The general assembly of the Lebanese Leaders Association (RDCL) was held on Friday, May 5, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. at ESA Business School – Clemenceau, Beirut. The purpose of this assembly was to approve the accounts of the association for the year 2022, as well as to present to the members the main past and future activities. Furthermore, this assembly aimed to elect six new members of the board of directors, replacing the members whose terms had expired according to the association’s bylaws. With a legal quorum of 89%, the accounts of the association were approved, and six new members of the board of directors were elected, namely Ms. Chrystelle Boustani appointed as membership officer, Ms. Joumana Saddi Chaya, appointed outreach officer, and Ms. Dalia Jubaili, as well as Mr. Cyrille Arida, appointed as vice president, Mr. Nadim Daher, appointed as treasurer, and Mr. Jean Tawile, appointed as secretary-general of the gathering. The new elected members join Mr. Nicolas Boukather president of RDCL, Mr. Farid Homsi, Mr. Fateh Bekdache, Ms. Hadia Minkara Safieddine, Ms. Joumana Dammous Salame, and Ms. Roula Zahar. Moreover, Mr. Ghassan Mohkheiber was appointed lawyer of the association, and Doumani and Co. appointed auditors. On this occasion, Mr. Maxence Duault, director general of ESA Business School, delivered a welcoming speech in which he praised the relentless efforts of Lebanese leaders association RDCL, despite all the difficulties and crises that Lebanon is facing, to continue their activities and help the country overcome its challenges. He also expressed his respect for the association’s continued commitment to saving Lebanon, while praising the organization of these exemplary elections. For his part, Mr. Nicolas Boukather, president of RDCL, thanked the members and ESA Business School for its hospitality, while emphasizing the important and historical partnership between the two institutions. Boukather also announced that membership in RDCL is now open to non-Lebanese business leaders, citing Mr. Maxence Duault as the first ‘Friend of RDCL’. Boukather also expressed his gratitude to the six outgoing members of the board for their work and efforts in helping develop RDCL and accomplish its mission, considering that everything RDCL has achieved so far is the result of the collective work of the board members, with the help of other members of the association. Furthermore, Boukather hoped that the principles followed by the legal, active, transparent, and digitalized private sector, become a model to follow in the public sector. On the other hand, Mr. Khalil Dinguinzli, Lebanon Director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), who was the guest of honor at the assembly, mentioned the numerous activities carried out by the EBRD in various sectors, with the aim of helping Lebanon obtain financing again and regain its economic health. He urged the present members not to waste time or hope, and to continue their efforts and work for the country’s recovery and pressure to acheive a conclusive deal with the International monetary fund (IMF) without which trust can not be restored. He also expressed his appreciation for everything that Lebanese business leaders association members and private sector have been able to accomplish on their own, without access to proper finance, by meritously building a better and more prosperous future for Lebanon. Regarding the achievements of the association in 2022, the outgoing secretary-general, Fadi Sawaya, presented a detailed report highlighting the main activities and partnerships of RDCL during the past year, including the launch of the ASPIRE project, that proposes a recovery roadmap for Lebanon in partnership with the economic organisations; the signature of agreements with ESA, ALBAC, TIF USAID, and others; as well as RDCL’s participation in EXPO DUBAI 2022; and recently allowing non-Lebanese to join; in addition to the opening of chapters in Dubai and France. The financial report was presented by the treasurer, Nadim Daher, and was approved by the auditors and the members. Daher considered that 2022 was a pivotal year for the association, as it was marked by many fundamental changes. Furthermore, he revealed that the association increased its members’ number by an average of 75% in the last two years, indicating that RDCL works in order to double the number of its members in the next two years. It is worth mentioning that RDCL used an electronic voting process for its elections for the first time since its foundation. In this regard, a special software was developed in collaboration with the “Children Cancer Center,” with the active support of survivors who helped organize the elections. In this context, the association decided to donate the cost of the development of this software to the ‘Children Cancer Center,” with the aim of mutual support and cooperation. The implemented electronic voting process aimed to avoid any kind of fraud or falsification. A company specialized in information security and programming potech was tasked with verifying the proper functioning of the program, and ensuring its compliance with the highest international standards of electoral integrity and confidentiality, securing the system from hacking and ensuring cybersecurity, and assuring proper software functioning and smooth electoral process.

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon