American University of Beirut

The project is funded by the Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) programme of the European Union with an objective to launch the first in the region MSc in global supply chain management with concentrations in maritime, humanitarian, and agro-food supply chains and logistics. The program sets the scene for collaborations with the private and public sectors in these three domains. The conference brought together international and national participants, with a mix between the private sector, academia, and NGOs. Dr. Maya Nabhani, the Director of Continuous Academic Improvement at FAFS Dean’s office at AUB and the conference moderator, initiated the conference by welcoming the speakers, the panelists, and the attendees and introducing the opening session. 

The opening session, led by AUB President Fadlo Khuri, included speeches that introduced the GLOB-SM project/program and provided visibility of its significance and context in Lebanon, Jordan, and the region. In his welcome message, President Khuri highlighted the significance of AUB’s collaboration with other national and regional leading institutions and with top-tier EU universities with expertise in supply chain management. He also emphasized the importance of the agro-food sector, port management, and humanitarian aid support and how they are critical sectors in Lebanon due to the nature of the economy, geographic location, and natural and man-made crises. Then, in his opening note, Dr. Ammar Olabi, Interim Dean of FAFS at AUB, stressed FAFS’ role in providing a multidisciplinary program for training qualified graduates with skills needed to address challenges facing supply chain and logistics. Following Interim Dean Olabi’s message, the conference Keynote Speaker, HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Founder and Chairman of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Global, discussed the challenges facing the supply chain and expressed enthusiasm to explore the future role of the GLOB-SM program in dealing with these challenges. 

The Programme Assistant at the Economy, Green Deal, and Local Development section of the Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon, Ms. Orla Colclough, also emphasized the relevance of agro-food, humanitarian and maritime logistics and supply chain management and the role of the EU collaboration in stimulating these sectors. Additionally, Dr. Aref Alsoufi, the National Erasmus+ Office (NEO) Coordinator in Lebanon, introduced the GLOB-SM project and praised its content and relevance, while  Ms. Yasmine Al Gharib, Project Manager at NEO Lebanon, gave an overview of the Erasmus+ opportunities including capacity building in higher education (CBHE) and others. 

The significance and context of the GLOB-SM program for Lebanon, Jordan, and the region were shared by various constituents from AUB and partner regional higher education institutions. Dr. Bacel Maddah, Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Industrial and Engineering Management at AUB, highlighted the role of the GLOB-SM program in offering students in Lebanon and Jordan a unique exposure to the principles of global supply chain management. Dr. Luai Jraisat, Associate Professor of Marketing and Supply Chain Management at TAGUCI, and Dr. Radhi Al-Hamadeen, Associate Professor of Accounting and Director of the International Relations at PSUT, then explained how the GLOB-SM program will fill the shortage of specialists and managers with skills compatible with the ever-increasing opportunities in supply chain management.

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Following that, the European perspective regarding the opportunities and the significance of the GLOB-SM project/program was presented by Dr. Elisabeth Jouannaux, Associate Professor and Academic Director of the International Trade and Logistics Master at KBS, and Dr. Wouter Dewulf, Professor and Academic Director of the Centre of Maritime and Transport Management at the University of Antwerp. The session focused on the rigorous framework for ambitious cross-cultural projects and the valuable partnerships between Europe and the Middle East that are being created through the GLOB-SM project.

Following the opening sessions, three-panel discussions were held on disruptions, implications, and opportunities in the following tracks: maritime, humanitarian, and agro-food logistics and supply chain management. During the first panel discussion on maritime logistics, Dr. Wouter Dewulf, Dr. Jason Monios (Professor of Maritime Logistics at Kedge Business School), Dr. Sven Buyle (Principal Research Fellow at the University of Antwerp), and Dr. Luai Jraisat explored the challenges, implications, and opportunities of the supply chain in Europe and the Middle East Region. The discussion emphasized the importance of including the sustainability factor in maritime supply chain processes, which complies with a quote from a research paper by Dr. Dewulf, stating that “The future Supply Chain will be shorter and green”. Moreover, the panel argued that supply chains might become shorter, greener, and more expensive in the future.  In addition to that, the panel participants agreed that Lebanon and Jordan have a strategic geographic location and that the time might be favorable for many opportunities for the countries in the Middle East to expand their supply chains and to use Lebanon and Jordan as a hub for transshipment or nearshoring for example. 

During the second panel discussion, Dr. Fouad Mohamad Fouad (MD, Associate Professor of Public Health Practice at the Faculty of Health and Sciences, Founding Chair on Forced Displacement, and Co-Director of the Refugee Health Program at Global Health Institute at AUB) presented the types and categories of disruptions facing humanitarian supply chain, the process of humanitarian logistics, and the humanitarian context in Jordan and Lebanon. A discussion was then instigated among the panelists Mr. Nabil Itani (Head of Beirut branch of Lebanese Red Cross), Ms. Michelle Iseminger (Head of Programmes at the World Food Programme), Ms. Asmahan Zein (Advisor of the Board of the Lebanese League for Women in Business) and Dr. Bacel Maddah, around the structure of humanitarian aid programs, the funding that supports the response to crises and the role of the different actors involved. The conclusion emphasized the role of the government and the public sector in responding to humanitarian disruptions and organizing humanitarian efforts and the need to have national policies to smoothen the supply chain disruptions. 

Issues related to agro-food logistics and supply chain were discussed in the final panel. Dr. Gumataw Abebe, Assistant Professor at the Department of Business & Social Science at Dalhousie University, presented the recent trends shaping global agro-food logistics and supply chains and the disruptions facing this sector. He also explained how to develop resilient agro-food supply chains. The panelists, Mr. Khaled Sinno (CEO of Karma Lebanon SAL), Mr. John Chedid (Country Manager at DHL), Dr. Wadih Skaff (Associate Professor at ESIA-M at Saint Joseph University), Dr. Luai Jraisat, Dr. Layal Bou Antoun (Assistant Professor, Master’s program and faculty committees’ coordinator at the Faculty of Business and Management at Saint Joseph University), Dr. Nour Damer (Assistant Professor at the Business Information Technology Department at PSUT) and Dr. Ali Chalak (Associate Professor of Applied Economics at FAFS, AUB) introduced their viewpoints around the topic. The panel reflected on the non-existence of a preparedness plan or a policy enforced by the government to face supply chain disruptions in Lebanon. Panelists explored measures for mitigating the absence of governmental support to manage supply chain disruptions, such as the clustering of some private companies and the coordination between the different stakeholders involved in the supply chain.

Dr. Maya Nabhani wrapped up the conference by showcasing the significance and timeliness of the GLOB-SM program and its role in setting the scene for collaborations with the private and public sectors in maritime, humanitarian, and supply chain logistics and supply chain management. 

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