This episode was originally broadcast as a live webinar on 7 September 2020
Moderated by:
Ghadi Sary – Managing Partner at Governance House, a Middle-East-based consultancy that provides expertise and advises on governance and legal, political and socio-economic risk in the region. His work to date has included expert opinion on counterterrorism for legal proceedings and arbitration, and advisory services for international agencies and companies looking to navigate hostile environments in the Levant and across the greater Middle East. Ghadi has covered political affairs in the Arab world since his time as a News Producer at BBC. In 2016, Ghadi spent a year as a fellow at Chatham House in the Middle East and North Africa Programme.
On the panel:
Zeina Arida – Director of the Sursock Museum in Beirut. Zeina’s career in the Lebanese cultural sector spans over twenty years. From 1997 to 2014, she was the director of the Arab Image Foundation (AIF), where she set up and managed various artistic and photographic preservation projects. She also served as a board member of the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC) from 2006 to 2012, and was a member of the Prince Claus Fund Network Partner Committee from 2007 to 2013. She is currently a member of the Board of the Directors of MUCEM, Marseille; a member of the Advisory Board of Darat Al Funun, Amman; and a member of the Scientific Committee of Beit Beirut.
Omar Christidis – Founder and CEO of Arabnet. In 2009 he organised the first conference focused on digital disruption in the Middle East region, before growing into publishing and research based on deep market insights. Over the last decade Omar has helped catalyse the growth of the startup ecosystem and VC industry, supported corporations in capturing digital trends and opportunities, and shaped public policy through advising government decision-makers and publishing more than a dozen original research reports. Omar is a partner at Flat6Labs in Beirut, one of the most active early-stage investors in Lebanon having invested in over thirty companies. He also sits on a number of boards and committees, including the Board of Trustees of the American Community School (ACS) of Beirut.
Mohamad Kantar – Co-Founder of Impact Lebanon and the Vice President of Global Future Energy Limited/CWC, a world-leading events producer and training provider for energy infrastructure industries, based in London, responsible for building and managing key relationships with Governments and major corporate companies across the Middle East and Africa. Mohamad has worked closely with Ministries of Energy across different countries such as Gabon, Uganda, Algeria, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Iraq among others, and has in depth knowledge and understanding of the international energy industry as well as government and private sector hierarchies. Mohamad is also a founding member of the Environment Academy (in collaboration with AUBNCC).
Dr. Zeina Mohanna – Board Member of Amel Association International. Her work includes service provision, awareness, and policy advocacy in the support to migrants, counter-trafficking, support to refugees, youth leadership, and women’s empowerment programmes, among others. She also teaches at the Political Sciences and Public Administration Department at the American University of Beirut (AUB). She has a PhD in Political Studies on ‘Citizenship and Human Rights in Lebanon’, and received a scholarship for a programme on forced migration from Oxford University in 2015. Zeina is also a founding member of the NGO Ibtissama, and the President of the Middle Eastern Chapter of the Stars Foundation.