São Paulo – Adnan Al-Kassar, honorary president of the Union of Arab Chambers and a prominent figure in both the public and private sectors in Lebanon and the Arab world, has ed away. The Union of Arab Chambers, which represents Arab businesses and brings together Arab chambers from around the world, announced his death on its website. Al-Kassar died last Friday (2) at the age of 94. The Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) sent a message of condolences to the institution, which Al-Kassar once presided over.
Born in Beirut in 1930, he earned a law degree from Saint Joseph University. He is known as a pillar of the Lebanese and Arab private sector and is one of the founders of the Fransabank Group. He held leadership positions in both Lebanese and regional organizations, including the Federation of Lebanese Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (FCCIAL) and the Association of Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCAME). Al-Kassar also served as Lebanon’s Minister of Economy and Trade and later as Minister of State.
The Union of Arab Chambers said on its website that Adnan Al-Kassar played a pivotal role in its progress and renaissance, highlighting his contribution to the construction of the Union’s General Secretariat building in the Lebanese capital, Beirut—named after him, “Adnan Kassar Building for Arab Economy”—as well as his efforts to develop Arab and foreign relations. According to the institution, he exerted great efforts to elevate its status.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
