Charif Souki (born 1953) is an American businessman. He is the co-founder and former CEO of Cheniere Energy, an oil and gas company which specialized in liquefied natural gas. He was the highest-paid chief executive officer in the United States in 2013.
Charif Souki was born in 1953 in Cairo, Egypt.[1] His father, Samyr Souki, was a member of the Greek Orthodox Church.[1] Souki moved to Beirut, Lebanon in 1957.[1]
Souki worked as a banker on Wall Street.[2]
Souki served as the chief executive officer of Cheniere Energy until December 2015.[3] He earned US$142 million in 2013,[4] making him the highest-paid CEO in the United States that year.[5] Souki claims he stepped down as CEO after a disagreement with board member Carl Icahn.[6]
Souki is the co-founder of Tellurian Investments with Martin Houston.[3] Tellurian ousted its chairman and co-founder, Charif Souki, late 2023 after auditors raised doubts about the company's ability to cover future expenses.
