Dubai: Antoine Choueiri, the founder and chairman of the Choueiri Group, one the Middle East's largest media brokers, died on Tuesday at the age of 70.
The Lebanese media mogul died in his hometown Beirut after a long battle with cancer.
In 1975, when the civil war broke out in Leban-on, Choueiri left for Paris where he formed the Chouieiri Group. Ten years after, he returned to his home country and Choueiri Group was appointed as the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation's media representatives.
Today, Choueiri Group operates in 11 markets covering the Middle East and North Africa region, Europe and Japan through a network of 14 subsidiaries.
The company is also the media representative for Al Nahar and Al Safir, daily newspapers in Lebanon as well as the Arabic daily newspaper Al Hayat which is based in London.
Choueiri is also known as the man behind the rise of the Beirut-based La Sagesse basketball team. Under his leadership, Leban-on won the Asian Basketball Championships three years in a row.
In a statement to Gulf News, Ramzi Raad, chairman and CEO of TBWA/Raad and a close friend of Choueiri's, said that March 9 is "a turning point in Middle East media history".
"His reconciling spirit and generosity touched the majority of players in the communications industry in this part of the world."
In 2009, Arabian Business, a local online daily, ranked Choueiri 50th in its Power List of 100 businessmen.
