Maroun Semaan, a long-time supporter and former trustee of American University of Sharjah (AUS), passed away yesterday, May 2, 2017.

Trustee Semaan was known throughout the region for his exemplary entrepreneurial skills as well as his dedication to the cause of higher education in the Middle East. He was a great friend and supporter of AUS since its inception. He was inducted as a member of the AUS Board of Trustees in 2005 and, for a decade, contributed greatly in charting out the course that helped the university grow from strength to strength over the years.

His commitment to making quality education accessible to deserving students was manifested in the generous contributions that Petrofac International-an organization he co-founded in 1991 and turned into a FTSE 100 company-made to the American University of Sharjah Endowment Fund as well as towards the establishment of a chair in renewable energy in addition to other regular donations.

Trustee Semaan had an abiding interest in philanthropy as a means of bringing positive and lasting change. He leaves behind an impactful legacy that saw countless lives transformed for the better. His contributions in the fields of education, health care and social welfare, bolstered by the establishment of the Semaan Foundation in Beirut in 2010, will be forever remembered.

His tenure at Petrofac saw him serve on the Board of Directors and hold numerous leadership positions, including that of Group Chief Operating Officer, and Group President. He retired from Petrofac in 2013 and subsequently served as the Chairman of Alcazar Capital Limited in Dubai.

His endless drive to change, improve and transform the lives of people across the region also saw him serve on the Board of Trustees of the American University of Beirut (AUB) and the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED), of which he was a founding member.

In a message sent to the AUS community on behalf of the AUS Board of Trustees, Dr. Bjorn Kjerfve, AUS Chancellor, said, "For many of us whose lives he touched so deeply with his kindness, modesty and generosity of spirit, he leaves behind a void well-nigh impossible to fill." Chancellor Kjerfve also prayed that the Almighty grant Trustee Semaan's soul eternal peace and give his loved ones the strength to bear this irreparable loss.