Just another billionaire?

If it is true that one can study the heart and mind of an artist through examining his work, it is equally true that one can learn about, and perhaps understand, a tycoon through his business. The most general public knowledge of Najib Mikati, Lebanon’s prime minister designate as of January 25, 2011, is that he made a fortune as a telecommunications entrepreneur. The Mikati corporate family, with older brother Taha at the helm, began their succes in a modest and traditional Lebanese industry — construction — but things started to take off in the 1980s, when the siblings invested in telecommunications and established Investcom Holding. As the face of Investcom, Najib Mikati rose to prominence when the company became the junior partner to one of Europe’s best known telecommunications firms, France Telecom. The joint venture, in which Investcom held one third, was in ownership of the incongruously named FTML,