Beirut, Lebanon: The Beirut Business Forum (BBF) announces the launch of its first edition, introducing a new platform designed to reshape how leaders, innovators and thinkers across the region connect, collaborate and imagine the future. Taking place on April 8 and 9, 2026 at the Seaside Arena in Beirut, the forum brings together a curated roster of influential voices united by a shared ambition to challenge assumptions and advance bold thinking.

The inaugural edition features a distinguished lineup including Mo Gawdat, Bestselling Author and Co-Founder of Emma.Love, Marcelo Claure, Partner & Co-Chairman of Brightstar Capital Partners and CEO of Claure Group, Rola Dagher, Former Global Channel Chief, Dell Technologies | Former President & CEO, Cisco Canada, Patrick Chalhoub, Executive Chairman of Chalhoub Group, Rahaf Harfoush, Digital Anthropologist and New York Times Bestselling Author, Mohamed Hadid, Real Estate Developer and Entrepreneur, and Sanna Marin, Former Prime Minister of Finland, alongside other influential figures shaping leadership, innovation and culture across the region and beyond.

Designed as an immersive and thought-led experience, the Beirut Business Forum moves beyond the traditional conference model. Through powerful conversations and perspective-shifting sessions, BBF invites participants to rethink established frameworks, interrogate the systems they operate within and explore new pathways for meaningful impact.

Launching BBF in Beirut carries profound significance. A city defined by resilience, creativity and cultural depth, Beirut provides the ideal backdrop for a gathering centered on reinvention and meaningful dialogue. Choosing Beirut now is intentional. The city stands at a pivotal moment where challenge meets possibility, where ideas take root quickly and where complexity fuels innovation. In a region undergoing rapid transformation, Beirut offers a unique vantage point for future-focused thinking. BBF arrived to harness this energy and position the city as a place where the future is not only imagined but actively shaped.

Founder Bassem El Jisr shares, “Beirut has always been a place where ideas are born, challenged and transformed. With the Beirut Business Forum, we want to create a platform that pushes leaders to think differently, act with intention and shape the region’s next chapter. This is not just a forum, it is a call to reimagine what leadership can be and how collective progress can look when courage, curiosity and collaboration meet.”

The Beirut Business Forum welcomes leaders, executives and emerging changemakers to take part in a program grounded in substance, connection and forward-looking dialogue. By bringing diverse perspectives under one roof, BBF reinforces the belief that progress begins with conversation, one that inspires action and opens the door to new possibilities.

About Beirut Business Forum

The Beirut Business Forum (BBF) is a leadership platform hosted in Beirut that serves the Levant and Eastern Mediterranean, created to ignite bold thinking and future-focused dialogue. Rooted in the spirit of Beirut, a city known for its creativity, resilience and vibrant contrasts, BBF brings together leaders, innovators and creators to exchange ideas, challenge assumptions and inspire transformative action. Built by a team with decades of experience in business, governance and the creative industries, the forum is founded on a belief in the ongoing pursuit of learning, growth and collective progress. Licensed by the Ministry of Economy, BBF operates within a strong governance framework, reinforcing its commitment to transparency, credibility and long-term institutional growth. BBF champions visionary leadership, purposeful innovation and a collaborative community that sees opportunity where others see barriers.

About Bassem El Jisr, Founder of BBF

Bassem El Jisr is the Founder of the Beirut Business Forum, a platform powered by Bridging Minds SAL, dedicated to connecting global leadership and regional talent to network, share ideas, and provoke what is next in their industries. He is also the CEO of Bridge Capital Holding, where for over a decade he has led the firm’s investment deployment and diversification strategies, with a focus on long term growth and development across multiple asset classes.