An accomplished entrepreneur and an expert in finance, Marwan Kheireddine served as minister of state in the federal government of Lebanon from 2011 to 2014. He currently oversees the national operations of Al Mawarid Bank as its general manager and chairman of the board.
A Lebanese native, Marwan Kheireddine holds an MBA from Columbia Business School in New York City as well as an undergraduate degree in business administration and economics from Richmond University in the United Kingdom. His affiliation with Lebanon’s Al Mawarid (AM) Bank dates back to 1992, and he has served this forward-thinking, Beirut-headquartered, financial institution in many capacities over the years.
Leadership in the Lebanese Financial Sector and International Business World
While engaged with AM Bank in the middle to late 1990s, Marwan Kheireddine served several terms as a board member of the Association of Banks of Lebanon as well as both a board member and financial advisor to the Chairman of the Beirut Stock Exchange. He also helped to shape the next generation of economists, advisors, and CFOs as a lecturer in finance at the American University of Beirut from 1993 until 2013.
Beyond the banking and finance arenas, Marwan Kheireddine is a serial entrepreneur who established a broad spectrum of small to midsize businesses in a diverse range of industries. Perhaps most notably, he was the driving force behind the franchising and expansion of Virgin Megastores both in Lebanon and in Saudi Arabia.
Marwan Kheireddine is a founding member of the Young Arab Leaders (YAL) who served as the first chairman of the Lebanon YAL chapter. He also helped to create the Lebanon chapter of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) as a founding member and went on to support the organization in roles that range from chapter chair to education and finance officer. Furthermore, Mr. Kheireddine served two years as co-chair of the YPO-London Business School Joint Executive Education Program.
Accomplishments as Lebanese Minister of State
Assuming the position of minister of state in the Lebanese government in July 2011, Marwan Kheireddine went on to establish the National Social and Economic Action Plan, which targeted deeply ingrained economic challenges that had gone unaddressed in Lebanese society for decades. He also led the Improving the Business Environment in Lebanon Committee, which stressed a service-oriented investment law proposal that brought the country in step with modern business market practices.
During his three years as minister of state, Marwan Kheireddine sat on more than 20 ministerial committees including the Budget Committee, the Public Private Partnership Law Committee, and the Wage Structure of the Public Sector Committee. Through these positions and others, he exerted a tremendous influence on both the economic and the broader social development of the country of Lebanon.
Marwan Kheireddine’s extensive banking background uniquely positioned him to play a central role in the creation and institution of policies that promoted Lebanon’s banking sector while reinforcing its compliance with international laws and industry norms. Specific legislation that he helped to draft and broker into existence include the Electronic Signature Law, the Secured Lending Law, the Cross-Border Cash Limitation Law, and the Capital Markets Law. He was also successful in updating Lebanon’s Anti-Money Laundering Law.
A strong proponent of driving economic growth by empowering the private sector, Marwan Kheireddine played a key part in the creation and support of the Banque du Liban Circular 331. This groundbreaking regulation promoted sustainable economic growth by not only enabling but incentivizing banks to invest in venture capital funds, business incubators, and technology startups.
Ongoing Work with AM Bank and Beyond
Although his responsibilities with AM Bank extend to all areas of general operations and strategic development, Marwan Kheireddine maintains a particular focus on the risk management of assets. Sitting on the directorial board of most companies in the AM Bank family, he has placed himself in an ideal position to coordinate activities between these companies with an eye on unified growth.
Outside his work with AM Bank, Marwan Kheireddine has been a member of the Middle East Advisory Board of the American University of Beirut’s Olayan School of Business since being elected to this academic position in 2005. Since 2012, he has concurrently sat on the board of trustees of the American Community School of Lebanon.
Marwan Kheireddine is a founding member of the Lebanon Chapter board of directors of Endeavor, the international entrepreneurship nongovernmental organization. He also helps drive judicial reform, budget transparency, and governance decentralization as a board member of the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies think tank.
More About Marwan Kheireddine
Tempering his desire for success with strong moral values and inveterate modesty, Marwan Kheireddine lists honesty, integrity, and ethical standards as three principles from which he will never deviate. In addition to expanding and institutionalizing his businesses, he prioritizes raising a healthy family above everything else.
Marwan Kheireddine and his wife, Maya Rasamny, are raising four young children, and when he isn’t busy with work or family commitments, Mr. Kheireddine enjoys hunting, skiing, and flying as a private pilot. He is also a professional deep-water scuba diver and holds a black belt in the martial arts discipline of kickboxing.
