BLC Bank Brilliant Lebanese Award 2014

In the context of their 3rd edition of the Brilliant Lebanese Awards (BLA), the first banking award of its kind in Lebanon, BLC Bank held a ceremony on Friday, December 12 at the Casino du Liban to honor entrepreneurs, men and women, for proven excellence and success in their fields. Winners were acknowledged with a cash prize, amounting to USD 30,000 for each of the 2 categories: Business of the Year and Woman Entrepreneur of the Year, while the People's Choice Award received a prize of USD 5,000.

The ceremony recognized the achievements of entrepreneurs spearheading incredible initiatives spanning across the spectrum and showing leadership and entrepreneurship skills. The competition was open to public and saw participants from all over Lebanon bringing different approaches to the table with their ambition and exceptional work. The winners were selected based on their businesses' creativity, financial performance, sustainability and corporate social responsibility by a panel of independent and professionals including representatives from Banque Du Liban, Berytech, Lebanese American University, Endeavor, IFC, Kafalat, Lebanese Businessmen Association (RDCL),BLC Bank and successful female entrepreneurs.

"Lebanon boasts a vibrant and highly qualified SME community that is surely becoming the economy's pillar," said BLC Bank's CGM Mr. Maurice Sehnaoui. "Through the Brilliant Lebanese Awards we are not only confirming, once again, the extent to which we believe in local entrepreneurship and empowering pioneers to achieve success in their field of work, but we are also supporting our country's economy. We are committed to encouraging and honoring entrepreneurs to achieve excellence and success in their fields of work. I am also very proud of our We Initiative program that aims at empowering, women and contributes in their journey to enhance their financial performance", Sehnaoui elaborated.

From his side, BLC Bank's Vice CGM Mr. Nadim Kassar commented: "This year's award ceremony is different from precedent years as Lebanon is suffering from a void in the country's vital institutions, causing feelings of depression and hopelessness in the hearts and minds of young ambitious Lebanese people. In this essence, BLC Bank insisted, against all odds, to organizethe Brilliant Lebanese Awards competitionfor the third consecutive year in the aim of supportingindividual initiatives which are the backbone of the Lebanese economy. We are honoring outstanding women, men and companies for their efforts and funding their projects that mirror their dreams and hopes in a better tomorrow".

At the end of the ceremony, Sawsan Wazzan Jabri was announced winner for the Business of the Year category; Aline Kamakian was awarded in the Woman Entrepreneur of the Year category and the People's Choice Award went to Christina Maria Khater. BLC Bank announced the opening of the application subscription process for the 2015 edition of the BLA.

Noteworthy is BLC Bank's unwavering dedication to empowering and enabling both women through the exhaustive program We Initiative,illustrated by the Woman Entrepreneur of the Year category which was created and tailored especially for women participants and the SME's by becoming one of the main players in building the needed ecosystem for their development andsuccess including a fully-fledged offer encompassing a variety of financial and non-financial services.

150 entrepreneurs applied to the 2014 edition of BLA out of which 12 finalists were selected. Projects included a restaurant specialized in Armenian cuisine, a diet center, an event planning company, a French bakery,an edutainment center, metals recycling and a digital marketing solution provider, among others.

Appendix:

Below is the complete list of finalists to the 2014 BLA along with their corresponding businesses:

-          Aline Kamakian: Mayrig SAL (Restaurant specialized in Armenian Cuisine);

-          Christina Maria Khater: Kristies SARL(Wedding & event planning);

-          Lisa Abou Sleiman: Cool Five SAL (Origami: Edutainment Center);

-          Rita Hayeck : Bread Passion ( French Bakery)

-          Monique BassilaZaarour: So7i w Sari3SARL(Dietetics & healthy cooking services);

-          Sandra Moussalem: MaxiMed SARL (Sales of paramedical products);

-          Ahmed El Sett            : Evandy SARL (Metals recycling);

-          Dora Iskandar: Arnaoon SARL, (Wedding venue & restaurant);

-          Elie Nasr: FOO SAL, (Development of mobile applications);

-          Marc Dfouni: Eastline Marketing SARL (Digital marketing solution provider);

-          Sawsan Wazzan Jabri: Diet Center SARL (Nutrition & diet center);