Charif co-founded Tellurian and serves as executive chairman of the board. He also founded Cheniere Energy, Inc. in 1996 and served as chairman of the board of directors, chief executive officer and president until December 2015. Prior to Cheniere, Charif was an investment banker. He serves on the board of trustees of the American University of Beirut and as a member of the Advisory Board of the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University. Charif received a bachelor of arts from Colgate University and a masters of business administration from Columbia University.