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H.E. Mr. Mohammad Rahhal Minister of Environment, Lebanon

H.E. Ms. Rachida Dati Ms. Rachida Dati is member of the European Parliament, and Mayor of the 7th Municipality of Paris. She previously was the General Director in charge of Procurement, Legal Affairs and Real Estate in the General Council of Hauts-de-Seine. She also held the position of Minister of Justice, and was an Advisor in various cabinets of the government including that of Mr. Sarkozy. Ms. Dati has held various positions in the judiciary system and is a Magistrate graduate from « l'Ecole Nationale de la Magistrature »

H.E. Mrs. Nariman Al Roussan HE is a Member of the Jordanian Parliament. she is also a Founding Member of Arab Region Parliamentarians Against Corruption and a Board Member for Many Institutions of women and sports’ affairs. HE was the Director of Legal Affairs at Higher Youth Council in the Ministry of Youth and was a Legal and Civil Lawyer. HE Holds a bachelor degree from Alexandria University in Egypt.

Ms. Fatima Salman Ms. Salman is member of the Municipal Council, Muharreq province, Kingdom of Bahrain. Her main goals are reinforcing the people’s participation in national decision making, developing the infrastructure and enhancing environmental awareness. she was previously an administrative supervisor at the Ministry of Finance and National Economy. Ms. Salman has participated in several local and international events and community service programs. Ms. Salman holds a diploma in computer science from Delmon Academy.

Mrs. Salam Yamout Ms. Yamout is Cisco's Program Manager for the Partnership for Lebanon. The program's goal is to establish public and private partnerships to build scalable, replicable, sustainable solutions to help the people of Lebanon find the path to long term stability and economic growth. She is also the current Secretary-General of the MIT Enterprise Forum for the Pan Arab Region (Lebanon). Prior to the Partnership for Lebanon, she worked on several key national projects such as the National e-Commerce Project, National e-Strategy Project, National ICT Standards Project, and served on the National Committee for follow-up on WSIS. Ms. Yamout holds a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Valparaiso University in 1985, an M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from University of Arizona in 1987 and an MBA from the Ecole Supérieure des Affaires (ESA) in 2005.

Mrs. Oya Ünlü Kizil Ms. OYA KIZIL is currently the Director of Corporate Communications and External Affairs at KOÇ HOLDING, INC. She also resides on the Boards of the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV), the Corporate Volunteer Association and Education Reform Initiative’s (ERI). She began her professional career in 1992 at the Turkish Prime Ministry Privatization Administration and later on joined the World Bank where she held the position of Portfolio Manager for the Middle East and North Africa region for five years in Washington DC. In 2001, she served for two years as chief advisor to the Ministry of Economy and in 2003, Oya Ünlü Kizil joined Koc Holding as an advisor to the CEO. She was selected as “World Fellow” by Yale University in 2008 and received leadership training in this program. Ms. Kizil holds an MBA in International Business, from George Washington University.

Mrs. Raghida Dergham Ms. Dergham is Senior Diplomatic Correspondent and columnist for London-based Al-Hayat Newspaper. In her weekly column on international political affairs as well as her articles, she brings insight on the cultural chasm between the Arab and Western worlds and what must be done to bridge that gap. Ms. Dergham is also political analyst for NBC, MSNBC, and the Arab satellite LBC. Ms. Degham is a former president of the United Nations Correspondents Association, where she addressed the UN General Assembly on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day.

Mrs. Nadine S. Chakar Ms. Nadine Chakar is Head of BNY Mellon Asset Servicing’s Global Financial Institutions (GFI) group. She is also Chair of the Executive Committee of The Bank of New York Mellon SA/NV, headquartered in Brussels. Ms. Chakar joined Mellon Financial Corporation in November 1989 and over the course of her career has held a variety of management, technical and business development roles in both the United States and Europe. Ms. Chakar has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Finance from Boston University in 1987.

Dr. Afaf Omer Dr. Omer taught and carried out research at several leading universities in the USA and has published widely in the areas of women’s studies, population, migration, and human rights. Dr. Omer holds a B.Sc. (Honors) in Economics from the University of Khartoum, and an M.Sc. in Development Economics from the University of Gezira and PHD in Sociology From the University of Michigan.

Mr. Philippe Skaff Mr. Skaff is currently the Chief Executive officer of Grey Worldwide, Middle East and North Africa. He is a regular guest speaker on terrestrial and satellite Arabic television addressing a variety of subjects, from communication to environment and socio-political issues. He is a passionate environmentalist, was elected President of The Green Party of Lebanon and is currently writing a documentary on the state of the environment in the Lebanon covering the period from its Independence in the forties till today. Mr. Skaff graduated from Laval University in Quebec in 1979 with a major in communication arts.

Mr. Walid Chiniara Mr. Chiniara is, by trade, an International Corporate Lawyer, a Family Business Advisor, and a Mediator, with over 30 years experience serving families in business and HNW family entrepreneurs, financial institutions, and multinational corporations across the five continents. His area of expertise includes Legal Strategy, Dynastic Planning, and Inter-generational Conflict Resolution. Mr. Chiniara is the co-founder and the Managing Director of The Family Business Advisory Group, a virtual multi-family office based in Dubai and serving the GCC and the MENA region. He may be reached at walid@walidchiniara.com

Mr. Mazen Hayek Group Director of Marketing, PR and Commercial, mbc Group, UAE

Mrs. Wafa Tarnowska Ms. Tarnowska has been DLA Piper's Regional Manager for Corporate Social Responsibility and Arab Initiatives in the Middle East since November 2007. Previously, she was a head-hunter with Odgers Ray and Berndtson in Dubai. She is also a writer and translator of children’s books and a former journalist in print and radio. She has worked in Australia, Lebanon, Poland, Cyprus, India, the UK, and has been in the UAE for 5 years. Ms. Tarnowska has an MA in Sociology from the American University of Beirut and a BA in Political Sciences from Melbourne University.

Dr. Dima Jamali Dr. Dima Jamali is an Associate Professor in the School of Business, American University of Beirut. She is the author of over 30 articles in reputable international peer reviewed journals focusing on different aspects of CSR in the Middle East. She has previously worked as an expert consultant for the United Nations on Social Policy and CSR as well as various projects funded by the World Bank, the US Agency for International Development, NGOs, and other local public and private firms. Dr. Jamali holds a PhD in Social Policy and Administration, from the University of Kent at Canterbury, UK.

Dr. Ziad Noujeim Dr. Ziad Noujeim is one of the leading figures in broadcasting journalism in Lebanon and the Arab world. He is an oral surgeon, anti-aging medicine diplomat, senior lecturer and research department chairperson at the Lebanese University and Dental School in Beirut, and editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Lebanese Dental Association. Dr. Noujeim has held key positions at LBC, Mashreq TV, Al Hurra TV(USA), and MTV(Lebanon).

Mrs. Bana Akkad Azhari Ms. Akkad is the Regional Executive for the Levant and North Africa and manages the overall coverage and delivery of BNY Mellon’s. She is also a member of the company’s regional management committee of Middle East and Africa. Ms. Bana has led the initiative to establish a chapter in the Middle East and Africa region for the company-wide Women Initiative Network. Prior to joining BNY Mellon in the beginning of 2006, Bana worked for over nine years at Citigroup in Beirut where she held the position of Resident Vice President and was a member of the credit committee. She is also a member of the American Lebanese Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Azhari holds a Bachelor in Business Administration and a Masters of Money and Banking degree from the American University of Beirut.

Mrs. Najat Rizk Ms. Rizk is currently Partner and CEO of Firehorse. She previously served as a Channel Manager for Orbit Satellite Network and LBC Network, before joining Firehorse Films in 1999. Ms. Rizk has won acclaim as the second most successful CEO in Lebanon and with over 18 years of experience, she is a producer and manager of a wide range of programming activities on current affairs, factual entertainment, documentaries and corporate films in the Arab World. She has left her personal mark on a number of documentaries touching crucial topics such as women empowerment, religion, civilian-military relations, and political investigations in the region. These have included Mojtamaat al Diniya (Religions of the World), Questions of Arab Unity, Egyptian Genesis and Beshaghag (With Passion). She holds a Masters in Human Geography and Demographic Statistics, as well as a BA in Geography from Saint Joseph University in Beirut.

Dr. Rashid Al-Daif Dr. Al-Daif is well known for being an author novelist, humorist, linguist and professor. Since 1999 till present he has been a Visiting Professor, at the Université de Toulouse and was previously a Teacher of Arabic Language for Foreigners at Université de Paris III, and a Professor of Arabic at Lebanese University. He has numerous publications in Arabic on rhetoric, linguistics and literature. He holds a Doctorate in Lettres Modernes, Paris III, and D.E.A. in Linguistics, Paris V.

Dr. Malek Chebel Dr. Malek Chebel is an Algerian philosopher and anthropologist in religion. He is a major speaker and contributor to many conferences in several European and African countries and is currently working on a vast investigation on “Islam in Europe”. Dr. Malek taught in several universities around the world, and is an author of many books and articles about the Arab world and Islam. Dr. Malek holds a doctorate in Anthropology and Ethnology, and a Doctorate in Political Science from “L’Institut d’Etudes Politiques” France.

Mr. Tarek Al Shennawi Mr. Shenawi is a film critic and a Professor of Art Criticism in the Faculty of Information- Cairo University, and the International Academy for Media Sciences. He published several books, including: “The 80’s Directors: dream & reality”, “Fun years in the Egyptian cinema”, “They made me Director”, “ The cinema poet”. He has won numerous awards as best article critique from the journalists syndicate and Cinema associations. Mr. Tarek Shenawi holds a BA degree from the Faculty of Information- Cairo University, and a BA from the Cinema Institute.

Mr. Neshan Der Haroutiounian Presenter, mbc1, Lebanon

Mrs. Fadila Souisi Presenter, Abu Dhabi TV, UAE

Mrs. Mona Wassef Ms. Wassef is a renowned actor who has a large portfolio in the film industry and drama series, in Syria and the Arab world. She has also taken part in more than 25 theatre plays written by world-wide famous Arab and international authors and playwrights. Ms. Wassef has received numerous medals and awards for her roles in TV drama and the theatre. She has taken part in various roles outside the acting domain and was a principal member/president of jury for various leading festivals in the region. Ms. Wassef was vice president for the Syrian artists syndicate in 1991 and was United nations Ambassador for good intentions in Syria for two consecutive years.

Mr. Jamal Suleiman Actor, Syria

Dr. Ammar Bakkar Dr. Bakkar is the Director of New Media at MBC Group, and the General Supervisor of Scenario Creative Production, a comedy production company of MBC Group in Saudi Arabia. He has been in the new media industry since the year 2000, when he established bab.com, one of the earliest Arab news portal, and he went on to establish several other portals. He has more than 15 years of experience working for the traditional media as a journalist, a correspondent, and a Chief Editor with several Saudi and international publications. Dr. Bakkar holds a doctoral degree from the University of Oklahoma (USA), where he studied political campaigning on the web and creativity enhancement in media organizations.

Mrs. Rania Rostom Ms. Rostom is currently the Director of Corporate Communications, GE Corporate, Middle East & Africa and has 18 years experience in the field of brand building and reputation management. She joined GE in 2005 and presently handles the regional communications programs, public affairs, media relations, advertising, branding, events, employee engagement and marcomms. She is also the regional leader for the Women’s Network for MEA. Prior to that, she was the Corporate Communications Manager with BMW Group Middle East. She started her career in 1992 working for Intermarkets PR & Advertising agency in Cairo and Dubai offices for eight years. Ms. Rostom holds a BA degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from the American University of Cairo.

Mrs. Lujain Omran Ms. Lojain Omran started her career in 1999 in the Banking sector as Operations Coordinator in the “Hollandi Saudi Bank” in KSA, then moved to Bahrain and worked in the Visa section in “City bank”. She then shifted to the media sector in 2004 and went on to host and present several Musical & Social TV shows in different Arab Channels. She finally joined MBC to present the renowned morning show “Sabah L Kheir ya Arab”. Ms. Lojain holds a Computer Programming Diploma with Honors.

Ms. Racha Charabatji Ms. Rasha Sharbatji is a Syrian director. She directed and produced several TV Series and Movies, and received several awards among which: Best Director for the year 2009. Ms. Sharbatji holds a BA in education and psychology from Cairo University, and a MA in pediatrics.

Mrs. Fatima Rida Ms. Rida is Editor, Website editor, and reporter at Al-Hayat Newspaper, Beirut Headquarters, Maarad Str. Down Town. She previously worked at Future News TV, Beirut and was a Segment Producer for the Social Program TAWASOL. She has also contributed to the field research for the production of "Hilm Azar" (March Dream), a Lebanese social Drama broadcasted on the LBCI, in addition to playing the role of ZEINAB, one of the drama’s characters. Ms. Rida is a winner of Media award for excellence for the best investigative report in the Lebanese printing media for the year 2007, and a winner of the Inquirer award for the best investigative report in the printing media The report was an investigation into the thousands of people in Lebanon who do not have any official records with the government.

Mrs. Bernadette Hodeib Ms. Houdeib is a drama teacher at The Social Welfare Institutions (SWI), Lebanon. She previously a was dance teacher at the Faculty of Education College, Lebanese University, and also taught body language at Kafaat University. She was also coordinator of theater activities for disabled adolescents and adults, at Lili Choueiry village. She acted in several films, television series, and plays. She is also a member of the jury committee of short films, Aghar Festival, Oran - Algeria, 2007. Ms. Houdeib has received numerous awards, including best performance award by Murex D’or, Lebanon for her role in Lamma Hekyet Maryam. She holds a higher studies diploma in performing arts (with distinction) from the Lebanese University, Lebanon.

Mrs. Heba Jamal Heba Jamal is a TV presenter at MBC (Lebanon) since 2007. She previously held several positions among which: Marketing and Public Relation Manager at the Innovation Media Services Company; Fashion designer at Hebah Jamal center; and manager and fashion designer of Hebah. She published her designs in famous catalogues and magazines around the Arab World and have been chosen by Rosh Pharmaceutical Company as an actor to advertise their Zincal product. Heba Jamal holds a Bachelor Degree in English Literature (King Abdulaziz University- KSA).

Mrs. Jessica Dheere After working for more than a decade as a journalist in Washington, DC, and New York, in May 2008 Ms. Dheere founded SMEXbeirut (www.smex.org), an organization that provides training and consulting to local civil society groups, NGOs, and enterprises in the strategic use of digital and social media. In addition to managing the overall strategy of SMEX, Jessica leads the development of all course curricula. She has lived in Lebanon since 2006 and has a master's degree in media studies from the New School in New York and a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University.

Mrs. Nawal Al Ali Ms. Al Ali is a Jordanian poet and journalist. In 2006 she published a book entitled “Sleeper Biography”, in which she used more than one form of art, which merged poetry, prose and narrative. Ms. Al Ali published many literary and investigative journalism articles in the Arab press. She joined the Action Team program introduced by the Ministry of Culture of Jordan, designed to establish communication with \women in rural areas. She is also a poet, and has had selections from her poems translated into German by “du” Swiss magazine. She has recently completed her research in cultural policies in Jordan in cooperation with the Cultural Resource and supervision of the European Union. Ms. Al Ali holds a degree in journalism from Yarmouk University.

Mr. Alexandre Paulikevitch Mr. Paulikevitch is a Lebanese artist living in Beirut, Lebanon. After graduating from the University of Paris VIII with a degree in Theater and Dance, he worked with Leila Haddad’s Company from 2002 till 2004 at the École de Danse du Marrais in Paris and participated in many workshops (Gilles Jobin, Atsushi Takenushi, Peter Goss). Since his return to Beirut in 2006, he has been creating spaces of reflection on Middle-Eastern dance through his work as a choreographer, a teacher and a performer.

Mrs. Rima Nazer Ms. Nazer is an Instructor at the Lebanese American University – Communication Arts Dept. she was previously Head of Documentaries at Alif Alif TV and Industry Relations Manager at Dubai International Film Festival. She was also Production Manager For MBC, O3 Productions, Dubai Media City. She held key position at renowned TV stations such as LBCI, Future Television, New TV. She also played a key role in various leading films mostly shot in the UK. Ms Nazer holds an M.A. in Filmmaking, London Film School, London, UK and a B.A. in Dramatic Arts, Lebanese University Of Fine Arts, Beirut Lebanon