Who was Caoluste Gulbenkian: an Inspiration for Heritage & the Art of Negotiation and Art in its true form.
There are man people that inspire us throughout life, Caoluste is one of them.
Maybe it was the fact that he lived the latter part of his life in Portugal, possibly his passion for the arts and education, or maybe even for the fact that not only my father and my uncle but also my brother Kiluange and I all benefited from the Gulbenkian Foundation scholarship program, whatever the reasons, Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian has been an influential factor in my life.
Considered by many as the Godfather of the Iraqi oil industry, a Turkish born British Armenian whose spent the twilight years of his life in Portugal, Gulbenkian always insisted that proceeds from his 5% share of various oil related business went to Armenian families and that at least 5% of the workforce in the oil fields were of Armenia origin. This passion and dedication for his routes, replicated by many such as George Soros, really became a thinking point. If we are to focus our efforts on philanthropy or our work, then surely a skew to one’s routes is a good place to start or at least to focus.
In a world where travel and globalisation are imbedded in everything that we do and where cultures, history and traditions are intertwined, this is a concept we need to think about. Americans are Americans, the British class themselves as Brits, many have lost that sense of belonging to anything beyond.
It was Gulbenkian’s commitment to his fellow Armenians that first made me question and then see the importance of connecting with your routes, however small or large, in. a world not restricted by geographical boundaries.
Who was Calouste Gulbenkian
Born in Turkey in 1869, British bred, of Armenian descent, an industrialist, a philanthropist and an avid art collector, Gulbenkian eventually settled in Portugal where his private foundation was settled. In many ways he was one of the first real practitioners of global living.
Many attribute him for being the first to extract and exploit Iraqi oil reserves, a feat which made him one of the richest men in the world at the time.
A fast-paced student, Gulbenkian finished his undergrad from Kings college at the mere age of 18, before heading to the Caucasus region to start his training and knowledge in the oil business.
He was eventually tasked by the Ottoman empire with studying the validity and opportunities of oil extraction in Iraq and Syria, but fled the region as a result of the genocide being perpetrated against the Armenian people. A series of events which became to be known as the Hamidian massacres. He moved to Egypt before he eventually sought refuge in Britain, becoming a British citizen in 1902.
One of his greatest achievements was engineering the merger off the Shell Transport and Trading Company with Royal Dutch petroleum, forming Royal Dutch Shell for a stake of 5% of the company, subsequently inheriting his nickname, Mr 5%. A policy he continued by donating 5% of various earnings to Armenian families mostly affected by the brutalities in the Ottoman empire.
Why is Gulbenkian’s example of negotiation so important
Simply put, he underlines the importance one individual can have in the deal making process and shows that persistence often leads to a positive result for all, even in the face of increased adversity.
His penchant for deal making and his fine-tuned art of negotiation in the oil sector continued with the formation of the Turkish Petroleum company, a skill much needed as he negotiated a constant threat to his ownership during the first world war. Helping to secure oil rights in Iraq post war Gulbenkian divested his share to partners famously stating “Better a small piece of a big pie, than a big piece of a small one”.
Whilst Gulbenkian preferred shunning the limelight and subsequently is less well known as say Rockefeller, his influence in the oil business was exemplary. His natural shyness may be attributed to the persecution experienced by Armenians during the final years of the Ottoman rule.
Never forget your roots
As much as anything, Gulbenkian placed a core importance and remained true to supporting the Armenians that had suffered during his life. His legacy lives on and has influence and commitment carries on through in his foundation.
Formed upon his death in 1956, the Calouste Gulbenkian foundation is centered around Gulbenkian’s impressive art collection which is housed in a Museum in Lisbon. The modern-day objectives are social cohesion and integration, sustainability, and knowledge. The foundation has extended Gulbenkian’s thesis of ‘supporting your roots’ and now its works benefits the PALOP or Portuguese speaking African Countries and East Timor.
For me these were influential and valuable directives given by a man often misunderstood in his time. Negotiate aggressively and never give up on a mission until it is complete as well as staying solid in your commitment to both your old and new routes.
Gulbenkian’s passion for Art
With much of his life spent in and around Turkey, a country renowned for its vibrance of culture, where eastern and western influences collide across every aspect of society, it was no surprise that Gulbenkian developed a passion for the arts. So much so that he was known to refer to his pieces as his ‘children’.
With a collection stretching beyond 5000 pieces, you can find buried amongst them, paintings from Masters such as Degas, Manet, Renoir, Gainsborough, Rembrandt to name just a few. And this desire for artifacts of historical relevance extended way beyond the strokes of a brush. His collection was at times spread across the globe, with Egyptian antiquities being housed at the Bristish Museum, and various art works at the National Galleries in London and Washington.
Partly based on sound financial planning, the Gulbenkian institute was formed to protect and preserve his collection. Negotiations after his death led to the collection eventually being relocated to Portugal and housed at the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum for all to admire.
