Directors & Management
Entirely comprised of volunteers working to improve education prospects for children in Lebanon
United Kingdom Trustees
Joseph Bahout PhD, Non-resident Scholar at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Executive Director of the Issam Fares Institute of Public Policy and International Affairs
Dr. Bahout is executive director of the Issam Fares Institute of Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut. He is also a non-resident fellow in Carnegie’s Middle East Program. His research focuses on political developments in Lebanon and Syria, regional spillover from the Syrian crisis, and identity politics across the region. Previously, Dr. Bahout served as a permanent consultant for the Policy Planning Unit at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2009–2014). He was a professor of Middle Eastern Studies at Sciences Po Paris (2005–2014) and a senior fellow at Académie Diplomatique Internationale (2008–2014). He also served as a professor of political sociology and international relations at Université Saint-Joseph in Lebanon (1993–2004), and a researcher at the Beirut-based Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches sur le Moyen-Orient Contemporain (1993–2000). Dr. Bahout is currently an associate fellow at the Geneva Center for Security Policy, and a member of the scientific board of the Institut Français du Proche-Orient. He is the author of books on Syria’s business community and its political outlook (1994), and Lebanon’s political reconstruction (1998), in addition to numerous articles and book chapters. He is a frequent commentator in European and Arab media.
Marie-Anne Chidiac DPsych, Psychotherapist & Director of Relational Change
Dr. Chidiac is an experienced change and organisational consultant, coach, trainer, psychotherapist and supervisor. She has a background in consulting having worked with board level executives and led major change management programmes in both the public and private sectors. She was also Deputy Head of a Gestalt training where she developed and taught diploma and MSc level courses in psychotherapy and organisational change. As well as being a registered Psychotherapist and Supervisor with the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), she is co-founder of ‘Relational Change’, an organisation that works to develop relational skills in individuals, teams, organisations and communities. Dr. Chidiac is also an Accredited Coach and Associate of Ashridge Business School and author of “Relational Organisational Gestalt: An emergent approach to Organisational Development”.
Michael Chidiac, FRICS, Chair of Alphabetical Order's board of trustees, Founder and CEO of RealCorp Luxembourg
Founder and chief executive of RealCorp, a Luxembourg-based real estate services firm, Michael is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and has over 25 years of experience in commercial real estate investment advisory and asset management.
A non-executive director with confirmed board-level experience in private and listed real estate companies, Michael currently serves on the boards of sovereign wealth, investment, and development funds. A social entrepreneur, he is a founding member of Cercle Libanais de Luxembourg asbl, a non-profit community organisation, and the founder and chair of the Alphabetical Order of Lebanon.
Michael holds a Master of Studies in real estate from the University of Cambridge, a Master in Finance from IE Business School and an MA in Property Valuation and Law from City University’s Bayes Business School.
Fady Haddad MD, Associate Professor, Clinical Surgery, American University of Beirut Medical Center
Dr. Haddad is Head of the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at AUBMC. He trained for Vascular Surgery and Transplant Surgery at Boston University and the Boston VA Medical Centers and joined the Cleveland Clinic in 2004-2005 for a fellowship in Endovascular Surgery under the mentorship of late Roy Greenberg. Dr. Haddad has multiple publications in peer review journals on Endovascular Surgery with special interest on EVAR’s and fenestrated EVAR. Practice interest endovascular aneurysm repair (Thoracic and Abdominal), Diabetic foot and endovascular revascularization, Dialysis access and modern varicose vein interventions. Current research includes the prevalence of AAA in the ME region. Dr. Haddad is a past president of the Lebanese Society for Vascular Surgery. A member of the European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS), he currently sits on the ESVS Council representing Lebanon.
Arz Murr, Founder and Chairman of elbarid, elnashra, elbank and sKash
Arz Murr is a serial entrepreneur, founder & chairman of elbarid a pioneer in SMS banking and business SMS solution, elnashra a group of leading online news outlets, elbank for eBanking and mBanking solution, Hey-Pay mobile payment that evolved into sKash a Mobile bank coupled with a mobile payment. In 2000, he pioneered the usage of SMS in the banking field and elbarid introduced the “SMS notification for credit card usage” concept that became a standard in the fraud prevention for card usage. He led elbarid to become one of the major players in the SMS business in the region. In 2007 he launched elnashra.com a revolutionary online news magazine that rapidly became a leader in Lebanon and the Middle East. Elnashra.com news was soon followed by elfann.com an online “people” magazine, then elsport.com tackling the latest sports news and eliktisad.com delivering the latest financial news. All sites are today leaders in their fields. In 2008 and under his leadership, elbarid was among the first companies to offer a mobile banking application and started the R&D for the mobile payment application that evolved into Hey-Pay in 2013 and ultimately became sKash in 2018. Arz graduated from Ecole Supérieure des Ingénieurs de Beyrouth with a civil engineering degree specialized in enterprise management. He is member of the Lebanese order of engineers and architects.
Serge Yazigi PhD, Architect, Founder and Managing Director of Yazigi Atelier
Dr. Yazigi, an architect, urban planner and head of Yazigi Atelier, is a regional consultant in sustainable development and has acquired experience working in several Mashreq and Maghreb countries. He established Yazigi & Sfeir consultants in 1998, then founded Yazigi atelier in 2005, an architecture firm that he still heads. Dr. Yazigi acted as a senior external consultant for Dar Al Handassah Taleb & Partners on all architectural and planning projects in Lebanon and the region for a ten-year period starting in 1999. As a Consultant he has been a team leader for several projects financed by international agencies and organisations, in relation with urban renewal and strategic planning in Lebanon and the region. He has provided land use planning for several localities in the Aley Casa, the Qannoubine valley and the Beitedine area. In 2007, he founded Majal, the Academic Urban Observatory (ALBA/University of Balamand) with the aim of facilitating research and assisting localities in the formulation of adapted development strategies. Moreover, he has directed several publications in relation to planning law and regulation. Dr. Yazigi has taught courses in architecture and planning at ALBA, Balamand University, the Lebanese University, Université Saint Joseph and the American University of Beirut. Dr. Yazigi holds a PHD in Contemporary History in the field of urban renewal from the University of Bordeaux 3, France.
Luxembourg Directors
Caroline Assaf, Founding Director of the CoCo World
Graduate in Sustainable Development from Harvard Extension School with expansive global experience in private and government sectors. Prior to founding Coco World, Caroline was actively engaged in a range of international social and economic development projects. As a member of the advisory board to the World Economic Forum’s initiative “Shaping the future of Urban Development and Services” and as the president of Sustainable Cities International, Caroline collaborated closely with an international network of cities and industry partners on knowledge mobilization and exchange efforts related to municipally-based sustainability projects.
She also served as the director of a government-funded youth internship program, working closely with Canadian youth based in Latin America and Africa, to address local and global issues through innovation and collaboration.
Tanios Assaf, Finance Manager
Tanios is an experienced Finance Manager who works for global companies and provides CFO advisory and consulting services. In 2006, he started his career in External Audit in Lebanon then moved to Paris and worked in International Control, Consolidation, Regulatory Reporting and Project Management for global banks and Insurance companies. In 2016 Tanios moved to Luxembourg where he was managing financial departments for EMEA headquarters. Tanios is a volunteer in multiple NGOs where he provides treasury , controlling and financial management. Tanios holds a bachelor’s degree in business & Administration from USJ Lebanon, a Masters in Economics & Management from Paris 1 Sorbonne University, a Masters in Finance from Business School in Paris and other international certificates. Tanios has been a volunteer in multiple not-for-profit associations in Paris and Lebanon.
Michael Chidiac, FRICS, Chair of Alphabetical Order's board of directors, Founder and CEO of RealCorp Luxembourg
Founder and chief executive of RealCorp, a Luxembourg-based real estate services firm, Michael is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and has over 25 years of experience in commercial real estate investment advisory and asset management.
A non-executive director with confirmed board-level experience in private and listed real estate companies, Michael currently serves on the boards of sovereign wealth, investment, and development funds. A social entrepreneur, he is a founding member of Cercle Libanais de Luxembourg asbl, a non-profit community organisation, and the founder and chair of the Alphabetical Order of Lebanon.
Michael holds a master’s degree in finance from IE Business School and an MA in Property Valuation and Law from City University’s Bayes (formerly Cass) Business School.
Monique ELIA, Secretary of Alphabetical Order's board of directors, independent photographer and long-time humanitarian
Monique ELIA is a long-time humanitarian in many countries, focusing on children’s education and
wellbeing. She was an active member of “Lebanese Children’s Fund” in Cyprus and in Lebanon, an
association helping Lebanese underprivileged children. She was heavily involved in the creation of
“Farah al Tadamon” in Lebanon, an association providing support, food, medicine and clothing to
persons in need. “Farah al Tadamon” also helped reconstructing underdeveloped villages in the
south of Lebanon. While living in Egypt, Monique volunteered in schools founded by Soeur
Emmanuel in Moukattam, known as the “Garbage city” of Cairo, where she provided training for
educators and children of trash-collectors (Zabbaleen) respectively. She is currently very active in
humanitarian work and is a member of the communication committee of “Christ-Roi” parish in
Luxembourg.
Monique is also a photographer, specialised in street photography and Urbex. She holds a degree in
Information Technology from Saint-Joseph University in Beirut.
Victoria El Khoury, Scientist, Luxembourg Institute of Health
Dr. El Khoury is a scientist in cancer research at the Luxembourg Institute of Health. She holds a pharmacy diploma from the Lebanese University and a PhD degree in cellular and molecular biology from the University of Reims, France. Dr. El Khoury has an expertise in the research field of personalized medicine and multiple peer-reviewed publications. Besides her research carrier, she is actively engaged in the political and social life of Luxembourg. Former city councillor of Strassen, she was also president of the Equality commission, president of the Integration commission and member of the administrative board of the social office of Strassen. Victoria is founder and member of several non-profit organizations with social, ecological and educational impact.
Waad El Sayed, Sworn Translator and Interpreter, and long-time humanitarian
Waad EL SAYED is a long-time humanitarian, focusing on vulnerable citizens and refugees. She used to work with Oxfam in Lebanon, an international organization helping underprivileged Lebanese households, in addition to Syrian and Palestinian refugees residing in Lebanon. The work within Oxfam, focused mainly on reducing poverty, providing the basic WASH and living conditions, in addition to empowering mainly women and children in their education and livelihood projects, while collaborating with local associations and international agencies and organizations. She is currently a sworn translator and interpreter, by the Supreme Court of Luxembourg. To continue her humanitarian career, Waad worked as a freelance translator and interpreter with the Luxembourgish Red Cross, to support and break the language barriers between the incoming refugees and the governmental, medical and social services. Waad also worked with the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth as part of the SECAM department to help the foreign pupils and their parents in the academic system. In addition to the above, Waad gave group and private language courses for children and adults, in French, English and Arabic, to support them educationally, professionally and recreationally. Currently Waad works as part of the social team of the Luxembourgish Red Cross, supporting and guiding the incoming refugees , of all nationalities, in their respective procedures in requesting asylum, international protection and others. She holds a degree in Languages and Translation from the university of Balamand, and Environmental Health Studies from the American University of Beirut.
Eliane Kamel, Educator, École Privée Sainte Anne
An educator since 2015, Eliane has taught Economics, Management, Law and Marketing at secondary schools in both France and Luxembourg. Passionate about imparting her knowledge and impacting the minds of her students, Eliane strives to nurture their curiosity and drive to learn. Currently a teacher at Ecole Privée St Anne, Eliane has held appointments at Lycée Vauban in Luxembourg and before that at Sophie Barat in the académie of Paris-Versailles. Prior to her work in the education sector, Eliane had a successful career spanning 12 years as a marketing manager with Galleries Lafayette and the Staples Group. Eliane leverages both her business and teaching skills to transfer practical business knowledge to her final and penultimate year students. A graduate of Université Paris II Panthéon Assas, Eliane holds both Bachelors and Masters degrees in Management from her alma mater.
Mansour Khalife, Chair of MNK Partners Group, Asset Manager and a Serial Entrepreneur
He chairs the MNK Partners Group which he founded in 2017 to develop real estate investment solutions in both Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa. Mansour was the co-founder and Deputy CEO of Corum AM from 2011 to 2017. He has significantly contributed to the development and success of the company which became the leading SCPI manager in France (€2 billion of assets under management in 2017). Mansour has over 20 years of experience in fund management and corporate finance (Atis Real (now BNP Paribas Real Estate), UFFI REAM, Corum AM). He holds a master’s degree in Management from ESCP-EAP (France) and an MBA from ESA Business School (Lebanon). Mansour is married and father of Karim (15 years old) and Liana (13 years old). Living in Luxembourg since 2020, he previously lived in Paris for more than 18 years."
Charlotte Rabbath, Strategy & Innovation at Sogelife S.A., Luxembourg
Charlotte has developed a strong background in consulting and audit and acquired diverse experiences working in Europe and the Middle East. She is currently working in the strategy and innovation department of Sogelife SA. Previously, she was a senior consultant for PwC Middle East based in Beirut, helping companies across the region unlock value. Earlier, Charlotte worked as a senior auditor for KPMG Luxembourg, specializing in international investment and private equity funds. Charlotte also held past roles within the European Commission in Brussels and Nestlé in Switzerland. An economics graduate from Durham University, Charlotte, is a multicultural and multilingual person who speaks four languages.
Amin Rizk, CFO of Valpre Capital
Amin is the CFO of Valpre Capital, an investment firm based in London, Dublin and Luxembourg. His career spans Hospitality, FMCG, aviation, manufacturing and financial services in addition to a track record in raising debt and equity, a plethora of experience in steering businesses with the creation and implementation of financial strategy.
Management
Mandy Chidiac Esta – Executive Director
Mandy is a finance executive and previous university lecturer with a background in tourism and travel management which she taught at Université Saint-Joseph (2005-2018) in Lebanon. She is currently CFO at RealCorp Luxembourg, a commercial real estate advisory and asset management firm and has been a board member of its parent holding company since 2001. Mandy graduated with a BA in modern languages from Royal Holloway, University of London and is currently completing a MSc in finance at the University of Aberdeen.
Fares Emmanuel – Risk & Compliance Manager
Fares is a certified internal auditor at JPMorgan Chase & Co, Switzerland, a position he has occupied since 2018 having previously served as a compliance officer (EMEA) from 2016 to 2018. Fares was also an auditor at the United Nations in Paris from 2014, providing assurance and consulting services designed to improve operations between Headquarters and Field Offices. He served as external auditor at EY Luxembourg from 2011 to 2013 and has worked in Nigeria before that. Fares holds a bachelor’s in Economics and Econometrics from the University of Lille, a Masters “programme Grande Ecole” from EM Strasbourg’s business school and an MSc Information Systems and Control Management from the University of Toulouse. Fares was a member and early supporter of the Cercle Libanais de Luxembourg asbl. He is currently an active member of Ordre Lafayette.
Samaya Mansour - Head of Education Projects & Research
A research, training and consulting professional with experience across the education field, specifically, education reform, leadership, teaching and youth empowerment. Working within the framework of social justice and human rights to ensure access to quality education for all. Driven by a vision to empower people, Samaya is currently a regional education research specialist at Social Impact and has previously worked at Modern University for Business and Science, UNDP and the American University of Beirut. Samaya graduated from the American University of Beirut with a BA in Education and a Diploma in Educational Management and Leadership. She holds an MPhil in Educational Leadership and School Improvement (Merit) from the University of Cambridge.
Tanios Assaf, Finance Manager
Tanios is an experienced Finance Manager who works for global companies and provides CFO advisory and consulting services. In 2006, he started his career in External Audit in Lebanon then moved to Paris and worked in International Control, Consolidation, Regulatory Reporting and Project Management for global banks and Insurance companies. In 2016 Tanios moved to Luxembourg where he was managing financial departments for EMEA headquarters. Tanios is a volunteer in multiple NGOs where he provides treasury , controlling and financial management. Tanios holds a bachelor’s degree in business & Administration from USJ Lebanon, a Masters in Economics & Management from Paris 1 Sorbonne University, a Masters in Finance from Business School in Paris and other international certificates. Tanios has been a volunteer in multiple not-for-profit associations in Paris and Lebanon.
Nibal Houry - Development and IT Manager
Nibal is a versatile and solution-oriented Development Manager with 17+ years of extensive technical and business experience in product management, IT operations, Web development, User Experience, and Digital transformation.
Founded and led an online agency for over 13 years, which focused on high-end social and web projects for leading local and regional companies, coordinating on the implementation from ideation to conception. Nibal graduated with a BS in Information Technology and is currently completing a MSc in Digital Security and Forensics.
Education committee
Shaghig Chaparian
Shaghig Chaparian has a Bachelor of Sciences in Biology and a Teaching Diploma in Secondary School Sciences from Haigazian University. She has a Master's degree in Science Education from the American University of Beirut. She has worked on various research studies as a research assistant. Her research interests are science education for informed and active citizenship and sustainable development. Shaghig is a university instructor and has seven years of experience, teaching sciences in Middle schools. She works on several developmental projects with local NGOs.
Suha Harb
Ms. Suha Harb is an Education consultant, university lecturer and specialist in educational leadership and school-based reform. Ms. Harb has more than twelve years of experience in the field of Education. She has been a university lecturer for education courses and a trainer on educational research. She has also worked as a trainer and consultant for school principals, teachers & supervisors to plan and implement school-based reform initiatives that would lead to organizational development and improved student learning. Ms. Harb has also been a research consultant for graduate students pursuing graduate and doctoral studies in education.
Ms. Harb has a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Teaching Diploma in Elementary Education from the Lebanese University, and a Master of Arts (MA) degree in Educational Administration and Policy Studies from the American University of Beirut. She is the recipient of The Fuad Haddad Award for best thesis in Education at the American University of Beirut.
Samaya Mansour
A research, training and consulting professional with experience across the education field, specifically, education reform, leadership, teaching and youth empowerment. Working within the framework of social justice and human rights to ensure access to quality education for all. Driven by a vision to empower people, Samaya is currently a regional education research specialist at Social Impact and has previously worked at Modern University for Business and Science, UNDP and the American University of Beirut. Samaya graduated from the American University of Beirut with a BA in Education and a Diploma in Educational Management and Leadership. She holds an MPhil in Educational Leadership and School Improvement (Merit) from the University of Cambridge.