[1] In 1954, at the age of seventeen, Fares left his homeland to work as a clerk at a catering and food services firm in Qatar.
Two years later, he was heading Abela Group’s finances and subsequently managing its operations in Pakistan, Kuwait, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
[citation needed] At age 38, Fares established a civil engineering and construction firm, which completed many notable projects including the world's longest international bridge, which connects Bahrain to Saudi Arabia.
[4][5] In the general elections of 2000, Fares won the seat of Akkar, the first district of the North Lebanon.
[9] Fares has donated over 1 billion US dollars to various political, educational and philanthropic institutions.