Nemir Kirdar
Encyclopedia
Nemir A. Kirdar is an Iraqi
businessman and financier
, he is the executive chairman & CEO of Investcorp
, a private equity
investment group operating out of New York, London and Bahrain. Kirdar currently lives in London
.
for Allied Bank International. In 1974 he joined the Chase Manhattan Bank
in New York
, as vice president. Between the years of 1976 and 1981, Kirdar served in the Persian Gulf
to oversee and direct Chase’s banking network in the region.
In 1982, he founded Investcorp, a firm which specialises in offering global investments. These include private equity, hedge funds, real estate, technology investments and Gulf growth capital.
, Iraq, to a family prominent in the politics of the late Ottoman Empire and interwar Iraq. After a military coup overthrew the monarchy in 1958, Kirdar went to the United States to study, and later returning to Iraq in 1960. He reportedly escaped from Iraq in 1958 by hiding in a rolled-up carpet in the back of a truck.
Soon after the Baathist coup, which produced the regime of Saddam Hussein, Kirdar left the country again.
Kirdar graduated from the University of the Pacific in California
in economics
and holds an MBA from Fordham University
in New York. In addition, he also completed Harvard Business School’s senior management programme.
in Washington DC; in laws from the University of the Pacific, California; and in economics from Richmond, The American International University in London.
Kirdar ranked 206 in the British Rich List 2005. He also ranked #26 on the world's most influential Arabs 2009 list.
Iraqi people
The Iraqi people or Mesopotamian people are natives or inhabitants of the country of Iraq, known since antiquity as Mesopotamia , with a large diaspora throughout the Arab World, Europe, the Americas, and...
businessman and financier
Financier
Financier is a term for a person who handles typically large sums of money, usually involving money lending, financing projects, large-scale investing, or large-scale money management. The term is French, and derives from finance or payment...
, he is the executive chairman & CEO of Investcorp
Investcorp
Investcorp is a manager of alternative investment products, serving high-net-worth private and institutional clients. Its principal client base is in the six countries of the Gulf Co-operation Council, but it also has institutional clients in North America and Europe...
, a private equity
Private equity
Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
investment group operating out of New York, London and Bahrain. Kirdar currently lives in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Career
Kirdar began his banking career in New York in 1969. Following two years of credit training, he worked in South East Asia and JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
for Allied Bank International. In 1974 he joined the Chase Manhattan Bank
Chase Manhattan Bank
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., doing business as Chase, is a national bank that constitutes the consumer and commercial banking subsidiary of financial services firm JPMorgan Chase. The bank was known as Chase Manhattan Bank until it merged with J.P. Morgan & Co. in 2000...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, as vice president. Between the years of 1976 and 1981, Kirdar served in the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
to oversee and direct Chase’s banking network in the region.
In 1982, he founded Investcorp, a firm which specialises in offering global investments. These include private equity, hedge funds, real estate, technology investments and Gulf growth capital.
Early life
Kirdar was born in KirkukKirkuk
Kirkuk is a city in Iraq and the capital of Kirkuk Governorate.It is located in the Iraqi governorate of Kirkuk, north of the capital, Baghdad...
, Iraq, to a family prominent in the politics of the late Ottoman Empire and interwar Iraq. After a military coup overthrew the monarchy in 1958, Kirdar went to the United States to study, and later returning to Iraq in 1960. He reportedly escaped from Iraq in 1958 by hiding in a rolled-up carpet in the back of a truck.
Soon after the Baathist coup, which produced the regime of Saddam Hussein, Kirdar left the country again.
Kirdar graduated from the University of the Pacific in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and holds an MBA from Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
in New York. In addition, he also completed Harvard Business School’s senior management programme.
Academic Awards
Kirdar has received an honorary doctorate in humane letters from Georgetown UniversityGeorgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
in Washington DC; in laws from the University of the Pacific, California; and in economics from Richmond, The American International University in London.
Wealth
Kirdar is worth over a billion dollars.Kirdar ranked 206 in the British Rich List 2005. He also ranked #26 on the world's most influential Arabs 2009 list.