Reine Abboud

Chairman of the Board of Directors

Reine joined Optimum Invest SAL in 2006 to oversee the Financial, Operation, Human Resources as well as Administrative Departments. She has over 30 years of experience in the financial sector and currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of Optimum Invest SAL. She held prominent positions with several leading institutions from different sectors. Reine holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Saint Joseph University, Lebanon.

Antoine Kassis

Board Member

Antoine joined Optimum Invest at its inception and has over 20 years of capital markets and operations experience with First National Bank and Midclear. He currently serves as an Executive Board Member and Managing Director at Optimum Invest SAL. Antoine holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Saint Joseph University, Lebanon. He also obtained an MBA Degree from the joint program of Saint Joseph University, Sorbonne and Dauphine in Paris.

Toufic Soudayha

Board Member

Toufic is a Lebanese legal counsel having a special focus on corporate transactional matters as well as banking finance and capital markets.

He has an extensive experience in the Lebanese banking, finance and capital markets industry. In his 18 years career, Toufic worked as a Partner at two leading Lebanese law firms, where he focused his practice on corporate mergers & acquisitions. He has led major acquisitions in the Lebanese banking and insurance sector. 

Toufic advises corporate, banking and hedge fund clients on their businesses, including the structuring and establishment of their investment schemes.

In October 2018, Toufic established his own law firm 'Soudayha & Partners' which was immediately ranked amongst Lebanon's leading law firms by IFLR.

Toufic holds a LLB from Saint Joseph University in Beirut and is registered with the Beirut Bar Association.

Kayssar Ghorayeb

Board Member

Kayssar Ghorayeb is the General Manager at LIBANK.

Kayssar established the investment banking desk at LIBANK where he provided advisory services on a number of transactions. He also helped lead the client services functions of LIBANK prior to being appointed as General Manager. He previously worked at Huron Consulting Group, Riggs Bank, and HSBC Republic. Key transactions include the capital increase of a real estate investment firm in the UK and of a large manufacturing firm in Lebanon. 

Kayssar is an IFC certified independent board member professional. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Management from Royal Holloway, University of London, and a MPP from the University of Chicago. 

 

Ahmad Rizk

Board Member

Ahmad is the Deputy General Manager and Head of the Asset Management Department at LIBANK. He is the manager of the LIBANK Global Balanced Fund and a non-Executive Director of Peterhouse Capital Limited, London.

Ahmad highlighted his prior career as a portfolio manager for corporate clients in the Investment Fund department at State Street Bank (Australia) where he managed a portfolio of about USD 30 billion for insurance companies and pension funds. Earlier, Ahmad served as an External Auditor at Ernst & Young (Beirut) where he executed several audit assignments mainly for banks and financial institutions.

Ahmad is an active member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (Australia & New Zealand). He is also an approved person by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in London.

Ahmad holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Accounting Major from the Lebanese American University (LAU). He also has a Master’s Degree in Professional Accounting from the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS).