Tarek Ben Halim

Ben Halim was born in Tripoli, Libya, on 4 December 1955. His mother, Yusra Kanaan, was Palestinian, and his father, Mustafa Ahmed Ben Halim, was a Libyan of Egyptian descent. Mustafa Ben Halim served as the Prime Minister of Libya from 1954 to 1957 and as Libya's Ambassador to France from 1958 to 1960.

Following the 1969 coup that brought Muammar Gaddafi to power, Ben Halim and his family were exiled. They initially moved to Beirut before eventually settling in London. He was educated at Atlantic College in Wales before studying finance at the University of Warwick. Ben Halim later received an MBA from Harvard Business School.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/finance-obituaries/6948075/Tarek-Ben-Halim.html|accessdate=14 June 2011|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=7 January 2010|location=London|title=Tarek Ben Halim}}

Ben Halim worked in investment banking, holding positions at JP Morgan, Credit Suisse First Boston, and Goldman Sachs, where he became a managing director. In 2000, he managed the $2 billion flotation of Turkcell, which was, at the time, the largest emerging market IPO.{{cite news|last=Thomas|first=Gina|title=Tarek Ben Halim Obituary|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jan/13/tarek-ben-halim-obituary|accessdate=13 June 2011|newspaper=The Guardian|date=13 January 2010|location=London}}

Ben Halim’s exile from Libya, along with the stories of his mother’s flight from Palestine, reportedly influenced his belief in justice and democracy as essential tools for improving the lives and communities of the Arab world.{{cite web|title=Tarek Ben Halim Sought Arab Economic Unity|url=http://www.mvgazette.com/article.php?23942|work=Archived Edition|accessdate=27 June 2011}} In a commentary piece published in The Los Angeles Times in February 2003, he criticized "self-serving, unrepresentative governments that have, with few exceptions, ruled the Arab world since the 19th century.” Halim expressed the hope that the removal of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq in 2003 would lead to similar changes in leadership across the Arab region, and he volunteered to work with the British forces. He was appointed Deputy Director of private sector development with the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). However, Ben Halim soon became frustrated with the CPA's approach, believing "that the occupying force seemed more focused on quick gain rather than building a sustainable framework that would survive its departure." As a result, he resigned from his role after only a few months.{{Cite web |date=December 17, 2009 |title=Tarek Ben Halim Sought Arab Economic Equity |url=https://vineyardgazette.com/obituaries/2009/12/18/tarek-ben-halim-sought-arab-economic-equity |website=Vineyard Gazette}}

Tarek Ben Halim founded Alfanar in 2004 (meaning "lighthouse" in Arabic). The organization supports the development of civil society in the Arab world by promoting organizations that address long-term community needs in disadvantaged areas.{{cite web|last=Giving|first=Inspiring|title=A guide to giving|url=http://www.philanthropyuk.org/publications/guide-giving/personal-stories-philanthropy/tarek-ben-halim|work=Tarek Ben Halim|publisher=Philanthropy UK|accessdate=14 June 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120907024304/http://www.philanthropyuk.org/publications/guide-giving/personal-stories-philanthropy/tarek-ben-halim|archivedate=7 September 2012}}

Tarek Ben Halim died on 11 December 2009, at the age of 54, after being diagnosed with brain cancer 14 months earlier. He was married to Cynthia Oakes, a Princeton graduate and the daughter of U.S. journalist John Bertram Oakes.{{cite news|title=Cynthia Oakes, Tarek Ben Halim|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/20/style/weddings-cynthia-oakes-tarek-ben-halim.html|work=Weddings|accessdate=27 June 2011|date=20 December 1992}} His obituary in The Guardian described him as "a man of high principle and humour".{{cite web|last=Odriscoll|first=David|title=Tarek Ben Halim|url=http://www.thenational.ae/news/tarek-mostafa-ben-halim-talented-financier-who-cared-deeply-for-middle-east|work=talented financier who cared deeply for Middle East|date=16 January 2010 |accessdate=27 June 2011}}

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Category:1955 births

Category:2009 deaths

Category:Libyan bankers

Category:Libyan philanthropists

Category:People educated at Atlantic College

Category:Harvard Business School alumni

Category:Deaths from brain cancer in England

Category:Libyan emigrants to the United Kingdom

Category:20th-century philanthropists

Category:Libyan people of Palestinian descent

Category:Children of prime ministers