Leadership Team
George Hatem
Chairman of CDS Holding & CEO
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and Founder of CDS, George Hatem has more than 35 years of management consulting experience. His work has covered a wide variety of industries in the private and public sectors, as well as non-profit organizations..
Prior to establishing CDS in 1994, George worked with prominent consulting firms in Europe, where he actively participated in vision engineering, strategy definition, reorganization, and operations improvement projects for companies in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.
As an expert with extensive consulting experience, George is often invited to speak about change management and family businesses in local, regional, and international forums. He holds a Master’s and a Post-Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from Stanford University, and an MBA from INSEAD.
George is also the Founder and President of the Happy Childhood Foundation established in Switzerland, Lebanon, Tanzania, and the U.S.
George is constantly in search of discovery, be it during his travels, extensive reading, or by looking for unusual objects to collect; he enjoys walking and swimming, and has a special interest in nature and wildlife.
Bader S. AlReziza
Chairman of the Board of Managers of CDS Arabia
Bader S. AlReziza is the Chief Executive Officer and Board Director of AlReziza Trading and Contracting Company, a 2nd generation family business operating in various industries.
Bader is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Asharqia Chamber of Commerce in its 19th session and a member of its Board’s Executive Committee. He is also a member of the Investment Committee of Sharqia Development Authority (SDA) and a member of the Board of Trustees and Chairman of the Board (Sharqia Chapter) of Oqal (Angel Investors Network). Bader is a founding partner and a member of the Board of Directors and head of the Executive Committee of Zadk Culinary Institute, a not-for-profit organization focused on developing young Saudi Chefs.
Noaf AlTurki
Member of the Board of Managers of CDS Arabia
Noaf AlTurki is a Board Director and Vice President for Corporate Affairs at Rawabi Holding. She oversees the Group’s shared corporate services as well as its corporate social responsibility activities.
She also sits on several Boards of the Group’s subsidiaries and partners.
Noaf is a Board Member of Asharqia Chamber of Commerce in its 19th session, a member of the Board’s Executive Committee, and a member of the Chamber’s Executive Council of Businesswomen.
She is a member of the Nationalization Committee at the Emirate of the Eastern Province, a member of the Nomination and Renumeration Committee at the Sharqia Development Authority, and a member of Afaaq Advisory Committee at Aseer Development Authority.
She is a Board of Trustees Member of the Saudi Arabian Drilling Academy (SADA) and of the Leading National Academy (LNA). She is a Co-Founder and a Board of Trustees Member of Zadk Culinary Arts Academy and a Board of Trustees Member of the Eastern Province Council for Social Responsibility.
Noaf also supports several non-profit organizations.
Khaled Bachir
Member of the Board of Managers of CDS Arabia
Khaled Bachir is a Senior Managing Consultant at Mastercard, in charge of Data & Services Business Development activities for the Levant/Bahrain region and is currently based in Dubai.
Prior to joining Mastercard, Khaled worked at CDS for 13 years. During this time, he managed strategy and management consulting assignments for companies operating in the construction, manufacturing, oil & gas, industrial services, hospitality, and banking sectors.
Before that, Khaled held several positions in the Middle East and Europe. He acted as a management consultant with prominent consulting firms in Dubai, France, and as Operations Manager with a global marketing and communications consulting firm based in Cyprus.
Khaled is a graduate of the American University of Beirut (AUB) with a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering, ESSEC’s MBA, and Harvard Business School’s Leadership Development Program.
Sima Taha
Vice President and Partner
Sima Taha joined CDS in August 2008. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Biology with a Minor in Business Administration from the American University of Beirut (AUB); she also holds a Master’s degree in Finance & Accounting from the London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) in the UK, and a Management Acceleration Program Certificate from INSEAD.
Since she joined CDS, Sima has worked on strategy, business process reengineering, and implementation assignments for companies in the automotive, private equity, banking, insurance, hospitality, oil & gas services, consumer goods, and retail industries.
She currently holds the position of Vice President for Corporate Development, responsible among other things of Knowledge Management and Quality Control.
Sima is passionate about traveling and exploring new destinations and cultures. She enjoys adventure activities and is fond of watching biographical documentaries and thrillers.
Joseph Hanania
Partner
Joseph Hanania is a Partner at CDS and Managing Partner of Global Business Services, LLC.
Along with his team, Joseph works with clients in various industries in the U.S, and around the world, to increase their EBITDA, sales revenues, and execution efficacy, through strategy alignment, operations, and process optimization, supported by an adaptable digital transformation foundation.
Joseph is a member of select company Boards in the U.S. and abroad.
As a senior executive, Joseph established, led, and managed global organizations at Compaq, HP, Microsoft, Oracle, and Xerox. He was also the CEO of Umniah Mobile Company, a startup that continues to be a leading mobile telecommunications operator in its region.
Joseph has a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and an MBA in Finance. He enjoys business consulting, sports, and supporting startups.
Riad Obegi
Shareholder at CDS Holding
Riad Obegi is currently the Chairman of Banque BEMO SAL Lebanon, member of the Board of Banque BEMO Saudi Fransi SA Syria and the Non-Executive Chairman of BEMO Europe Luxembourg.
In addition to his responsibilities in the banking sector, Riad is the Chairman of Unifert Holding SAL and Chairman of Obegi Group SA in Luxembourg.
He holds a PhD in Economics from Lyon Lumière University, a Diploma in Economy & Finance from IEP Paris, and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Paris IX Dauphine.
Nicolas Chammas
Shareholder at CDS Holding
Nicolas Chammas is Member of the Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Past President of the MIT Alumni Association worldwide, General Secretary of the Lebanese Economic Organizations, Chairman of the Beirut Traders Association (BTA) since 2010, and Managing Partner at Elie D. Chammas & Co.
He graduated with distinction from the American University of Beirut (Bachelor of Engineering), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Master of Science in Civil Engineering), and Harvard Business School (Master of Business Administration with a focus on the international economy).
Nicolas’ research and publications include:
- Social and economic advisory missions to various ministries, public institutions, and international organizations, focusing on employment, trade, development, investment, finance, and competitiveness
- “The knowledge-based economy and its impact on the Lebanese society and economy”
- “The socio-economic future of Lebanon in questions”
- “Construction industry and its role in the Lebanese economy”