PALESTINIAN REFUGEE IS ADELAIDE’S LARGEST PRIVATE EMPLOYER

By Shazma Gaffoor

Rejection is what led Palestinian refugee and business mogul Fathi Shahin to becoming a billionaire. Spearheading the largest private empire in Adelaide today, the Shahins migrated to Australia in the 80’s with nothing but big dreams to succeed.

As was the case with many Palestinians, Fathi and his family moved to Lebanon during the Nakba in 1948 at the age of 10. He went to night school to qualify as an accountant. Fathi’s sons, Khalil, Yasser and Samer, who were born in Beirut as refugees followed suit and made the most of their dire situation by gaining an education in tertiary institutes.

Khalil, the oldest of the three, completed a Bachelor of Agricultural Science and a Diploma in Engineer Agricole at the American University of Beirut. Shortly after, the family migrated to Australia and settled in Adelaide in 1984.

Roadblocks started to build up with Fathi not being able to secure employment and funds quickly depleting.

“My Dad still couldn’t get a job, it was about ‘how do we survive?’. I’m an engineer and I thought, ‘I wanted to work with my father and how do we do it?’. That’s what drives most migrants at those times, it’s a lack of opportunity,” says Khalil.

With no luck seeking employment, Fathi eventually purchased a BP station in Woodville, Adelaide the same year he arrived. He started the business with Khalil and two other employees in the beginning, and the four of them worked tirelessly to expand the business.

Within 4 years, the Shahin family established two other service stations and two gift shops. Business began to expand. Even though the three boys initially worked alongside their father, Fathi ensured they were also qualified professionals.

After Fathi’s demise in 2009, Peregrine

Corporation has been run by his three sons. Holding a platform as a migrant in the business world wasn’t easy in the 80’s and 90’s where PoC’s (People of Colour) weren’t as prevalent as they are today.

“In a way racism does everyone a favour. As a matter of fact, I would joke with my dad saying lucky no one gave him a job, because if someone gave him a job, we wouldn’t have a business!”

At the same time, Khalil also acknowledged that racism wasn’t unique to Australia. “Of course, there is racism in society. But let’s also think about that there is also racism in our home country,”

“At least we live in a society that allows us to address and speak about it publicly. There are societies in the Muslim world that don’t allow us to do that.”

From purchasing a single service station adjoining their house, the Shahins now own and operate 170 service stations in South Australia and 224 gift shops nationally under their company, Peregrine Corporation, founded by Fathi and Khalil.

Peregrine’s greatest success is their 24-hour convenience store and service stations, On The Run, followed by their tobacco and gift shop chains, Smokemart and Giftbox. They also own 11 Subway and Hungry Jack stores in SA alongside other brands such as Brumby’s Bakeries, HappyWash, Oportos, Wendy’s and similar stores. In 2014, Peregrine opened the first of nine Krispy Kreme outlets which to date is known as the world’s most successful store since 1937.

The company’s ambition has always been to push to excel and exceed. With a revenue of nearly 3 billion dollars, Peregrine stands as being one of the largest private-owned companies in Australia and the largest private establishment in South Australia. They currently employ about 6,000 workers across the country under Khalil’s management.

Khalil was awarded the Order of Australia medal (OA) in 2017 and is the winner of the 33rd Annual Ethnic Business Awards Henry Ngai Medium to Large Business category.

As a proud Palestinian, Khalil knows only too well the struggles of those trying to make ends meet.

“A big part of our lives is our charity trust, the Shahin Charity Trust, which was established in 1995. My biggest pride and joy is the fact that, Alhamdulillah, we have never accepted a dollar of donation from State, Federal, local or international body. That is out greatest privilege I believe,” says Khalil.

With all that self-made success, Khalil now has just one goal.

“On a personal objective, what I would tell my people, my general managers, my CEO’s and more importantly my family, is we all just want to aspire to be better human beings. That’s all we want to do from now on,” he says.

InshaAllah, Allah allows us to become better human beings. That’s my goal.”