FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE CENTER FOR FINANCIAL STABILITY
APPOINTS M. SHAFIK GABR TO DISTINGUISHED ADVISORY BOARD
(New York, New York – December 10, 2020)
The Center for Financial Stability (“CFS”), today, announces the appointment of M. Shafik Gabr to its distinguished Advisory Board.
Mr. Gabr is a renowned leader in international business, innovation, investment and one of the world’s premier collectors of Orientalist art, and an accomplished philanthropist.
During his career, Mr. Gabr established over 25 companies plus three investment holding companies including ARTOC Group for Investment and Development which, established in 1971, is a multidisciplined investment holding company with businesses in infrastructure, automotive, engineering, construction and real estate, over the past three years focusing on investment in technology and artificial intelligence.
“I am pleased to join such a distinguished institution as the Center for Financial Stability,” Shafik Gabr said. “I have much respect and admiration for Chairman Bill Rhodes and the ten years of accomplishments and innovations at the CFS.”
William R. Rhodes, the Chairman of the Advisory Board stated, “Shafik’s experiences in finance, international affairs, and the Middle East represent welcome additions and complements to our senior distinguished Advisory Board.” He added that “a shifting landscape in the Mid-East, United States, and the world more broadly requires effective dialog and intellectual engagement – areas where Shafik has so actively and effectively led over the years.”
“Shafik’s ‘East-West: The Art of Dialogue’ is inspirational. His knowledge of the investment and policy landscape is extraordinary. We are thrilled and honored to have him on the CFS Board,” said Lawrence Goodman, President and Founder of the Center for Financial Stability.
Mr. Gabr is the Chairman and a founding member of Egypt’s International Economic Forum, member of the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum, and Board Member of Stanhope Capital. Mr. Gabr is Member of the Metropolitan Museum’s International Council and serves on the Advisory Board of The Middle East Institute and the Global Advisory Council of the Mayo Clinic.
Mr. Gabr was previously the Chairman of COMESA (Common Market for East and South Africa) Business Council and a member of the Executive Board of the International Chamber of Commerce (Paris), and served on the advisory boards of Zurich Financial Services and The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Furthermore, Mr. Gabr was a founder of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt in 1982, serving as its first Egyptian President from 1995 until 1997. He was a Founding Member of the Wilson Global Advisory Council.
Mr. Gabr ranks among Arabian Business and The Middle East magazines 2012 “Most Influential Arabs” and “Our Top 50 Arabs”. In 2009 Mr. Gabr was presented with the Foreign Policy Association’s (FPA) award for Corporate Responsibility. In June 2014 Mr. Gabr was awarded the Meridian Global Citizen Award and in November 2014 the Middle East Institute’s Visionary Award. In March 2015 Mr. Gabr received the American University in Cairo’s Global Impact Award in New York. In May 2016 Mr. Gabr was awarded the College of Mount Saint Vincent’s Saint Vincent de Paul Award and the Drew University’s Peacebuilder Award. In September 2017 Gabr received the Policy Direction and Leadership Award from the London Center for Policy Research.
Through the Shafik Gabr Social Development Foundation, Mr. Gabr is helping to improve elementary-school education in Egypt, introducing students to arts and culture and promoting sports and physical fitness for youth. In the area of higher education, Mr. Gabr is a major supporter of the American University in Cairo. The Foundation also developed a free medical-care system by providing “Medical Caravans”, for residents of underprivileged areas of Greater Cairo. The Foundation has established its first Medical and Social Development Center in Mokattam, Cairo, offering free medical and health services. In 2012 Mr. Gabr established in the US the Shafik Gabr Foundation which supports educational and medical initiatives plus launched in November 2012 the ‘East-West: The Art of Dialogue’ initiative (see www.eastwestdialogue.org) promoting exchanges between the US and Egypt with the purpose of cultural dialogue and bridge building.
Mr. Gabr holds a BA in Economics and Management from the American University in Cairo and an MA in Economics from the University of London.
CFS is an independent, nonpartisan think tank focused on financial markets – with business lines presently segmented into the future of finance, data and analytics, policy, and technology. The Center for Financial Stability was created before financial stability became widely recognized in the private sector as an essential factor in central banking and policy. CFS has successfully and consistently anticipated future financial market trends over the years with an ahead-of-their-time approach to the early identification of financial risks. CFS has developed data and analysis to improve the study of financial markets. CFS maintains a global reach with participants from over 187 of the 195 countries in the world. CFS prides itself on integrity, long-term relationships, and independence.
View the press release at http://www.centerforfinancialstability.org/news/Gabr_press_release_121020.pdf.