Honorary Doctorates

1 November 1944 - 14 February 2005

A Lebanese leader, former Prime Minister and businessman, Rafik Hariri was considered one of the world's leading businessmen. He played an important role in ending the Lebanese Civil War and the reconstruction of Lebanon afterwards. Hariri did many charitable deeds, the most famous of which was offering university scholarships to more than 36000 students from all Lebanese regions along 20 years. He also provided assistance to the victims of the Israeli aggression on Lebanon, orphanages, nursing homes, and other charities. He was a self-made millionaire who did not inherit money or power, as did most of Lebanon's politicians. He became one of the world's richest people as a result of his personal efforts. Hariri was assassinated on 14 February 2005.

Born in Giza in 1944, Dr. Serageldin graduated with honours from the Faculty of Engineering, Department of Architecture at Cairo University in 1964. He received his master's degree in Regional Planning with distinction in 1968 and his PhD in 1972 from Harvard University, USA. He was the Director of the Modern Library of Alexandria since its opening in October 2002 until May 2017. Prior to working at the library, he was the Vice President of the World Bank. He has written over 45 books in various fields of culture and development.

1924 - 2012

Salam was born in Beirut. He received his bachelor degree in Architectural Engineering from Cambridge University, England in 1950. He practiced engineering in his private office since 1956. Salam was the Chairman of the Arab Architects Association 1998-2001 (Union of Arab Engineers) and he founded the Department of Architecture at the American University of Beirut in 1954 where he worked as an associate professor until 1977. Salam also worked on issuing the new law and the internal regulations of the union together with the consequent establishment of new branches of the union based on highlighting their respective specialty as well as the system of professional associations and other constituent matters. He completed a lot of architectural designs in Lebanon and has a number of publications in the field of architecture. He was also a leading advocate of the Lebanese heritage.

Born in Beirut in 1959, Hout holds an MBA and a Bachelor of Economics from the American University of Beirut. Currently, he is the Chairman and Director General of Middle East Airlines - Lebanese Airlines. He was the Director of Financial and Real Estate Assets at Bank of Lebanon and Advisor to the Governor of Bank of Lebanon in the field of crisis management. He joined Bank of Lebanon as an economist and was later promoted to become Deputy Director of Statistics and Economic Studies. He led the reform process of the Middle East Airlines - Lebanese Airlines after two successive decades of heavy losses, regaining its leading role to become a successful company starting in 2002 for 15 years in a row. These positive results were achieved under the most pressing political and security conditions faced by Lebanon and the Middle East during this period. In 2008, Middle East Airlines was ranked among the top 25 airlines in the world for both operating and net profits.

Sir Magdy Habib Yaqoub is a British Egyptian professor and a prominent heart surgeon. He was born on 16 November 1935 in Belbeis, Sharqia, Egypt to an Orthodox Coptic family, Minya descendants. He studied medicine at Cairo University and in Chicago. Yaqoub moved to Britain in 1962 to work at Chest Hospital in London, then a Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Harvard Hospital (1969-2001) and Director of Research and Education (since 1992). He was appointed as a professor at the National Heart and Lung Institute in 1986. Yacoub has been interested in the development of cardiac transference techniques since 1967. In 1980, he did a heart transplant operation for patient Drake Morris, who became the longest surviving European heart transplant patient until his death in July 2005. Among the celebrities whom he treated was the British comedian Eric Morecambe. He was appointed a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in 1966 and is called the King of Hearts in the British media. At the age of 65, he retired from surgery and continued as a consultant and a visionary of organ transplant surgeries. However, in 2006, Dr. Yacoub had to lead a complex surgery requiring the removal of an implanted heart after the recovery of the natural heart which was never removed during the first transplant by Sir Yacoub. He received a Fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons in London and received titles and honours from the British Brunel, Cardiff, Loughborough, and Middlesex universities, as well as Lund University, Sweden. He has got an honorary degree from Lahore University, Pakistan and the University of Siena, Italy.

Prof Nadey Hakim GCSJ, MD, PhD, FRCS, FRCSI, FACS, FICS (Hon), FASMBS, FINS (Hon), FIMSA (Hon)

Prof. Nadey Hakim qualified from Paris Descartes University in 1984. Laureate of the Faculty of Medicine Cochin Port Royal. Surgical training Guy’s Hospital, PhD from University College London. Gastrointestinal Fellowship Mayo Clinic and Transplant Fellowship University of Minnesota. Has published over 150 peer-reviewed papers and has written/edited 23 textbooks in the field of General, Transplant and Bariatric surgery. Has successfully started the first Pancreas Transplant Program in the SE of England. He is the First Max Thorek Professor of Surgery. He is a Professor of Transplantation Surgery at Imperial College London. He was awarded Honorary Professorships from Lyon University, Ricardo Palma Lima Peru University, Bashkent Ankara University, University of São Paulo and was Visiting Professor at several institutions worldwide including Harvard and the Cleveland Clinic. He is the Envoy of the Imperial College President. He was the 35th President of the International College of Surgeons. Was awarded the 2007 J. Wesley Alexander Prize for outstanding research in the field of Transplantation. London School of Surgery Transplant Tutor 2008 to date. Vice President Royal Society of Medicine (2014-2016). Governor American College of Surgeons UK Chapter (2014-2020). Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur (2016). Ambassador of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) UK House of Commons (2018-). Membre de l”Academie Francaise de Chirurgie.

Minister Raya Hafar Al-Hassan has held various positions throughout her career. She was appointed Minister of Interior in current government of President Saad Hariri in December 2019. She was the first Lebanese and Arab woman to hold such a position. She is the President of the Board and Director General of the Special Economic Zone in Tripoli and was appointed Minister of Finance in the first government by President Saad Hariri between 2009 and 2011.

Between 2003 and 2005, she held various positions in the Prime Minister's Office and worked on a number of National major portfolios such as an observer for the implementation of the Paris III program and the United Nations Lebanon Recovery Fund at the beginning of 2006 as well as supervising the World Bank project for the design and the implementation of social sector reforms. Al Hasan also participated in the establishment of a fund for the reconstruction of the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian Refugee Camp.

She has held numerous advisory responsibilities and held various positions in the banking sector. She is a graduate of the School of Business at the American University and holds a master's degree in finance and investment from Georgetown University and a mother of three daughters.

Magida El Roumi is one of the most renowned Lebanese and Arab artists and one of the few who have always been committed to conservative art, carefully selecting poems and melodies for poets and composers who have made her songs immortal since the release of her first song in 1975.

Magida sang in front of many kings and presidents her national songs and poetry poems in Lebanon and the world, which made her the ambassador of the Lebanese song carrying the title of "singer of intellectuals" to indicate the advancement of her art.

She was given many titles, as for the humanitarian level, she was got introduced to the steps taken by the ESCWA to reduce poverty among young people which led her to launch the campaign of the Hurt People Party.

Her art led her to receive a large number of high honors in Lebanon, France, Spain and Tunisia.

She was appointed FAO Goodwill Ambassador.

She is the daughter of the artist Halim Roumi, who grew up in an artistic family from Lebanon. She studied and graduated from the Lebanese University and a mother of two daughters.

He attained a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Beirut Arab University in 1972, and worked as Head of the Accounting Department at the Jordan Petroleum Refinery. Then he began his career in the service of the country and society. He was a member of parliament in Jordan then he held the position of the Minister of Municipal, Rural and Environmental Affairs, Minister Parliamentary Affairs, then a member of the Jordanian Senate many times till he held the position Deputy Prime Minister of Jordan and Minister of Local Administration.

Architect Hani Azer: holds the position of Advisor to the Egyptian Prime Minister for Transport and Tunnels. He is a member of the Egyptian Presidential Advisory Council for Scientists and Experts, a member of the Board of Trustees for Zewail City, a member of the Board of Trustees for King Salman University, and Honorary President of “Egypt Can” Foundation. In addition, he is a world-renowned tunnel expert and was the chief engineer of the Berlin Hauptbahnhof, the German capital's central station which was renovated after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Architect Basseem Al-Halabi received a Bachelor of Architecture from Beirut Arab University. He is a real estate executive with more than 30 years of experience in planning, design and development of residential complexes and mixed-use projects. He has served in both the public and private sectors, which gave him in-depth knowledge of real estate markets and government laws. He is the recipient of several international awards, and is currently the Chairman and CEO of Benchmark International.