Zaya Younan
Chairman and CEO
YOUNAN COMPANY
BORN
JANUARY 7, 1963
HOMETOWN
TEHRAN, IRAN
ETHNICITY & RELIGION
ASSYRIAN-AMERICAN CHRISTIAN
RESIDES
LOS ANGELES, CA
FAMILY
SHERRY YOUNAN – WIFE OF OVER 30 YEARS. THEY MET AT CHURCH AND MARRIED SIX MONTHS LATER.
THEY HAVE FIVE CHILDREN: DANIEL YOUNAN (32), WILLIAM YOUNAN (30), ALEXANDRA YOUNAN (28), AND ANDREW YOUNAN (21).
EDUCATION
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS.
FIRST JOB
MENTORS
FOUNDED
2002 – PRESENT
EMPLOYEES
2,000+
Early Life and Education
Zaya Younan is not only a businessman. He is an inventor, a father, a builder of culture, a patriot, and a creator of legacies. From precision engineering to palatial estates, from Bordeaux to Beverly Hills, he is changing the face of global luxury—and he’s just getting started.
Zaya Younan came to the United States from Iran alone and essentially penniless. A pair of worn-out shoes he wore when he first came to America, a passage-marked Bible from his great-grandfather, and a $25 tip from a businessman who mistook him for the doorman are all that Younan had on him during his humble beginnings.
Eventually, Younan raised $800; he spent $760 on the only ticket he could afford—a hopscotch of four cities in a 48-hour flight. He had his passport and visa and was packing his clothes when his mother came upon him and asked him what he was doing. “I told her I was going to America,” Younan says. “I had it all figured out at the age of 13.” A year later, Younan’s parents and five sisters joined him in Chicago, where he’d go on to graduate from high school and earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Champaign.
Personal & Family Life
After being introduced by their priest at a local Assyrian Church in Los Angeles, the rest was history. Zaya & Sherry Younan married after dating just six months at the ages of 28 and 18, and immediately started a family. They have now been married for over 30 years. The two have five children, four boys and one daughter. Younan’s sons and daughter maintain various roles and positions, working for Younan Company’s private equity firm. His youngest son is currently playing basketball on a D1 scholarship at Weber State University.
Younan resides with his wife in their 20-acres Los Angeles mansion, with famed neighbors like Britney Spears, Jamie Foxx, Matthew Fogarty, Ellen Degeneres, and more. In their free time, they vacationing at Younan’s various Chateaux-Hotel properties throughout Europe and enjoying their weekends at their various El Septimo Cigar Bar Lounges across the country.
Starting Younan Properties, Inc.
From the ages of 13 to 19, Younan worked several low-level minimum waged jobs. After graduating at age 19 from the University of Illinois with a Mechanical Engineering degree on a Saturday, Younan began working the following Monday. He spent more than a decade, starting as a Mechanical Engineer and then working his way up the corporate ladder, with major companies across the business spectrum including General Motors, Johnson Controls, and TRW. Younan was one of the few engineers who successfully completed major projects for the automobile industry, including building the automobile’s first Navigation system, airbag system, seat-warming system, and more!
Younan grew this business from scratch without any previous knowledge or connections, and always put in his own capital to grow the business. Since inception, YPI has managed more than 120 transactions, has purchased more than 35 properties and has completed transactions exceeding $10.8 billion. Today Younan owns 15 regional office buildings totaling 6.4 million square feet in the top markets in the US, making him one of the nation’s largest office property owners. The company’s portfolio of high-rise office buildings is worth $2.8B and has been recognized nationally, with Younan earning major accomplishments such as being crowned Dallas’ largest landlord.
Starting Younan Company Private Equity Firm
Throughout his career, Younan has been recognized as one of the most successful turnaround experts in global business. He has worked across major industries including:
- Automotive
- Oil & Gas
- Consumer Electronics
- Software and Hardware
- Telecommunications
- Gaming
- Semiconductors
- Luxury Fashion & Jewelry
He is known not only for inventing revolutionary products, but also for overseeing their design, prototyping, manufacturing, mass production, and global market introduction—all with flawless execution and profitability.
In 2016, Younan expanded his global footprint when he began to invest in several luxury Chateaux throughout Europe, quickly transforming them into four– and five-star Luxury Hotels. Growing up in such tremendous poverty, he says he was fascinated with the idea of castles, and always wanted to own one. This prompted Younan to establish global private equity firm Younan Company, with subsidiaries La Maison Younan & Younan Properties, Inc.
La Maison Younan owns and operates some of the finest historic hotels and palaces in Europe. These estates offer Michelin-star dining, 5-star accommodations, private events, and golf—all curated with world-class hospitality and French elegance:
- Château de Beauvois
- Château Le Prieuré
- Château de la Perrière
- Domaine de Vaugouard
- Chateau Saint Martin
- Alexandra Palace
- Malibu Foz Hotel & Beach Resort (Portugal)
Over just a few short years, the company rapidly expanded its portfolio with Luxury Hotels, French Bordeaux vineyards, Golf Courses, Spas, and Resorts, Parisian Design agencies and luxury consumer products like Premium Cigars and Wines, across the world. To date, Younan has completed $8 Billion in transactions with Assets Under Management surpassing $6.2 Billion.
Younan Wine Estates: World Class Bordeaux Wines
Younan Wine Estates includes several of the most prestigious vineyards in Bordeaux and Saint-Émilion. These wines are regularly awarded scores between 90 and 96 points by Wine Enthusiast, James Suckling, and Decanter. They are served in top Michelin-starred restaurants across France and the U.S.
- Château Zaya – A structured, powerful Grand Cru with notes of dark berries, leather, and oak
- Château La Croix Younan – A balanced, elegant Saint-Émilion Grand Cru with smooth tannins
- Château Ascumbas – Known for bright acidity, minerality, and long cellar potential
El Septimo Geneva: World's Finest Cigars & Spirits
Zaya Younan’s acquisition and reinvention of El Septimo Geneva has made it the most luxurious cigar brand in the world, outpacing Cuban cigars, Davidoff, Padrón, and Fuente. The brand features:
- 55+ unique blends
- Grade AA tobacco fermented for up to 15 years
- Aged leaf from 5+ countries
- 14-point quality control inspection
- Precision hand-packing and triple aging
Luxury Cigar Accessories:
Younan has also engineered the most expensive cigar accessories in the world:
- $5.5 million lighter, featured in Robb Report
- $10 million ashtray, a blend of engineering and sculpture
- $25 million Fabergé Egg humidors, crafted with precious stones and museum-grade art
Ultra-Premium Vodka & Cognac: These spirits are now distributed internationally through French Connection Wine & Spirits.
- El Septimo Vodka – Five-times distilled in France, extraordinarily smooth and clean
- El Septimo Cognac – Aged up to 40 years, elegant and complex, rivaling Louis XIII
Philanthropy
Mr. Younan has served as a member of the executive committee of the board of directors of the Lusk Center for Real Estate at the University of Southern California, a member of the board of directors of the Smithsonian Institute’s Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas, Texas, and a member of the board of advisors of Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village, California. He supports a myriad of charitable endeavors including the Boys and Girls Clubs, Autism Group, Wounded Warrior Project, Red Cross, A Child’s Hope Fund, and the LAPD West Valley Division.
- Rebuilding homes during the Lebanon war of 2006 for the homeless & priests
- Funding the education of Assyrian church members for over a decade in theology courses at the Vatican in Rome
- Funding the building of the 1st Assyrian school in all of Los Angeles, with an entire curriculum based in Assyrian
- Funding the buildings of the Mar Shaleeta & Assyrian Church of the East churches in California
- Being one of the largest standing contributors to the Assyrian Aid Society of America – helping Assyrians in need, facing religious persecution across the world, and promoting Assyrian culture and heritage.
- Funding scholarship programs for Assyrians around the nation to attend Universities and higher education
- Being the single largest donor to all Assyrian churches worldwide