Growing up in war-torn Beirut, Lebanon, in the 1970s and ’80s, Fadi Ganni, BComm 91, travelled and moved around frequently. After finishing high school, he had planned to join his friends at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
“I landed in Montreal to stamp my papers and complete my Canadian immigration to satisfy my parents, fully intending to move to the U.S.,” Ganni recalls, “but I instantly fell in love with the city.”
Montreal’s vibrant, multicultural atmosphere and the reputation of Concordia’s business school convinced him to stay. He studied international business at what is now the John Molson School of Business and later earned a graduate diploma in applied management from McGill University.
“I wanted to work in international business, but the recession made it tough to find a job, so I pivoted to accounting and pursued my CPA [Chartered Professional Accountant] designation,” says Ganni.
He joined a Montreal firm as a junior auditor, working there for nearly five years while completing his CPA.
With no CPA-prep course available in Montreal at the time, he travelled to Boston on the weekends. After work, he’d drive five hours, get in a night’s sleep, attend the course, and then drive back.
“It hit me that many international students were flying from the Middle East and Europe to the U.S. for CPA prep. It was costly and time-consuming, and that stuck with me.”
Over dinner with his parents one night, he mused, “What if I bring those programs to where the students live? What if I export them to the Middle East and Europe?”
A new venture
Encouraged by his parents, Ganni pitched the idea to an American training organization specializing in CPA prep. They accepted, and after signing a licensing agreement, he quit his auditing job and moved back to Lebanon.
“We offered the first-ever CPA-prep course outside North America,” says Fadi, who launched Morgan International with his business partner from a small office in Beirut.
Over the next three decades, the organization expanded to 28 locations and diversified its offering. Bridging the gap between university and job-market requirements, Morgan International now provides training in accounting, finance, supply-chain logistics, digital marketing and human resources. With more than 150,000 alumni, today it serves nearly 7,000 students annually, with a customer base that includes multinational corporations and governments.
“My focus now is on growing and diversifying the business and following trends because like everything else, the whole industry is changing,” says Ganni. “Yet what’s been most rewarding through my career is seeing our alumni in the field, recognizing the impact of what we do. We’re changing lives.”
Finding refuge in Montreal
“Concordia is very dear to me — it’s home,” says Ganni. “When I left Lebanon during turbulent times, Montreal was a refuge. Concordia was welcoming, and I didn’t feel like a stranger.”
He appreciated the multicultural environment. “The students and professors were from diverse backgrounds, which helped me think globally and relate to people from different parts of the world.”
His advice to young people today? “Invest in education and keep learning. Go after what you want and seize opportunities when they come. Just grab them. It’s risky, but it pays off.”