Ordering off the Menu: Entrepreneurship Arab-Style

In its search for capital Aramex became the first Arab-based company to list on Nasdaq. It was a mistake that became the making of the company.

“I don’t know if anyone isn’t afraid of failing,” Fadi Ghandour, founder and recently departed CEO of transport and logistics company, Aramex International, surmises when asked about his reputation for being fearless. “Trying can lead to failure but there’s balance in being confident enough to say if I fail – if I fall – I will try again.”

Whether it’s new markets, new products, new partnerships or innovative ways to raise money, Ghandour has infused his staff with the mantra: don’t stick to the menu and don’t be afraid to try.

It’s the story of the early days of Aramex, (an acronym of Arab American Express). Created in 1982 as a small Jordanian courier service with big ideas, assisted by strong international partnerships and dogged determination, it became one of the leading logistics and transportation companies in the Middle East and South Asia.

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Ordering off the Menu: Entrepreneurship Arab-Style