Firas Abi-Nassif is a co-founder and Managing Partner of Teleios Capital, an activist hedge fund based in Switzerland with over $1 billion in assets. He currently also serves as Chairman of the Board of Kongsberg Automotive, a publicly traded company and leading global automotive supplier. From 2008 to 2011, Abi-Nassif served as Director of Investments at Vision Capital, a New York-based special situations hedge fund with $1 billion in assets, after working in Investment Banking at Credit Suisse in New York. Formerly, Abi-Nassif was a member of the founding team of Airvana, a leading global telecommunications equipment vendor, acquired for $535 million after going public on the Nasdaq. Prior to that, he held senior engineering roles at Motorola. Over the course of his career, Abi-Nassif produced seven internationally patented inventions in the field of telecommunications. Firas Abi-Nassif obtained an Engineering degree in Computer and Communications with Distinction from the American University of Beirut, an MS in Telecommunications Engineering from Northeastern University, and an MBA in Finance and Economics with honors from Harvard Business School.
Diane Assaf is a partner at Assaf & Associate Law Firm. Prior to joining the firm, she worked at DS Avocats in Paris and briefly worked at Dewey & Leboeuf in London. Her practice focuses on real estate, corporate and commercial, employment law and dispute resolution. Following the Beirut Port explosion on August 4, 2020, and after having lost one of her closest friends, Assaf launched a platform to spread legal awareness. Through this platform, she plays an active role in shedding the light on the flaws of the Lebanese judiciary. Assaf has been a member of a number of committees of the Beirut Bar Association and is currently a member of the Beirut Bar Association legal team in charge of reviewing the National Action Plan for Human Rights in cooperation with the Regional Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Diane Assaf earned her Master’s degree in Media and Communication Law from Université Paris-2 Pantheon Assas and a law degree from Université Saint Joseph in Beirut.
Karim Bitar is the Director of the Institute of Political Science at Université Saint-Joseph in Beirut (USJ) and Senior Fellow at the Institute for International and Strategic Relations in Paris (IRIS). He is an Associate Fellow at the Geneva Center for Security Policy (GCSP) and a Research Associate at Brussels’ Institut Medea. In addition, Bitar is the Vice-President of the Circle of Arab Economists and the secretary general of the Emile Bitar Foundation. Karim Bitar graduated from France’s National School of Administration and from the Paris Institute of Political Studies. He also studied Law at the University of Paris Sorbonne and obtained a BA in Economics and International Relations from McGill University. He spent his senior year at Harvard where he studied Government and specialized in Middle East Studies.
George Bitar is a managing partner of Rho Acceleration. George has over 30
years of experience investing in growth equity and buyout transactions across many
geographies and sectors. He currently focuses on making control or joint-control investments of
"opportunity constrained" middle market technology companies that have strong growth
potential.
Before joining Rho Acceleration in 2013, George was co-head of Global Private Equity at
BlackRock, Inc., where he built an investment team of 16 investment professionals. Prior to
joining Blackrock, George co-founded and co-led Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity (“MLGPE”)
from 1994 until 2009 and served on the operating and investment committees overseeing more
than $7 billion of proprietary and investors' capital in global leveraged buyouts. George's role at
MLGPE included acting as head of North America, partner in charge of Europe, and, before that,
Latin America. George has served on the board of directors of a number of private and public
companies operating in several industries including software, healthcare, consumer products,
manufacturing, banking, re-insurance, retail, and business services.
George received a B.S. degree in Systems Engineering from Boston University and an M.B.A. in
Finance from Columbia University.
Rabih El-Amine is the founder and CEO of Alef international, a major force in Saudi Arabia's marketing communications industry, specialized in public relations and content management. El-Amine has built an extensive business network within the GCC, Levant and European markets, and with over 30 years of media and marketing communications experience under his belt, he is deemed as an excellent source of counsel for organizations and businessmen on diverse aspects of the local and regional market. In early 2021 El-Amine joined the Lebanese American University’s (LAU) “President’s Advancement Advisory Council”, a select group of volunteers in pursuit of resources to fulfill LAU’s mission of quality higher education and health care. He recently launched the Lebanese Executive Council, a diaspora platform to bring together Lebanese professionals and businessmen. He was also a member of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce Marketing Committee between 2005 and 2012, and the Secretary of the Lebanese Business Council in KSA for 14 years.
Robert Fadel is a seasoned political and private-sector leader.
He was a delegation member at the Taif Conference, which helped end Lebanon’s Civil War, and later served as an independent member of the Lebanese Parliament from 2009 to 2016. He resigned in protest against the lack of reforms.
During his tenure, he participated in Lebanon’s National Dialogue Table, a critical effort to prevent civil war during the constitutional crisis triggered by a presidential vacancy. Over an 18-month period (2014–2015), he attended more than 15 rounds of dialogue to help stabilize the country.
Following Lebanon’s economic collapse and the protests of 2019, Fadel collaborated with a coalition of opposition parties and civil society organizations to develop a political alternative aimed at modernizing governance and raising ethical standards.
Beyond Lebanon, he has been actively engaged in conflict resolution worldwide. After leaving parliament, he worked with the International Crisis Group (ICG) and later with InterMediate, two leading organizations specializing in mediation and peacebuilding. His work has taken him to Venezuela, Haiti, and the Gulf, among other regions.
In the private sector, Fadel built a distinguished career, first as a consultant with Monitor Deloitte in Paris and Boston, and later as CEO of ABC Group, a leading retail and real estate company, which he managed from 2003 to 2018.
Ali Khalil is the Chief Executive Officer of Kuwait Financial Centre “Markaz” a publicly listed Kuwaiti investment company. He has more than 33 years of investment banking and asset management experience spent between Kuwait and the United States, with the Markaz Group of Companies. He is the Chairman of the Board of First-Equilease, and the Vice Chairman at Kuwait’s Heavy Engineering Industries and Shipbuilding Company, (PLC). He is the Chairman of the Lebanese Business Council in Kuwait since 2020. Ali Khalil holds an MBA from INSEAD, a M.Sc., and a B.Sc. in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M University, USA.
Randa Khalil is a jewelry designer and owner of Randa Khalil Raad Jewelry. She learned jewelry design at the Museum of Islamic Art, during the late 1980s in Kuwait. Her extensive collaborations with goldsmiths, stone setters and enamelists allowed her to develop her creativity from experts and creatives from around the world. Khalil has long used her talents to benefit charities, first for organizations helping the handicapped in Geneva and later by giving proceeds from her sales to Medecins Sans Frontieres in the Emirates and the Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon.
Albert Kostanian is an economist and an expert in strategy. He is also the content producer and host of “Vision 2030”, a leading TV show on LBCI that provides a platform for an in-depth debate around politics and policy making in Lebanon. He has founded and is heading the Beirut office of Arthur D. Little, the world premier strategy consulting firm, after having spent years with the firm in France. His main areas of expertise are in Telecom and infrastructure and he worked for major international corporations and governments in a dozen of countries. Kostanian has also established a boutique consultancy “Levant Consult”. He is a Senior Fellow for economy in Issam Fares Institute for Public Policies at the American University of Beirut. He is committed to promoting reforms in Lebanon and regularly publishes articles and studies in various domains in addition to having been active in politics and policy making. Albert Kostanian holds an MSc from the HEC School in Paris and a BA in Economics from the Saint-Joseph University in Beirut.
Philippe G. Massoud is a Lebanese American executive, renowned for his leadership in the hospitality industry and his passionate advocacy for Lebanese culture and cuisine in the United States. As the CEO and owner of ilili Restaurants, Philippe has revolutionized the perception of Lebanese cuisine, elevating it from its stereotypical status as mere street food to a recognized and celebrated culinary art form worldwide.
Beyond his business achievements, Philippe is deeply committed to the potential and progress of his native Lebanon. His vision of Lebanon as a "Laboratory of Coexistence" has driven his lifelong dedication to fostering peace and democracy in the region. He has actively engaged in various philanthropic efforts and initiatives aimed at supporting Lebanon during critical moments, such as being a founding member of the Lebanon Renaissance Foundation and playing a significant role in the Cedar Revolution. His involvement continued robustly through the 2019 revolution, where he provided substantial support to demonstrators pushing for systemic change.
Adding to his impactful roles, Philippe also served for one year on the board of Kuluna Irada, an organization committed to political reform and governance improvement in Lebanon. His tenure on the board further exemplified his dedication to meaningful change in Lebanese governance and public policy.
Educated at Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science from the Rochester Institute of Technology in Hotel Resort and Restaurant Development, coupled with minors in Middle Eastern Studies and Finance, Philippe possesses a robust academic foundation that enhances his professional and philanthropic endeavors. He continues to serve as an active member of the Lebanese Diaspora, tirelessly working to highlight Lebanon’s cultural and culinary riches and advocating for its future prosperity and stability.
Dalia Salaam Rishani is a publisher, an Educational and Scholarships Advisor and a Human Rights Advocate. After debuting her career in Finance at SG Warburg Securities, she established Hood Hood Books, a publishing house specializing in interfaith and the Islamic and Eastern civilizations. She is Vice-Chair at the Centre for Lebanese Studies, an independent academic research institution, based in Lebanon, and affiliated with St. Antony’s College, Oxford, and more recently with the University of Cambridge. She is also a Global Advisor to the Knight Hennessy Scholarship Program at Stanford University and a trustee of St. Peter’s Foundation at Oxford University. Rishani has a particular interest in advancing Women’s Rights in Lebanon and sits on the committee of Human Rights Watch (Beirut). Dalia Salaam Rishani obtained a BSc in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from St. Peter’s College, Oxford University and a MSc. from Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service, Washington D.C.
Wafa Saab is the CEO of Tinol Paints, a leader in the Paint & Coatings industry in the Middle East. She was elected as the Personality of the Year in the Industry Sector in 2012 and was the first woman to be elected as President of the Worldwide Alumni Association of AUB in 2015. She is currently chair of the AMIDEAST/Lebanon Board, and sits on the boards of various non-profit organizations, namely Embrace, the Beiteddine Festival, the Lebanese Red Cross, and Mission Joy. Wafa Saab holds a BA in Human Development from LAU and an Executive MBA from AUB.
Bassam Yammine is the founder and CEO of Excelsa Development Holding, a diversified investment holding company. Excelsa invests in operating companies active in Real Estate and Private Equity. Prior to founding Excelsa in 2013, he led the growth and development of Credit Suisse in the MENA region over six years as Co-CEO of Middle East & North Africa and Head of Investment Banking. Before that, he was the founder and CEO of Audi Saudi Arabia and managed the regional investment banking business for Audi Saradar Group. He also helped launch Lebanon Invest SAL, the first investment bank in Lebanon where he held the role of General Manager and Member of the Board. Bassam founded and was Deputy Chairman of LI Venture (Holding) SAL, the first venture capital firm in Lebanon. In 2005, he served in the Government of the Republic of Lebanon as Minister of Energy and Water.
Bassam Yammine holds an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Chicago and M.S. in Computer Science and B.A in Business from Loyola Marymount University.