My Motto in Life

“Self-actualization is not possible without the sort of community service that is constructive, goal-achieving and most importantly, continuous.”

Saad El Zein is proud to be the caretaker of a loving Lebanese family whose support for and ties to, each other is strong and profound. El Zein continues to support the youth of the Arab world in their education and career development, and insists upon training and preparing them in ways that are encouraging and engaging so that they will not only aspire to occupy high positions in significant industries in the Middle East region, but also be proactive in building enhanced communities.

This is Saad Abdel Aziz El Zein’s motto in life, which he has successfully proven to live by for so many years. Saad El Zein, husband to Hala Sadek, father of three children; Talal, Zeena & Loulwa, is an impressively active member and coordinator of many professional and socially aware organizations in Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates.

Born in 1965 into a well-to-do, politically affiliated family from Kfar Rouman-Nabatieh, South Lebanon, Saad El Zein has been an active and involved member, ever since his youth, in organizations that yield towards the betterment of his community and the society at large. Although family is a priority to him, as he is a Board Member of El-Zein Union, Saad El Zein has also found ways to divide his time among other very significant associations.

He was a member of Shaqif Lebanese Club in Nabatieh and has been well connected to many social, educational, as well as athletic clubs around Lebanon and Dubai. He has been active in the Al Nahda Sports Club in his hometown. He is a supporter of the Beirut Children’s Cancer Center and a member of the Board of Directors for CIEL, which supports children with special needs in Beirut.

El Zein is also on the Board of Directors of the International Advertising Association (IAA) in Dubai, and has produced several reports about marketing in the Middle East that tailor toward the training and enhancement of new groups. He is a member of the Emirati Lebanese Friendship Association, as well as the Young Arab Leaders organization in the UAE. When Lebanon was suffering a war on the hands of the Israelis in 2006, Saad El Zein took charge of the coordination of the committees and campaigns that supported Lebanon. As a result, he received an honorary certificate from the Lebanese Business Council. Moreover, he was General Coordinator of “Shifa” Campaign, which took place in the Emirates and was concerned with the medical treatment of the Lebanese Army. El Zein continues to be involved with the Al Imam El Sader’s Orphanage in Lebanon as he is in support of its activities in the Emirates.

Furthermore, he acts as coordinator for the campaign that strives to keep Lebanon green, as well as Regional Marketing Advisor for the environmental organization, Greenpeace. Saad El Zein was the secretary, and is now an active member, of the Lebanese Business Council in Dubai. He is the President of the Lebanese American University Alumni Association in Dubai and Northern Emirates.

Loyalty & Dedication

Because El Zein is a strong believer in loyalty and dedication he has received much recognition and awards from the various international and local companies that he has served. help companies evolve their brands strategically and aesthetically to show positive change, growth and build new beginnings.

These companies include Phillip Morris, Mercedes, the Kuwaiti Americana, the German Lufthansa Airlines, the International Gold Committee, and the organizing committee for the Month of Giving in Dubai, among others.

Saad El-Zein is a graduate of the Lebanese American University in Beirut (at the time Beirut University College) where he earned his degree in Business Administration in 1989. He attended The Antonine Sisters School and the Saint Mary School, during his elementary and secondary scholastic years and went on to graduate from Hassan Kamel el Sabah School in Nabatieh.

El Zein began his professional experience earlier on, while he was still pursuing his Business degree at university, during which he joined the Banque Credit Populaire team, in 1985. Soon after graduation in 1989, and until 1991, he joined the Middle East Bank in Dubai as Credit Manager; this provided him with the opportunity to become familiar with management and finance development. Due to his distinctive nature which helped him to effortlessly communicate and interact with his team members in constructive manners, El Zein began to tread other venues and explore another face of business and finance that was, specifically, advertising development. This led him to join the internationally known and prestigious, Leo-Burnett team. There he worked as Assistant Account Manager from 1991-1995, where he managed vital local accounts, including that of world renowned Citibank.

In record time Saad El Zein was able to impress his superiors, thus leading him in 1995 to become responsible for the foundation of the sixth regional branch of Leo Burnett, which took place in Damascus. In 1996 Saad El Zein returned to Beirut where he worked as the manager of the Syria branch of Leo Burnett, while simultaneously managing other marketing plans that have to do with the internationally known tobacco company, Phillip Morris. He persisted with these responsibilities until 1998, after which he continued his journey in the world of regional marketing, where he was assigned as Regional Director in Publicis-Graphics, Dubai, until 2001. Since then, and until 2004, Saad El Zein went on to manage and develop Madco, the first advertising and marketing company in the Arab World, to which he was Regional Director, and undertook the merger between Madco and Intermarkets, where he worked on the new company’s logistics and strategic goals, which played a significant role in the regional market.

In 2005, and after 15 years in the business, Saad El Zein realized that his rich experiences and reputation in the marketing world have provided him with the tools and superior techniques needed for an effective Managing Director. Thus he moved on to become the Managing Director of Abraj Property Development, and collaborated with Mr. Naif Al Rajhi to develop Able Facilities Management.

The Journey Continues

Saad El Zein’s good judgment when it comes to marketing and his unrelenting passion for the world of communication, that he was consistently a part of, led to his joining in late 2008, Baynounah Media Group, which is based in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. El Zein acts as Chief Communications and Commercial Officer of BMG.

By 2011, Saad decided it was time to channel his expertise, passion and experience in the consultancy field and formed the El Zein consultancies. Bringing forth 22 years of experience in the Middle East, Saad has dealt with diverse specialties ranging from Retail, Banking, and FMCGs to Airlines and media among many others. In this capacity Saad was exposed to Sport K and Netizen and was assigned as the Project Director for the First GCC Games – Bahrain 11.

In 2012, Saad El Zein partnered with the Roger Sahyoun to assist in the institution of THE NETWORK Communication Group, a holding company created by the group’s Chairman, Mr. Roger Sahyoun, for the group’s different communication disciplines that will professionally serve local and international clients. THE NETWORK Communication Group was established to host specialized disciplines and provide partners holistic and integrated communications and marketing solutions and Saad aims to achieve the ambitious vision of the group in his capability as group CEO.