From Graduates to Strategic Partners
The AKSOB Alumni Advisory Board marks a purposeful commitment to relevance, responsibility and long-term value creation through alumni leadership.
LAU’s Adnan Kassar School of Business (AKSOB) inaugurated its Alumni Advisory Board, marking a significant milestone in the school’s ongoing mission to connect academic excellence with real-world leadership and sustainable impact.
Convening for the first time at the LAU Beirut campus and online on December 18, 2026, the board brings together a distinguished group of AKSOB alumni united by a shared academic foundation and a continued commitment to the school.
The board’s strength lies in bringing together senior global leaders, accomplished entrepreneurs and influential professionals across sectors. Among them are Yasser Abdul Malak (BS’97), chairman and CEO of Nestlé Middle East and North Africa; Ali Matar (BE’01, MBA’04), head of LinkedIn for MENA and EMEA Emerging Markets; and Toufic Kreidieh (BS’93), co-founder and executive chairman of the board of BFL Group. They are joined by Rami Bitar (BS’02), executive chairman of Capital Partners Holding; Mazen Zeenni (BA’ 94), chief marketing officer and chief commercial officer of Zeenni Investment Holding; Ralph B. Nader (BS’97), co-founder and CEO of OCCA; and Mahmoud Baydoun (BS’97, MBA’99), banking executive and longtime LAU faculty member.
The board also benefits from expertise in media, healthcare, finance, human capital and organizational leadership through members such as Lara Habib (BS’01), journalist and anchor at Al Arabiya News Channel; Nader Issa (BS’20), chief nursing officer at Clemenceau Medical Center—affiliated with Johns Hopkins International; Nadim Dimashkieh (BS’ 98, MBA’02), former partner at Ernst & Young; Samer El Safah (BS’ 98), general manager of the Makhzoumi Foundation; Dr. Ali Takach (BS’18, MBA’20), CEO of Bridge Talent Solution and LAU instructor; Nathalie P. Nehme (BS’07, MBA’11), founder of HueZ and part-time faculty member at LAU; Nadine W. Njeim (BS’12), communications advisor and managing partner of Microbits; and Christina Khater (BA’06), founder and CEO of KristiesLab.
AKSOB Dean Dima Jamali underscored in her welcoming remarks the critical role alumni play in advancing the school’s standing, academically and socially. She noted that AKSOB’s alumni are among its strongest assets, explaining that “their leadership experience, industry knowledge and commitment to responsible growth are essential to helping their school move to higher levels of academic excellence, visibility and global engagement.”
Dr. Manal Yunis, associate professor and chair of the Information Technology and Operations Management Department, stated that the Alumni Advisory Board is intentionally designed as a strategic advisory body rather than an operational one. “The board is meant to serve as a trusted partner to AKSOB, bringing alumni insight, market perspective and long-term thinking to support the school’s vision, relevance and institutional impact,” she said.
Guiding the board’s work are AKSOB’s Strategic Priorities for 2025–2026, which center on advancing academic excellence and innovation through continuous quality enhancement, with a strong focus on digital transformation and artificial intelligence; strengthening student-centered, experiential and market-driven learning to enhance employability; and reinforcing the school’s global standing through deeper engagement and institutional impact.
These priorities are actualized through the Alumni Engagement Framework, which is built around visibility, engagement and giving. It positions alumni as ambassadors and thought leaders, strengthens alumni-student collaboration and mentorship, and expands meaningful participation beyond single initiatives. Momentum generated through efforts such as AKSOB GivingTuesday, which raised more than $21,000 from 137 donors, underscores this growing culture of sustained alumni involvement in support of scholarships, student success and strategic, alumni-led projects aligned with the school’s mission.
Within this strategic direction, institutional updates highlighted a school in motion, with progress in global rankings, the reactivation of the Human Resources Management, Banking and Finance and Family and Entrepreneurship Institutes, and the deeper integration of sustainability, entrepreneurship, innovation and artificial intelligence across the curriculum.
Looking ahead, the 2026 action plan prioritizes activating the AKSOB Alumni Hub, deepening the Alumni Advisory Board’s role in shaping new initiatives, and expanding alumni communications to support consistent, purposeful engagement throughout the year.
By aligning alumni expertise with institutional priorities, AKSOB affirms a simple but powerful truth: Enduring impact is built when education and experience advance together. In this partnership, the school’s future is actively shaped by those who know its value best.