Interview: George Sarrouf, founder mark’ennovy

Labelled as a ‘citizen of the world’ by colleagues, mark’ennovy founder George Sarrouf is more than familiar with what it takes to be a successful international brand. As mark’ennovy celebrates its 20th birthday, Sarrouf reflects on the rollercoaster of owning a business and his hopes for the future of the company.

Sarrouf was born in Alexandria to an Eqyptian father and Argentinian mother. To avoid unrest, the family moved to Lebanon but as the country gradually succumbed to sectarian strife, they were forced to move again. It was during this time, in the early 1970s, that Sarouf joined Allergan. Not long after, Allergan signed a contract with Bausch + Lomb to market its solution which solved the ongoing issue of protein deposits on the contact lens. This sky-rocketed the company, and Sarrouf, into the global market.