Ahmass Fakahany
Ahmass Fakahany (born June 18, 1958) is CEO and owner of the Altamarea Group, a global food and beverage hospitality group he founded in 2008. Prior to that, he was Global President and Chief Operating Officer of Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. He also founded Atelier House Hospitality, a boutique hospitality services firm based in New York City and Dubai.[1][2]
Early life and education
Ahmass Fakahany was born in Cairo, Egypt. He left Egypt at the age of four, growing up in Switzerland and England. He moved with his family to the United States at age 17.[3] Fakahany received his Bachelor of Science from the Questrom School of Business at Boston University (Summa Cum Laude) in 1979.[4] He received his MBA degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Business.[4]
Career in finance
He worked for Merrill Lynch, holding the positions of Vice Chairman, Chief Financial Officer, COO Global Markets and finally Investment Banking Co-President and Chief Operating Officer.[5] retiring in 2007 following 20 years with the company.[6]
Restaurant business
After retirement from Merril Lynch, Fakahany founded the restaurant hospitality firm, Altamarea Group with chef and partner Michael White in 2009[3] and in 2017, Altamarea was named as one of the fastest-growing companies in America by Inc. Magazine.[7] The group now operates 15 restaurants worldwide, including a signature restaurant Marea in New York City that has consistently received two Michelin stars.[8][9] Marea Dubai was opened at the DIFC in 2019.[10][11] The company also runs Ai Fiori and Vaucluse in New York and operates mid-range, quality-casual restaurants in the Morini and Nicoletta brands.[12]
Fakahany is also Chief Executive of Altamarea subsidiary Atelier House Hospitality, a New York hospitality advisory firm he founded in 2017 with offices in New York and Dubai.[13]
Fakahany also serves on the Board of Trustees of Boston University.[14][4]
Awards
- Manhattan Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur of the Year Award.[15]
- 2014 Restaurateur of the Year[16][17]
- 2015 Richard Melman Award[18]
- Ellis Island Medal of Honor[19]
- 2018 C-suite Visionary Award - Philanthropy, Art, Culture
References
- ^ "Leaders Interview with Ahmass Fakahany- A Peoples Business". Caterer Middle East. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
- ^ "HEART ON THE LINE: Ahmass Fakahany". Caterer Middle East. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
- ^ a b "Ahmass Fakahany is Changing the Restaurant Game in New York and Here's How". Scoop Empire. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- ^ a b c "Board of Trustees welcomes three members from Questrom". Boston University, Questrom School of Business. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
- ^ News, Bloomberg (2002-11-19). "Merrill Lynch Promotes Chief Finance Officer". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
{{cite news}}
:|last=
has generic name (help) - ^ "Ahmass L. Fakahany to Retire from Merrill Lynch". Retrieved 23 October 2018.
- ^ "5 Top CEOs Say This Is the 1 Task They Will Never Delegate". Inc.com. April 26, 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
- ^ Atkins, Hunter. "The High Quality and High Society of Michael White's New Restaurant Vaucluse". Forbes. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
- ^ "NYC power dining has been transformed, and an ex-Merrill Lynch exec is the mastermind". Business Insider. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
- ^ "Marea Dubai at DIFC 'the real deal' says CEO". Caterer Middle East. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
- ^ "Customers have final word in Dubai's F&B scene". gulfnews.com. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
NYT-31Mar12
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Money & Me: 'I always tip 30 per cent for good service'". The National. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
- ^ "Board of Trustees Welcomes Six New Members | BU Today | Boston University". BU Today. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
- ^ "Upcoming Event - 2018 Best in the Business Awards | Manhattan Chamber of Commerce". www.manhattancc.org. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
- ^ "2014 Restaurateur of the Year awardee Ahmass Fakahany, COO & Owner, Altamarea Restaurant Group. 2014 Manhattan Chamber of Commerce Awards Breakfast celebrating excellence in business. | New York Photographer Jeffrey Holmes". jeffreyholmes.photoshelter.com. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
- ^ "2015 Richard Melman Award goes to Michael White and Ahmass Fakahany". Restaurant Hospitality. April 23, 2015. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
- ^ "2015 Richard Melman Award goes to Michael White and Ahmass Fakahany". Restaurant Hospitality. 2015-04-23. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
- ^ "Medalists Database". eihonors.org. Retrieved 2019-08-06.