When Yordan Obegi Sr., our grandfather, established in 1905 in Aleppo, the nucleus of what would later become the Obegi Group, he had a clear vision of the way he wanted to conduct his business: with honesty, transparency, and empathy towards those around him. The word “ethics” was, then, not as trendy as it is nowadays. His successors, Bechara, our father, and his brother Henry, have closely followed in his footsteps while developing and expanding the business. This sense of responsibility has always been clearly embedded in our culture.
We now feel, the time has come to express in words, what has been, for so long, part of the intangible spirit of our group. Thus, our decision to establish this Code of Ethics. Will this “materialization” diminish our spirit and dampen our values? We do not think so; for the world has changed dramatically since our company was founded more than a century ago. What seemed obvious to our grandparents might need to be forcefully reaffirmed today.
We know that our predecessors, as well as our late brother Georges, whose tragic disappearance has left us with a void difficult to fill, would have wholeheartedly approved our decision. May this Code of Ethics come as a tribute to them. May it also serve as a beacon to all our employees, to our successors who will be at the helm of our group in the future, and to all those who work with us.
Because the world is changing fast, this Code is not static. It will have to be adapted to reflect the new challenges which will be constantly confronting us. However, what will never change is our attachment to our core values, as expressed in our group charter, as well as in our motto “Doing Business with Ethics”. These values are our lifeline, and must always remain the compass to our successors, whose responsibility will be to lead our group into new, uncharted, territories.