Carmen Saleh Fakhoury is the founder and President of Fakhoury Global Professional Services Inc., the global arm of FGI, USA(FGI), a Women Business Enterprise (WBE)-certified company, headquartered in Troy, Michigan. A pioneer in bringing program management techniques, lean processes, and technology-based case management to the practice of global immigration, she has a firm and ongoing commitment to providing FGI’s clients with the most streamlined and effective services possible.
“In our accelerating and globalized economy,” she says, “businesses are discovering that securing top-quality talent from many countries is critical for their success. Helping our clients obtain the talent they need efficiently and at a reasonable cost is my mission – it’s what gets me up in the morning! – and FGI’s excellent team has helped to secure visa and work permit approvals from immigration authorities all over the world.”
Carmen launched FGI in 2005 in order to realize her vision of bringing a business-based approach to the complex practice of immigration law. “I felt,” she recalls, “that too many firms simply herded clients through the immigration petitioning process without really helping them to understand what was going on. Then I thought, ‘wouldn’t it be great to change the dynamic: to make immigration law practice more client-centered, more tailored to their needs and processes, and to make them engaged and informed partners at every step in the process?’” Coupled with her love for international travel and her conviction for facilitating talent mobility solutions worldwide, Carmen has nurtured FGI into a global enterprise that has helped businesses in over 140 countries.
She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Economics and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, as well as a Six Sigma certification. Carmen sits on several boards including the International Advisory Committee for Automation Alley, The Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), and the Forum for Expatriate Management (FEM). She has given presentations for the Employee Relocation Council, American Society of Employers, the Forum for Expatriate Management (FEM), and the International Law Office, and has contributed to FGI’s immigration roundtables and monthly educational webinars. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her husband and three children.