George Obegi
killed in plane crash

Major business empire loses key player

George Obegi (age 47) passed away in the tragic crash on October 22 of a ‘Cessna’ training aircraft. Floating debris was found in Cypriot territorial waters after the plane fell en route from Paphos to Beirut.

Obegi was the youngest son of Bechara Obegi and the grandson of Yordan Obegi, who founded a multi-million dollar empire from several lines of business, mainly banking, agri-business, and consumer goods. The Obegi family was originally from Aleppo, Syria.

George Obegi was Chairman of Unifert, a manufacturer of fertilizers, and Obegi Consumer Products Holding. He also ran the production facilities of international brands, such as Al Wadi Al Akhdar, known for producing more than 200 food products, and Henkel, a German manufacturer of detergents and soap.

He was also a member of the board of Sidia, the Peugeot agency run by his family in Lebanon and Syria. The Obegi family is the largest shareholder in Bemo Bank, with Henry Obegi, George’s uncle, as Chairman and General Manager.
Obegi was married with three children. Cypriot flight instructor Afghastinos Afghostine, was also on board the plane.