( zeeko zaki / male / he/him / heterosexual ) well, well, well… if it isn’t ZIYAD ABBAS, the 37 year old CEO OF ABBAS SECURITY, who is best known around town for BECOMING A MILLIONAIRE BY 25. Apparently they’ve been living in CANYON CREEK for FIVE YEARS, and according to word on the street they are PRO-DEVELOPMENT. I’ve heard that they are quite GENEROUS & STUBBORN, and if their life had a theme song it would be WAKE ME UP by AVICII.
PINTEREST | CONNECTIONS | FACTS
Background
Ziyad was born in Ismailia, Egypt, moving to Cairo when he was three years old. His parents emigrated to the US after being successful in the green card lottery. Ziyad was 5, his sister was 1 and his brother was 7 when they arrived in Los Angeles. They all became US citizens 6 years later.
Ziyad spoke very little English after arriving in the US but as he was young, he learnt fairly quickly. He speaks fluent Arabic and English. He doesn’t carry much of an accent when speaking English, but it’s more noticeable when he’s emotional. He always speaks in Arabic when he’s with his family.
His parents really struggled for the first few years in LA. They lived in the San Fernando Valley and the children shared one bedroom of their 2 bedroom apartment. Eventually his father was promoted high enough that they could afford a bigger place. The children all grew up knowing the value of a dollar and although they didn’t have a lot, their bond as a family was unbreakable.
When Ziyad was 17, his father lost his job due to the company going under and the family were under enormous pressure. Eventually his parents decided to leave Sedona as the expenses were just too much. Not wanting to leave his school, a fancy school he’d got a full scholarship to, his best friend’s parents offered to let him live with them for the year. Reluctantly his parents agreed and they moved down to Sedona with his younger sister, not far from where Ziyad’s brother was in college.
Ziyad had been a whizz on computers since he was first introduced to one and would always rather been on his computer rather than doing anything else. He was accepted to Stanford University due to his impressive GPA and based on his parents financial situation and his grades, he was granted a full scholarship. He majored in computer science and minored in business studies.
During his college years, Ziyad honed his skills in cybersecurity and at 20 years old, proved good enough to be hired by a major company to overhaul their cyber security systems. He kept these jobs going when he could and after graduating, summa cum laude, he founded Abbas Security, basing himself and his company in Palo Alto.
It didn’t take long for his company to take off and by 24, he was an incredibly successful and wealthy man. He has continued to grow the company ever since until they are now considered the top cyber security company in North America. (He thinks the world, but outwardly he’ll try and sound humble. Despite his success and the kind of attention that can bring, Ziyad has never as he sees it “sold out”. He will only work for companies he sees as above board and for governments that are not deemed as corrupt. He has very strong morals when it comes to his work and he would never allow his company’s work to harm others. He will make lives harder for people like hackers and bad people, but he would never take a job for a shady business, shady people or anyone like that.
Around five years ago, Ziyad decided to take a step back from the daily running of the company and appointed a COO to do it for him. He decided to be more of an advisory role and get back to the actual job he had started doing. Around this time, he also decided to base himself in Sedona, to be closer to his family.
Personality
Growing up, Ziyad was always quite shy and was most definitely a nerd. He loved computers and video games and instead of band posters on his wall, he had games characters.
He only really began to find confidence in himself in college but this really came with having to pitch his skills to people. Once he became a more polished businessman, Ziyad began to really become himself and flourish. Now, he can be quite arrogant, a bit of a playboy but he’s also funny and quick witted. He hates seeing people hurting, especially those he loves. He has a strong sense of loyalty and will defend the people he’s loyal to until they give him a strong reason not to be.
He generally has a good moral compass and a strong sense of right and wrong.
Headcanons
He is very generous and is a regular, anonymous donator to various charities including medical, children’s, homelessness and anti-poverty charities. He has made sure every member of his family is comfortable. He also has a foundation that supports children in low income families and families that deal with sudden financial strain, hoping that he can help people like his parents. He is an extremely wealthy man but he wants to make sure he never forgets where he came from. He is currently exploring the possibility of a charity that helps low income immigrant families like his was.
He also fully financially supports the animal shelter in town that helped with the rehab of his beloved rescue Dalmatian, Mati.
Ziyad is Egyptian, speaks Arabic and does believe in Islam, although as he’s grown up, he has a more complex relationship with his religion. He generally does only eat halal, he participates in Ramadan and spends both Eid holidays with his family. However he does drink occasionally, although rarely to excess and he fully turned his back on “no sex before marriage”. He describes himself as a modern Muslim. He has a prayer mat at home and in his office and always wishes he prayed more than he does.
It doesn’t matter where he is in the world, if his family need him, he’ll be there as quickly as possible. He calls his parents and his siblings multiple times a week and since living in Sedona, he tries to have dinner with them as much as he can. He has photos of his extended family up in his house to always feel close to them.
Although he has bought real estate for his siblings, his younger sister lives with him. He is very much an overprotective big brother, but he loves not living on his own. She’s often the one that reminds him to have fun and makes sure their fridge is full of their mothers cooking.
He’s a fixer and always has been. When his family struggled for money when he was young, he got a job doing whatever he could to help out. He always saw money as being the solution to the problems as a kid and now tends to throw money at things to try and fix it? Upset because your dog is sick, here, have a nice watch to make it better. Had a bad day at work? Here’s a flight to the Bahamas. He can however always sniff out someone using him. The only person that gets away with a fake cry for a gift is his baby sister. It is extremely rare for him to say no to her.
He firmly believes that Egyptian food is the best in the world and rarely goes a day without eating something from his culture. He even funded his mother's Egyptian restaurant in town.
For those close to him (except his parents), he usually christens them with an Arabic nickname. To him, if you get a nickname, you’re a very important person in his life.
At heart, despite his riches and success, he’s still the same nerdy boy who loved video games. He has a secret games room in his basement that he has never let anyone other than his brother and sister into. He plays video games now to clear his mind.
Less serious headcanons
He loves cologne but is very particular about which ones he buys. It’s usually a lengthy decision making process.
He showers at least twice a day and is very particular with his hygiene.
He works out every day. He has a gym at home and sees a trainer twice a week. He alternates weights and cardio and sometimes adds boxing into the mix. He also loves to swim.
Ziyad drinks at least three espressos a day. He’d love to cut down. He favours Arabic coffee but doesn’t have the patience to make it. He’s never tried iced coffee or coffee with milk and he will continue to refuse to.
He may be a nerd, but he loves watching sports when he can. He’s a huge fan of the LA Lakers and he’s disappointed annually by the Los Angeles Chargers. He has an irrational hatred of the 49’ers. He’s also a huge European Soccer fan.
His favourite movie of all time is the live action 101 dalmatians and he won’t hear any judgement.
He gets strangely motivated in the gym by the pitch perfect soundtracks. He tells no one.
He loves to wear a suit or at least suit pants and a shirt. He doesn’t often dress down except for the gym, but occasionally will do jeans for a family dinner. He likes looking the part.
He’s allergic to bee stings, latex and pineapple.
He’s an excellent cook, he just doesn’t often have time to show off his skills.
He is extremely freaked out by jellyfish. He avoids the ocean because of them.
He doesn’t trust rabbits. He had a dream once about a mutant rabbit and now can’t look at them the same.
He really doesn’t like when people wear backpacks on their front.
Bit of a clean freak and will often redo little bits after his cleaning lady has been, just to make sure.
He will not share his feteer with anyone. His favourite is filled with sausage and cheese.
