I knew Rami for almost 13 years , and I was impressed , for a man of his age , with the way he use to communicate his new ideas and visions ; specially the simplicity and clearness of his message , this type of skills normally need years of education ,training , and practicing , or in case of Rami , it’s is a gift he has .
Although it is obvious that the most affected by his departure ; are his mother , father , wife , daughters , and the rest of his family , however , we ; the FPI family , are going to miss a young, and an inspired leader , with whom ; we belived and we remain believing that his vision could be and should be realized .
I met Rami in the winter of 2005 in London. He had long hair at that time and told me later on about the harsh chemicals he had to use to straighten his hair just so that he could grow it. A year later, he shocked us by getting a crew cut and shaving an ornamental Polynesian design into the side of his head. Rami was avant-garde and he had a zest for life.
Rami had a way; a way of making you feel important; a way of making you a special part of his life. I remember getting random phone calls in the morning as Rami was driving into work. The only purpose of the phone call was to sing along at the top of our lungs to his favourite pop songs like “World, Hold On”, as he sped down Beach Road in Dubai trying to navigate random construction detours that had popped up suddenly overnight.
Rami and I clicked. It was like we had known each other for many years. We used to spend hours on the phone talking about life, politics, family and how to make FPI great. There was one night where we talked for so long that both of our mobile phones died. We used to joked about how committed we were. He once told my wife in jest that she was actually my mistress because I was married to his company!
How can I say good-bye to Rami? He opened his heart and home to me and my family, he treated me like a brother. Rami gave me opportunities, believed in me and counted on me to make his vision a reality. Rami was more than my CEO, he was my mentor and my friend. There really is no way to say good-bye; Rami will be with me always, in my heart.
Rami was a dear son and my boss since he managed the business at his early youth. He was a leader when I and many others greatly admired his visions that strongly influenced our decisions and performance. He left behind very sad days, but we never felt of his absence. He is with us in every move and his thoughts, generosity , gesture, leadership and guidance shall not be forgotten. Indeed, his support and contribution to each individual’s success and the group are un-measurable.
May Almighty God keeping him in a better place and bless his soul. We shall always pray for him.
I met Rami on the 5th of November, 2008. It became evident from the very beginning that he was highly respected throughout his community and profession. His good works changed the lives of many; Rami had great kindness and compassion towards those less fortunate than him. He was one of the most generous and caring men I have ever known.
He taught me that life has new lessons for us every day; I don’t know what I would have done without his help and guidance. I was truly fortunate to have such a man as a role model in my life. Rami communicated with me as his colleague and not simply his assistant; not too long ago, he wrote me an e-mail saying “Thank you for being there, for everything you have done for me, my Family, for FPi and for being My Rock “.
I particularly remember the time when we had a board meeting over the weekend and after a very busy 2 day event, Rami took the time to send me a note saying “Thank you for taking care of everything, and never letting me feel that you do. I am forever grateful”. Not one day went by without making me feel appreciated and when you read his thoughtful notes, the hard work and the long hours all paid off.
As I started working at FPi, it became obvious to me that Rami was not a morning person. Day after day I realized that he would walk in the office every morning without saying hello or good morning. At first I was too shy to express my thoughts but then I included it in my anonymous feedback and when he discovered it was me who wrote that comment he burst into laughter. Ever since that day, he would walk into the office and shout out loud “GOOD MORNING RONA, ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?”. That’s how my day started with a huge smile on my face!
I was so impressed by Rami’s writing skills and touched by how he would motivate all of us through his words. It’s hard not to be impressed when listening to the very charming President give a presentation. Rami believed that a “leaders’ job is to know where we must go, NOT how to get there”. He went on to say “The critical path is the destination; the journey must be left to others” . He believed that this is how you inspire, influence, integrate and improve as a leader and that if you always listen to your people, you shall always prevail as a great Leader.
Rami was not just the president of Future Group, he was a father …. a great father to three wonderful girls: May, Nour and Yasmeena. Rami adored his three little girls and always created time to be with them. When they performed in plays and dance recitals, he would be there, in the front seat, sitting with so much pride in his eyes. When they received an award, he would be there at the school assembly. He taught his girls what they needed to learn in life by setting an example through his own life. His goodness cannot and need not be expressed by words. He was a man of action. He acted out what he needed them to learn.
Rami was also a man of faith. He was a firm believer in God. He never preached about his faith; he never gave us lessons on religion and morality. He simply lived by example. When he was faced with difficulty, he would pray and deep down he knew that God was testing him. It was one of the great things I found remarkable about Rami.
Examples are indeed countless…… Rami’s passing will not only leave a void in my life, but in the hearts of all those who knew him.
Rami ….. you will always remain within my heart. My heart is sad right now, but my eyes are filled with sweet tears as I remember you, your smile, and the delight you brought to my life.
Yours forever,
Your Personal Assistant, Rona Serhan
Rami was my Boss, my Mentor, my Friend, and my Brother…
When I first met Rami… it was in the factory, in Dubai summer times, among the employees in the production; he was on the field listening to everyone and feeling with the hard workers behind this pipe industry….
Yes, Rami was a Great Listener and Inspirer of the young and Leaders.
Rami made things happen! Together we completed developing new plants, re-organized the group’s technology and know-how structure and achieved many strategy initiatives.
I worked with Rami directly for over 12 years and I have only kept learning from this never-ending flow of motivation and energy for pushing achievements to higher plateaus; We always felt that best is not enough, we had to over-perform to keep up to the dream standards of a futuristic code of ethics that rests on the grounds of mutual respect and the sense of family and self-realization.
I can always remember and repeat his comment in emails after midnights:
“Go to sleep!” he says, … How can we go to sleep Rami when you are still awake in nights with zillion things on your mind? We must be all with you to support you step by step! Hence, we were all on alert 24 hours a day, living it to the max!
Rami was a fun person to be around, we travelled together, got stuck in airports, took dangerous private flights in bad weathers just to be able to link the nights with daylights; we worked closely together, we played squash after tedious schedules; we even went crazy and joined the martial arts classes for some time … You have to be around him to understand the ever-dream he wanted to build and wanted to share with everyone; He wanted every single person in this organization to be happy and successful performing individual, he cared for all!
Lately, every minute that passed by and spent away from Rami… was a loss!
Let’s hope, pray and commit to be up to the leadership responsibility bestowed upon us!
Rami was an inspiration, both on a personal and professional level. He was a joy to be around with his positive outlook on life and his infectious smile. He was extremely well mannered and generous, but most importantly he had the remarkable ability to make everyone feel at ease in every situation filling you with energy and motivation. Rami was a great friend and I will treasure every moment we spent together for the rest of my life. Rami will be sorely missed and I will definitely never forget him.
The loss of our great leader who had already marked his place in this world and people’s hearts at a very young age was a big blow to me as a person and as an employee of FPI Group. As much as an excellent leader and business man that he was, he was a wonderful human being. The imprints that he left on many with the shade of compassion and kindness that he gave is deep. In the brief period he has been with us, his achievements were immense and his success inspirational. Being the son of a great man, Mr. Fouad Makhzoumi and living by his teachings Mr. Rami Makhzoumi had grown into a man with much depth to his thoughts and actions. My heart goes out to his grieving 3 beautiful children, his loving wife and his wonderful parents.
The 23 years that I have spent with the FPI Group I had grown very close to Mr. Rami personally and developed much affection and respect for the great man. The brilliance of his thought and the intensity in his views has always left remarkable impression on me. Though it would take a long time for all of us to uplift ourselves from the grief of loss that we have fallen into; I pray for the strength to lead by his example and fulfillment of all his expectations from us. I cannot really say much except for how much I appreciated Rami Makhzoumi for his generosity and kind heartedness. He has always been there to listen and lend a hand, and never failed to give a word of encouragement.
God has taken him to be in a better place and he is watching over us. He will live in us through the memories that he left and give us the strength to strive for the best through his vision for the FPI Group and all his employees.
Being the technical engineer at GEI site, I had dealt very closely with Mr. Rami Makhzoumi. I knew him as a very humble person. I saw in his face, the smile that knows no limits to the range. I saw the intelligence and patience until the end. I played football with him several times. I did not see him raising his voice like others usually do. I didn’t see him blaming or admonish others when they do mistakes. I never felt that I was dealing with the CEO of the group, I saw him the brother who loves everyone around him and works hard to see them happy. I will never forget the day when I went to him asking to go for Hajj. He was smiling when he told me: “consider it done”. And I went (Al Hamdu Lellah) and I prayed for him then and still do.
Thanks Rami. May Allah mercy your soul and forgive you.
Most people who were fortunate enough to meet Rami, will remember him as mature, kind and polite. To me, he was far more than that…
I first met Rami when we were 11yrs old at Hill House School. I remember Rami was shy at that time, but we seemed to make a connection early on.
By age 13, we both attended Dulwich College and were put in the same classes. This was when the more mischievous side of Rami came out and it was where we really bonded and were together every second of the day. There are so many stories that come to mind, too many to mention, but for me, one of the most memorable moments at Dulwich, was our French class. We had a teacher who constantly picked on us, probably because we always did the minimum amount of work, and spent the whole time in class planning our weekends (girls, nightclubs..the usual teen thoughts) and laughing in the back of the classroom. The French teacher (who remains anonymous) used to pick on Rami more than me, and we assumed it was because Rami used to come to school dressed in Armani suits and Ralph Lauren shirts… his fashion sense began at an early age.
By age 17, Rami got his driving license and I remember him picking me up in the mornings to go to school in his red Suzuki jeep. On many occasions, he would come to my place on a sunny morning with the top down, look at me and say “shall we bunk school today?”…It really didn’t take me long to say yes! …..and if you’re thinking we got up to no good on those days off…you’d be so wrong… we would always land up falling asleep in his car, parked in his garage !!
This was also the worst age for our parents to deal with us…. I recall a funny moment (looking back) when we decided to miss school to go to the London Motor show. I remember being at the Ferrari stand looking at the cars when Rami’s phone rang…. it was Auntie May, who casually asked him “where are you habibi?” knowing he wasn’t at school. At first I remember Rami saying he was in the library, but then caved in and told her he was with me at the motor show. All I remember from then on was his smile as he looked at me and said, “we’re busted!” …five minutes later my phone rang, it was my mother saying why are you with Rami and not at school! …. We were both grounded that weekend!
At the end of our Dulwich days came the epic Corfu, Club Med holiday…. a group of friends travelling on holiday with Rami as leader. Those who went on that trip or who heard the stories will know the amount of fun we had, and that Rami played a pivotal role in all our adventures… and more importantly, it was Rami who connected all of us together. Looking back at the hundreds of pictures from that Corfu trip, Rami was in every single picture…he was the centre of our attention, he was the reason we all got on so well, and had such a great time.
Then university came… we would spend our Saturdays with a group of about 20 people in the famous Henry J. Beans, in Kings’ Road, and our nights in various nightclubs. We would always meet at Rami’s flat, plan our attack strategies to pick up girls and get the best tables in the club, head out, and on most nights return back, the same unsuccessful group. Rami was always the man in charge, and even when he broke his collar bone, and had his arm in a sling, he still soldiered on, taking us to the clubs he had memberships in…, ensuring we all got in and had a great time. He was a major part of the London scene…even at such an early age; he never left us standing alone and always took care of us.
It was during the university years that Rami started experimenting with different looks, it all started with his hair… first he shaved his head, then grew a pony tail, then played with hair colours and designs, dying his hair in zebra or leopard prints. His facial hair was the next area of interest before moving on to his fashion dress sense. I remember on many occasions Rami going to Gucci and choosing outfits that made us look at him and say “are you serious? You’re going to buy that?”, but he always had a flair for fashion, and somehow always made it work to his advantage. He always ended up being the best dressed person at any event, and was always meticulous and well groomed.
There are so many stories I’d like to share, so many memories, so many lessons Rami taught me, but as painful as this is to write, I will conclude by saying, Rami was more than just a friend to me, he was my brother. We had so much in common, the same goals, the same ideas, and he was always so easy to talk to… until this day, I still feel that Rami is closer to me than most members of my own direct family. He was such a great listener, and knew exactly what to say at the right moments. Before making any big decision, I would consult Rami and ask him what his opinion or thoughts were… he was an inspiration and a major part of my life and childhood. I am so proud of him, and have such a deep respect for him… he is the true meaning of the word legend.
I miss you and love you bro!
A smile that could light up a town. A generous and kind soul that humbled us all. A pure original class act. A great son, father, husband and friend. He will forever live in our minds with the fondest memories.
I miss him every day. I think of him every day. With this loss I still smile, such is the positive affect he always had on me.
I love him. Will always love him and was so blessed like many others to have him in my life the way I did. ‘What a man’ is an understatement.
I know he’s in a better place teaching a few people about style, generosity and love and I’m sure he’s doing it with the up most grace.
Thanks for your friendship and teaching us all how to be a better person.
I love you.
It is very hard to know where to start with this given the countless stories and happy memories that relate to Rami….
My friendship with Rami started one fateful day in McDonalds on High Street Kensington (of all places!!) when I was 14. He actually approached me at the counter completely out of the blue and mentioned that he had attended my sister’s wedding the week before – he asked me how she was doing and to send her his best wishes. I remember vividly how I was instantly struck by Rami’s warmth and it is no surprise that we quickly became the best of friends, a friendship that lasted for more than 20 years.
For the next 7 years we were virtually inseparable, with Rami’s apartment (the legendary 47A Cheniston Gardens) becoming the ‘group’s’ headquarters and the scene of much laughter and mischief. Rami really was the architect of ‘our group’ as we know it today – none of us really knew each other and it was he who brought us together.
He was the glue that kept us all together and was consistently the pivotal figure in all we did, a result of the affection that everyone held him in. He was always positive, so genuine, absolutely hilarious and generous to a fault. He also had this incredible ability to relate to each of us individually even though many of us possessed contrasting characters- this was a trait that served him incredibly well in his later years as a highly successful businessman.
Of course, generosity was Rami’s forte, both materially and emotionally. I remember countless occasions when one of us would comment positively on a new CD or an item of clothing he had just bought- he would literally INSIST on you taking it and wouldn’t take ‘no’ as an answer. Or when any of us would have a problem, he would put aside all of his worries and problems and concentrate solely on solving your issue. This was an extraordinary characteristic that would remain with him throughout his life.
His eccentricity was also something that naturally drew people to him. His dress sense throughout his life was, let’s just say, original! Who could ever forget his incredibly loud Versace waist coats or his bright red/yellow cashmere long coats??! The crème de la crème for me was his 18th birthday party at Annabels when he turned up wearing a Scottish kilt, sporting a shaved leopard print head! Very few could get away with it but Rami was most certainly one of those who could. He was a rare breed whichever way you look at it….
Memories of holidays in Beirut and Monaco, nights out at L’Equipe and Iceni, weekends at his country house or just hanging out wherever, instantly make me smile and of course Rami was the central character in amongst it all.
In short, those years were easily the most memorable of my life, despite the fact that most of them were literally spent in his apartment! I think if you were to ask any of the boys, they would probably agree and would add that they have never laughed so much or so hard as we did in those years.
When Rami got married and moved to Dubai, we lost touch for several years, which was natural as he was starting a new life both personally and professionally.
It was a good 5 or 6 years before our paths crossed again. At that time, I called him up to tell him that I was about to make the move to Dubai and said that I was looking forward to seeing him. He instantly wanted to know about my accommodation arrangements to which I responded by saying that I was struggling to find a place. Within 24 hours, he called me back to offer me one of the company apartments to stay in until I had found a more permanent place. I was incredibly grateful to him but not in the least bit surprised by the generosity of his offer.
Over the next 5 or 6 years, we became very close again but it was a different Rami. Whilst most of us had continued to fool around in London in the preceding years, he had developed into an incredibly impressive young man, becoming CEO of a major infrastructure company and a highly respected member of the UAE business community. Here was a responsible, mature family man with 3 wonderful kids, a man of unwavering faith and religion who was now living his life responsibly and selflessly. His generosity and humility, though, did not change- in fact, they became even more pronounced as he became older.
It was 3 years later that Rami’s company, Future Pipe, decided to IPO, and Deutsche, the bank I was working for, won the mandate to sell the stake to the public. I was overjoyed and couldn’t wait to work on the sales process which meant travelling with Rami and the rest of his team around the World in order to meet prospective stakeholders.
Of course travelling around the World had to be done in style, and in true Rami fashion, he hired a private jet to take us around Europe and the US! I will never forget those 2 weeks – despite being incredibly intense and challenging, we had the time of our lives.
I’ll never forget how proud I was of him at the time- here was one of my oldest friends presenting in front of some of the most powerful money men in the World. And the reaction was universal and incredibly positive. In fact, one of our largest clients in New York actually called me up to say that in all his years ‘ he had never met a more impressive CEO than Rami’, words that will always remain with me forever….
It was all to end in heartache though as the IPO failed to materialise- our timing was unfortunate given the global downturn. It was a cruel blow after weeks and months of incredibly hard work, especially for Rami who had put everything into this. I was personally devastated and felt responsible given I was part of the sales process.
On the flight back from New York, I was at the back of the plane staring into thin air and literally feeling like the World had ended. Rami came to sit next to me and saw the pain on my face and began to console me. Here was the CEO of the company, who had his own much bigger issues to deal with, consoling me!! I simply couldn’t believe it but I shouldn’t have been surprised because that was Rami through and through…. Fast forward 4 years and we found ourselves in South of France on the Big Mak – a holiday that I will never forget. They were 10 days that proved to be highly significant as Rami and Chiara were brought together on a fateful night in Jimmy’s of all places! The spark between the two of them was instantly obvious, and when she cut her foot on a stray piece of glass later that evening, it was Rami that nursed her and made sure she was ok. Chiara clearly couldn’t believe that a complete stranger could show so much affection, but for us, it was no surprise at all. That was so typical of Rami ….
Six months later and Rami and Chiara would tie the knot which led to the happiest period of Rami’s life. To say that he was floating on air would do an injustice to the almost euphoric state he was in. Most people in this World will never be lucky enough to feel what Rami felt in those months, and although it was a cruelly short space of time, we must take comfort in the fact that he left us at his happiest…..
I am just so grateful to have known this special person whose sole mission on Earth seems to have been to bring joy and happiness to all he touched. Rami’s passing has left a massive void in my life – I have lost one of my oldest friends, a soul mate, a huge source of inspiration, a brother. I have lost someone who I looked up to for all he achieved in such a short space of time. And above all, I have lost someone who I simply loved for being him, a unique and gentle soul who was larger than life.
It is true what they say- ‘the good ones go young’. And I feel comfort in the knowledge that he is in a far better place right now smiling down on us… RIP Habibi Rami….
An eccentric, a character, flamboyant. These are perhaps obvious aspects when people think of Rami. Although already rare to find in someone, these characteristics merely dressed a man who had an innate ability to connect with everyone. A romantic, sensitive, expressive, emotive man, and above all an intelligent man. He translated these very ‘human’ qualities into a world where they are so lacking, so scarce, frowned upon as weaknesses. He had his own inimitable style, grand and inspirational yet approachable. He threw out the rule book of the aggressive business world, brought his own ideas and reaped the rewards.
These traits also helped him pick his friends carefully and surround himself with the people who cared about him in the same way he would care for them. I am privileged to have been one of those people. The rewards were immeasurable. With his infectious laugh, it was always a pleasure to be in his company. He was extremely generous with his time and thoughts towards anyone around him. He was a great speaker but also a great listener, a lateral thinker whereby advice and new suggetions were easy to come by, presented in a neat and witty fashion. It didn’t matter if a year had passed since we spoke we would pick up just where we left. Natural, no awkwardness. I always felt as though if I needed anything it would be provided for, at the drop of a hat. I feel proud to be able to say Rami was a friend of mine.
I feel like I have lost a brother.
ciao amico mio, you will be missed.
