classmates, then friends, then lovers, then married,
and then they became a family. The first glimpses of
harmony and synchronization between Bawarshi
and her husband was their sharing of a common
denominator, a strong shared passion in all matters
relating to national and Arab causes. In June
1971 Mona and Fouad got married. A few months
after the marriage, El-Gezairi decided that Fouad
Bawarshi should start working for their company,
and support his wife in managing the business.CAREER PATH
Mona Bawarshi’s career path and destiny at Gezairi
Transport is the focus of the fourth chapter. Gezairi was
a transit company that was achieving remarkable success. Mona
Bawarshi was seven years old when she set foot in the company’s
office in the Boulos Fayad Building at the Port of Beirut. Her
father decided to anchor her sense of belonging to her destiny,
though this later became her choice. Bawarshi explains that she
has gained experience from managers that held positions in the
company and learned a lot of things from them. After a year at
the company she became responsible for setting the prices of their
products, packaging, and shipping. A few years later El-Gezairi
gave Bawarshi a power of attorney that would allow her to sign
the company’s documents and endorse checks to be cashed. But
at her request he amended his decision and gave five directors
the responsibility for signing the documents along with her. She
then started building a management team from her father’s most
experienced staff, guaranteeing their corporation. She talks also
in the chapter about how the Lebanese Civil War affected their
work, and the decisions she took to sustain the business. Bawarshi
also talks of the agreements Gezairi signed with TMA and others.
She describes how her father passed away in 1991, due to a severe
heart attack. But she was not concerned about the company,
because it had been running effectively for years. Bawarshi
explains to what extent they were forced to engage in politics to
protect their business interests. “We have neither interfered in
politics, nor broached it directly or indirectly,” she says.HONORING EL-GEZAIRI
In the fifth chapter, Bawarshi tackles how her dream came true.
When her father passed away he did not leave her with any specific
guidance. He had faith that she would take up his journey and
pursue his mission. The best way to honor her father, whose life’s
circumstances had deprived him of his dream of completing his
education, was to facilitate access to education for those in need
through an institution bearing his name. Under the supervision
of Al-Makassed Association they built a primary school in Ras
Beirut carrying her father’s name. In the sixth chapter, Bawarshi
describes her playing house and how her three children Jawad,
Heba, and Abir grew up to become her friends and colleagues
at work and in life. Her children joined the business. In the last
chapter Bawarshi describes the reason why she wrote the book,
and why people might be interested in reading her life story,
though she is not a prominent public figure. The answer is obvious,
Bawarshi has a great number of stories that well worth telling.Reported by Rania GhanemMONA’S STORIES... AYAM MONA
Author: Mona Bawarshi
Written by Talal Chatawi
Translated by Daisy Khalil
350 pages in Arabic and English
Zikra Publishing“I have dreaded nothing in my life as much as the
moment when the decision was made to produce
this book, which is an autobiography,” said the
author Mona Bawarshi. Producing her life story
has required honesty, confessions and accuracy
from Bawarshi, as well as a sense of careful
concern that has accompanied her throughout:
‘Have I done it justice?’ In the seven chapters of this book, she
talks about her carefree days, the destiny that she chose, and
a dream that come true. Bawarshi joined the family business,
Gezairi Transport, in 1970, and she is currently the CEO of the
entire group of companies. She holds an MBA from the American
University of Beirut (AUB).MOTHER’S DAUGHTER
In the first chapter, Bawarshi shows that she is her mother’s
daughter Shafika Balaa much more so than her father Abdul
Salam El-Gezairi’s. She uses the common proverb ‘if you leave
a successor, you never die,’ in reference to her mother, not
her father. Balaa was shrewd, wise, and intelligent, and her
father, Tawfik Balaa, involved her in decisions concerning his
business, which was an unusual practice at the time. Bawarshi’s
grandfather was in the construction business. He also owned
a small footwear factory and shop, which is known as Balaa
Shoes and is still open to this day in Hamra Street. Bawarshi’s
grandfather made a long-lasting impression on both her mind
and imagination, although she did not know him in person.
Bawarshi’s father, El-Gezairi, was Algerian by origin, but he was
practically a Beiruti. Her father did not have an easy childhood,
he came from a poor, struggling family and throughout his life
he neither forgot his worries and anxieties, nor the dignity of his
father. El-Gezairi started as a junior laborer at Port of Beirut,
and grew up with ambitions and daring ideas and established his
own company, which then developed over the years. As the book
moves on, Bawarshi talks about her childhood, her school, her
happy times, summer vacations, and her mother’s traits, features
and interests.THE GOOD TIMES
The second chapter talks about the good times, and how the years
have brought Bawarshi responsibilities, and moments of both
joy and pain. She explains why she moved from the Evangelical
School to the International College (IC). Bawarshi benefited
from the teaching methods at IC as well as the social and cultural
environment. She was admitted to business school at AUB, which
provided her with skills that have refined her work. “Had I been
able to go back in time, I would not have chosen any major other
than business management, despite my passion for fashion
design,” Bawarshi said. In the third chapter, Bawarshi talks about
her home, heart, and husband Fouad Bawarshi. They were onceBUSINESS AND ECONOMY
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