Deloitte holds its 2015 Middle East annual partners meeting in Beirut

Deloitte Middle East hosted its annual partners meeting in mid-November in Beirut with over 150 partners from the Middle East practices who were joined by Deloitte global, and other member firm leaders from Europe and the US.

His Excellency President General Michel Sleiman was the key note speaker at the event, and spoke about the current geopolitical and strategic environment in the Middle East and its impact on the region’s economy.

In addition to Deloitte Middle East leaders, other speakers and panelists included Karim Souaid, CEO of Growth Gate Capital, as well as Deloitte global executives Roger Dassen, Managing Director, Risk, Regulatory and Public Policy, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL), Rik Vanpeteghem, Managing Director, Europe Middle East Africa (EMEA), David Sproul, Senior Partner and Chief Executive of Deloitte UK, Timothy Mahapatra, Global and EMEA Financial Advisory Leader, Frank Dubas, SWF Leader- DTTL, and Jens Simonson, EMEA Reputation and Risk leader. 

Keynote speaker, His Excellency President General Michel Sleiman focused on the importance of holding this meeting in Lebanon, to emphasize on its leading role in the fields of science and knowledge as well as its openness to the world. 

“Despite the many challenges faced by the region, a number of countries in the Middle East continue to grow and be attractive for investment,” said Omar Fahoum, chairman and CEO of Deloitte Middle East. “At Deloitte, we strive to stay attuned to market needs and transform our business offerings in anticipation of any disruptive trends or any complex business challenges facing our clients. Resilience and adapting to change is one of our key differentiators as a professional services firm, and this has been the theme of our meeting this year.”

“Lebanon has the ability to absorb the economic slowdown and to benefit from any opportunity that may present itself, differentiating our country from the rest of the region. The conflict of power in the Middle East, if not properly addressed, constitutes business and economic challenges to the whole region, and Lebanon continues to play a role in the global dialogue as a point of convergence of several culture and religions” explains H.E. Sleiman.

In fiscal year 2015, the global Deloitte network of member firms celebrated record revenues of US$35.2 billion and an increased growth of which the Middle East achieved one of the highest levels globally. With the region, over 600 employees were hired and over 50 new partners, principals and directors were admitted to better serve Deloitte clients in the region. Deloitte’s strong financial performance reflects the success of our multi-disciplinary model, which drives the delivery of innovative world class audit, consulting, enterprise risk services, financial advisory and tax & legal services and creates an environment where the world’s leading practitioners thrive. The firm’s growth is attributable to its people, who serve organizations with quality and distinction, making an impact that matters throughout their actions.

Joe El Fadl, partner in charge of the Financial Services Industry at Deloitte Middle East, and managing partner of Deloitte Lebanon said: “Lebanon is a prime example of a country that is resilient to change and challenges. This is evident from the banking and insurance sector’s performance which is witnessing growth year on year.” He added: “At Deloitte Lebanon, we are keen to pursue our commitment to bring world-class capabilities and high-quality service to our clients. We have been expanding our services to cater for the increasing demands of our clients and we have been concentrating on enhancing the risk intelligence awareness and corporate governance practices of companies. Last year in particular, and in addition to our assurance business, we added to our resources a qualified team of consulting experts to support our clients navigate the complexities of key business issues.