KARIM GHANDOUR, BA, BSP

Karim Ghandour is a Family Succession Strategist of UTC International (“UTCINTL”) specializing in Estate Planning and Family Business Succession Strategies. He is a certified estate planner dedicated to assist client organizations [individuals and corporates] in their legacy and succession planning, including long-term wealth structuring, management, and planned bequests that match and achieve the intended and proposed philanthropic ideals.

Karim is the founder and managing director of MLG Family Office [MoneyLine Group], established in 2004. MLG Family Office is a boutique family estate planning firm offering personal financial coaching to entrepreneurs and also to meet the changing needs of a globally mobile, often expatriate, clientele. He has nearly two decades of family financial planning experience internationally. He works with clients in the Middle East Region with a focus on services tailored to meet either Shari’a compliant or non-Shari’a compliant specification by clients. Karim began his career in 1993 in Ottawa, Canada, as a senior financial consultant with MetLife, one of the top financial services companies in the world.

• AREAS OF EXPERTISE

  [a] Family succession strategy; [b] Family estate and financial planning, with focus on the implication of Islamic Sharia Law on inheritance and estate distribution (GCC and MENA); [c] Family Governance: Family Business Advising & Generational Planning; [d] Asset Protection; [e] Trust and private foundation set up and management; [f] Offshore family structure set up and management [g] Pre-immigration tax planning and cross-border taxation; [h] Investor Programs for Residency and Citizenship.

• INDUSTRY SPECIALIZATIONS

  [a] Manufacturing; [b] Trading & Retail; [c] Property Development & Real Estate; [d] Hospitality, Tourism, and Leisure sectors; [e] Financial Services & Insurance;[f] Holding Investments and brokerage; [g] High net worth entities and family owned businesses; [h] Professional Education and Training.

• QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

  Advanced Certificate in Family Business Advising (2013), Society of Trust and Estate Planning (STEP); Certificate in Foundation, Society of Trust and Estate Planning (STEP) in association with Manchester Business School, Manchester University (2013); The Foundation Certificate in International Trust Management (2008 - Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP)); Balanced Scorecard Professional (BSP) (2013) from the Balanced Scorecard Institute – George Washington University College of Professional Studies; Active member of Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP International);
  Level 1 - Commodities Trading (2009 - Online Trading Academy); Option Trader Series I & II (2009 - Online Trading Academy); Stock Trader Series I & II (2008 - Online Trading Academy); LUATC II (1994 - Life Underwriters Association of Canada); LUATC I (1993 - Life Underwriters Association of Canada);

  Bachelor of Arts (1993 - Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada); Active member of Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP Saudi Arabia);

  Qualified Member of Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) since 2004; Member of Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT)-(Dubai Chairperson 2010-11); Top of the Table - Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) in 2009 and 2010;

  International College (IC) Alumni - President of Dubai & Northern Emirates Chapter (2012). Co- Founder Certified Insurance Advisors SAL (1998 – Beirut, Lebanon) Advisor to the Board – Axioma Insurance Company (Limassol, Cyprus) from 1996 to1998.

  In Progress: Course leading to certification as Trust Estate Practitioner (TEP) from United Kingdom: England & Wales - International: [coverage: Trust Creation - Law and Practice; Company Law and Practice; Trust Administration and Accounts; Trustee Investment and Financial Appraisal].

• LANGUAGE FLUENCY

  Karim speaks fluently Arabic [native] and English.

• CONTACT DETAILS

  Position in UTCINTL Team: Project Manager/ Estate Planning and Family Business Succession Strategies.
  Email: kghandour@utcintl.com