Joseph Assaf
{{Short description|Australian businessman}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2011}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Joseph Assaf
|native_name = {{lang|ar|جوزيف عساف}}
|honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|size=100%|AO|country=AUS}}
|image = JOSEPH 2019.jpg
|nationality = Australian
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1944|11|20|df=y}}
|birth_place = Hardine, Lebanon
|death_date =
|death_place =
|education = University of Sydney (BA)
UNSW (Diploma)
|known_for = {{ubl | Multiculturalism |Ethnic Business Awards}}
|spouse = {{marriage|Angela Assaf|1978}}{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
|children = 3
|awards = {{ubl | Member of the Order of Australia 2010 |Officer of the Order of Australia 2018}}
|website = {{URL|josephassaf.com.au}}
|}}
Joseph Assaf {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AO}} (Arabic: جوزيف عساف; born 1944) is a Lebanese-born Australian businessman and founder of the Ethnic Business Awards.
Biography
Assaf was born in Hardine, a village in the Batroun District, 80 km from Beirut, Lebanon.{{Cite web |title=Migrant Stories - Josef Assaf |url=https://www.naa.gov.au/explore-collection/immigration-and-citizenship/migrant-stories/joseph-assaf |website=National Archives of Australia}} His first language was Arabic, and he undertook his schooling in French. In 1967, at the age of 22, he migrated to Australia from Lebanon.{{cite news|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/small-business-secrets/article/2017/09/20/joseph-assaf-talks-ethnic-business-awards |title=Joseph Assaf talks Ethnic Business Awards, interview with Ricardo Gonçalves |website=SBS News|date=24 September 2017}}
In 1988, Assaf founded the Ethnic Business Awards.{{Cite web |title=2013 Ethnic Business Awards Gala Presentation Dinner (25th Anniversary Celebration) |url=https://secure-web.cisco.com/1hF91Awa43VVlW18Wn08a1J8aAFFsbrl7Z9Y-LztNtPqCby02dtvIg_2AWx0V0PrissjhsQXtpOE5U_LaXyHHOoW8-LOFVFPM_KizmNjYn5CkIoXxL9Rfklimhq1T0j6tfWQ_J1eMlFSQhIbo8H9hlGatExs0Ojdwg-WQ4hm9HeLrVQp_TOlw3o64_Bw-Djj6gPRf9PdOj4vnJxrKu7hQdZBMBl4rfvYzBA3KwpcoOkPSzpy2aiPxumRNHAUruBUfUkepW-dxGXAbB-fIC9d08GZJvSf1ZUFT6dfLj5RdzJgl0BclbTYQ0Se7nwffSU1XnyFwRwgVO9FUu3RWaBr4zRxJ4G1pk1Rh3jTdxO6_Bs1HOmge6sPuqt_eYsmaGpDM9L3K881hm23GGENaC1bCMaRV0N5m3dk6r4BMNgbhEx0/https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FMjJYIXut17w%3Ffeature%3Dshared |website=YouTube}}
In 2008, Jascom International Pty Ltd published Assaf's book In Someone Else's Shoes, a memoir detailing his experiences as a migrant in Australia.{{Cite book |last=Assaf |first=Joseph |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/225517789 |title=In someone else's shoes: a vivid journey through multiculturalism |date=2007 |publisher=Jascom International Pty Ltd |isbn=978-0-646-48020-6 |location=Leichhardt, N.S.W. |language=en |oclc=225517789}} It also explores his understanding of Australian society in the context of multiculturalism.{{Cite book |last=Assaf |first=Joseph |title=In someone else's shoes: a vivid journey through multiculturalism |publisher=Jascom International Pty Ltd |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-646-48020-6 |location=Leichhardt NSW |pages=Foreword, Allan Gyngell}}
In June 2013, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced the appointment of Assaf to the Civil Society 20 group – the C20 – as part of the wider engagement process for the G20 meeting in Australia in 2014.{{cite web |title=C20 Australia's Civil Society |url=https://www.acoss.org.au/c20-australias-civil-society/ |publisher=Australian Council of Social Service}}
In 2014, Assaf was interviewed for the National Archives of Australia's touring exhibition [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXwvbpOgQIg A Ticket to Paradise?] for the National Collecting Institution's Touring and Outreach Program.
Honours and awards
On 14 June 2010, Assaf was named a Member of the Order of Australia "for service to multiculturalism, to business in the fields of marketing and communications, and to the community as a supporter of a range of charitable organisations."{{Cite It's an Honour
| ausawardid=1142627
| date=14 June 2010
| recipient=Mr Joseph ASSAF
| award=Member of the Order of Australia
| postnominal=AM
| citation=For service to multiculturalism, to business in the fields of marketing and communications, and to the community as a supporter of a range of charitable organisations.
| postscript=
| access-date=2021-10-21
}}
On 11 June 2018, Assaf was named an Officer of the Order of Australia "for distinguished service to multiculturalism, and to business, as a supporter of community education projects for people from linguistically diverse backgrounds, and to cultural harmony and inclusion."{{Cite news|title=Honours 2018: The businessman who arrived in someone else's shoes|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/honours-2018-the-businessman-who-arrived-in-someone-else-s-shoes/03d24105-4e11-4a99-a0c9-48c509481ded|date=11 June 2018|first1= Rashida |last1=Yosufzai|access-date=2021-10-21|website=SBS News|language=en}}{{Cite It's an Honour
| ausawardid=2001285
| date=11 June 2018
| recipient=Mr Joseph ASSAF AM
| award=Officer of the Order of Australia
| postnominal=AO
| citation=For distinguished service to multiculturalism, and to business, as a supporter of community education projects for people from linguistically diverse backgrounds, and to cultural harmony and inclusion.
| postscript=
| access-date=2021-10-21
}}
In 2019 the City of Canada Bay in New South Wales named Assaf citizen of the year.{{cite news|url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=DTWEB_WRE170_a&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailytelegraph.com.au%2Fnewslocal%2Finner-west%2Fjoseph-assaf-a-pioneer-of-communicating-with-diversity%2Fnews-story%2F489e192c256dcaa282bbdaf61bd6daf9&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=GROUPA-Segment-1-NOSCORE&nk=595a612a692625debdbad765f7e0df12-1737473179|title=City of Canada Bay citizen of the year Joseph Assaf|newspaper=Daily Telegraph|date=26 January 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20211021111107/https://amp.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/inner-west/joseph-assaf-a-pioneer-of-communicating-with-diversity/news-story/489e192c256dcaa282bbdaf61bd6daf9|archive-date=21 October 2021|quote=Joseph Assaf a pioneer of communicating with diversity|access-date=21 October 2021|url-status=live}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{official|https://www.josephassaf.com.au/}}
- [https://www.ethnicbusinessawards.com/ Ethnic Business Awards]
- [http://www.immi.gov.au/media/publications/multicultural/confer/12/speech55a.htm "Diversity in the Workplace"], speech given in 1995 by Assaf and published at the Australian Government's Department of Immigration and Citizenship website{{dead link|date=October 2021}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Assaf, Joseph}}
Category:Australian businesspeople
Category:Members of the Order of Australia