International Finance

A self-made financier who began his career by clerking with a catering firm at age 17, Issam Michael Fares has maintained a commitment to serving people and to financing under the highest ethical standards. Reflecting his long experience in international commerce, he hopes that his region — in step with the world — can move toward free trade and the internationalization of finance.

Mr. Fares heads a broad collection of banks, factories, and companies in the Middle East, Europe and the United States through the Wedge Group, an investment firm based in the United States.

Among his Wedge Group holdings: the Food Corporation International, an American exporter of staples such as rice; and Ballast-Nedam, the largest Dutch construction company.

By 1984, Issam Michael Fares owned and managed companies with more than 70,000 employees worldwide, generating revenues in excess of $4 billion. Today, Issam Michael Fares continues to make strategic equity investments across the world.

Currently, Mr. Fares is the chairman of the board of Wedge Group Houston and Wedge Group Amsterdam