Founder, Chairman & CEO
Synergia One Group of Companies
Through Synergia One, Fred has founded, grown, and overseen ventures including:
Mouawad – an ultra-high-end jewelry maison, crafting extraordinary creations and preserving a legacy of artistry and heritage. As a 4th Generation Co-Guardian Fred has been a brand Ambassador and board member since 2010.
Synova – a wholesale bakery and beverage manufacturing company that develops and produces premium products and ingredients.
Synergia Tech – A software company specializing in AI-powered SaaS solutions that help large enterprises solve real-world challenges.
SmartWork Media – a New York–based publishing house with six leading trade magazines and over 200 publishing awards.
Voice For Change – a social impact media company leveraging storytelling to inspire positive change.
Previously, from 1997 to 2017, Fred founded and led Global Franchise Architects, creating five original food service brands and expanding them to 240 stores across seven countries.
Drawing on decades of leading and scaling international ventures, Fred has pioneered management systems that align vision with disciplined execution across diverse industries. At Synergia One, these systems serve as a foundation for innovation, operational resilience, and enduring value creation.
Entrepreneurial Spirit
Born into a family of entrepreneurs, Fred Mouawad inherited a strong sense of vision, creativity, and perseverance. Raised in Geneva, Switzerland, he attended Collège du Léman before pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at Pepperdine University, where he also served as a teaching assistant in Business Policy & Strategy.
Fred is a Graduate Gemologist from the Gemological Institute of America and has co-authored articles in the field of gemology. He is an MBA Harvard Business School (1995) alumnus and an alumni of the Stanford Executive Program (SEP 2012) at Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is also trained in Lean Six Sigma and ISO 9001 methodologies.
A committed global leader, Fred has been deeply engaged in the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO). He co-founded and co-chaired the YPO Stanford GSB Program (2014–2022), supported the incubation of seven YPO chapters, co-founded two YPO Chapters (YPO ASEAN United and YPO SEA Angels) where he served as Chapter Chair, and held the role of YPO Southeast Asia Regional Chair (2017–2019). In recognition of his impact, he received the prestigious YPO Alexander Cappello Award in 2016.
In 2024, Fred co-founded Family Business eXponential (FBX), a not-for-profit platform that unites family businesses worldwide to achieve enduring success, mindful growth, and lasting generational impact.
Fred also co-founded the Harvard Business School Association of Thailand in 2012, serving as Vice-President until 2022, and has been a member of the Harvard Business School Global Advisory Board since 2018.
Synergia One
Founded by serial entrepreneur Fred Mouawad, the Synergia One Group of Companies is a diversified enterprise that harnesses synergies across its divisions, capabilities, and proprietary management systems to maximize value creation. The group combines entrepreneurial drive with disciplined execution, managing every stage of business development — from incubating start-ups to executing mergers and acquisitions.
Today, Synergia One operates in 15 countries and spans a wide spectrum of industries, including diamonds, high jewelry and watches, food and beverage manufacturing, publishing and trade shows, software-as-a-service, and a social impact enterprise. This broad portfolio is unified by a commitment to innovation, operational excellence, and building enduring businesses.
Synergia One Group of Companies
Founder, Chairman & CEO
A diversified group of international ventures united by shared management systems and cross-company collaboration. Synergia One fosters innovation and operational excellence across industries to maximize long-term value creation.
Synergia Tech
Founder, Chairman
Specializing in software development and future technologies, Synergia Tech empowers enterprises with cutting-edge SaaS and AI-driven solutions designed to solve real-world business challenges at scale.
Synova
Co-Founder & Chairman
A leading food and beverage manufacturer with strong R&D capabilities, Synova produces a wide portfolio of products, including bakery, ice cream, beverage pre-mixes, syrups, sauces, and smoothies—delivering both quality and innovation to its partners.
SmartWork Media
Founder, Chairman
A U.S.-based B2B media and marketing company with award-winning publications and trade shows. SmartWork Media creates consumer-style business content and integrated marketing solutions for industries including jewelry, eyewear, pets, graphics, and signage.
Mouawad
4th Generation, Co-Guardian
An iconic family jewelry business renowned for over a century of craftsmanship, trust, and relationships. Mouawad continues to create timeless masterpieces that define luxury and heritage.
