 His father, Antoine, was a banker who has founded in 1876 the Pharaon and Chiha Bank in Beirut, in modern-day Lebanon.His mother belonged to the rich Melkite family of Beirut, the Pharaons.After completing his studies in the Université Saint-Joseph, he joined in 1907 the family business, the Banque Pharaon & Chiha in Beirut.