About Ziad Hayek
My Upbringing
I grew up in a house that did not engage in politics. My grandfather was an Egyptologist, so the history of the pharaohs and their wars with the emperors of Mesopotamia in our region was the first thing I learned. My father loved industry and my mother always worked alongside him. This ingrained in me the belief in gender equality. My parents taught me and my brothers to stay away from rigid ideologies, and to embrace the respect for others and their opinions as a principle by which we live. They also taught us that dealing with others politely and kindly is not a sign of weakness, but rather a sign of strength and self-confidence, and that believing in God is the way to salvation and the secret of tranquility.
My Emigration
When the civil war broke out in the mid-seventies, my parents took us to Mexico, where we continued our studies. After Mexico, we emigrated to the United States, where my professional career began in the field of financial markets and business. It was full of experiences and travels that taught me that the world is small, and that man is even smaller. They taught me that the diversity of cultures embellishes humanity, just as the diversity of flowers makes nature beautiful. I met my wife, who was born in Iran of Azerbaijani, Uzbekistani, Armenian, Georgian, and French descent. We had two sons who lived with us in several countries in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Europe, and our daughter married a Sri Lankan American. We thus became an international family that respects and celebrates the plurality of identities, tenets, and religions, without abandoning our core Lebanese identity.Homecoming
Thirty years outside Lebanon did not make me forget my love of it. I always longed to return. As soon as I had the opportunity to join its public administration as Secretary General of the High Council for Privatization, I left my job in London and came to Beirut. I worked for thirteen years at the Grand Serail. During that time, I experienced Lebanese politics from the inside and devoted myself to the study of socio-economic development policies. I also experienced the difference between the public sector and the private sector, so I became aware of the advantages of each and how to benefit from the interaction between them.
Political Engagement
My study of the economic, social, and financial reality in Lebanon led me to conclude that the approach to growth policies is superficial at best and harmful most of the time. So, in March 2015, I decided, with some friends and acquaintances, to form an opposition group later called âMaan Lil Watanâ (Together for the Nation). We fought for environmental, economic, social, and political reforms. We then led an effort to align the positions of 17 groups that had emerged from the August 2015 demonstrations, and we all succeeded in agreeing in principle on a political project we wrote. But these groups were unable to merge and unite, so I was disappointed with them and left opposition politics in July 2017. I reverted to my work in the field of technology and consulting.
I believe that the future president should be someone who looks after Lebanon's interest first and foremost. In my opinion, he or she must have the following characteristics.
1
Able to bring together all the components of the Lebanese people, and to communicate with them all for the good of Lebanon2
Be a person with a vision and stated direction, who comes not to manage the crisis, but to solve it3
He or she has a temperate personality that helps him/her to cooperate constructively with the future prime minister4
Has public sector experience in the Lebanese administration and be knowledgeable about the policies of all sectors5
Has experience in the private sector and how to produce a constructive interaction between it and the public sector6
Brave & has a credible diverse background to keep pace with the necessary political & economic reforms with conviction and firmness7
Has experience in financial and economic affairs in view of not only the crisis in Lebanon, but also of the repercussions on Lebanon of inflation, high interest rates, and the state of geopolitical instability in the world8
Able to communicate with the international community, donors, international financial institutions and investment funds9
Able to communicate productively with the Lebanese diaspora, which has become the most important treasure for Lebanon today10
He or she has a good reputation, proven credibility and integrity and is able to gain the confidence of the Lebanese people11
Able to communicate with the international community, donors, international financial institutions and investment funds12
Has good reputation, proven credibility and integrity and is able to gain the confidence of the Lebanese
My Presidential Candidacy for Republic of Lebanon: it is a job and an honor.
I resigned from the Public Administration in March 2019, after the Lebanese government withdrew my candidacy for the presidency of the World Bank. A great movement prevailed in the country that began on October 17, 2019 and proved the correctness of my fears that preceded it by five years, and the Beirut port disaster came to confirm the slackness of the authority and the dilapidation of the public administration. Now, two years and nine months after the first event and two years after the second event, the Lebanese governments have not taken any decision regarding either of them, with the exception of the ominous decision to default on the payment of the debt due on time, so the insolvency increased the chaos of the collapse. Just as the tension of the political discourse has reached its maximum limits, no party in the country is comfortable with another. I saw in this situation that a new leadership is needed to reunite the bonds of the Lebanese people.It is also necessary for a responsible, aware, and experienced leadership in financial, economic and social affairs to come to power and rescue the country from its depression and restore the confidence of the Lebanese and the world in this country. I decided to run in the presidential elections and to rely on God and the conscience of the representatives (may they be wise and have the courage to change what they are accustomed to in such elections), hoping that what I gained from the experience and wisdom will help me improve the conditions of my family and my fellow citizens.
Ziad Hayekâs Experience, Background and Accomplishments:
Having occupied a wide variety of leadership positions in the Americas, Europe, Lebanon, and around the world ranging from Socio-Economic Policy, Investment Banking, National Debt Restructuring, Politics, Business, Public/Private Partnerships and International Affairs, Ziad has invaluable experience and leadership skills. His temperate character, solid values, background, education, communication skills, and his vision for Lebanon make him the most competent candidate to reset Lebanon on the road to prosperity. See his detailed CV below.