...

of Executive.

Film production

Sehnaoui is a partner in the production company "Rouge International", in collaboration with French actress and producer

Julie Gayet Julie Gayet (; born 3 June 1972) is a French actress and film producer.< ...

, and founded the production company "Ezekiel Film Production". The movie

Clouds of Sils Maria ''Clouds of Sils Maria'' (known simply as ''Sils Maria'' in some territories) is a 2014 psychological drama film written-directed by Olivier Assayas, and starring Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart, and Chloë Grace Moretz. The film is a French-Ge ...

was released in 2014 and went on to receive over 25 awards nominations and 9 wins including the

César Award Cesar or César may refer to: Arts and entertainment * César (film), ''César'' (film), a 1936 French romantic drama * César (film), ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt Places * Cesar, Portugal * Cesar Department, Colombia * Cesar R ...

for best supporting actress for

Kristen Stewart Kristen Jaymes Stewart (born April 9, 1990) is an American actress and director. She has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and a César Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe ...

Clouds Of Sils Maria ''Clouds of Sils Maria'' (known simply as ''Sils Maria'' in some territories) is a 2014 psychological drama film written-directed by Olivier Assayas, and starring Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart, and Chloë Grace Moretz. The film is a French-Ge ...

The movie ''The Insult'' was released in 2017 and was selected as the Lebanese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film as well as being nominated in the category at the

90th Academy Awards The 90th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2017, and took place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was held on March 4, ...

Philanthropy and sponsorships

Sehnaoui supports the Beirut International Film Festival, the Beirut Art Center, the French Book Fair, and more than a dozen arts and cultural festivals a year. He agreed to lend an antique bed bought at auction at

Bonhams Bonhams is a privately owned international auction house and one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. It was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son & Neale. This brought t ...

of London to

Ordsall Hall Ordsall Hall is a large former manor house in the historic parish of Ordsall, Greater Manchester, Ordsall, Lancashire, now part of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It dates back more than 750 years, although the oldest survi ...

for a duration of five years. He is also a patron of Lebanese sports through a partnership with the National Basketball Federation and made a US$7 million donation in 2017 for the financing of the new sports center of the

Lebanese American University The Lebanese American University (LAU; ) is a secular private American university with campuses in Beirut, Byblos, and New York. It is chartered by the board of regents of the University of the State of New York and is recognized by the Lebane ...

(LAU) Sehnaoui donated, in the name of his parents, the Saint

Charbel Makhlouf Charbel Makhlouf, Lebanese Maronite Order, O.L.M. (, May 8, 1828 – December 24, 1898), born Youssef Antoun Makhlouf and venerated as Saint Charbel, was a Maronite Church, Maronite monk and priesthood (Catholic Church), priest from modern-day L ...

Shrine in

St. Patrick's Cathedral (Manhattan) St. Patrick's Cathedral is a Catholic Church, Catholic cathedral in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, Archbishop of New York as well as a parish church. The cat ...

in New-York city that was inaugurated on October 28 of 2017. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Lebanese Maronite Patriarch

Bechara Boutros al-Rahi Bechara Boutros Al-Ra'i (or Raï; ; ; ) (born 25 February 1940) is the 77th Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, and head of the Maronite Church, a position he has held since 15 March 2011, succeeding Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir. Rahi was mad ...

as well as Cardinal

Timothy M. Dolan Timothy Michael Dolan (born February 6, 1950) is an Catholic Church in the United States, American Catholic prelate who has served as Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, Archbishop of New York since 2009 and as a Cardinal (Catholic Church) , ...

. The shrine features a mosaic of Saint

along with national Lebanese emblems such as the lebanese cedar and a relic of the Saint. He is also a patron of animal rights activists.

Controversy

In 2015, Tarek Yatim, who was believed to be the bodyguard of Antoun Sehnaoui, stabbed to death a Lebanese citizen, George Rif, during a road rage incident. Sehnaoui denied any link between him and the case in question. News emerged about Sehnaoui alleging that he had affiliation with the right-wing Christian party Jnoud al Rab and was providing funds for the group. Though he did not directly deny funding or sponsoring the group, he called the accusations "fabrications and false news".

References

External links

Antoun Sehnaoui's personal website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sehnaoui, Antoun 1972 births Lebanese bankers Lebanese businesspeople Lebanese film producers Lebanese Melkite Greek Catholics Living people University of Southern California alumni