Indholdsfortegnelse for Sep-18 i Lebanon Opportunities

“Don’t play with fire.” He even said it twice. Slowly, so we understand. The leader of the yellow party, in a speech, counseled his adversaries – and maybe even his allies – not to venture into territory that in the past led his forces to re-impose the fait-accompli. These words alone are an admission of the existence of that fire, which everybody except for Le Hizb itself, long ago acknowledged. At last, we are all on the same page. Indeed, don’t play with fire! THE FIRE FROM FIREARMS Outside the rhetoric of that party’s faithful, there is a quasi-unanimous consensus that the yellow armada is in control of all elements that constitute the State. But discussion around its legitimacy and role has been muzzled. “It is best to avoid the…

RAJI CHALLITA, GM OF BML ISTISHARAT Raji Challita has been promoted to the position of General Manager of BML Istisharat. He was previously the Software Manger, and has been with the company for 34 years. Challita said that he will drive geographic expansion in GCC countries, and increase BML’s client base in South Asian markets such as Malaysia. Challita is developing an aggressive marketing strategy, increasing BML’s sales force, and reimaging its brand. Besides being a software provider, he will enhance BML’s consultancy services. Challita holds a Master’s Degree in Marketing from ESA Business School, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Software Engineering from Ecole Supérieure des Ingenieurs - Beyrouth (ESIB) at USJ. WALID PAUL TAGER, CCO OF RETAIL AT HOLDAL Walid Paul Tager has been appointed Chief Commercial Officer at…

Chairman Abdul Razzak El Hajjeh Arabian Petroleum Company (APEC). As part of the Hajjeh Group, APEC imports, stores, and distributes oil and gas products. It manages over 100 gas stations in the North. It has five petroleum storage tanks with a maximum capacity of 25,000 tons for petroleum, one sea berth, two sea lines for discharge, and one loading facility. APEC has one LPG sphere storage tank with a capacity of 2,250 tons and 16 cylindrical tanks with a capacity of 1,800 tons. The company was established in 1985, and has a staff of 75. It is part owner of Eco Gas and is sister company of Nord Gaz, a gas importer. Eco Gas is a distribution and storage facility serving three LPG categories: Door to door, bulk, and propane.…

Putting a limit to lending to the private sector in liras is likely to boost loans denominated in foreign currencies, mainly the U.S. dollar, according to bankers. The Central Bank (BDL) issued a circular addressed to the banks stipulating that the net value of outstanding loans to the private sector in the local currency should not exceed 25 percent of customers’ deposits in lira. Elias Alouf, General Manager of BSL Bank, said this decision will benefit borrowers because it will reduce the cost of debt, since the interest rate for a personal loan is around 15 percent if it is denominated in liras, and ten to 10.5 percent if it is in dollars. He said that importers also need foreign currency loans to operate their businesses and to pay their…

Hannouche Building 2967 Area Baushrieh, opposite Mar Youssef Hospital Architect Ghassan Khoury Developer Jean Hannouche Contractor Jean Hannouche Delivery June 2020 Apt. Sizes 100 m2 Price/m² Starting at $1,400 Phone (03) 636.241 R 1259 Area Baabda, 200 m from Saint Charles Hospital Architect Bechara Harfouche Developer Bechara Harfouche Contractor Bechara Harfouche Delivery Aug. 2021 Apt. Sizes 110 m2 - 170 m2 190 m2 - 290 m2 - 315 m2 Price/m² Starting at $1,800 Phone (03) 680.777 Golf Residence Area Chiyah, behind Golf Club Architect Amin Developers/Al - Amin Architects Developer Amin Developers/Al - Amin Architects Contractor Amin Developers/Al - Amin Architects Delivery Jan. 2021 Apt. Sizes 165 m2 - 172 m2 - 176 m2 Price/m² Starting at $2,350 Phone (01) 847.089 - (70) 847.089 Golf Area Bourj El Brajneh, main…

SOUND BYTES The ship was refused in Jiyeh because it was named Aïsha. It was changed to Israa to avoid local sensitivities Cesar Abi Khalil, Minister of Energy and Water Have the electricity ship dock in Tripoli and call it Gebran if you wish Fayçal Karami, Tripoli MP Syria has offered us cheaper electricity prices than what we are paying for in our factories and ships Ali Hassan Khalil, Minister of Finance We will seize generators if their owners fail to use metering. Most owners of generators are cheats and thieves Raed Khoury, Minister of Economy and Trade Only five percent of generator owners are non-compliant. The minister called us thieves. This is unacceptable and we will sue him for defamation Abdo Saadeh, Association of Generator Owners Generators are illegitimate,…

The rate with which the business landscape is changing is driving universities to update their coursework at their business schools more frequently. Universities are adding new elective courses each year and eliminating classes according to shifting market needs, giving students an education that better matches market requirements. Business faculties are integrating practical courses that enable graduates to engage more easily in the labor market. They are signing internship agreements with large corporations to help students engage in real work. Universities are also partnering with international organizations to incorporate material that helps them sit exams for international professional qualifications. BUSINESS ON DEMAND Business faculties are attracting more students. “Although the number of students has been stable over the years, we expect a five percent increase this year,” said Antoine Sabbagh, Director…

The Lebanese Petroleum Administration (LPA) and the Total- Eni-Novatek consortium are burning the candle at both ends in order to start drilling for oil and gas in 2019. The LPA is reviewing various processes and outcomes in order to improve the experience when the second licensing round is launched. Meanwhile, Parliament members are busy pushing for approval of new bills prior to the production phase. Despite this, the role of downstream companies and other relevant stakeholders – should there be a commercial discovery – is still unclear. But one thing is certain, the power sector will be the primary beneficiary. Before any commercial discovery, a lot of work needs to be done to develop the required infrastructure from scratch. On the financial side, there is official belief that commercial finds…

GAZ ORIENT Chairman Kaissar Rizkallah Gaz Orient. Established in 1956 as an importer of oil products, Gaz Orient later became a transshipment hub for the region, including Syria and Turkey. The company later expanded to storage facilities and ceased its import operation. It is the largest LPG storage hub in the market, with a capacity of 23,000 tons, which represents more than half of the LPG imports. Gaz Orient has the ability to mix and segregate LPG according to customers’ needs. The company receives around 50 tankers per year at its Amaret Chalhoub terminal. Due to repetitive security problems, Gaz Orient moved most of its storage capacity to mounded tanks, which are buried several meters below ground. The above ground spherical tanks are being used mostly for the storage of…

FACE-SHAPE COMBINATION The beard’s style should match the shape of the face. Most men do not take their face shape into consideration while styling their beard, according to George Skaff, General Operating Manager at Phil and Joe Barbers. Square faces look better with full hair on the chin, and short hair on the sides. Round face looks better with long hair on the bottom, and short hair on the sides. The sides should be fuller, and the bottom shorter for rectangular faces. Most styles will work well with an oval face. TRIMMING Keeping the beard at the right length and thickness is key. The cheek line and the neck line are the two critical parameters of the beard. Depending on the required style, the man may decide to sculpt these…

MARINA COMING TO ZOUK MOSBEH ‘Dream by the Sea’, a marina with a yacht club and restaurants, is planned for Zouk Mosbeh in 2021. Excavation will start within one month. Dani Khoury and Mark Habka will invest around $25 million in the project. “The project will be similar to Zaitunay Bay in Beirut,” said Habka, who is also the legal representative of the project. The government issued the project a license to operate and invest in a 67,000 square meters (m2) land plot which is on the Zouk Mosbeh seaside beside the power plant. The project will include up to 15 restaurants – most of which are well-known brands – a yacht maintenance center, as well as a spa and gym. The project will create around 1,500 job opportunities. The…

Continuing education centers are expanding their portfolio of professional certification programs to meet changing labor market requirements. They are partnering with international associations in order to offer the latest in content and knowledge and recognized qualifications. Continuing education centers affiliated with universities are creating their own practical programs to fill the gaps in academic curricula. Much of the demand is driven by individuals looking to improve their career prospects, and corporations that wish to keep their employees up-to-date on the latest developments. INCREASING IMPORTANCE Individuals and corporations are recognizing the need, value, benefits, and competitive advantage of continuing education. “With globalization and technology, business requirements are changing very fast. Universities cannot move as fast as businesses can to fill the gap between the curriculum and labor requirements,” said Fadi Ganni,…

There are a number of positive developments, most important of which is that the work to follow up and implement the investment program is ongoing despite existing political circumstances. The focus, during the interval before the Cabinet’s formation, is on mapping projects and giving investors a more detailed formulation of possible executive procedures. Work continues unabated on developing a website pertaining to everything related to the investment program that allows a maximum level of transparency. This website provides access for interested parties to all the information they might need. The Higher Council for Privatization (HCP) gives priority to three projects. The expansion and upgrade of Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport, which would cost nearly $500 million, is at the forefront of these projects. The suffocating congestion at the airport is…

Care Styling and trimming Prices are indicative and include VAT. Actual prices vary depending on specs and options…