About US

Prelude

The idea of building up a web site dedicated to prominent Lebanese, and later to prominent people in the Middle East and MENA region, came out to light in January 2003 after sensing the need to document the lives and achievements of outstanding personalities.The need was specially felt when no such endeavor was found to have ever provided and an in-depth probe of this type of information. Added to that is the high cost one has to pay to get information from newspaper archives and other sources, assuming such information could be found.

There were of course scattered initiatives by individuals who published books portraying a rather selective and mostly subject-oriented outlays of prominent biographies. But non has reached out to put such information in a constantly updated, catch-all web site.

Thus came the idea of prominentlebanese.com, which, after about 17 months of strenuous efforts and extensive research, has now seen the light. 

The Team

Farid CHEDID (Founder and Chairman) Farid Chedid is the political advisor of the Embassy of Japan in Lebanon, and the founder and editor in chief Lebanonwire.com and ProminentLebanese.com. He is also a writer and a political analyst. In addition, he is the owner and managing director of Lebanonwire.com since 1977. Earlier on, Farid worked as editor/translator at the Readers Digest Arabic Edition (1987-1993), secretary to the Parliamentary Committee for Defense and Foreign Affairs (1971-1976), public relations manager of Trans Mediterranean Airways (1966-1968), and press attaché at United Nations Information Center (1964-1966). He graduated form the American University of Beirut in 1964 with a Bachelor Degree in Political Science. He also studied at the International College in Beirut where he earned his first and second part baccalaureates, and at the Marjeyoun National College where he completed part of his elementary and secondary studies.

Marwan JABOUR (General Manager)

Marwan Jabbour is a finance, administration and human resources expert, with an experience of over 15 years in the field. Marwan started elementary and secondary studies at the Christian Teaching Institute (CTI) in Beirut. He then moved to the Lebanese American University (LAU) where he earned a B.A. in Business Administration. After graduation, he joined World Vision International where he worked in the fields of Finance, Administration and Human Resources Management. In the year 1999, he went back to LAU where he continued his graduate studies with emphasis on Human Resources Management and Development. He also earned an MBA degree from Eastern University in Pennsylvania, USA, with focus on Leadership. Through the years, Marwan acquired vast experience in different fields through extensive training and capacity building programs. Currently, Marwan is a professor at the American University College of Science and Technology, teaching Business Communications, Research and Methodology and Communication Skills. He is also an economic advisor to the Embassy of Japan in Lebanon.

Rachad RADI (IT Manager)

Rachad Radi has an experience of over 13 years in software development. He is the manager and partner of Platform for E-Commerce, a company specialized in web sites development. Early on, Rachad worked as a developer in Integro (1993-2000), a French company affiliated in Lebanon and specialized in developing network software. He has graduated in 1991 from the Lebanese University, Faculty of Engineer, with a Diploma in Electric and Electronic engineering. In 1993, he got his masters degree in Computer Architecture from the "Ecole National Supérieur d'Electricité, d'Electronique, d'Informatique et d'Hydraulique de Toulouse" (ENSEEIHT) in France. His elementary and secondary studies were achieved in Saint Joseph College Antoura.

Fawzi METNI, Legal Advisor: Fawzi Metni is presently the managing partner of the Aboukheir, Khouri & Metni Law Firm in Beirut, specializing in international and comparative business, corporate, banking and finance laws. His expertise covers various legal systems (Lebanese, Middle Eastern and European laws), and is also an American-trained lawyer with a working experience acquired during his affiliation with the New York based law firm “Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle”. Mr. METNI is a Harvard Law School graduate (LLM’1979); attended and graduated from several other law schools (Special Student in the joint-program LLM - MBA at Columbia Law School (1981);- DEA, Droit des Affaires at Paris II University; - Comparative Law at Strasbourg University; - French Law degree from Lyon University; - Lebanese Law degree from St. Joseph University (The Jesuits University) in Beirut.  Mr. METNI is the Harvard Law School Association representative for the Middle East and Afrcia.

Sites Profiles

Lebanonwire.com

Lebanonwire is a news portal specialized in providing the latest news about Lebanon, the Middle East and the World at large, on a minute-to-minute basis. In so doing, 'Lebanonwire' is keen on portraying a wide array of stories, commentaries and analysis, with the purpose of keeping its viewers abreast with all trends, developments, and diversities. The news 'Lebanonwire' provides engulf a wide variety of specialties, including health, science, technology, business, medicine, nutrition, entertainment, finance and sports, derived from over 3600 sources. In addition, 'Lebanonwire' offer its viewers the chance to retrieve news articles compiled in its archives since 1999. 'Lebanonwire' also excels in providing original, on-the-spot-news, bringing to the attention of its viewers timely top events as they take place around the globe. 'Lebanonwire', which has been servicing its viewers since over five years now, plans to continue the upward trend by creating prominentlebanese.com and an envisaged chain of affiliated sites dedicated to prominent people across the Middle East. Lebanonwire also prides itself by providing the full texts of historic documents relating to the Arab Israeli conflict, and other significant documents. It also provides useful data covering special-interest topics.

ProminentLebanese.com

Along with a chain of affiliated sites, ProminentLebanese.com aims at highlighting the profiles of the prominent Lebanese who succeeded in achieving great success in the world of public service, business, science, music, art, and literature. The site, which portrays success stories of the Lebanese living at home and abroad, aims at bridging the gap between Lebanese emigrants and their motherland, as well as creating constructive interaction between them. The basic criteria adopted in selecting members stipulates that 'inclusion necessitates success in profession, where success is defined in terms of wealth, income, contribution to field and social responsibility. Created by Lebanonwire, prominentlebanese.com will give its members free access to Lebanonwire, which will soon be made restricted to subscribers.