WAEL BERRACHED:
 
WAEL BERRACHED




 
 
 
 
 
Founder and CEO of Eview 360 in Farmington Hills. Berrached founded design firm Eview 360 in 1999 during the dot-com bubble. The company flourished with the development of 360WARE, a software platform used to power www.fordland.net, Ford Motor's dealer extranet site. Berrached has led the growth and development of Eview 360 from a two-person startup to an international, award-winning design agency with a roster of Fortune 500 clients. He has implemented e-business and branding programs for a variety of clients, including Ford, Lincoln-Mercury, Jaguar, Land Rover, Ford Land Development, Underwriters Group, Tessera Executive Search, and Volvo. A second office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, opened last September. Before Eview 360, Berrached oversaw the intelligent vehicles program for SAE International. In 2007 Crain's Detroit Business listed him as one of its “40 under 40.” He holds a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from McGill University in Montreal and a master's degree in management and information systems from Lawrence Technological University.


WHERE BORN: "Lebanon."

MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS: "A variety of people. My first manager, Doug Matheson at the Engineering Society of Detroit, told me what it takes to be professional, understand the overall business practices in the U.S., and focus on client services -- what it takes to operate. And my dad really inspired me with pride to do a good job the first time, not to do it twice. And a variety of managers at Uniroyal and SAE International. Max Rumball, the former executive director of SAE in Pennsylvania, helped me to think globally and be able to look at how to really help motivate and energize teams."

LAST BOOK READ: "Actually I don't read books specifically. I read magazines and publications like blogs and other sites. I read a lot of design and technology magazines, interior design, and visit a variety of tech sites like CNet."

WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ME: "Passionate."

WHERE MY FIELD/INDUSTRY IS HEADED: "I want Eview 360 to be, over the next five years, one of the recognizable design agencies in the world. We're on the right track by opening an office in Dubai last year, and we continue to grow and tell our story. Solving a problem or meeting a need is where we define design. Design can be green or trendy but it needs to solve a problem at the end of the day. Visual intrigue and execution count, but whoever does it best gets to set the trend."

FAVORITE TECHNOLOGICAL GADGET: "Who doesn't love the iPhone? First generation, not the 3G."

FAVORITE PLACE: "Definitely South Beach and New York."

FAVORITE HOBBIES: "Soccer."

FAVORITE FOOD: "Italian."

MY HIDDEN TALENT: "I don't know if I have any, I'm self taught – I taught myself design. It's something I developed over the past 11 years."

HOW I WANT TO BE REMEMBERED: "As a person who tried to do things right the first time."

Grant Thornton Website At the annual awards reception in April 2014, one Leader & Innovator from the previous 12 months will be selected as the Grant Thornton Leader & Innovator of the Year.