Ghassan E. Nuqul
Jordan
Ghassan E. Nuqul
  • Chairman, Nuqul Group (Wellness)
Born Amman, Jordan, 1962. BS in Industrial Engineering; MBA, Purdue University (1983).
“Everything we do has to be impactful and we have to make a difference. All that I am telling you today translates to action on the ground.”

Summary

Ghassan E. Nuqul is Chairman of the Nuqul Group, one of the Middle East’s leading business groups which manages Fine Hygienic Holding – a global wellness company with headquarters in Amman, Jordan. Mr. Nuqul is also Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Crown Prince Foundation and Founder of the Elia Nuqul Foundation, named after his father who first established the family business in 1952 after fleeing to Jordan as a Palestinian refugee. Mr. Nuqul begins the interview by reflecting on his upbringing and shares how his father’s history as a refugee inspired the family to excel in business. Wishing to further the family legacy, Mr. Nuqul pursued an Industrial Engineering degree and MBA from Purdue University in preparation to join the group in 1985. As Mr. Nuqul expresses, “I worked so hard in high school and college to make [my father] proud and be sure that I was capable of taking the flag and moving forward.”

Under his leadership over the next 10 years, Mr. Nuqul explains how he oversaw the global expansion of operations from five to twenty-six companies. He established businesses throughout the Middle East in markets such as Yemen, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates before expanding even further into Europe and the United States. This involved continued investments into exports of their Fine Hygienic Paper products, along with new and diversified ventures in industries such as steel fabrication and real estate development. Mr. Nuqul also led the institutionalization of his rapidly growing business, shifting its organizational structure from one that was mainly centralized under his father’s authority into one that distributed leadership evenly among general managers and independent board members. Calling it “the best decision I’ve made in my career,” he proceeded to separate management from ownership in 2004, appointing professional chief executives and instituting an overarching corporate governance structure.

Mr. Nuqul continues the interview by discussing the company’s values, which include proactive investments in talent, technology, and sustainability. Regarding talent, he highlights the importance of supporting equality of opportunity for men and women in the workplace, asserting how a third of the group’s highest positions are occupied by women. He maintains that “the more women you have in the workforce, especially at the highest levels, the better your company will perform.” On technology and sustainability, Mr. Nuqul describes the methods the group has developed which allow Fine Hygienic Holding’s paper mills to recycle their water and pulp fiber. In addition to such technologies, he explains how the company has committed to sustainability from the supply chain perspective as they purchase pulp for paper production solely from companies that have adhered to renewable forestry standards. When asked whether such commitments place the company at a cost disadvantage with competitors, Mr. Nuqul argues that the contrary is the case due to improved efficiency along with reduced energy and water consumption.

Moving onto the issue of corruption, Mr. Nuqul similarly emphasizes how his strict enforcement of anti-corruption policies did not lead to a loss of opportunity for him, but rather how it was fundamental towards the preservation of the company’s values and success. Anti-corruption enforcement, as he describes, has been accomplished in two ways. Firstly, he explains how all staff including himself complete a yearly exam on their code of business ethics. Secondly, Mr. Nuqul recounts stories of his business ethics enforcement on-the-ground with high-level management – stories that he says have served as examples for staff regarding zero tolerance on such issues.

Mr. Nuqul expresses the view that business has the potential as a “driver of growth” in sectors ranging from infrastructure to health and education. He sees a role for business to have an impact in contexts that include the West Bank and Gaza for example, where he states that companies can support Palestinian people beyond humanitarian efforts such as with employment, lobbying, and increased investment. Mr. Nuqul speaks further on his commitments to social impact during the remainder of the interview, discussing the Elia Nuqul Foundation that was founded in 2008, as well as Corporate Social Responsibility programs he has been involved with throughout the Middle East.

When speaking about the programs he chooses to pursue, he emphasizes how CSR should have a measurable impact. Mr. Nuqul argues that “the key point in my mind and what I tell all my managers is that it has to be sustainable, impactful, and have social return. It has to be empowering the people.” This set of values carries over into his work with the Elia Nuqul Foundation and the Jordanian government’s Crown Prince Foundation, founded in 2015. Both foundations focus on education and vocational training for the country’s youth – a mission Mr. Nuqul views as especially important for the country’s future given the statistics he provides estimating that “70% of [Jordan’s] population is below the age of 30.”

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Ghassan E. Nuqul is Chairman of the Nuqul Group, one of the Middle East’s leading business groups which manages Fine Hygienic Holding – a global wellness company with headquarters in Amman, Jordan. Mr. Nuqul is also Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Crown Prince Foundation and Founder of the Elia Nuqul Foundation, named after his father who first established the family business in 1952 after fleeing to Jordan as a Palestinian refugee. Mr. Nuqul begins the interview by reflecting on his upbringing and shares how his father’s history as a refugee inspired the family to excel in business. Wishing to further the family legacy, Mr. Nuqul pursued an Industrial Engineering degree and MBA from Purdue University in preparation to join the group in 1985. As Mr. Nuqul expresses, “I worked so hard in high school and college to make [my father] proud and be sure that I was capable of taking the flag and moving forward.”

Under his leadership over the next 10 years, Mr. Nuqul explains how he oversaw the global expansion of operations from five to twenty-six companies. He established businesses throughout the Middle East in markets such as Yemen, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates before expanding even further into Europe and the United States. This involved continued investments into exports of their Fine Hygienic Paper products, along with new and diversified ventures in industries such as steel fabrication and real estate development. Mr. Nuqul also led the institutionalization of his rapidly growing business, shifting its organizational structure from one that was mainly centralized under his father’s authority into one that distributed leadership evenly among general managers and independent board members. Calling it “the best decision I’ve made in my career,” he proceeded to separate management from ownership in 2004, appointing professional chief executives and instituting an overarching corporate governance structure.

Mr. Nuqul continues the interview by discussing the company’s values, which include proactive investments in talent, technology, and sustainability. Regarding talent, he highlights the importance of supporting equality of opportunity for men and women in the workplace, asserting how a third of the group’s highest positions are occupied by women. He maintains that “the more women you have in the workforce, especially at the highest levels, the better your company will perform.” On technology and sustainability, Mr. Nuqul describes the methods the group has developed which allow Fine Hygienic Holding’s paper mills to recycle their water and pulp fiber. In addition to such technologies, he explains how the company has committed to sustainability from the supply chain perspective as they purchase pulp for paper production solely from companies that have adhered to renewable forestry standards. When asked whether such commitments place the company at a cost disadvantage with competitors, Mr. Nuqul argues that the contrary is the case due to improved efficiency along with reduced energy and water consumption.

Moving onto the issue of corruption, Mr. Nuqul similarly emphasizes how his strict enforcement of anti-corruption policies did not lead to a loss of opportunity for him, but rather how it was fundamental towards the preservation of the company’s values and success. Anti-corruption enforcement, as he describes, has been accomplished in two ways. Firstly, he explains how all staff including himself complete a yearly exam on their code of business ethics. Secondly, Mr. Nuqul recounts stories of his business ethics enforcement on-the-ground with high-level management – stories that he says have served as examples for staff regarding zero tolerance on such issues.

Mr. Nuqul expresses the view that business has the potential as a “driver of growth” in sectors ranging from infrastructure to health and education. He sees a role for business to have an impact in contexts that include the West Bank and Gaza for example, where he states that companies can support Palestinian people beyond humanitarian efforts such as with employment, lobbying, and increased investment. Mr. Nuqul speaks further on his commitments to social impact during the remainder of the interview, discussing the Elia Nuqul Foundation that was founded in 2008, as well as Corporate Social Responsibility programs he has been involved with throughout the Middle East.

When speaking about the programs he chooses to pursue, he emphasizes how CSR should have a measurable impact. Mr. Nuqul argues that “the key point in my mind and what I tell all my managers is that it has to be sustainable, impactful, and have social return. It has to be empowering the people.” This set of values carries over into his work with the Elia Nuqul Foundation and the Jordanian government’s Crown Prince Foundation, founded in 2015. Both foundations focus on education and vocational training for the country’s youth – a mission Mr. Nuqul views as especially important for the country’s future given the statistics he provides estimating that “70% of [Jordan’s] population is below the age of 30.”

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Video Clips by Topic

Family Business

Ghassan E. Nuqul, Chairman of the Nuqul Group, outlines the company’s core values and shares how his father’s history as a refugee inspired him to strive for success in business.


Sustainability

Ghassan E. Nuqul, Chairman of the Nuqul Group, discusses the energy-efficient technologies and investments in renewable forestry that form part of his group’s commitment to sustainable business.


Social Impact

Ghassan E. Nuqul, Chairman of the Nuqul Group, explains the origins of the Elia Nuqul Foundation in 2008, and discusses the group’s CSR projects in Jordan and elsewhere in MENA.


Responding to Crises

Ghassan E. Nuqul, Chairman of the Nuqul Group, argues that business should and can play a role in helping the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza.


Corruption

Ghassan E. Nuqul, Chairman of the Nuqul Group, details how he has enforced anti-corruption policies and business ethics policies within the group.


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Additional Resources

Interview Citation Format

Interview with Ghassan E. Nuqul, interviewed by Geoffrey Jones, Amman, Jordan and Boston, MA, USA, 8 August 2022. Creating Emerging Markets Oral History Collection, Baker Library Special Collections, Harvard Business School, https://www.hbs.edu/creating-emerging-markets/Pages/default.aspx.