Berytech is empowering a network of mentors to support the startups enrolled in its Impact Rise Social Innovation Program. 26 mentors have been selected to join the program, have completed the MIT Venture Mentoring Service Mentor Training, and are now matched with the startups.
“The enrolled mentors are now part of Berytech’s pool of experts,” comments Krystel Khalil, Programs Director at Berytech. “Not only are they part of the Impact Rise Program, but they have access to Berytech’s corporate and community events. They can network with peer experts, entrepreneurship partners, startups and innovation stakeholders.”
Train the trainer program: Confideo Venture Mentoring
Led by Dr. Nicolas Rouhana – GM of IM Capital, Gaby Deek – Confideo VM Mentor, and Kent Summers – MIT expert, the training was designed to give the mentors the knowledge to run and participate in effective team mentoring sessions. They now adhere to the Confideo Venture Mentoring (VM) guiding principles and community. It included actual mentoring sessions with the ventures, giving them a firsthand experience with the VM mentoring process.
“Confideo VM is designed to match entrepreneurs with a team of mentors who volunteer to provide the ventures with professional advice and tailored guidance. The techniques we teach are based on a 16-year proven methodology of team mentoring by MIT VMS. This particular training was also geared towards training the mentors in supporting social entrepreneurs,” explains Dr. Rouhana.
Meet the Impact Rise Program Mentors
The 26 mentors enrolled in the Impact Rise Program have a wide range of business experience and advisory skills in a variety of sectors. They all have a strong drive for driving impact and social change, as well as a passion for giving back. Meet the Impact Rise mentors.
Alain Daou | The Olayan School of Business – AUB – Assistant Professor in Entrepreneurship
Alain is an Assistant Professor in entrepreneurship at the Olayan School of Business at the American University of Beirut. Before joining academia, he worked for 10 years with several organizations as project manager, country manager, in-house advisor, and consultant in Canada, Central America, the Middle East,and in Africa.
Andre Abi Awad | Entreprenergy – Founder
Andre is a trainer, speaker and marketer. His journey started back in 2008, and over the past few years he has trained thousands of professionals in 21 countries, in addition to his mentoring and consulting hours with entrepreneurs, companies and motivated youth. Andre is a leading consultant on entrepreneurship bootstrapping and growth strategies, and he helps entrepreneurs and companies grow their sales and revenue with outside-the-box techniques.
Carine Fersan Choueiry | BLC Bank SAL – Head of Brand Management
Carine has eleven years of banking experience through leading the Bank’s strategic marketing planning. Sheis a Financial Alliance for Women All Stars Academy instructor and mentor, as well as a trainer and instructor in Marketing and Branding. Carine has participated as a jury member in a number of startups and business competitions.
Christine Francis | Vivitti coaching – Management Coach & Mentor – Leadership & culture transformation facilitator – Social & Emotional coach
An inspiring leader in her own field of Leadership and Culture Transformation and with a passion for working with entrepreneurs and advancing women in Business, backed with a collective experience of 24 years within the world of business both locally and internationally, Christine is driven by making a difference in the lives of clients she crosses path with.
Dina Harake | GCNL – Executive Director
Dina is a highly driven entrepreneur with rich experience in business management in both Lebanon and abroad. She is founder and co-owner of Well B Concept in Beirut, but most importantly, a contributing force to her society through the channels of Beirut Marathon Association, Blessing Foundation, LLWB and Tamanna.She assumed the role of ambassador for Global Compact Network Lebanon GCNL in 2016 and is now the Executive Director.
Dolly Choucair | Social & Business Lawyer
Dolly has more than 16 years of experience in business law, NGO and governance, business and legal structuring, as well as experience in lecturing, mentoring and training. A renowned supporter of civil society initiatives, she has helped and co-founded more than thirty NGOs since the year 2000. Dolly is the Head of the Aviation Practice Group and Senior Associate in the Corporate, Commercial and M&A Practice Group at ALEM & Associates law firm. She is the President of MEPI Lebanon Alumni Association.
Dominique Salameh | USJ – Head of Continuous Learning & Training Programs
Dominique has intensive experience in strategy and waste management systems, with a focus on hazardous waste treatment, aerobic and anaerobic digestion. He was previously the head of environment program at arcenciel NGO, where he established and managed several activities such as the Lebanese network of healthcare waste management. Dominique is the co-founder of the association arcenciel.france.
Edmond Chidiac | USJ – Director of Career and Placement Office & Director of the Competencies and Entrepreneurship Center
Edmond leads the Career and Placement Office at USJ. He is behind the creation of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at USJ. He takes great pleasure in helping students and young graduates become entrepreneurs and launch their own businesses. An entrepreneur himself, he took advantage of his background in History and created his own company GeneLeb, specialized in genealogical research.
Farid Mechaka | Bemobank – Executive Director
Farid served in the Public Sector at the Central Bank of Lebanon in different departments, and was an Advisor to the Minister of Finance during the years of 2000. He joined Banque Bemo in 2004 as Controller and was in charge of Bemo Securitization as Acting General Manager. He currently heads the Institutions Business Development Unit. In addition to his Banking career, he co-founded a Vertical Farming company.
Ghassan Kozah | IT Consultant, Inventor and Volunteer
After over 40 years living abroad in the US and France, Ghassan has returned to his native Lebanon to start a new journey. He is an IT consultant; he also co-invented a device to quickly measure buildings. He volunteered with his late wife Tracy for many years as Board members for non-profit organizations in the US. Ghassan is semi-retired and looking for meaningful opportunities to contribute and volunteer.
Gilbert Tegho | e-EcoSolutions – CEO & Founder
Gilbert is a Lebanese Canadian ECOpreneur and the CEO of e-EcoSolutions, a multi-discipline Sustainability Consulting firm. He is a Sustainability Consultant and a Green Building Expert. In the past few years, he has enabled and implemented more than 10 innovative programs and platforms advancing sustainability in Lebanon and the Middle East.
Hasmig Dantziguian Khoury | Bank Audi – Head of CSR, Member of Economic Social Council
Hasmig speaks at regional conferences on sustainability; mentors thesis papers and other organizations; and has recognition from both, public and private sectors, for initiatives by Bank Audi’s CSR team. She is knowledgeable in benchmarks such as ISO 26000, UNGC and GRI. Hasmig has been a member in the Lebanese Republic Economic and Social Council since 2017 and is an active member of the Environment Committee within the Council.
Jacques Aboussouan | Ministry of Telecommunication – Project Director
Jacques is a proven Technical and Management leader with a career spanning over 30 years in the Telecommunications and Information Technology industry. Results-focused, Jacques has an excellent track record in planning, designing and delivering technology projects on time and under budget.
Jacqueline Raffoul Moukheiber | LEAP – Shareholder and Managing Partner Executive and Business Coach
Jacqueline is a Human Resources Expert with over thirty years of expertise in the design, development and implementation of leadership and talent development programs, assessment centers, performance management systems, salary scales, as well as employee engagement and sustainability projects. She coaches several businesses, executive managers and young entrepreneurs in startups.
Joseph Otayek | Apis Health Consulting Group – Founding Partner
Joseph has over 20 years of experience in policy making, strategy and management of Healthcare in the MENA and GCC regions. He held different CEO positions in university teaching hospitals and is currently consulting for various healthcare institutions. During his career, he introduced many innovations in the Healthcare delivery industry specially in the areas of governance, segregation of duties, financing operations, financing investments, and marketing.
Lamia Chamas | Presidency of the Council of Ministers – Senior Project Manager in the Project Administration Office
Lamia administers funds granted from the European Union in her current role at the Grand Serail. Since 2006, she has assisted with the formulation of projects responding to Lebanon’s Economic Reform Paper presented to the Paris III donor’s meeting notably in relation to the reinforcement of the private sector competitiveness in Lebanon. She is also supporting the work aimed at developing the legal framework for social enterprises in Lebanon.
Marianne Bitar | DOT – Managing Director
Marianne has extensive experience in NGO Management and Relief and Development Project Implementation and is an expert in issues surrounding refugee communities in Lebanon. Before joining DOT Lebanon, Marianne managed operations at World Vision International and established World Vision Lebanon’s refugee program, building an impressive network of Lebanese and international civil society organizations.
Mireille Kallasy | USJ – Professor, Industrial technology
Mireille has 20 years’ progressive experience in academic research and in the expansion and innovation of academic programs and initiatives to promote student success and skills development, leading them to answer the market needs in terms of development and innovation. She is a Sworn Expert for the Lebanese courts in the field of microbiology, nutrition and health.
Mirna Abboud Elia | Kuwait investment Authority – Senior Investment Specialist
Mirna is a highly experienced investment professional with more than 15 years’ experience in the Finance industry. Her current role in the Equities Department of the General Reserve sector of KIA covers turnarounds, strategy and performance assessments. Mirna has also taught finance, economics and investment courses at several universities in Lebanon and France.
Nada Awad Rizkallah | Credit Libanais – Head of Risk Management and Strategy
Nada has over 36 years of banking experience focusing on the areas of Operations, Corporate Banking, Risk Management, Compliance/AML, Implementation of AML systems, internal rating model and bank core system, and leading the implementation of the Basel 2/3 Accord and IFRS 9. She actively participates as a speaker in several local and international trainings and risk forums and is a Certified Trainer by IFC/ World Bank for the Women on Boards and in Business Leadership Program.
Nadine Zeinoun Khoury | Accompleash – Emotional Intelligence Coach & Founder
Nadine has 15 years extensive managerial experience in the corporate pharmaceutical sector. She is currently working with corporate managers and executives to help them build their leadership skills. She holds several coaching certifications, and her dream is to contribute to the growth of her country through supporting its Businesses and Leaders to create a WE-Centric community built on trust. Nadine would stop at nothing to help entrepreneurs realize their dreams.
Rime Diab | CEO – Limelines
Rime has over 14 years of experience in Information Technology Management and Strategy. She held several positions in Chicago from Financial Analyst to E-commerce Strategy Consultant, from Business Analyst to Global Technology Liaison and Program Manager of several global applications. She recently relocated to the MENA region and joined Thomson Reuters as a Digital Program Manager overlooking the development of several online platforms and mobile apps.
Ronnie Richa | Libanpost – Senior Marketing Manager
Ronnie spent the last 20 years in the mobile and media sector. He has experience and know-how in the use of new media platforms for creative concepts of communication. He started his own consultancy business in 2013 helping companies in managing their brands in both the real and digital space, making the best use of new media platforms and the social network.
Toufic Majdalani | SearchPath Arabia – Chairman & General Manager
Toufic is a seasoned marketing communications professional with more than 30 years’ experience in major multinational agency networks around the MENA region. He is a strong advocate of the importance of human capital in the growth and development of organizations, and a strong believer in the need for a lifelong personal learning strategy for people to remain relevant and competitive in an ever-changing business world.
Wael Nuweihed | Lebanese American University – Professor, Marketing
With over 20 years of corporate marketing experience, Dr. Nuweihed is a Marketing strategy and business process consultant, as well as a Marketing professor. He has lead and offered several corporate seminars, workshops and coaching sessions on marketing strategy, leading innovation, brand building, brand campaigns, leadership, and employee development.
Wael Abdul Rahman | Proficient Financials – Managing Director
Wael is a finance expert with more than 18 years of experience in numerous fields of finance like investment banking, private equity, venture capital, asset management, brokerage and financial consulting. He is the Founder and Managing Partner of Proficient Financials – a boutique advisory firm focusing on private equity and investment banking.
Learn more about the Impact Rise Social Innovation Program here.
