Joumana Bassil Chelala
Joumana Bassil Chelala | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1966 Lebanon |
| Occupation(s) | Banker, Deputy General Manager of Byblos Bank |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Known for | Deputy General Manager and head of Group Consumer Banking at Byblos Bank; Forbes Middle East Most Powerful Arab Women list |
Joumana Bassil Chelala (born 1966) holds the position of Deputy General Manager and leads Group Consumer Banking at Byblos Bank S.A.L., Lebanon’s third-largest publicly traded financial institution. She earned recognition on Forbes Middle East’s list of Most Powerful Arab Women in 2014, 2015, and 2017, and in 2018 was named among the Middle East’s Most Influential Women as well as ranked within the top 15 Most Powerful Lebanese businesswomen.
Chelala is also a member of the board of directors for the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture of Beirut and Mount Lebanon.
Early life, education
Born in Lebanon in 1966 to François Bassil and Raymonde Al-Lati, Bassil Chelala is one of three siblings. Her paternal grandfather and his brother originally founded Société Commerciale et Agricole Byblos Frères & Co., which initially specialized in natural silk production and leather tanning before expanding into agricultural and consumer credit services. The company was rebranded as Byblos Bank S.A.L. in 1950, with her father among its founders; he served as Chairman and General Manager from 1979 until 2015. In that year, her brother Semaan Bassil took over those leadership roles.
On her maternal side, the Lati family has banking heritage as well, having established Bank LATI S.A.L. in 1924, recognized as one of Lebanon’s oldest banks.
Bassil Chelala earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Business Administration from the American University of Paris (AUP), a Bachelor of Science in Business Marketing from Beirut University College, and a Master’s degree in Marketing from École supérieure des affaires (Beirut) (ESA), through a joint program with ESCP Europe.
Career
Beginning her tenure at Byblos Bank in 1991, Bassil Chelala was appointed as the inaugural Head of the Communication and Marketing Department. Over time, she progressed into senior management roles, accumulating extensive experience in retail banking while driving innovation through new technologies. She spearheaded numerous firsts within Lebanon’s banking sector, including creating the country’s first comprehensive Marketing and Communication Department; introducing specialized retail personal and housing loan products; launching the initial television advertising campaign; pioneering outdoor corporate advertising; and issuing the first credit card denominated in Lebanese Pounds.
In 2011, she advanced to Deputy General Manager while retaining leadership over Group Consumer Banking and Distribution Channels.
Community
As a founding member of the Lebanese Center for Special Education, Bassil Chelala has contributed significantly to social causes. She is actively engaged with the Lebanese Cooperative for Development, an organization that leverages microfinance to alleviate poverty and assist displaced populations in returning home, thereby supporting families to avoid migration to urban centers or abroad. Furthermore, she sits on the boards of Adonis Insurance and Reinsurance Company (ADIR), a prominent Lebanese insurer, as well as Berytech, a business incubator fostering startups within Lebanon’s technology, multimedia, and healthcare industries.
Personal life
Bassil Chelala is married to Mario Chelala, a notable Lebanese businessman who owns SIMCO Engineering and Trading, a firm specializing in large-scale electro-mechanical projects. He also co-founded Byblos Advanced Energy, which develops and manages dual-fuel power plants operating on low-sulfur heavy fuel oil and liquefied natural gas within Lebanon. The couple has two children.