Yasser Akkaoui

Last updated

Yasser Akkaoui (born March 22, 1969) is a Lebanese-Swiss corporate governance activist and publisher. He advises companies and regulators in the Middle East on how to embed a culture of accountability and transparency in their corporate culture. Akkaoui has been the publisher of Executive magazine since 2001, a platform he uses to advocate for reforms in the Middle East. He is often invited to speak at international conferences on the topic of corporate governance [1] [2] [3] [4] and his insight has contributed to the publication of reports discussing the development of policies and reforms in the Arab World. [5]

Contents

Civil society

Akkaoui is actively involved in civil society in the Middle East. He has been a committee member of Human Rights Watch in the Middle East since 2010. [6] He is a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's taskforce for Middle East and North Africa stock exchanges. [7] He is the regional consultant for the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE). [8] In April 2010, he was invited to Washington by US president Barack Obama, along with delegates from around the world invested in advancing entrepreneurship, to discuss the state of entrepreneurship in the Middle East and North Africa.

Since 2011, Akkaoui is the chairman of the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies (LCPS), [9] the most respected think tank in the Middle East. Established in 1989, it operates as an independently managed, politically neutral, think tank initiating many advocacy initiatives for judicial reforms, transparent budget process, decentralization and local governance, and the enhancement of the function of business associations in policy making. In a recent survey of think tanks conducted by the University of Pennsylvania, LCPS was ranked first out of eleven Lebanese think tanks and eighth out of 217 Arab think tanks. (LINK) From 2008 to 2012, he has been a board member of the Lebanese Transparency Association (LTA), [10] Transparency International’s Lebanese chapter and through LTA, he has co-founded the Institute of Directors in 2010 [11] which aims on promoting good governance in Lebanon. As of 2014, Akkaoui is on the steering committee of the Middle East and North Africa Private Equity Association. [12]

Akkaoui founded the Center for Strategic Studies, a non-governmental non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness on employment issues and developing resources strategies. The association provides guidance to the government on labor economic policies, especially the strong relationship between foreign direct investment and the labor market.

Corporate Governance Consulting

Through Capital Concept, a company he founded in 2005, Akkaoui advises companies and regulators in the Middle East on corporate governance and was instrumental in the generation of a number of codes. He has advised large companies in the Middle East such as Al Qudra Holding, [13] one of the region's largest investment groups. He is often invited to deliver presentations on corporate governance in the Middle East. For instance, in February 2009, in partnership with the Bahrain Accountants Association and the Bahrain Journalists Association, Akkaoui delivered a presentation on corporate governance for family owned businesses in Bahrain; in April 2009, he was part of a delegation invited by CIPE and the Yemeni Businessmen Club to train board of directors in Yemen on corporate governance. [14] In November 2010, Akkaoui was invited to Oman to be part of a conference on the growth of corporate governance in the MENA region. [15]

In 2006, Capital Concept was instrumental in the creation of Hawkama, the Dubai-based institute of corporate governance for the Middle East and helped raise funds for its setup. [16]

Media

As a publisher, Akkaoui has been representing the interests of Executive Magazine since 2001, a media platform he uses to advocate reforms in the Middle East. Executive, established in 1999, is dedicated to providing its readers with in-depth and forward thinking analysis, solid reporting and punchy opinion on Middle Eastern business, economy and public policy. Beyond its commitment to the highest level of business journalism, Executive's mission is to cover issues that impact the economic development of the Middle East as well as widespread abuses of human rights, corruption in public and private spheres and disregard for the environment and cultural heritage.

In 2010, Executive Magazine became the first Lebanon-based, pan-Arab member of Business Publications Audit BPA Worldwide, the world's largest media auditing organization. [17]

In May 2013, Akkaoui was elected board member of Lebanon's chapter of the International Advertising Association for a two-year mandate. [18]

In the same month, he was also selected to be Lebanon's representative of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity [19] for the 2013 and 2014 awards.

Human Resources Consulting

Akkaoui also founded PrimeJob, an executive search advisory firm working along with several established Middle Eastern companies through which he promotes the free movement of labor in the region. [20]

Education

Akkaoui teaches an entrepreneurship course at the American University of Beirut (AUB) [21] [22] as well as at the Ecole Superieure des Affaires (ESA). He also teaches strategic management at AUB.

Art

Akkaoui has been a strategic partner for the Beirut Art Fair since its inception in 2010. [23] The Beirut Art Fair, held annually, is an exhibition of contemporary art and design from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia region featuring 40 galleries in an indoor/outdoor space of 5,000 square meters. [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lebanese Communist Party</span> Political party in Lebanon

The Lebanese Communist Party is a communist party in Lebanon. It was founded in 1943 as a division of the Syrian–Lebanese Communist Party into the Syrian Communist Party and the Lebanese Communist Party; but the division was only implemented in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic Left Movement (Lebanon)</span> Nonsectarian and a democratic leftist political party from Beirut

The Democratic Left Movement is a nonsectarian and a democratic leftist political party. It was founded in September 2004 by left-wing and center-left intellectuals and activists some of whom had previously split from the Lebanese Communist Party (LCP) while some were student activists from the "Independent Leftist Groups". The DLM affirms a European-style social democracy—but is open to all forms of leftism and encourages the development of a true secular state. The party operates under a decentralized framework that emphasizes diversity of thought for a progressive society in a liberal democratic environment. It participated in the 2005 Cedar Revolution, a wave of demonstrations against the Syrian occupation of Lebanon, and calls for correcting imbalanced relations with Syria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State of Bahrain</span> Country in the Persian Gulf (1971–2002)

The State of Bahrain was the name of Bahrain from 1971 to 2002. On 15 August 1971, Bahrain declared independence and signed a new treaty of friendship with the United Kingdom. Bahrain joined the United Nations and the Arab League later in the year. The oil boom of the 1970s benefited Bahrain greatly, although the subsequent downturn hurt the economy. The country had already begun diversification of its economy and benefited further from Lebanese Civil War in the 1970s and 1980s, when Bahrain replaced Beirut as the Middle East's financial hub after Lebanon's large banking sector was driven out of the country by the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nasser Saidi</span> Lebanese politician and economist (born 1950)

Nasser Saidi is a Lebanese politician and economist who served as the minister of economy and industry and the Vice Governor for the Lebanese central banks for several terms in the last decade of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chibli Mallat</span> Lebanese lawyer and activist

Chibli Mallat is a Lebanese international lawyer, legal scholar, and a former candidate for presidency in Lebanon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport</span> Airport in Lebanon

Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport (Arabic: مطار رفيق الحريري الدولي بيروت, is the only operational commercial airport in Lebanon. It is located in the Southern Suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, 9 kilometres from the city center. The airport is the hub for Lebanon's national carrier, Middle East Airlines and was the hub for the Lebanese cargo carrier TMA cargo and Wings of Lebanon before their respective collapses.

Nawaf Salam is a Lebanese diplomat, jurist, and academic. He was elected on 9 November 2017 as judge on the International Court of Justice for the 2018–2027 term, having received a concurrent majority of votes in the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council. He served as Lebanon's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York from 2007 to 2017, during which period he held the positions of President of the Security Council and Vice President of the General Assembly.

Bank Audi is a Lebanon-based universal bank and financial services company headquartered in Beirut, offering financial products and services in personal banking, business banking, private banking and Treasury and Capital Markets segments.

The Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, previously known as The Carnegie Middle East Center (CMEC) is a think tank and research center dealing with public policy in the Middle East. It was established in Beirut, Lebanon in November 2006 by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Popular Guard</span> Military wing of the Lebanese Communist Party

The Popular Guard or Popular Guards – PG was the military wing of the Lebanese Communist Party (LCP), which fought in the 1975–1977 phase of the Lebanese Civil War and subsequent conflicts. The LCP and its militia were members of the Lebanese National Movement (LNM) and its successor, the Lebanese National Resistance Front (LNRF).

<i>Al Riyadh</i> (newspaper) Daily newspaper in Saudi Arabia

Al Riyadh is a Riyadh-based, pro-government Saudi daily newspaper. Its sister paper was Riyadh Daily that was in circulation between 2003 and 1 January 2004. Al Riyadh is one of the dominant papers in Nejd.

Anghami is the first legal music streaming platform and digital distribution company in the Arab world. It launched in November 2012 in Lebanon, providing unlimited Arabic and international music to stream and download for offline mode. It is designed for the Middle East and North Africa to provide the largest music catalog of licensed content from the major Arabic labels such as Melody, Mazzika, Platinum Records and many other independent labels, in addition to international majors labels such as Sony, Universal and Warner Music Group. Anghami is one of the largest digital music ventures in the Middle East, seed funded by MEVP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamal Fakhro</span> Bahraini legislator

Jamal Mohamed Al-Fakhro is a Bahraini legislator, business advisor and a member of Shura Council, the Bahraini upper house of parliament. He is a Managing Partner of KPMG, one of the recognized big Four Companies in Bahrain.

Laury Haytayan is a Lebanese oil and gas expert in the Middle East and North Africa. Since 2011, she has been leading the parliamentary capacity development portfolio at the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) in the MENA region, focusing on the legislative and oversight roles of Arab parliamentarians in advancing reforms in the Middle East Oil and Gas sector.

<i>Executive</i> (magazine) English language monthly business magazine published in Beirut, Lebanon

Executive is an English language monthly business magazine published in Beirut, Lebanon. The magazine is one of the major publications concerning economic and financial matters across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BLOM Bank</span>

BLOM BANK is a Lebanese bank established in 1951 and has been frequently selected as the Best Bank in Lebanon by the most recognized regional and international financial institutions such as Euromoney and The Banker. Its business operations are based on a universal banking model that includes: commercial banking, corporate banking, private banking, investment banking, asset management, retail banking, Islamic banking, brokerage services, and insurance products and services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fadi Ghandour</span> Jordanian businessman

Fadi Ghandour is a Jordanian entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist. He is the Executive Chairman of Wamda, a platform that builds and invests in entrepreneurship ecosystems across the Middle East and North Africa, Turkey and East Africa through Ecosystem Development programs and a venture capital fund investing in technology-enabled companies that operate in these markets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antoun Sehnaoui</span> Lebanese banker and film producer (born 1972)

Antoun Sehnaoui is a Lebanese banker and film producer, He is the chairman of the board of the SGBL Group, comprising the Société Générale de Banque au Liban (SGBL), the Société Générale de Banque in Jordan (SGBJ) and financial company Fidus Wealth Management. He is also the chairman of the board of the Compagnie Financière Richelieu, a European banking group comprising Banque Richelieu France, Banque Richelieu Monaco and Richelieu Gestion. He is also a member of the board of the Lebanese Banking Association, and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corruption in Lebanon</span> Institutional corruption in the country

Corruption in Lebanon is magnified after the end of the civil war in 1990. It is analysed as a case of post-conflict corruption. Once a taboo subject, now it is at the forefront of the public debate in Lebanon. Anti-corruption sentiment has been one of the driving forces behind many of the large scale Lebanese protests in recent history.

Nizar Hassan is a Lebanese activist, journalist, podcaster and social researcher, focused on political economy and social movements, especially concerning Lebanon. He is co-founder of the Lebanese political organization LiHaqqi, which ran candidates for the Lebanese general elections of 2018 and 2022, having served as its spokesperson on multiple occasions. He has been a regular author analyzing Lebanese political affairs for the newspapers L'Orient-Le Jour, The New Arab, The Daily Star and Al-Arab, with contributions to ROAR magazine, Bretton Woods Project, Al Bawaba, BirGün or Green Left.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.oecd.org/daf/corporateaffairs/corporategovernanceofstate-ownedenterprises/47908697.pdf [ dead link ]
  2. ↑ "The Annual Conference of the Union of Arab Stock Exchange" (PDF). Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  3. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-28. Retrieved 2012-12-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2014-01-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ↑ "شبكة المنظمات العربية غير الحكومية للتنمية" (PDF).
  6. ↑ Burlingame, Michael J. (2011). "A Year of Change" (PDF). Human Rights Watch. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-04-12. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  7. ↑ "Participants List" (PDF). Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  8. ↑ "The State of Entrepreneurship in the Middle East and North Africa : CIPE Development Blog". Cipe.org. 2010-04-29. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
  9. ↑ "Mission and Activities". www.lcps-lebanon.org. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  10. ↑ "Lebanese Transparency Association". Transparency-lebanon.org. Archived from the original on 2014-07-19. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
  11. ↑ "IoD | Institute Of Directors". Iodlebanon.org. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
  12. ↑ "Menapea: Raske Forbrukslån | Lån Uten Sikkerhet Billig" . Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  13. ↑ "Al Qudra Holding signs MOU to implement corporate governance practices | Al Qudra Holding". AMEinfo.com. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
  14. ↑ "Leading Businessmen In Yemen Embrace Corporate Governance Sana'A". Docstoc.com. 2009-12-30. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
  15. ↑ "A New Leaf: the Growth of Corporate Governance in the MENA Region" (PDF). Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  16. ↑ "Capital Concept". Archived from the original on 2013-09-07. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
  17. ↑ "Executive magazine awarded for auditing transparency | News , Local News". The Daily Star. 2010-04-02. Archived from the original on 2019-12-16. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
  18. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2019-05-17. Retrieved 2013-09-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  19. ↑ "LEBANON | Find your Representative | Cannes in Your Country | Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity". Archived from the original on 2013-10-04. Retrieved 2013-09-03.
  20. ↑ (registration required)
  21. ↑ "Faculty List" (PDF). Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  22. ↑ "Who's Who Members at American University of Beirut". Business.academickeys.com. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
  23. ↑ "Beirut Art Fair 2012, About Us, Beirut" (in French). Menasart-fair.com. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
  24. ↑ "Beirut art stays on top". Executive-magazine.com. 10 July 2012. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.