Executive Director of the MIT Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship

Dina Sherif is a renowned expert in the fields of economic development, risk capital (from philanthropy to venture capital) in addition to entrepreneurship and innovation. With over twenty years of experience, Dina has made significant contributions to shaping and advancing these sectors in various regions around the world.

Dina Sherif is currently a Senior Lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management where she also acts as Executive Director of the MIT Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship. She is also a Founding Partner of Cairo based Ahead of the Curve, which is the Arab region’s leading firm on issues related to sustainable business growth and impact driven entrepreneurship. Dina is also a Partner in Disruptech, Egypt’s first Fintech focused venture capital fund as a Partner, pursuing her passion in building a fund that will support technology being used as a critical tool in creating financial inclusion for a largely unbanked population, most specifically women.

Chief of the Youth and Adolescent Section in UNICEF Lebanon

Giorgia Varisco is leading UNICEF’s efforts on the adolescent and youth empowerment and the skilling agenda, which includes youth upskilling, skilling for employment and closing the digital gap and digital gender gap. Prior to working in Lebanon, Giorgia led the Adolescent and Youth
Section in UNICEF Jordan, working closely with national governments and private sector on designing and implementing at scale high-quality digital education and skilling and social and economic engagement programs for vulnerable and marginalized youth, which
reached over 150,000 vulnerable youth and provided them with skills and opportunities to fulfill their full potential.
Giorgia has over 18 years of experience in the development and humanitarian sector, and has worked across MENA, Southern Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Europe on issues related to youth empowerment and socio-economic development with UN agencies and international organizations such as UNDP and OSCE.

Co-founder and COO of Parallel Health & Beauty

Elsa Aoun is a seasoned serial entrepreneur whose multiple ventures have contributed to accelerating the adoption of digital across health and beauty in the MENA ecosystem.
As the founder of one of the first online publishing websites in Arabic dedicated for women (ounousa.com), she has developed across the years a strong expertise in content creation, distribution across channels and monetization, and subsequently launched Sohati.com as a trusted source of health information, then LooliaTV to address the shifting online consumption trends towards video. Most recently, she co-founded LooliaCloset, an e-destination for beauty and Sohaticare, an online parapharmacy, offering both the service and advice of a team of pharmacists on call. As of early 2023, both platforms had already sold more than a million
products.

Elsa Aoun is today the COO of Parallel Health & Beauty which groups online publishing and e-commerce companies, leading a team of 70 people. She holds a Master’s degree in management from HEC Paris, and an Engineering degree from Saint Joseph University (USJ) in Beirut. She has completed the Goldman Sachs–US Department of State Entrepreneurship Program for Women in the Middle East and North Africa at Harvard Kennedy School.

Co-Founder of Bloom.pm

David Munir Nabti is driven by a passion to build towards a more inclusive, sustainable and compassionate world through making values-driven applied skills development and entrepreneurship/organizational development support universal. He has been running organizational growth and skills development programs in MENA for 15 years that help enterprises, organizations and individuals grow and flourish. He co-founded Bloom.pm , a social enterprise that runs online+hybrid+offline programs and builds tools+software (the Bloom platform, assessments & library) to enable customized programs and support to individuals, enterprises, organizations, and accelerator programs. Bloom along with the affiliated NGO AltCity Impact have run 80 sprint and accelerator programs and supported enterprises in 10 MENA+African countries in the last 8 years directly or in collaboration with partner organizations. He graduated from UC Berkeley in Political Science and International Economics with an additional emphasis on environmental science, policy and management. He previously worked for the UN/FAO (rural & agricultural economic development), Stanford University, Google, and at a research center at UC Berkeley focused on project-based learning.

Founder & CEO of Zaka AI

Christophe is an accomplished software engineer with extensive experience spanning over 12 years in various areas of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. In addition to his technical expertise, he is also a seasoned entrepreneur with a track record of launching and scaling successful ventures.

As the visionary Founder & CEO of Zaka, an Artificial Intelligence education & consulting company, Christophe is passionate about promoting the growth of the AI sector, with a particular focus on the MENA region. His dedication to advancing AI is further demonstrated through his role as the Founder & President of Beirut AI, an esteemed NGO. Through his leadership, he brings together the applied Artificial Intelligence community in Lebanon, where he designs engaging community events and technical workshops that inspire and empower people to appreciate and implement AI.

With his exceptional leadership skills and technical expertise, Christophe is well positioned to drive the growth of the AI industry and shape its future. His passion for innovation and his ability to bring people together to achieve common goals make him a true asset to the industry.

Co-founder of Netways

Roula Moussa is one of the Middle East’s most prominent figures in the fields of digital technology and innovation, recognized by Forbes Middle-East as one of the 200 most powerful Arab women in 2014, and chosen among the top 15 most powerful Lebanese women in business and technology for 2018.
She co-founded Netways in 1996, rapidly developing its operations across 13 branches to become a regional powerhouse in the fields of digital transformation, innovation, e-government and intelligent
business solutions. She is keenly interested in harnessing the fourth industrial revolution for the economic development of nations, rural areas, startups and SMEs. Being at the forefront of technologies like Big Data, ubiquitous mobility, the Internet of Things and A.I, she is well versed in employing them to disrupt outdated systems, spur innovation, create job opportunities and revitalize economies, all for the benefit of local societies and their youth.

Founder and CEO, AI Lab
Dr. Manal Jalloul is an Artificial Intelligence expert, keynote speaker, and entrepreneur. She is
NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute's certified instructor and University ambassador striving to
democratize AI education in the MENA region.  She is also the co-founder and Chief Executive
Officer of AI-Lab. AI Lab is an Artificial Intelligence consultancy and training company that
provides specialized hands-on trainings and consulting services in the fields of Artificial
Intelligence, Accelerated Computing, and Data Analytics to the industry. AI Lab is the certified
delivery partner of NVIDIA DLI in EMEA. Through AI Lab, Dr. Jalloul strives to drive the
adoption of AI among the startup ecosystem. Dr. Jalloul is a member of the advisory board of the
International Group of Artificial Intelligence (IGOAI) serving as Lebanon's country advisor. She
is also an executive member of the Global AI Ethics Institute expert team which aims to build a
strong and fair global governance system for AI.  Dr. Jalloul was named among NVIDIA's Top
Distinguished Instructors for 2021. She is the recipient of ERSA/NVIDIA award for Best Young
Enterpreneur in 2013 and Jammal Abdul Nasser Award for Academic Excellence in 2007.  Dr.
Jalloul is a public keynote speaker. She delivered keynote speeches, talks, and panel discussions
about AI at international meetups and conferences. She is also a lecturer and researcher with
publications in international conferences and journals.

Director of Knowledge &  Innovation at Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation

Ms. El Haj has over 20 years of experience in the education sector shaping frameworks to enhance employability of graduates entering the workforce. She worked on transformative, large-scale projects to facilitate access to quality education for diverse segments and communities in a manner that accommodates and accentuates the vision of governments, strategic partners, educators, and learners.
Prior to joining the AGF, Ms. El Haj was the Director of Strategy Development and Implementation at Laureate International Universities, served on the corporate executive team of Laureate Vocational Saudi Arabia, and was the Head of Performance & Planning at Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority.
Ms. El Haj earned an MBA from the American University of Sharjah and a BA from the American University of Beirut. She is also a certified EFQM organizational assessor from the European Foundation for Quality Management. Ms. El Haj is also a council member on the Global Councils on Sustainable Development Goals.

Head of Scholarships at Jusoor

Sarah Shedeed coordinates partnerships to expand global access to quality secondary and higher education for Syrian youth, enabling them to reach their potential and contribute to the future of Syria. With a background in education and NGO program management, she brings 10 years of experience in both formal and non-formal education. Prior to joining Jusoor, Sarah was a secondary school humanities teacher and department head for schools in the US and Lebanon; she also coordinated global Model United Nations and Youth Leadership Conferences for the Lebanese American University. Sarah holds a master’s in International Educational Development from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Founder and Director of The Nawaya Network

Zeina Saab is the Founder and Director of The Nawaya Network, an NGO based in Lebanon that develops the income-generating skills of individuals from various socio-economic backgrounds through entrepreneurship, employability, and economic development programs. Nawaya has so far supported over 13,000 youth across Lebanon since 2016.
Zeina is also the co-founder of SE Factory, a social enterprise that develops the coding skills of unemployed youth and connects them with job opportunities. The program has a 90% employment success rate.
She has worked as a consultant with the UN, USAID, and the EU on gender and youth empowerment in Lebanon and New York. Zeina is Lebanese-American and received her B.A. in International Studies from UC San Diego in 2006, and her Masters in City Planning from MIT in 2009.

Founder & Managing Director of Bridge Outsource Transform (B.O.T) & Vice President of Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT) for MENA

Marianne is the Founder and Managing Director of B.O.T., a pioneering social enterprise in the MENA region. She leads international business growth, strategic implementation, and partnership development. B.O.T. is the first digital outsourcing platform in the region, offering quality-assured data management services executed by freelance women and youth from underprivileged communities.

With over 20 years of experience in NGO management and relief projects, she is an expert in supporting vulnerable communities in Lebanon. Marianne is dedicated to bridging the gender divide in the digital world and is a strong advocate for women’s empowerment. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering, a master’s degree in Food Science, and an MBA.

Founding director of the Abdulla Al Ghurair Hub for Digital Teaching and Learning.

Dr. Issam Srour is a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the American University of Beirut (AUB) and founding director of the Abdulla Al Ghurair Hub for Digital Teaching and Learning. Since the inception of the hub in 2021, Issam has led the process of creating and offering 5 online degrees and diplomas with more than 500 enrolments. Also, he is leading the journey of transforming AUB (residential) students’ learning experience to be more contextual, impactful, and accessible. This work is part of AUB’s aim of transforming existing higher-education teaching and research infrastructure to be more supportive of digital, adaptive, dynamic, and interactive approaches.  Issam is a well-accomplished academician with more than 100 refereed journal articles, conference papers, and book chapters. His research focuses on the use of quantitative techniques, circular economy, and sustainability principles to solve real-world engineering and construction management problems. He earned MS and PhD degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He also holds a BE degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the American University of Beirut.

Deputy Director of The Nawaya Network

Jessica Said holds 20 years of working experience on a national (Lebanon) and international level ( Qatar, Kenya and Washington DC …) in the field of Healthcare Management, Organizational Management Systems, Training & Consultancy and Academic Education.
She is currently the Deputy Director in a Non-Governmental Organization called “The Nawaya Network” managing staff, operations, management systems and various programs with UNICEF, EU and Swisscontact as major donors and is a member of its “board of advisors”.
She holds a Master Degree in Healthcare Management and Health Policy from the American University of Beirut and a Bachelor Degree in Public Health.She has graduated with distinction and with a merit scholarship on both Bachelor (BS) and Master Degree. She possesses several skills from strategic management and planning to operational management systems passing by human resources and finance. She holds a Certificate from Harvard Business School in “Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies”.

Founder of Mortben
As an experienced dietitian and businesswoman, and driven by a deep passion for providing mindful and sustainable alternatives for busy individuals, Hanine founded Mortben—a pioneering venture specialising in healthy ready-to-eat meals and meal packages. Mortben sells its products online through their website with a direct-to-consumer business model.

Chief Projects Officer (CPO) of Al Moltaqa

Director of Programmes at SPARK