Founding partner of the Canadian company Effiqual / Designed Learning Canada and of the Lebanese company Beyond Consulting & Training, sister consulting firms specializing in assisting organizations to enhance quality, sustainability and effectiveness through developing the person at work, and reforming management practices and the way responsibility, accountability and knowledge are distributed among all employees.

Joseph has served clients in more than 40 countries on five continents on a myriad of consulting and training interventions in a wide range of industries.

Mr. Maalouf is a live example of engaging the heart and mind at work, where the engineer, the business person and the poet come together to invite participants and organizations alike to invest in truly holistic learning and change experiences.

He is also known for his keen ability to integrate the technical side, systems thinking and the “here and now” into his training approach, hence engaging participants in deep reflections and creating for them the space to bring their own work realities into the room. His methods have supported people and organizations to pave the way for real application of the learning into their jobs and business environments, and for balancing the human and technical systems within their organizations.

Joseph is certainly an achieved management consultant who has left an impact on his clients mainly in the domains of leadership, management systems, team development, change management, human resources management, and organizational building.

As a trainer, he is especially renowned for developing and conducting workshops on behavioral choices, organizational reform, creative thinking, leadership, self management, team development, consulting and influencing skills. Mr. Maalouf, in his capacity as an executive coach, has supported many senior managers and executives in their journeys towards the mastery of their roles and functions.

Mr. Maalouf has been a presenter at various international conferences and has authored a variety of articles. He has been as well a lecturer at a number of respected American, Canadian, and Middle Eastern Universities.

In June 2009, Mr. Maalouf was elected as a Member of the Lebanese Parliament, where he is aspiring to contribute, through his person, competencies and skills, to the reform and improvement of Lebanese government institutions.

A Senior Partner of Beyond Consulting and Training, Gilbert facilitated a systemic implementation of cultural change and organizational development strategies for multiple local and multinational companies, public institutions and civil society organizations in Lebanon and across the Middle East.

He is renowned for his dynamic, experiential and creative methodologies in building people capacities and organizational philosophies. Beyond is a sister company of Effiqual/Designed Learning Canada. (www.beyondct.com) 

He is also a Soft Skills Training Specialist in a wide range of topics. He is well-known for developing and conducting workshops on Leadership and Management Skills, Entrepreneurship Skills, Human Resources Management and Organization Development, Team Dynamics and Interpersonal Skills, in addition to topics related to Democracy and Citizenship Education, Advocacy and Civic Engagement, Intercultural Learning and Conflict Resolution.

Gilbert has been selected as a 2008 Yale World Fellow. He is a member of the Yale Arab Alumni. (http://www.yale.edu/worldfellows/fellows/doumit.html).

Gilbert is a founding and board member of Injaz Lebanon, a chapter of JA Worldwide. Its aim is “to inspire and educate youth about entrepreneurial and leadership skills to enhance their economic opportunities”. (www.injaz-lebanon.org) 

He is also the General Coordinator of the 2009 Parliamentary Elections Monitoring Operation. Gilbert helped establishing and coordinating a monitoring system that involved more than 2,500 trained citizens monitors on the electoral law (www.observe.ladeleb.org).

He is a founding member and the 2005-2008 General Secretary of Nahwa Al-Muwatiniya, an NGO that aims “to alter the political mindset in Lebanon - and the wider Arab world - towards more participatory governance systems where people exercise their rights and responsibilities” (www.na-am.org). He helped setting up the first Parliamentary Monitor in the Arab World. (www.lpmonitor.org). 

He holds a B.S. in Business Administration with focus on Hospitality & Tourism Management, a B.A. in Social Community Organization with a focus on Interpersonal Development, along with an MBA from ESA specializing in “Training as a Means for Human and Organizational Development”.

He is a Visiting Professor at Universite Saint Joseph and has been a presenter at a number of conferences and universities in North America, Europe and the Middle East, and has published series of manuals related to leadership and interpersonal skills development, citizenship, campaigning and civic engagement.

Mrs. Barakat Richa is a partner of Beyond Consulting and Training who has primary responsibility for all Human Resources Consultancy and Training as well as customized recruitment services offered by Beyond in addition to supporting the company’s other consultancy, training and development projects.

Djina brings more than 20 years of experience in Human Resources Management in the manufacturing and service sectors. During these years she acquired extensive knowledge and skills related to Human Resources Management, including research and development of related systems, practices and procedures.

As an employee and manager, prior to joining Beyond, Djina made meaningful contributions to the restructuring of the training department at Indevco (Multinational Group of industrial companies, headquartered in Lebanon), and to the reengineering all HR systems and practices at LibanCell Lebanon (A Telecommunication Lebanese company).

Mrs. Barakat Richa possesses a refined expertise in designing salaries scale and related grading systems, job descriptions, initiating internal trainers program, administrating succession planning and career development program, reforming employee performance appraisal system, researching and developing salary scales and compensation practices, HR procedures and employee handbook in addition to generating HR analysis and reporting tools.

Since 2010, Mrs. Barakat Richa attended several workshops with Langevin Learning Services – Canada  (The World’s Largest Train-The-Trainer Company), and in 2012 she was certified  as “Technical and Master Trainer” and “Certified Instructional Designer/Developer”.

She holds two Bachelors of Science in Business Administration with focus on Finance and Accounting, and on Marketing Management along with an MBA from the University of Quebec at Montreal, UQAM Canada.

Djina has been a presenter at a number of conferences. Since 2004, she has been teaching Human Resources Management at ESIG University for BA students. She is as well an accomplished trainer for ‘Train The Trainer’, “Human Resource Management”, “Interviewing Techniques”, “Presentation Skills” and “Communication Techniques” workshops. Mrs. Barakat Richa also facilitates various learning experiences in the areas of leadership, teamwork, interpersonal and consulting skills.

In 2011, Djina joined as partner, BRD/I Group (Beyond Reform & Development/Irada) that specializes in innovating policy, facilitating reform, developing institutions, building capacity and offering personal development, image shaping, policy innovation, and campaign management.

Mrs. Abi Azar, a consultant and trainer at Beyond Consulting & Training, has been contributing for over a decade in serving a wide range of clients in Lebanon and the Gulf region.

Jihane has been developing and delivering workshops in management skills, financial management, investor relations, budget management, accounting, finance and other related topics. She is known for her dynamic and hands-on approach with solid expertise, and her ability to engage participants in learning experiences.

She assisted and supported managers within various organizations in becoming more financially literate and making sound financial decisions. She helped organizations equip their people in making them more aware of the importance of financial data, and then translate their objectives and decisions into monetary value. She also contributed in developing the accounting and financial system for various SMEs as well as auditing their financial procedures.

Jihane was also an adjunct faculty of Finance and Accounting at the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) - School of Management – Bahrain Campus for several years where she taught Financial Accounting, Financial Management and Cost Accounting courses for graduate and undergraduate students.

She is currently writing her PhD thesis at Orleans University in France focusing on management control systems and their evolution within organizational growth.

She holds a DEA (Diplôme d’Etudes Approfondies) from the French university of Paris II with a concentration on Strategic Evaluation of Systems and Organizations. She also holds a masters’ degree (MBA) from ESA and a Bachelor degree in finance from the Lebanese University.

Before joining the PhD program and Beyond Consulting & Training, she worked for more than a decade in junior and senior positions in several multinational and family businesses such as Spinneys, and Extreme Creations where she applied her skills to improve their organizational and financial performance.

Mrs. Abi Azar is also a founding member of Nahwa Al-Muwatiniya and a volunteer with Injaz Lebanon (a chapter of JA Worldwide).

Nadine, senior consultant, is an expert in entrepreneurship and small enterprise development. She has helped a myriad of private, public, and nonprofit institutions in the MENA region enhance their positioning, services, and impact. Nadine is a renowned trainer and coach, and has helped many startups reach success.

Nadine is also a mentor and lead facilitator with Mowgli. She is an entrepreneur herself as she manages her own company in the power and energy sector.

Nadine holds an MBA with a concentration on marketing and a BA in Socio-Anthropology from the American University in Beirut. She also holds a diploma in Effective Partnership Management from Maastricht School of Management. Follow Nadine on Twitter: @nadineasmar.

Carmen, senior consultant, focuses on business development and the firm’s expansion into new frontiers.

Most recently, Carmen was at the forefront of facilitating grassroots constitutional dialogue in Libya, voters’ education in Gulf countries, and local governance in Lebanon. Carmen is also a Visiting Professor for Public Administration at the American University in Beirut. She is a former Board Member of Nahwa Al-Muwatiniya and a founder of the Lebanese Parliamentary monitor. 

Carmen holds a PhD in International Relations from the University of St. She was the 2015 BIARI fellow at the Watson Institute in Brown University. Andrews in Scotland and an MA and BA in Public Administration from the American University in Beirut. She also did graduate work at Georgetown University in Public Policy. Follow Carmen on Twitter: @CarmenGeha.

Nabil, consultant, specializes in policy research and analysis in addition to his extensive experience electoral reform and civil society development. In Egypt, Yemen, Libya, and Tunisia he worked with international organizations on good governance, elections observation, and local development.

Nabil is also an accomplished public health practitioner in Lebanon. He is an honorary member of the Delta Omega Public Health Society and has been at the forefront of health reforms and combatting corruption policies. 

Nabil holds an MPH with a concentration in Health Behavior and Education and a BS in Pharmacy from the American University in Beirut. Follow Nabil on Twitter: @nabilh.

Natalia, consultant, specializes in human development and project management. She consults and trains multiple social enterprises and civil society organizations helping them achieve their highest potential.

Natalia is completing an MA in Environmental Policy Planning from the American University in Beirut and holds a BS in Pharmacy from Saint Joseph University. Follow Natalia on Twitter: @nataliamenhall

Amal, consultant, has a dual focus on the public and private sector. In both sectors, she has worked on organizational design, capacity building, and policy reform.

Most recently, she worked on designing and developing cutting-edge learning programs in entrepreneurship (Yemen), human resources (Iraq), and organizational development (Lebanon). Amal formerly served as BRD’s operations manager. 

Amal has recently enrolled in an MBA in Carey Business School at Johns Hopkins University, and holds an MA in Design Leadership from Maryland Institute College of Art. She also holds a BA in Public Administration from the American University of Beirut.

Omar, consultant, specializes in designing and developing capacity building programs especially for local governments and civil society organizations.

Elsewhere in the region, he has trained organizations in the north and south of the country on management cycles in Yemen. While in Libya, he assessed citizen priorities and offered public consultation on writing a new constitution. 

Omar holds a BS in Pharmacy from the Beirut Arab University. Follow Omar on Twitter: @AbdelSamadOmar.

Marwa, consultant, specializes in institutional reform and civil society engagement in policymaking. She has advised a multitude of international and civil society organizations across the MENA region on capacity development, advocacy, and reform campaigns. Marwa is an especially decisive force in Lebanon.

Marwa is also a former lecturer of public administration at the Department of Political Studies and Public Administration in the American University of Beirut. 

Marwa holds an MA and BA in Public Administration with an emphasis on Human Resource Management from the American University of Beirut. She also participated in the Leaders for Democracy Program at the Maxwell School for Citizenship at Syracuse University. Follow Marwa on Twitter: @marwaaboudayya.

Najat, senior consultant, specializes in communications strategy development and women entrepreneurship. She has worked with many governments in Gulf countries on their public communication strategy to build trust among citizenship and protect their reputations.

Najat is also the CEO of Firehorse Films, named one of the top two fastest growing companies in Lebanon in 2010 by All World Network. As a woman entrepreneur, Najat has been involved in projects for women economic and political empowerment across the MENA region.

Najat holds a professional diploma in Management and Women Entrepreneurship from Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands. She also holds a postgraduate diploma in Geopolitics, an MA in Human Geography and Demographic Statistics, and a BA in Geography and History from Saint Joseph University.

Lara, senior consultant, specializes in small enterprise development and project management. Based in Dubai, she has a wealth working with multinational companies in advertising and tourism in the Gulf and Lebanon.

Most recently, she has been involved in social entrepreneurship development, including: the setup of an incubator, training social entrepreneurs, and business planning. Lara was previously the business development manager for BRD Libya.

Lara is completing her MBA at Leicester University-Stafford Associates, and holds a BA in Advertising and Marketing.