Lost in the fog Lebanese insurers seek to ward off economic pressures and evil opinion spells The best thing to say about the performance of insurance companies in the year to date is that they are slowly reappearing from what seemed an organizational stupor that during the past year enveloped the sector up to the…
Lost in the fog
Deal or no deal
The Beirut port explosion on August 4, 2020 resulted in the loss of more than 200 lives, countless wounded, and also massive insured losses now estimated to range between $1 billion and $1.5 billion by the website ReinsuranceNe.ws. While some of the damages have been repaid, according to the specifics of insurance policies, others have…
Inflection anniversaries
One has to assume that there are many reasons why somewhat articulate people tend to intellectualize social and economic moments of despair or change. Distancing ourselves in various ways from the direct emotions of shocks and despair, some talk of inflection points, some of tipping or turning points, and some perhaps of nadirs. All these…
Solidere rides the real estate wave
With Solidere having registered positive stock performance since the beginning of the economic crisis in Lebanon, and with Lebanese rushing to buy real estate in order to hedge against the depreciation of the Lebanese currency, Executive sat with Ziad Abou Jamra, Secretary of the Board of Directors at Solidere and Deputy General Manager, to talk…
Executive is hiring a Sections Editor!
Executive Magazine is looking to hire a new sections editor. The sections editor will research and write analytical pieces that satisfy the highest journalistic standards. She/he will contribute to special reports for our coverage of new economic sectors in Lebanon, as well as traditional economic pillars that continue to play important roles in the Lebanese economy, from hospitality to trade and…
Executive is hiring a Freelance Writer(s)!
Executive Magazine is looking to hire a new freelance writer. The freelance writer will research and write analytical pieces that satisfy the highest journalistic standards. Role/Responsibilities: Research and prepare questions and interview stakeholders in the public and private sectors; Conduct in-depth background research to further develop content related to the stories covered; Based on story pitches, conduct interviews and research agreed upon in the magazine’s…
Do we dare?
Elephants are the epitome of power. These times of mystifying power tugs-of-war remind us that Lebanon’s economy has a fundamental right to security and stability. If you personally like the company of an elephant is thus secondary, as long as their power is wielded democratically. The scary downside of this equation is that when out…
Cedar Oxygen: a ventilator for Lebanese industrialists?
Established in early 2020 as a private initiative to address the pressing social and economic difficulties of the Lebanese industrial sector, Cedar Oxygen was later approached by the Lebanese central bank (BDL) which invested $175 million of financing in order to address the need of local industries. In light of the financial crisis in Lebanon…
Please hold for institutional reforms
Eight months after Beirut’s deadly port explosion, the French initiative seems a lost opportunity in need of resurrection. Post-blast, French President Emmanuel Macron was welcomed in the streets of Beirut on August 6, 2020, while overseeing damages, which was followed by a second visit less than a month later, on August 31, 2020. During his…
If the price is right…
Along with the reform of capital markets and the strengthening of judicial independence, the modernization of public procurement is on top of Lebanon’s reform agenda and a major condition to unlock international assistance. Public procurement is a fundamental economic activity for public authorities at both the central and the local levels, as it encourages the…
Financial family lifelines
Beirut-based financial company OMT is a family-owned and managed enterprise that has morphed from being simply a ubiquitous sight – the yellow and black logos of OMT agencies are scattered around Beirut, urban centers, and Lebanese villages in all of the country’s provinces – in an overbanked country to an existential supply channel of stable…
Where is Lebanon’s Trade in the Transition to a Digital Economy?
The world is witnessing a digital transformation with implications evident at all levels of the economy, particularly at the level of trade. New trends are surging, mainstream practices are disrupted, and competition is growing especially with digitalization proving to be linked with greater trade openness and higher profitability. As per the 2019 World Trade Statistical…
E-commerce experts: Make your shift to e-commerce now or quit
The e-commerce sector in Lebanon is witnessing exponential growth since more than a year as consumers are increasingly demanding online payment options and merchants are recognizing the need for an online presence. The covid-19 pandemic played a major role in this trend as people were forced to stay home and shop from their laptops, mobile…
Re-globalization of macro-social responsibility
Due to a combination of emergency needs and years of efforts, Lebanon has at the beginning of the year signed off with the World Bank on a USD 246 million loan for implementation of an Emergency Crisis and Covid-19 Response Social Safety Net project, or Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) for short [Editor’s note: the…
We are hiring Online Marketing Expert
Newsmedia, the publisher of Executive Magazine, is seeking an Online Marketing Expert for a temporary assignment to design, implement, track, and optimize a multichannel content marketing strategy. The Online Marketing Expert’s tasks will include: ● Conducting market research to determine requirements, habits, and trends among Executive’s readers ● Leading brainstorming sessions to develop ideas for…