Talal Abu-Ghazaleh (; born 22 April 1938) is a Jordanian-Palestinian businessman, entrepreneur, and the founder and chairman of the Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org), an international company headquartered in Jordan. He has been recognized for his role in promoting intellectual property rights in the

Arab world The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...

Early life

Abu-Ghazaleh was born on 22 April 1938 in Jaffa, Palestine. His father was a businessperson dealing with oil companies, and his mother was of Syrian descent from

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

. The family fled or was expelled to

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

Education and career

Abu-Ghazaleh attended the

American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB; ) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its main campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, autonomous board of trustees and offers programs le ...

, where he began his career as a teacher and translator while still a student. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 1960. Abu-Ghazaleh later received several honorary doctorates from various institutions. In 1969, Abu-Ghazaleh founded his own firms specializing in accounting and intellectual property rights. He has established partnerships with various global organizations, including the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

and the

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland that regulates and facilitates international trade. Governments use the organization to establish, revise, and enforce the rules that g ...

Selected honors

* Senator, Jordanian Upper House, The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (2016). * The Worldwide Alumni Association of AUB Distinguished Alumnus Award for 2016, from the American University of Beirut (2016). *ֺ Honorary Award for recognition and acknowledgment of the strong partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, Jordan (2016). * Honorary Award for Enhancing the Sino-Arab Relations from HE Mr. Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China, Egypt (2016). * Abu-Ghazaleh Social Responsibility Awards launched by CSR Regional Network for his efforts in social initiatives, Kingdom of Bahrain (2014). * Visionary Leader Award from the Asian Education Leadership Awards, the UAE (2013) * Member of the WTO Panel on Defining the Future of Trade, Geneva, 2012. * The Arab Award for Media Creativity from the Arab Media Forum, Kuwait-2012. * Member of the Upper House, Amman, Jordan, (2010-2011). * Man of the Year Award from Palestine International Institute, Amman, 2012. * Award of “Arab ICT Personality” of the Year 2010 from Union of Arab ICT Associations, Kingdom of Bahrain (2010). * Honorary Award, The Arab Federation for the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights (AFPIPR), Jordan, 2009. * The International Lifetime Achievement Award, Dubai, UAE, 2008. * IP Hall of Fame Inductee, IP Hall of Fame Academy, Chicago, USA, 2007. * Aljazeera Award for Lifetime Achievement, Qatar (2004). * Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters,

Canisius College Canisius University is a private Jesuit university in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1870 by Jesuits from Germany and is named after St. Peter Canisius. Canisius offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors, and around 34 ma ...

, New York, USA, 1988. * Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, The American University of Beirut, Lebanon (1960). *

Order of the Republic (Tunisia) The Order of the Republic is an order of Tunisia, founded 16 March 1959. Some major recipients Grand Cross National * Mohamed Ennaceur * Beji Caid Essebsi. Foreign * : Abdelaziz Bouteflika * : Carlos Menem * : Gamal Abdel Nasser * : Anwar Sad ...

, 1985. *

Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

, France, 1985. * Coat of Arms of the Kuwaiti Association of Accountants and Auditors, 1983. *

Gold Mercury International Award The Gold Mercury International Award is presented by Gold Mercury International, an International nongovernmental organization (INGO) and think tank. The original Mercurio D'oro awards were given by an association of Italian journalists to Itali ...

, Bahrain, 1978. * Decoration of Independence of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Jordan 1967.

Selected chairmanships

* Jordanian National Orchestra Association – JOrchestra (2014). * Chair of the International,

Arab Society of Certified Accountants Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

(IASCA), London (1985–present); in consultative status with the

United Nations Economic and Social Council The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is one of six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields of the organization, specifically in regards to the fifteen specialized ...

, (ECOSOC).

Selected board memberships

* Member of the Advisory Board of Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University, the United Arab Emirates (2014) * Member of

Bretton Woods Committee The Bretton Woods Committee is an American organization created in 1983 as a result of the agreement between U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Fowler, and U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, Charls Walker – at the time a Democrat and a ...

, the United States (2014). * Board of Trustees, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon (1980–1982).

Music patronages

* TAGO Golden Jubilee concert, London, UK (July 1997). * Private concert by Ramzi Yassa, Seattle, USA (1994). * Patron, Freunde der Salzburger Festspâele, Salzburg, Austria (1976).

Initiatives and publications

** Talal Abu-Ghazaleh ICT Dictionary 2nd edition (2013). ** Talal Abu-Ghazaleh IP Dictionary 2nd edition (2013). ** Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Dictionary of Patents (2012). ** Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Legal Dictionary (2012). ** Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Collocations Dictionary (2012). **Abu-Ghazaleh ICT Directory (2008). **The Abu-Ghazaleh Accountancy & Business Dictionary (2001). **The Abu-Ghazaleh IP Dictionary (2000). **The Abu-Ghazaleh English-Arabic Dictionary of Accounting (1978).

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abu-Ghazaleh, Talal 1938 births Living people Jordanian businesspeople Syrian businesspeople Jordanian people of Syrian descent Syrian billionaires Palestinian billionaires 21st-century Palestinian businesspeople Jordanian people of Palestinian descent American University of Beirut alumni Members of the Senate of Jordan Recipients of the Order of Independence (Jordan) Recipients of the Legion of Honour