Mr. Yasser Akkaoui is a prominent advocate for corporate governance in the Middle East. Through Capital Concept sal, he has become a regional reference in advancing governance standards and shareholder rights.
In 2013, Capital Concept became the first corporate governance rating and advisory firm to review and rate listed companies in the MENA region. Two years later, it launched Shareholder-Rights©, an initiative developed in collaboration with UN Lebanon, IFC, and EBRD to promote ESG methodologies and protect shareholder rights.
Mr. Akkaoui played a key role in the creation of Hawkama, the Dubai-based institute of corporate governance for the Middle East, and joined the Steering Committee of the MENA Private Equity Association in 2014. He also served on the OECD taskforce for MENA stock exchanges and acts as a regional consultant for the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE).
He is a founding member of the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies, and from 2011 to 2022, chaired the Human Rights Watch Lebanon Advisory Committee. Since 2001, he has been representing Executive Magazine, using it as a platform to advocate for policy and economic reform in the region.
Mr. Akkaoui also teaches Business Ethics at the American University of Beirut and sits on the advisory board of the Lebanese American University School of Business.