Background

Gilbert Chagoury was born in Nigeria, to Lebanese immigrant parents, Ramez and Alice Chagoury, on 8th January, 1946. One of eight children, Gilbert's childhood was an idyllic blend of sibling interaction combined with a sense of freedom and fearlessness that many children feel growing up in Africa.

Gilbert left Nigeria to attend the Collège des Frères in Lebanon.

Always gravitating towards business, on his return to Nigeria, Gilbert joined a Nigerian company and quickly moved up the ladder to become, one of the youngest Executive of Sales at the age of 17.

It was in 1967, during a visit to Lebanon, that Gilbert was to meet his lifelong partner and admitted soul mate, Rose-Marie Chamchoum. She was the daughter of a prominent Lebanese family whose business empire stretched across Niger and Benin. Both the Chagoury and Chamchoum families are natives of Mizyara, a village in North Lebanon.

Gilbert and Rose-Marie have four children, Ramez, Gilbert-Antoine, Christopher and Anne-Marie. All of the children studied at the American University in Paris but both Gilbert-Antoine and Christopher graduated from New York universities. Gilbert and Rose Marie have been blessed to date with 3 grandchildren and are looking forward to many more.