H.E. Melhem Antoun Riachy

From “Khenchara” in the district of North Metn. He is a writer, a journalist, and a researcher in Middle East affairs and comparative religions, having several studies in this field.
He is a consultant in political affairs and strategic negotiations, a professor of Geostrategic communication in the Holy Spirit University – Kaslik.
Since February 2012, he occupies the post of chairman of the communication department in the Lebanese Forces Party.
He was designated as the special envoy of President of the Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea to President Michel Aoun, and he succeeded in cooperation with MP Ibrahim Kanaan (FPM) to reach an “historical” agreement with the Free Patriotic Movement, that was signed by Michel Aoun and Samir Geagea in the 2nd of June 2015, known as the “Declaration of intentions between the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces”. This declaration was considered as an ending of thirty years of conflict between Christians.
Riachy is an activist in social work (President of the fourth region in Metn in “Caritas-Liban” for seven years). He has many studies about the Levant issue, and several books: “Leaders & catastrophy” (1994), “Judas Iscariot, the innocent traitor” (in three languages) (1995), “The Psalms of a prisoner” (1997), “The passage” (1998), “The 2000 elections” (2000), “The Well” (2003), “The guard of the tomb” (2007), “The book of reproach” (2016). Most of his books were issued by “Dar An-Nahar” and recently by “SA’ER Al Mashreq” & “L’Harmattan” Publishing Houses.

Gisele Azzi Khoury

Born in Beirut.
Boarding school St Joseph de l’Apparition.
High School St Joseph Antoura.
BA in information and documentation from Lebanese University in 1983.
Diploma in old civilizations, history department at USEK.
16 years producer and anchor in multiple shows on LBCI. Social, politic and cultural programs.
10 years anchor of political show on Alarabiya.
4 years working with BBC for a political show.
Producing documentaries.
President of Samir Kassir Foundation.

Eli Khoury

A strategic communication, content and media specialist with over twenty years record in corporate, national and institutional brand development and counter narrative engagement. He is acknowledged as having raised the standard of communications in the MENA region as a result of the practices he introduced.
In 1992, he launched the Saatchi agency in Beirut; which shortly after, became one of the largest recipients of advertising awards in the region.
In 2000, he launched Quantum Communications, a policy and strategic communications advisory, an undisputed industry reference in regional socio-political communication.
Eli currently heads the M&C Saatchi MENA agency and the Quantum Group of companies, which now includes Mercury, M and NOW, the Group’s nascent digital content and publishing arm.
Throughout the years, Khoury embraced communications and content from a perspective laced with democratic entrepreneurship and socio-political consciousness.
As a citizen and patriot of Lebanon, Eli was among the key planners and promoters of the 2005 Cedar Revolution.
He has equally co-founded the Washington-based Lebanon Renaissance Foundation. Khoury also has co-published the Beirut Spring with veteran journalist Ghassan Tweini of An Nahar.

Rabih El Chaer

A Senior Associate at Alem & Associates, leading the (public) International Law practice.
Rabih is a public affairs expert, with more than 20- year experience in Public Policy across Europe and the Middle East. He served as an advisor on drafting laws, strategic planning, public affairs programs, electoral campaigns organization, and media and communications strategy to a number of parliaments, ministers, public authorities, political parties & INGOs.
He is a graduate of the National French School of Public Management (Ecole Nationale d’Administration, ENA, 2000) and holder of two LLM’s in Human Rights (1998) and Public Law (1996) – France.
He completed fellowship programs at the Harvard University, 2012 & Stanford University, 2007.
He was a presenter at TEDx Beirut talking about Good Governance & Transparency, 2012.
He was selected by the French Foreign Ministry for the 2010 “Personnalités d’avenir” program recognizing future potential international leaders.
He received the Medal of Honor from the Lebanese Ministry Of Interior and Municipalities, 2009.
Languages: English, Arabic and French.

Michel Hajji Georgiou

Political analyst and journalist, Michel Hajji Georgiou is head of the local political service at L’Orient-Le Jour, where he has been working since 1999. Honorary Prize of Philosophy at the College Notre-Dame de Jamhour in 1998, he is the holder of a master’s degree in political science from Saint Joseph University.
He was awarded the Gebran Tueni Prize in 2007 and the Foundation for Human and Humanitarian Rights Prize in 2008 for his work in favor of freedom of expression and opinion. He is a founding member of many human rights associations and cultural foundations.
Most recently, he implemented and prefaced a collection of political writings by the late Samir Frangié under the title The Quiet Revolution, as well as a poetry book, From This Broken Hill, dedicated to the memory of his mentor, late Canadian poet and singer Leonard Cohen.

Daniel Georr

Previous CCO of FP7-McCann, the biggest communication agency in the MENA. Daniel Georr is now Managing Partner at “its.” & “tbsp.” In the past 20 years, Daniel lived most of his professional life outside Lebanon, from Cairo to North Africa, KSA, and Dubai, running the MENA region. An experience that offers him a deep and unique knowledge the region and allowed him to successfully lead brands such as McDonald’s, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Henkel, Unilever, BMW, HSBC, L’Oréal, Etisalat, MTN, MasterCard, Dubai Holding, Ford, and more. As one of the most experienced and awarded creatives in the Mena Region and a recognized brand builder, Daniel has received the most prestigious recognitions during his career.
Awards:
Effies: awards 2009, 2011, Network of the year.
Mena Cristal: 2009, 2011: Network of the year.
Lynx: 2009, 2011: Network of the year.
Cannes lions: 3 gold, 2 bronze, 2 silver. Between 2008 and 2011.

Luce Mondor

An associate professor of Modern Letters, a Doctor of French Literature and Civilization and a professor of General Knowledge at DSAA Design.

She is also a pedagogical adviser to the IUFM (Institut de Formation des Maîtres) and responsible for cultural events at the Estienne School (Estiennales, Presse Citron, exhibitions, conferences, annual internal publication “Les Mots dits”). Mrs Mondor is the author of books and publications on the literature of exile, Caribbean literature, humor and discrepancy.

She has organized writing workshops with Daniel Pennac, Jean-Bernard Pouy and Philippe Di Folco and created in 2016 l’Agence Frontale, a consultancy agency in cultural communication.

In 1993, she held the Trophée Presse Citron, a national competition for press design, which became the Trophée Presse Citron / BnF in 2014.

Ivan Debs

Born in 1993 in Abidjan, capital of the Ivory Coast, Ivan Debs lived in Africa his whole life, until he decided to come to Lebanon to continue his studies. Passionate about painting, drawing and images in general, now an independent illustrator, he had begun working very early on with L’Orient le Jour and Executive Magazine as well as many different projects in the field. Since 2012, he has won national and international contests such as Redbull, Samsung, Rotring, Stephen Marley Artwork contest.
A calm and discrete character who expresses himself best through his work, very committed, between poetry and rebellion and messages to his generation that always push him further to search, discover and fight.

Omar Sadek

An AUB and LAU graduate with a Bachelor in Economics, Political Science and Communication Arts and Marketing. He holds a Masters in Media and Communications from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

In 2007, he joined Impact BBDO in Beirut as business development manager, which expanded his experience in the field. He taught Media Strategies and Creation at ALBA university. He then moved to Grey Beirut, a reputable multinational Advertising Agency, and afterwards became Marketing Director and then Director of Future TV.
His several personal affairs projects and relations in addition to his expertise in multiple communication domains helped him become the founder of a new development and alternative media and socio-political communication department at an agency in Beirut. This work lead him to earn an acknowledgment medal from the Ministry of Interior in Lebanon during the legislative elections in 2009.
He won several prizes in various local, regional and international advertising and communication shows, notably for the campaign “Cheyef Halak?”
He was the General Manager of J. Walter Thompson, leading a multidisciplinary agency.
He is a media and communication consultant working with several private and public institutions.
He is currently a Chief Operator Officer at Its communications.
He is also a member of the Pierre Sadek Foundation and a jury member for the Trophy competition “La Plume de Pierre”.