Lebanese born in Kuwait, Fares Noujaim immigrated to the United States at the age of 8.
Facing family and money issues, he started working at 14 in various fields (mechanics, gas stations) in order to pursue his education. With determination and perseverance, he competed with the Ivy League students and reached his goal of becoming one of the best in the world of finance.
Fares Noujaim is today Executive Vice Chairman of Bank of America, N.A. and also a member of the Global Corporate & Investment Banking Leadership team. He works with client coverage and other teams across all industries and geographic regions to help deepen trusted relationships at the CEO and board-level.
He joined Bank of America Merrill Lynch in June 2008 as president of the Middle East & North Africa. Additionally, he serves as global head of Sovereign Wealth Funds, where he is responsible for the delivery of Bank of America’s fully-integrated services to sovereign wealth clients across all businesses and regions globally.
Prior to this, Mr. Noujaim was vice chairman of the Board of Directors of Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., and a member of Bear Stearns’ President’s Advisory Committee, having previously served as the committee’s chairman. Over the course of his career he has advised on M&A transactions valued over 300 billion dollars, and has facilitated financings totaling in excess of a trillion dollars. He was global head of the firm’s Capital Markets Group in 1992, after beginning his career at Goldman Sachs in1985.
Fares Noujaim has served on the Board of International College as well as The National Council of Economic Education. He is married with three children and resides in Darien, CT.
Then interview with Ricardo Karam took place in Beirut, Lebanon.