Raymond Audi

Raymond Audi
Born(1932-10-06)6 October 1932
Sidon, Lebanon
Died15 July 2022(2022-07-15) (aged 89)
NationalityLebanese
Occupation(s)Businessman, banker, politician

Raymond Wadih Audi (Arabic: ريمون عودة) (6 October 1932 – 15 July 2022) was a Lebanese banker, politician and businessman. He was the co-founder of Bank Audi.[1]

Career

Raymond Wadih Audi was born in Sidon, Lebanon.[2] His father was a banker and his mother a painter, the family banking business go back to his great-grandfather who had founded a house exchange in Sidon in 1850.[3] Raymond completed a two-year internship at Banque Misr Liban, then he moved to Kuwait.[4] In cooperation with his family, he founded Bank Audi in Lebanon in 1962,[5] followed by opening two branches in Europe in the 1970s. He was the director of the bank since its founding and the chairman since 1998. He was also the chairman of the bank's Corporate Governance and Remuneration Committee. He stepped down from his position as chairman in 2017 and was succeeded by Samir Hanna.[6]

Audi served in the Lebanese government as Minister of the Displaced from 11 July 2008 to 9 November 2009.[7]

He established the Audi Foundation, which is dedicated to the promotion and preservation of traditional craftsmanship in Lebanon.[8]

Awards

Audi was elected the president of the Association of Banks of Lebanon in 1993. He has received awards, among them, the Euromoney's Lifetime Achievement Award,[9] and an honorary doctorate from the Lebanese American University.[10]

Death

He died on 15 July 2022, at the age of 90.[11][12]

Personal life

Audi was married and had two sons and a daughter: Pierre, Paul, and Sherine.[4]

His brother, Paul Audi, is a writer and philosopher.[13]

References

  1. ^ "Raymond Audi, esthète et architecte de Bank Audi, est décédé". L'Orient-Le Jour. 15 July 2022.
  2. ^ "H.E. Raymond Wadih Audi, Former Lebanese Minister of Displaced People". Melkite Council. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  3. ^ "Raymond Audi : l'homme aux chantiers permanents - Nayla Abi Karam". Commerce du Levant (in French). 1 December 2005. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  4. ^ a b "وزارة المهجرين: ريمون عودة". Ministry Of The Displaced (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 9 January 2020.
  5. ^ "Raymond Audi steps down from bank he founded". An-Nahar. 11 April 2017.
  6. ^ "BRIEF-Bank Audi says Samir N. Hanna to succeed Raymond W. Audi as chairman". Reuters. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  7. ^ "الوزراء المتعاقبون على وزارة المهجرين" (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  8. ^ "Enduring commitment | LAU News". Lebanese American University. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  9. ^ "Lifetime Acheivement [sic] Award: Raymond Audi". Euromoney. 12 July 2006. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  10. ^ Raymond Audi, Minister of the Displaced (Catholic, Independent) Archived 12 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Now Lebanon.
  11. ^ "وفاة الوزير السابق ريمون عوده". LBCI Lebanon (in Arabic). Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  12. ^ "صحيفة عمون : وفاة أحد مؤسّسي "بنك عوده" ريمون عوده". Ammon News. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  13. ^ Bloch-Lainé, Virginie. "Paul Audi, la traversée des appartenances". Libération (in French). Retrieved 1 February 2023.