Political appointments
at the helm of the Central Bank

Vice governors: two renewed + two new ones

Mazen Soueid chairs Bank Control Commission

Along sectarian lines, and based on loyalties and affiliations to political leaderships, the Council of Ministers has appointed four vice governors at the Central Bank (BDL) as well as the chairman and members of the Banking Control Commission (BCC). BCC faces the challenge of restoring oversight credibility and strengthening the institution as a regulatory authority.

Vice Governor Wassim Mansouri (who was interim Acting-Governor) and Vice Governor Salim Chahine were reappointed in their positions which had expired a few weeks ago.

Makram Bou Nassar and Gaby Tchenozian have been appointed as Vice Governors of the Central Bank (BDL).

Bou Nassar, with over 21 years of experience, was Executive Director at BDL, where he was last leading the Payment Systems Department. He is a lecturer in Economics and Finance at the American University of Beirut (AUB) and other universities, contributing to economic research. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Birmingham.

Tchenozian, with over 20 years of experience in the financial and investment industry, was Chief Investment Officer at Unimetco Holdings-Family Office, where he led a team of investment professionals overseeing assets in public and private markets. Prior to that he worked at First National Bank, Bank of Beirut and Morgan Stanley. He has an MBA from the University of Wales.

Mazen Soueid has been appointed Chairman of the Banking Control Commission. He has a background in the banking sector, notably his former position as Head of Research at BankMed until 2018. He brings over 25 years of experience, including work with the IMF on restructuring and oversight in several countries. He has a PhD in economics from Brown University.

BCC new members also include Nader Haddad (Hailing from Strategy& and McKinsey), Tania Kallab (Advisor to President Joseph Aoun and until early this year Economic Advisor at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut), Aline Spiro (Deutsche Bank and formerly BankMed), and Rabih Nehme (Central Bank of Oman and formerly with BCC).