Amr Ben Halim is a founder, board member and shareholder of AYTB and Maritime Industrial Services Arabia (MISA), leading providers of hydrocarbon processing, energy, and industrial services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Amr founded one of the first women-led micro-lending programs in the Palestinian refugee camps of south Lebanon. He is also a founding board member of the Forum for Democratic Libya, an NGO working to promote transparency, civic engagement, and a culture of democracy in Libya. He is a member of the board of trustees of the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC) and is an active member in and supporter of various philanthropic and civil society projects in the Arab world. (Profile updated 2016).

Over the past 25 years, Zina has been involved in philanthropy and campaigning for human rights, with special interest in health, medical education, culture and most recently the Palestinian Museum. She is now a member of the Board of Trustees of the Welfare Association (Taawon). Zina has pursued a career in the pharmaceutical industry in Jordan and currently serves on boards of family pharmaceutical businesses. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of InvestBank, Jordan. (Profile updated 2016).

Ahmad F. Zuaiter is the Founder and Managing Partner of Jadara Capital Partners (JCP), a Frontier Market specialist fund management firm based in the Dubai International Finance Center. Prior to founding JCP, Ahmad served as a portfolio manager at Soros Fund Management (SFM) in New York and Istanbul, Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM) Emerging Markets Group, Scudder Kemper Investments, EFG-Hermes, SHUAA Capital, and Merrill Lynch & Co. in New York. Ahmad earned his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University in 1990 and was awarded a Masters in Business Administration from the Harvard Business School in 1996. (Profile updated 2014).

Amr AlMadani co-founded National TalentS Company for Training and Education (TalentS) in 2007, a local knowledge-based start-up company with ‎a mission to inspire Saudi Arabian youth in the fields of science, ‎technology, engineering and math (STEM). TalentS has grown to become a leading regional ‎organization in the field of STEM youth empowerment and an international entrepreneurship award-winner. In 2010, TalentS created the Mishkat Interactive Center for Atomic and Renewable Energy, an interactive learning space dedicated to promoting ‎innovation in the field of sustainable energy and facilitating effective learning ‎experiences for over 400 students daily. To advance his objective of creating a scalable, high-impact, low-cost and localized mobile-based program to promote student engagement with STEM, Amr focused his fellowship on examining innovative education methods, science communication and science centers, renewable energy and efficiency technologies, and youth leadership programs. (Profile Updated 2016). 

Activist in the field of volunteerism and philanthropy. Chairman of the Board of The Kuwaiti Graduates Society. Founding member of Kuwaitis for Jerusalem Committee. Board member -Welfare Association. Advisory board member of Visualising Impact (Visualising Palestine). More than 25 years experience in the field of investment Banking. (Profile updated 2016) 

Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi is a commentator on Arab affairs. Sultan Al-Qassemi is widely recognized for his use of Twitter and has been described by numerous media outlets as a prominent voice during the events of the ongoing Arab Spring. In February 2014 Sultan Al Qassemi joined the Global Commission on Internet Governance[4] and in the summer of 2014 became an MIT Media Lab Director's Fellow. Sultan is the founder of the Sharjah based Barjeel Art Foundation whose mission is to promote art by artists from the Arab world through a series of exhibitions locally and internationally. He is also a prolific writer whose articles have appeared in various publications including Foreign Policy, The Guardian, The Independent and CNN. (Profile updated 2015).

Ms. Rabbani has over 20 years of experience working with various local, regional and international organizations on human rights, women’s rights and development issues in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region. Hanan Abdel Rahman-Rabbani is the Regional Program Manager for MENA and Asia at the International Development Law Organization (IDLO). Prior to this position she served as the Open Society Foundations’ Senior Program Officer on women’s rights and Gender Development in the Arab region. A graduate of the United World College, Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific in Victoria, Canada, she studied at Birzeit University in the West Bank, Durham University in England and earned a Master's Degree in Development Studies from the Institute of Social Studies (ISS) in The Hague, Netherlands. From 2005 to 2009, Ms. Rabbani worked as a human rights officer with the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and managed the Human rights office in Amman.  In Palestine, among other organizations, Ms. Rabbani worked for Al Haq, Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling (WCLAC), Associates in Rural Development (ARD), and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). In Jordan, she worked as the Iraq Advisor for The Friedrich Naumann Foundation’s Arab Regional Office. She also worked as a consultant for Amnesty International, International Crisis Group, and Sisterhood is a Global Institute (SIGI). (Profile updated 2016).

Sari Kassis is a trade unionist at large and a sustainable development consultant with Q perspective, a regional consulting firm that works with organisations and companies to assist them in building operational and organisational structures and systems that help position them to deal with the challenges of our region and the world today. He is a firm believer in South to South cooperation and tries to function as a node between worthwhile organisations, movements and people.

A social entrepreneur and strategy advisor, Gilbert Doumit has dedicated his work to meaningful change in the MENA region through policy reform, institutional strengthening, and leadership development for more than two decades. In 2010, he founded Beyond Reform & Development (BRDI) Group, a social business and consulting firm based in Beirut, where he continues to serve as Managing Partner. BRDI’s mission is to find solutions for governments and civil society to establish innovative, inclusive, and participatory policies and institutions in the MENA region. Gilbert is also a Senior Partner and Founder of BRDI’s sister company, Beyond Consulting & Training (BCT). Concentrating its efforts in the private sector, BCT is a leading management and training firm that specializes in leadership and organizational development for multinational companies across the Gulf and Levant. At BCT, Gilbert has advised clients in industries such as banking, retail, manufacturing, and academia.

Noha is keen on contributing to the economic development of her surroundings by sharing her experience and knowledge with up-and-coming enterprises. She has over 13 years of experience in the accounting, finance, and management consulting fields, having been recognized for her achievements and performance. After acquiring much of her experience with Ernst & Young, she shifted gears to make that experience available to local start-ups. She continues to provide support through consultations as well as heading workshops for local businesses in the community. She is passionate about applying excellence in her work and is driven by making a difference through her professional contribution.