Message from His Excellency
Mr. Francois Barras
Swiss embassador

I welcome you on the website of the SBC-L.

Switzerland and Lebanon are similar and different. We wish to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation between the two countries for a greater role in trade, technology and techniques in the interest of Lebanon and Switzerland.

My mission for future years is based on the desire to energize and activate economic cooperation through the SBC-L platform and its members.

My door is open to any initiative that may become a source of strong cooperation between economic and commercial components of the two countries with the aim to serve the two peoples, the Lebanese and Swiss.

I would also like to thank the Director of SBC-L, Mr. Saad Azhari and all active members of the board for their time and support.

My best wishes for the years that we’ll spend together!

François Barras

Swiss Ambassador

Message from
Mr. Saad Azhari
President SBC-L

It is a great pleasure for me to be elected as the new President of the Administrative Board of the Swiss Business Council-Lebanon (SBC-L). I have been an active member of the SBC-L, and I am honored to be now at the helm of this credible institution that plays an important role in promoting Swiss-Lebanese business and economic relations.

The initiative behind the Council came from the Swiss Embassy in Lebanon, which indicates the importance that the Swiss attach to strengthening business-economic ties with Lebanon, and rightly so. For Lebanon and Switzerland share a lot of commonalities: heterogeneous communities rich in culture and values; neutrality in politics and in regional alignments; beautiful and scenic geographical diversity; aspiring financial and IT hubs in their respective regions; and a talented human capital that is mainly the source of each country’s competitive advantages.

Given the extensive economic avenues and business opportunities that can be spun from these commonalities, the scope of Swiss-Lebanese relations is no doubt extensive. And we at SBC-L are happy and ready to facilitate and expand these relations, through our network of connections among private business persons, and through our interactions with public officials and agencies. In this respect, we are blessed to have an active, successful membership whose businesses span a spectrum of activities, from banking and industry to tourism and IT. We are also blessed to have a committed support from Lebanese and Swiss officials, especially from the new Swiss Ambassador, Mr Francois Barras, whose return back to Beirut is greatly welcomed and appreciated.

I would like to add that we also have a dedicated leadership at the SBC-L, whose administrative board will not spare any effort to help stregthen the Swiss-Lebanese economic and business landscape. This is of course of tremendous significance to Lebanon which needs all the help it can get to resume its economic momentum and to regain its steady political stability.

With all of the above in mind, and as a dual citizen of Switzerland and Lebanon, I am truly excited to chart a new chapter for the SBC-L. I also look forward to the support of all the people who are keen on taking the Swiss-Lebanese economic and business interaction a step higher and on seeing its beneficial effects enrich our economy and business world.

Lastly, my thanks go to the rest of the Administrative Council and to all of our membership for their enthusiasm and renewed interest in SBC-L. And my special thanks go to Mr Habib Hatem whose illustrious work as the previous President of SBC-L has built the foundations for its success, and I am very happy that he will remain as a treasured counsel throughout my tenure as President.

Sincerely Yours,

Saad Azhari