Interview Summary
Alan Tabourian is the Chairman of Interbrand S.A.L., a food processing company based in Lebanon.
He begins the interview by discussing his family’s Armenian roots and education. Reflecting on his decision to pursue higher education in the United States, he shares how his MBA at Harvard Business School was a transformative experience. When the dot-com bubble bust in 1999, he was forced to close his telecom start-up in the United States, and he returned to Lebanon and became involved in the family business Interbrand.
Tabourian explains how his business, which produced products under Nestlé’s Libby's brand, survived the political turbulence in Lebanon, including the civil war between 1975 and 1990. In 2004, Tabourian also became involved in politics, becoming a government minister, but continued providing technical support to Interbrand. He elaborates on his involvement in the Lebanese government and shares insights about the difficulties of getting anything done in the country’s dysfunctional political system.
Continuing the discussion about Interbrand, Tabourian explains that his brother Marc also got involved in the business at a young age. Acquainted with running a business, the brothers took over the management of a loss-making bottled water company, Sannine, which was one of the two leading water brands in Lebanon, and turned it into a profitable one.
Tabourian proceeds to share his thoughts on the extent and nature of corruption in Lebanon. He explains the financial crisis of “lollars” (Lebanon dollars) and how Interbrand survived hyperinflation, which reached 200-300 percent in the 2000s. He also talks about the challenges of Lebanon’s confessional system in politics and business. He concludes the interview by sharing his thoughts on the responsibility of business to society and the resilience of businesses in Lebanon.
At the end of the day, if it's a question of the business having to survive versus doing everything by the books, this is where you have to make a call.
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Additional Resources
Rania Ghanem, "Tabourian Group acquires Sannine water"
BUSINESSNEWS.COM.LB , September 1, 2016.
Alain Tabourian, " Le charbon, une folie pour le Liban ?"
L’Orient- Le Jour , January 23, 2013.
" Egypt to provide Lebanon with power through Jordan, Syria "
Global Energy Network Institute , September 2, 2008.
" Tabourian - Une industrie qui a du jus "
Le Commerce Du Levant , September 28, 2012.
Interview Citation Format
Interview with Alan Tabourian, interviewed by Geoffrey Jones, Boston, Massachusetts, USA and Dbayeh, Lebanon, 10 September 2024, Creating Emerging Markets Oral History Collection, Baker Library Special Collections and Archives, Harvard Business School, http://www.hbs.edu/creating-emerging-markets/.
