Lebanon construction - Six most important consultants and contractors

15 August 2008
The six most important Lebanese construction consultants and contractors.

Nasser Chammaa

Position Chairman and general manager, Solidere

Biography The Lebanese Company for the Development & Reconstruction of Beirut Central District (Solidere) was established in 1991 to deal with the redevelopment of key areas of Lebanon’s capital, and became a joint stock company in 1994. Nasser Chammaa was instrumental in its establishment, leading the board of founding members. Solidere’s incorporation was based on legislation formulated for the reconstruction of severely war-damaged areas. The company’s main focus has been in the real estate sector, with the aim to acquire real estate, secure financing and ensure the execution of all infrastructure works in the Beirut’s central district. Prior to his work at Solidere, Chammaa was head of operations and maintenance at Saudi Oger, another of the region’s leading contractors. He has a doctorate in operations research from the University of California in the US.

Contact Tel: (+961) 1980 650

Maher Merehbi

Position General director, Arabian Construction Company

Biography Arabian Construction Company (ACC) is a family-run business specialising in large-scale building projects. Although the company’s primary market is the UAE, it is headquartered in Beirut, under the direction of Maher Merehbi. Merehbi was responsible for establishing an ACC branch in Egypt and setting up the company’s telecommunications department. He now manages branch activities for several of the firm’s projects in Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Iraq, and potential markets including Algeria and elsewhere in North Africa. ACC is now entering a period of transition as it prepares to pass control on to a new generation. The company’s founders, Ghassan and Anas Merehbi and Taha Mikati, will remain on the board of executives, but the day-to-day management of the company will be taken over by a new chief executive officer to be announced this year.

Contact Tel: (+961) 1861 616

Nabil Adnan el-Jisr

Position President, Council for Development & Reconstruction (CDR)

Biography Nabil Adnan el-Jisr is a lynchpin of the country’s redevelopment efforts. Established in 1977 as a partial replacement for the Planning Ministry, the CDR is the public authority responsible for infrastructure redevelopment across Lebanon. It has been given unprecedented powers in order to avoid any red-tape that might slow down the reconstruction process. Its main tasks include planning and mobilising external financing. El-Jisr is serving his second term as president of the CDR, having previously been appointed in 1995. Between his two terms, he worked as an adviser to Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. He has more than 20 years’ experience sitting on the executive boards of various construction companies. His government service began in the early 1970s at the directorate of public buildings for the Public Works Ministry.

Contact Tel: (+961) 1980 096

Riad Mneimneh

Position Director, Dar al-Handasah (Shair & Partners)

Biography Founded in Lebanon in the 1950s and spurred on by the 1970s oil boom, Dar al-Handasah has become one of the largest engineering and design practices in the world, with more than 40 offices in 30 countries. Based in the company’s Beirut headquarters, Riad Mneimneh is responsible for developing its operations, in addition to overseeing the quality and performance of its major programmes and projects. As director of operations, Mneimneh oversees the promotion of the company’s activities, identifying projects, negotiating contracts, monitoring resource deployment, maintaining schedules, controlling costs and liaising with clients. With his extensive experience in conception, planning, design and management, he has had valuable involvement in the development of several potential projects in the region.

Contact (+961) 1790 002

Mounir Khatib

Position President, Khatib & Alami

Biography Mounir Khatib is president of Khatib & Alami (K&A), the company he founded in Lebanon in 1959 along with Zuheir Alami as a multi-disciplinary firm specialising in consulting engineering studies. K&A’s work typically includes design and construction supervision of architectural, structural, civil, electrical, mechanical, industrial, environmental, transportation, telecommunications and information technology projects. In the 1990s, Khatib & Alami was instrumental in the development of geographic information systems (GIS) in Lebanon, a particularly ambitious project given it had just emerged from civil war. Khatib was elected president of the Order of Engineers of Lebanon from 1991 to 1993 under the patronage of President Emile Lahoud, receiving the Order of the Cedars officer rank in honour of his achievements in 2002. K&A and its partners now operate across the Middle East, North Africa, Asia and the US.

Contact Tel: (+961) 1843 843

Michel Abi Nader

Position Director, Man Enterprises.

Biography Founded in 1970, Man Enterprise is one of Lebanon’s leading construction companies, providing turnkey construction projects to a broad customer base in the public and private sectors. Alliances with multi-national project management companies outside of Lebanon helped it win contracts for the restoration of four historical monuments in the heart of Beirut’s central district. It was one of the first firms to develop new ways of adapting to fast-track projects, completing the renovation of the HSBC headquarters in less than eight months. The company has also invested in areas that other construction firms might sub-contract, such as decoration and furnishings. Man’s growth under director Michel Abi Nader has been exceptional, but there are doubts over how long this can be maintained. Nonetheless, Abi Nader aims to turn the company’s experience outwards, expanding into five or six countries in the region.

Contact Tel: (+961) 1215 111

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