ABC Verdun has been in operation for a year now. Although it was a year marked by the continually challenging economic situation in Lebanon, Frank Kuntermann, chief executive officer of ABC Group, feels there are several milestones to celebrate, all things considered. In this interview, Kuntermann discusses ABC Verdun’s performance since its opening in late…
ABC talks coping mechanisms in a difficult retail environment
Lebanon’s squeezed nonprofits’ hunt for funding
The ability to attract donations and sponsors is a vital factor in an organization’s survival and is generally regarded as a full-time commitment in the nonprofit sector. Lebanese nonprofit organizations (NPOs) succeed in this endeavor only when they understand their audience and can engage them creatively—despite the many challenges. The NPO management that Executive spoke…
The fate of Syrian refugees in Lebanon
Recent news reports have surfaced on a possible United States-Russia deal to arrange for the return of refugees to Syria—reports that coincided both with the announcement that thousands of Syrians have died in regime prisons, and with one of the worst massacres in the conflict, perpetrated by ISIS in the city of Swaida. The US-Russia…
Financial literacy initiatives for everyday
When it comes to maximizing money, the rich have access to many more resources than anyone else, not to mention the disposable cash to play with in the first place. That doesn’t mean that they are financially literate by birth but they usually grow up in a very favorable family environment for acquiring financial literacy,…
National poverty targeting and employment programs
The conquest of poverty is a core target of the World Bank. Even as it often is viewed—or maligned—as an instrument of capitalism and capitalist interests, the World Bank’s focus on poverty alleviation and on achieving the United Nations’ sustainable development goals means that the multilateral institution has a strong role to play wherever countries…
Hidden pathways to wealth for the Lebanese middle class
Certain roads to wealth for the middle class are less traveled in some lands but well known in others. Describing life insurance as an obscure path to savings would honestly be preposterous in most developed economies. Accounting for $2.7 trillion in premiums, or about 3.5 percent of global GDP, life insurance represents well over half…
Keeping lebanese wealth alive
The quest of trying to depict the 2018 outlook on investment opportunities from the Lebanese corner reminds in some respects of the almost 20-year old hit comedy on the American mob, Analyze This. As with the Robert de Niro and Billy Crystal pic, any move of international financial markets and any development on the political…
Curses of poverty and affluence and the search for financial cures
Many believe that there is no such thing as too much money. At a closer look, however, the extreme abundance or absence of wealth both appear to be prime causes of anguish, albeit in incomparable proportions. Even moderate and temporary cases of poverty lead to all manner of problems, from stress and sleeplessness to ulcers…
On your own
If you moved back to Lebanon after the civil war during your late 20s with the dream of rebuilding the nation—and of course, haven’t held any public office—we predict you’re going to be working until you drop dead. Yes, Lebanese are known to be successful entrepreneurs—it’s a reputation that a few outliers have given us—but…
Talking saves lives
The conversation around mental health in Lebanon has been ignited. While some believe we are still at the beginning of this journey, it is safe to say that the past five years—and in particular the past six months—have witnessed a dramatic change in the state of mental health awareness and resources in Lebanon. This change…
The Brussels II conference
Despite the government’s substantial commitments to improve the refugee situation in Lebanon, shortfalls such as continued gaps in funding and the lack of concrete commitments on resettlement, livelihood, and the accountability of funds still persist. These gaps were reflected in the outcomes of the Brussels II Conference on “Supporting the future of Syria and the…
Healthcare sector in Lebanon carrying its own, but still in need of coordined development
If Lebanon were to visit a doctor for a head-to-toe physical, she might leave the appointment with a few prescriptions in hand. A check up on the overall robustness of the nation’s health infrastructure would show the vital signs of the country’s health sector as generally good, albeit with some lingering concerns, such as reports…
7 Management’s journey to success
The road to success is not easy. It is even harder when working in the nightlife industry in a country like Lebanon, where the bad years of political instability—which typically lead to economic downturn and low purchasing power—far outweigh the good years of thriving tourism. But this is exactly the road that Rabih Fakhreddine chose,…
Acting head of the ICC discusses the state of health insurance in Lebanon
At the end of April, the imposition of rules on guaranteed renewability (GR) in health insurance was introduced to the public under ministerial decree 186, issued by the Ministry of Economy and Trade (MoET). Executive sat down with Nadine Habbal, who heads the MoET’s Insurance Control Commission (ICC), to explore the implications of GR for…
Health entrepreneurship in Lebanon
When it comes to health, Lebanon is one of the leading countries in the Arab world in terms of the quality of healthcare provided and in testing new medical technologies. The country now has the opportunity to lead the way in entrepreneurship via healthcare startups. Executive spoke with entrepreneurs in this field to see what…