RAISING A GLASS
TBY talks to George Rbeiz, General Manager for Middle East and North Africa at Diageo, on fostering and growing talent within the company, its community projects, and the appeal of Lebanon.
BIOGRAPHY
George Rbeiz is the General Manager for Middle East and North Africa at Diageo. He has 17 years of FMCG management experience with global leading multinationals such as Nestle and Mars, in addition to international and multicultural experience gained through different assignments in the Levant, the Gulf, and the US. He joined Diageo MENA a year ago after being the Mars Chocolate Regional Market Manager for Southeast US.What is Diageo's program to prepare its human talent and mobilize it around the world?
Diageo has a project called Early Career Program, whereby fresh graduates join the Diageo Academy for three years and undergo on-the-job training by rotating across different departments. Once they graduate, we encourage them to apply for a job within Diageo in an area where they can perform and grow; they grow to become managers and Diageo future leaders, and even enter our mobility program to fulfill their aspirations to go outside of Lebanon. We help them find a job in another country. In that sense, Lebanon has become a pool of talent for Diageo, globally fostering and growing talent fluent in three languages and always prone to global exposure. This will be one of my main tasks as head of Diageo, to develop young talent that will shape the company and the country in the years to come.
What does Lebanon represent for your global operations, and how does the country help with Diageo's development in the MENA region?
We have a fully fledged team based in Lebanon with members distributed across commercial and functional areas, further reconfirming Lebanon's position as a priority market for Diageo and ensuring the right focus is given to customers, consumers, brands, and the wider industry. Lebanon is a unique and dynamic market, in particular with its nightlife and celebration culture. The nightlife environment is a major brand building and growth driver and that makes Lebanon for Diageo very much equal in nature to large markets such as the US and Europe and gets the same level of attention. What makes Lebanon outstanding is the fact the people love and appreciate life and love to celebrate and that is the core of our business and purpose regardless of the challenges the security or economy present. This is also a key pillar of Diageo's establishment in the market, which is enough reason for us to further engage and build local communities that thrive. We want to give back to the country that has shown its commitment to us from day one. From here we cover around 10 countries in the Levant and North African regions.
What are some of Diageo's flagship CSR projects in Lebanon?
“In Good Spirit" is our latest local platform developed to engage communities, consumers, customers, government, and many other stakeholders toward promoting a responsible handling of alcohol covering consumption, service, and sales. This includes consumer awareness, customer venues protocol, and capability building to ensure our products are consumed responsibly and served responsibly. We also recently launched a Diageo "Join the Pact to Never Drink and Drive" program within In Good Spirit, seeking consumers and partygoers to sign a pledge. We have also done a great deal on the environment front, planting 1 million pine seedlings in the Shouf area and engaging NGOs and more than 60 municipalities to collect and plant these seedlings in various geographical areas to support the national reforestation initiative. We have also been active in the empowerment and capability building streams, launching Diageo Lebanon “Plan W," a global female empowerment program that aims to train and build up women's business and entrepreneurial capabilities to improve their employability and offer them opportunities to grow and become leaders.
Lebanon has always been identified for its good nightlife and outgoing nature. What makes it so appealing?
Lebanese people by nature are outgoing, love celebrations, and have all the freedom to do that. Its people are highly educated with mixed backgrounds and Lebanon is home to investors with entrepreneurial acumen and the energy to establish innovative restaurants, bars, and clubs. When talking about nightlife in the Middle East, Lebanon always comes up. There is a high return on investment and a high number of people coming in from neighboring markets that makes nightlife in Lebanon a world-class sector with a promising future.
RAISING A GLASS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Focus: Lebanese-French Relations
Let’s be Franc
Lebanon shares a close relationship with its former colonizer, both in terms of economic relations and cultural identity among Lebanese. In spite of hardships like the presidential power vacuum and Syrian war next door, the bond is only getting stronger.
read articleFocus: Tripoli Economic Free Zone
The Tripoli Transformation
The Tripoli Special Economic Zone (TSEZ) is one of most ambitious projects in Lebanon at the moment. With an initial cost of USD27 million, it is meant to provide an alternative to the heavily centralized economic activity in Beirut, a new gateway for investments and trade to settle in northern Lebanon, and will transform the image of a long-neglected region.
read articleInterview
Dr. Freddie Baz, Vice Chairman & Group Strategy Director, Bank Audi
TBY talks to Dr. Freddie Baz, Vice Chairman & Group Strategy Director of Bank Audi, on the bank's increase in profits, dealing with currency devaluation, and working to turn the economy into an export-driven one.
read articleReview: Insurance
Life is a Rollercoaster
Unlike many emerging markets, Lebanon enjoys a relatively high insurance penetration rate and strong life segment, buoyed by compulsory lines and bancassurance. Competition remains fierce, however, and reform aimed at encouraging consolidation looks far off.
read articleInterview
Max R. Zaccar, Chairman of Commercial Insurance & President of the Association, Insurance Companies
TBY talks to Max R. Zaccar, Chairman of Commercial Insurance & President of the Association of Insurance Companies, on the resilience of the sector, increasing the already-high penetration rates in the country, and remaining one of the strongest insurance companies in the region.
read articleInterview
HE Arthur Nazarian, Minister, Energy and Water Resources
TBY talks to HE Arthur Nazarian, Minister of Energy and Water Resources, on the potential offshoots from oil and gas explorations, the country's National Energy Efficiency Action Plan, and attempts to increase renewable energy consumption.
read articleInterview
Wissam Zahabi, Chairman, Board of the Lebanese Petroleum Administration (LPA),
TBY talks to Wissam Zahabi, Chairman of the Board of the Lebanese Petroleum Administration (LPA), on making the investment climate attractive for foreign companies and becoming self-sufficient in energy.
read articleFocus: Sovereign Wealth Funds
Gas Pipe Dreams
Despite excitement over exploration of Lebanon's hydrocarbons, the creation of a sovereign wealth fund, which was included in legislation, has yet to take place. The country faces several obstacles in its path to creating and properly managing a fund.
read articleInterview
Pierre El Khoury, General Director, Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation (LCEC)
TBY talks to Pierre El Khoury, General Director of the Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation (LCEC), on the development of energy efficiency in Lebanon, awareness of energy conservation, and the country's 2020 renewable energy goals.
read articleInterview
Dr. Fady Gemayel, President, Association of Lebanese Industrialists (ALI)
TBY talks to Dr. Fady Gemayel, President of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists (ALI), on the group's work to promote industrialists, new developments in terms of industrial cities, and the future of industry in the country.
read articleFocus: Industrial Cities
Industrial Solution
Domestic and regional events have stifled Lebanon in building a strong national industry to protect and sustain its economy. Four proposed industrial zones throughout the country may provide it with the economic backbone it so desperately needs.
read articleInterview
Marianne Hoayek, Director of the Executive Office, Banque du Liban
TBY talks to Marianne Hoayek, Director of the Executive Office of Banque du Liban, on the roots of the Circular 331 concept, bridging funding gaps throughout the startup lifecycle, and the country's growing knowledge economy.
read articleRoundtable
Thinking It Through
On June 12, TBY and the American-Lebanese Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) organized a roundtable titled “Startup ecosystem sustainability: fostering cooperation to drive entrepreneurship." The participants discussed the impact of Circular 331, an initiative by Bank du Liban, the Lebanese central bank, to inject a potential of USD400 million into the local enterprise market and guarantee 75% of banks' investments in startups and startup support.
read articleFocus: Infrastructure for the startup ecosystem
The New Star
Startups are ubiquitous in Lebanon despite the difficulty of starting a business and the lack of services available to new businesses. However, a number of actors, both public and private, are innovating the environment and allowing startups to fulfill a greater role in the country's economy.
read articleFocus: Maritime Exports Bridge
Bridging The Gap
The conflict in Syria has wrought serious damage on the Lebanese economy, effectively closing off the country's trade routes through Syria. However, a new program geared at balancing the price disparities between land and sea transit is poised to help Lebanese industries.
read articleFocus: Real Estate
A Stimulus For The Rest Of Us
The real estate market in Lebanon is nothing like it used to be. The sector has slowed considerably, and demand has shifted from the traditional center, Beirut. However, stimulus packages from the central bank over the years have proven beneficial for all parties involved.
read articleInterview
Armand Pahrés, President, Lebanese Pharmaceutical Importers Association (LPIA)
TBY talks to Armand Pahrés, President of the Lebanese Pharmaceutical Importers Association (LPIA), on the development of legislation in the sector, boosting further innovation, and opportunities for Lebanon to become more self-sufficient in pharmaceuticals.
read articleFocus: Incentives for pharmaceuticals in Lebanon
Pharma Land
Lebanon has always been the region's leader in all things health related. Its pharmaceutical industry is no exception, and the country's incentives for international pharma companies to operate, manufacture, and distribute in Lebanon are only getting stronger.
read articleInterview
HE Elias Bou Saab, Minister, Education and Higher Education
TBY talks to HE Elias Bou Saab, Minister of Education and Higher Education, on the ministry's initiatives to improve the education system, ensuring access to education for Syrian refugee children, and reversing the brain drain in the country.
read articleInterview
Mohamed Harajli, Provost, American University of Beirut (AUB)
TBY talks to Mohamed Harajli, Provost of the American University of Beirut (AUB), on his upcoming plans for the university, the key role played by the AUB alumni, and fostering an entrepreneurial spirit among students.
read articleFocus: Programs to school Syrian refugee children
High Marks
Proportional to its population, Lebanon has taken in significantly more Syrian refugees than any other country. With the country now facing the problem of placing the tens of thousands of Syrian children in school, international donors and local and foreign organizations are making educational support a priority.
read articleInterview
Joseph G. Jabbra, President, Lebanese American University (LAU)
TBY talks to Joseph G. Jabbra, President of the Lebanese American University (LAU), on embracing technology at the university, the challenges of Lebanon's brain drain, and the importance of having international links with other institutions.
read article