Fayad Family
Being Qahtani (or Qahtanite)-Kahlani (or Kahlan), the Fayad family is originally from what is today Yemen. The Fayad family was generated from the members of the Tayy tribe and its Jadila (or Jadilah) branch. Some of the members of this branch converted to Christianity in the late 6th century and migrated to what is today Syria where they allied with the Ghassanid tribe (here are some known Ghassanid families: Atiyah, Ayoub, Aridah, Azar, Barakat, Chalhoub, Chedid, Dib, Fares, Farhat, Gebara, Gharios, Ghanem, Habib, Haddad, Howayek, Hbeish, Hélou – who came to Lebanon in the 14th century from Ayn Halya in Syria -, Kandil, Khazen, Khoury, Lahd, Maalouf, Madi, Makhlouf, Matar, Nawfal of Tripoli, Obeid, Oweiss, Rached, Rahhal, Razouk, Saab, Salamé, Saliba, Sarkis, Sayegh, Shammas, Semaan of Kaftoun, Sfeir, Sweidan and Tyan among many others) who are also Qahtani (or Qahtanite)-Kahlani (or Kahlan) – but members of the Azd tribe (like apparently the Kanaan family who moved from Khanawna or Kanunah or Kunawnah to what is now Syria and from there, some members went to what are now Palestine and, for the Christians among them, Cyprus and Lebanon – in Jezzine, in Aabey in Aley and in Brummana and in Khenchara in Northern Metn -) – and also converted mostly to Christianity. During the Byzantin era, like all the Christian families, the Fayad family moved to Izra in Hauran (Syria). Other members of the Jadila branch, members of the Banu (or Bani) Lam sub-branch, later converted to Islam and migrated to what are today Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran as well as Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Palestine and later to Lebanon.
The contemporary history of the family, however, starts with a Greek-Orthodox priest, Father Hanna Fayad, known as Father Sophronius. In the 16th century, one of his sons, Chehadeh, and his family moved in Jbeil (Mount-Lebanon). Since the 17th century, the family has had branches in Beirut, in Akkar and in Koura, and also in Homs (Syria). The Fayad family is one of the seven founding families of the contemporary Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, along with the Trad, Tuéni, Gebeily, Dagher, Saba and Bustros families. Following the independence of Lebanon, Boulos Fayad became one of its main ministers, being in charge of the following portfolios: justice, economy, agriculture and health. His nickname was “patriarch of the Greek-Orthodox”. His son, Halim Fayad, became head of the municipality of Beirut. At the same period of time of the History, another Halim Fayad became governor (mohafez) of South-Lebanon. There have also been other members of the Fayad family who became ministers such as Elias Fayad (agriculture), Nicolas Fayad (Posts & Telegraph) and Walid Fayad (who is currently minister of Energy & Water). Georges Fayad is the current head of Association of Petroleum Importing companies (APIC) and Youssef Fayad is a member of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists (ALI).
A large portion of the Fayad family is Christian Maronite. The Fayad family is also one of the two prominent families (along with the Hélou family) of Baabda, the capital of Mount-Lebanon. The Hélou family moved from Bécharé to Jbeil and then to Kesrwan, Aley, Baabda and Jezzine while some moved from Jbeil to Machta in Syria and then to Beirut and Tripoli. Other families of Baabda are Khoury, Asmar, Abi Rashed, Malat, Abou Khalil, Rahal, Saab and Maatouk. The Fayad family settled in Baabda at the end of the 18th century and are Christian Maronites. The Lebanese presidency palace is in Baabda. Fayadiyeh, “Fayad’s village”, is part of the municipality of Baabda. The Lebanese military academy is in Fayadiyeh. On October 3, 1918, Habib Saleh Fayad, head of the municipality of Baabda, became the first Head of the State of Mount-Lebanon after the end of the Ottoman rule. Later, Joseph Fayad was also the head of the municipality of Baabda.
In 1981, at the request of Bachir Gemayel (head of the Lebanese Forces) who became President of Lebanon (in 1982) – because of the war, the members of the Lebanese Parliament met in the Lebanese Military Academy in Fayadiyeh, rather than in the Parliament Building in Beirut, to elect him – , Najib Fayad, originally from Baabda, was appointed as head of the Gamma Group (that succeeded to Dar al-Amal, a popular committee, led by Raymond Arab) to transform it into the first Lebanese think-tank including specialists, academics and intellectuals (such as Georges Freiha – former coordinator of the popular committees and chief of staff of Bachir Gemayel presidential campaign -, Joseph Maila, Selim Jahel, Selim Catafago, Ibrahim Sahyoun and Najib Amiouni). The Gamma Group planned the building of a modern and strong state in all of its sectors. It was like a “shadow government” composed of eighteen branches equivalent to eighteen ministries. The Gamma Group is behind the launching of the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) in 1985, one of the current most popular MENA TV channels. Then, the Gamma Group became dormant.
In 2019-2020, Michel Fayad proposed the setup of a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) to hold and manage the key government assets including oil & gas. Then, he became advisor to Lebanon’s Minister of Economy & Trade (2020-2021) and the Lebanese Government’s Financial Recovery Plan (April 30, 2020) prepared with Lazard and welcomed as a “good starting point” by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) touched on the creation of a Public Asset Management Company (PAMC) for holding the key government assets (stakes in companies and in real estate) and the creation of a SWF for managing the oil and gas assets and investing outside Lebanon.
The wealth of this aristocratic family originally comes from the silk industry (before its decline) and the agriculture (on their lands).
Kamal Fayad’s investment fund, private equity fund and hedge fund, KAF Investments, is active in equity derivative products on various stock exchanges and in other diverse business areas, such as single-stock trading, corporate derivatives, mergers and acquisitions, stock financing, capital guarantees and baskets of stocks. Kamal Fayad is originally from Baabda. His hedge fund uses statistical arbitrage and event-driven strategies. KAF Investments is also investing in the digital market as well as in several industrial sectors. In Lebanon, KAF Investments owns KAF Contemporary Art Gallery (in Beirut), KAF Real Estate (in Baabda) and Brains Brewery (961 and LB).
Some members of the Fayad family moved to Mexico, the United States, Canada, Argentina, Colombia, France and the United Kingdom. There are mostly Christians, either Greek-Orthodox or Maronites.
The Fayad family has been the partner of France for trading and exporting its products as well as developing business development and strategies in the emerging countries. A book about it: – Ces Marseillais venus d’Orient. L’immigration libanaise à Marseille aux XIXe et XXe siècles, Liliane Rada Nasser. Najib Fayad got the “Prix de l’Audace créatrice” in 2005 from French President Jacques Chirac for his creativity in developing business, accessing new world markets, launching innovative toys, improving economic results and profitability, and creating new jobs.
Some members of the Fayad family in Lebanon are Shias (in Marjayoun-Hasbaya) and Druzes (in Aley, in Shouf and in Rachaya). In other countries of the Middle East, the members of the Fayad family are mostly Sunnis, Shias, Druzes and Alawites.