2019
Privinvest is a company that specializes in the designing and engineering of naval, commercial, and mega yachts. The world leader in its specialized industry, the company’s shipbuilding facilities are located in over 40 countries across the Arabian Gulf and Europe. Founded in 1990, Privinvest is headquartered in Beirut, Lebanon with an office in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
In addition to designing and engineering, Privinvest also offers other shipbuilding services. Maintenance, training, facilities management, and integration of combat systems are only to mention a few of the other services the company offers.
Iskandar Safa is the Co-Founder of Privinvest. He currently serves as the company’s Chief Executive Officer. Prior to being a Co-Founder and CEO of Privinvest, Iskandar Safa acquired the foundation of his career in the specialized shipbuilding industry through his education. As a graduate of the American University of Beirut, he earned his degree in Civil Engineering in 1978. Continuing his higher education, he later earned his Master of Business Administration degree in 1982 at the Institut Européen d’Administration des Affaires (INSEAD) in France.
After academic life, Iskandar Safa began his engineering career in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, managing various construction operations. Landing one of the largest projects at the time, Mr. Safa was tasked (as a site engineer) to build a military academy that also included an airstrip that was named King Abdulaziz Military Academy.
After this experience, Mr. Safa, along with his brother, began investing in a European hotel company then in international trade. It was in the 1990s that Mr. Safa and his brother became part of the shipbuilding industry acquiring Constructions Mecaniques de Normandie (CMN), a shipyard in Cherbourg-Octeville, France. When Mr. Safa and his brother purchased CMN, the company was facing a downturn. Within two years, Mr. Safa and his brother resurrected the company under their leadership.
Today, CMN has expanded to employ over 500 employees and is now part of Privinvest through Abu Dhabi Mar (ADM), a collaboration between Mr. Safa and Al Aïn International. Privinvest is now the world’s leading successful and privately-owned shipbuilding company in the Middle East and Europe. Go To This Page for additional information.
In a biographical article, Mr. Safa was once asked about how his company found success where other companies in the industry “struggled.” His response was “… consolidation …”
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