An adventure-packed biography of a dynamic entrepreneur, whose exciting career sees him scoring win after win against dangers, setbacks and adversities.
Fred sets off on the adventure of a lifetime, surviving a near hurricane in the Navy and seeing...
Very likely you have heard of John D Rockefeller, but not of Gulbenkian.
WHY NOT?
You are certainly familiar with Shell Oil and probably the Anglo Iraq Oil Co. You may be surprised to learn that both of these were engineered by Gulbenkian.
The richest man in the world in his time, Calouste Gulbenkian was arguably the smartest strategist in history. The reason you didn't know about him is that he planned it that way.
My book, ', Two Giants who shaped our oil world' explains how he was fiercely determined to preserve his privacy. His belief, 'that privacy is the most precious thing money can buy. Rockefeller had the same intention but failed.
Conducting all his business by telegraph, telephone, letter and courier Gulbenkian avoided public meetings as much as possible. His wife Nevarte was highly sociable and expected him to appear at her frequent soirees. Unless there was someone present whom he considered important, he slunk quickly around the back of the room, head down, earning himself the title of the secret millionaire.
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His extrovert son Nubar was well known for his exotically converted Rolls-Royce motorcars. These were in turn borrowed by King George V in 1935, King Edward VIII in 1937 and by Queen Elizabeth in 1956. Despite the honour of lending cars to three monarchs, unwanted publicity to the family.
At an event when a photographer asked him was he the millionaire?, Gulbenkian replied " I only wish I were. Won't you photograph me though?"
When the British Foreign Office was trying to take over the Iraq Oil company, the Home Secretary Lord Grey learned for the first time about Gulbenkian. He asked for a map of Armenia to learn who and where this unknown came from.
