Mohamad Abdul Rahman El-Hout was born in Beirut in 1959. He holds a Bachelor degree in Economics and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the American University of Beirut.
He started his professional career at the Central Bank of Lebanon in 1981 and has been the Chairman of Middle East Airlines Board of Directors since 1998.
He is a member of the Board of Governors of IATA and of the Executive Committee of the Arab Air Carriers organization, and has presided over many professional bodies.
He led the Middle East Airlines-Air Liban restructuring plan after the company had incurred serious losses over two decades, and under his leadership the company became profitable in 2002 and has remained so over since.
He is the Head of the Social Reform Association, a founding member of the Board of Trustees of ESA Business School, Rafic Hariri University, Dar Al AJAZA and Al Makassed Association.
Mr El-Hout has been granted honours by a number of different countries, including Lebanon, France, Italy, Belgium and Brazil. He has also been granted an honorary doctorate from Beirut Arab University.
Olivier Jager is a seasoned travel technology entrepreneur. He launched ForwardKeys in 2010 and drives the company’s vision, strategy and growth as it provides solutions for companies operating in the travel ecosystem to better anticipate future demand by knowing who is travelling tomorrow.
Before launching ForwardKeys, Olivier built his knowledge with companies including AOL, Amadeus, PhoCusWright, Market Metrix and TravelCLICK. As a strategic thinker with a passion for innovation and solving problems, Olivier’s expertise has focused on marketing and distribution, management and business development.
Olivier is a frequent speaker on the international circuit on subjects related to how travellers are adapting their behaviour in a global and volatile marketplace.
Faisal Sultan Salim Al Mamari is the Non-Aeronautical Senior Manager at Oman Airports Management Company, where he is responsible for the overall development and implementation of the company’s strategic retail plan. As an integral part of the OAMC’s management team, Faisal is in charge of ensuring best business practice at the group and works closely alongside its partners, stakeholders and the local retail community. He also oversees and ensures the practical aspects of environmental protection, health and safety.
Before taking on the Non-Aeronautical Senior Manager role, for three years Faisal served as OAMC’s Retail Manager, tasked with optimising business and improving sales.
Previously, Faisal held several key positions in commercial and sales with Al-Maha Petroleum Products, BMW and the Ministry of Defense of Oman. He holds a marketing degree from Gulf College in Muscat.
Faisal is originally from Saham and currently lives in Muscat with his wife and three children.
Karen Durban has nearly 20 years of experience in the inflight retail industry. She began her career with Aeroboutique Inflight Retail in 1999, helping to manage the retail concessions on board Air France, Virgin Atlantic and Swiss among others, in various positions at the company (from Buyer to Chief Operating Officer).
Following the rebirth of Aeroboutique as Dutyfly Solutions, Karen was appointed Deputy CEO, overseeing the company’s concessions on board Air France, Iberia, Alitalia and Air Caraïbes.
In 2014 Karen joined Inflight Sales Group to set up its European office. She manages the retailer’s activities in Russia (Aeroflot, Rossiya, UT Air and more), Latvia (Air Baltic, Smartlynx), France (Air Caraïbes , French Blue , Corsair, Aigle Azur) and Morocco (Royal Air Maroc), representing a total of 13 airlines.
Gary McFarlane is a Senior Analyst at Emerging Markets Intelligence & Research (EMIR), a research, briefing and networking service that supports senior executives overseeing the Middle East & Africa.
Having studied public policy at Ireland’s University College Dublin, Gary’s main focus of expertise is the “eco-system of influence” within the Gulf Co-Operation Council (GCC) and the rapidly shifting policy environment of the Middle East. Before accepting the position of Senior Analyst, Gary was Managing Editor for EMIR’s business intelligence reports, mainly focusing on economic and policy trends impacting business in the Middle East.
Gary is an accomplished musician and is currently learning Arabic.
Samir is Senior Analyst at Emerging Markets Intelligence & Research (EMIR). In his role, in addition to providing economic and policy analysis, he also gives in-house briefings to senior executives, chair panels, and speaks at external conferences. Samir began his career in banking, working in Asset Management for JP Morgan Chase in London, UK, before deciding to focus on a career in international aid and affairs.
After a stint at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), he worked as an Economic and Political analyst in Abu Dhabi, before accepting a position at Falcon and Associates, a strategic planning and advisory company, working on behalf of the Dubai leadership.
After completing an undergraduate degree in Economics and Business Finance, Samir went on to pursue his MSc in Political Theory at the London School of Economics (LSE). Samir also holds an MSc in Comparative Social Policy from the University of Oxford in the UK.
Samir is quadrilingual in English, French, Arabic, and Spanish and is currently learning Chinese.
Nuno is currently CEO of ARI Middle East and Global Chief Operating Officer. He joined ARI as Middle East General Manager Operations in June 2014, based in Bahrain. Following that, Nuno was promoted to CEO for ARI Middle East and then to Chief Operations & Business Development Officer based in Dublin. Nuno relocated back to the Middle East in May 2025, and in a revised and expanded role, he now leads Business Units in the Middle East, Europe, and North America. Based in Bahrain, Nuno also leads ARI’s global ESG agenda.
Originally from Portugal, Nuno began his career with Deloitte before taking on various senior leadership roles with Lidl and Unilever. Nuno then entered the travel retail industry as CEO of Lojas Francas de Portugal, where for almost eight years, he oversaw travel retail ventures in 31 different outlets and the management of TAP Portugal’s in-flight sales service.
Nuno studied Business Management at Católica Lisbon and holds an MBA from Nova SBE.
Mohamed Zeidan is Chairman and main shareholder of Phoenicia Aer Rianta Co. S.A.L. (PAC), the operator of the duty free shops at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport (RHIA). Since first winning the duty free contract in 1979, his company has been consecutively awarded the Duty Free concession at RHIA, in partnership with Aer Rianta International, since 1996.
Mohamed Zeidan is also involved in a number of businesses, from industrial production to services and trade. At the end of the 1970s he began importing Cuban cigars into the country and soon became the distribution agent in Lebanon and several other countries within the region. In 2005 he signed a partnership agreement with Habanos S.A. under the company name Phoenicia T.A.A (Cyprus) Ltd to be the sole distributor of Cuban cigars in the Middle East, Africa and parts of Europe. For his achievement in making Phoenicia the largest distributor of Cuban cigars in the world, he was named Habanos Man of the Year in 1997 for the cigar retail business and in 2004 for cigar distribution.
Under his leadership, the Phoenicia Group has grown to establish offices beyond Lebanon, in the Czech Republic, Belgium, Armenia, Cuba, Egypt, Ukraine and Cyprus.
Mohamed Zeidan founded Liban Lait SAL in 1993, the largest dairy producer in Lebanon, which distributes and manufactures products under the license of the French brand Candia.
His other lines of business include La Guava Beach Resort in Rmaileh and several residential compounds such as Duniyana.
Having previously held senior positions at leading travel retail industry consultancies, Stephen Hillam founded Pi Insight in early 2019 to provide research, insight & data solutions to the travel retail industry.
At Pi Insight, Stephen leads a team of experienced travel retail insight specialists. With extensive experience in multiple research and data processing techniques, Pi Insight works with global brands, retailers, and industry associations, delivering insight and clear strategic direction across a wide range of industry themes. In addition to travel retail, Stephen also specializes in packaging development.
Stephen holds degrees from the University of Hull and the University of Northampton in the UK.
PRESENTATION
Victor Kgomoeswana is the founder and presenter of the South African weekly radio show Africa Business Report on Talk Radio 702’s Money Show. He is a regular contributor to various international and local television and radio stations, including CNN, CNBC Africa, SABC TV, eTV, East Coast Radio and Lesedi FM. Victor is also the author of the bestseller Africa is Open for Business, an account of groundbreaking stories of innovation and opportunities in the continent.
Victor has facilitated many conferences and events such as the Black Management Forum, the Nkonki Annual Audit Committee Conference, the National Treasury’s Financial Management Improvement III Workshop and the ABSIP congratulatory dinners in Africa. He has also organised and led trade talks on regional economic integration in East Africa with the Rwanda Development Board and the South African High Commission in Kigali.
Previously Victor was Business Development Executive for PPC Ltd, where his main task was to seek investment opportunities across the African continent. He has originated M&A transactions through discussions with governments, investors and company owners. He also served as the Chief Executive Officer of PPC Ntsika Fund, an enterprise development initiative, until January 2014.
Before joining PPC, Victor was the Associate Director at Ernst & Young’s Africa Business Centre, where he led the team that put together the database behind the firm’s Africa Interactive and Growing Beyond Borders projects.
