RDCL elected first woman to lead its board of directors

The Lebanese Business Leaders Association (RDCL) renewed its board of directors during elections held Monday at its ordinary general assembly at the ESA Business School in Beirut, according to a statement released Tuesday.

For the first time since its establishment in 1986, the RDCL elected a woman to lead it: business leader Joumana Saddi Chaya, who succeeds Nicolas Boukather. Saddi Chaya thus becomes the first woman to sit in the Lebanese economic authorities, the RDCL claims.

"The election of Joumana Saddi Chaya as the first female president of the RDCL and the first woman to sit in the economic authorities is a pioneering initiative. Besides her remarkable professional experience, her election will help strengthen the role of women in Lebanese economic governing spheres," said Boukather after the vote.

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"It is an honor for me to be the first woman to take the helm of the RDCL," the new president continued, adding that "this is a decisive moment in the history of this gathering that I am proud to be a part of. I am committed to undertaking this responsibility with the greatest dedication and highest involvement."

The RDCL general assembly was held in the presence of Industry Minister Joe Issa al-Khoury and Central Bank of Lebanon Governor Karim Souhaid as guests of honor. ESA Business School General Director Maxence Duault was also present and praised "the strong commitment of the RDCL to regularly organize exemplary elections."

The RDCL reported that it used electronic voting for the second time since its creation, thanks to a specially developed program in partnership with the Children's Cancer Center of Lebanon.

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The other members of the RDCL board of directors:

Cyrille Arida, vice president;

Robert Kanaan, secretary general;

Hassan Sinno, head of external relations;

Hassib Lahoud, head of memberships;

Valérie Zakka, treasurer;

as well as Diane Ayoub, Christelle Boustany, Dalia Jubaili, Nadim Daher, Jean Tawileh and Labib Nasr, board members.

This article was translated from L'Orient-Le Jour.

Le RDCL a élu une femme à la tête de son conseil d’administration, une première