Dear ABANA Members and Friends,
As we close out 2025, I want to begin with a note of gratitude. This has been a year of transition and renewed momentum for our community. Above all, we are fortunate to have Mohannad Aama step in as ABANA’s new President. Since joining in April, he has brought deep market experience and a strong commitment to our mission. His leadership is already strengthening ABANA, and I know you will join me in supporting him in the years ahead.
This was also a standout year for our programming. In October, we gathered for the 2025 ABANA Achievement Award Dinner honoring Dina Powell McCormick for her remarkable leadership and her work advancing ties between the U.S. and the MENA region. We were especially honored to host His Excellency Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak and Larry Fink for a thoughtful dialogue on global markets and geopolitics, a testament to the reach and credibility of the ABANA network. Our thanks go to our gala co-chairs and generous sponsors who made the evening, and our broader mission, possible.
Beyond the gala, ABANA continued to convene timely and distinctive conversations throughout the year. Our CEO Series featured leaders such as Rania Succar and Mark Benedetti, and earlier this year we partnered with Christie’s for a special program exploring global art markets and collecting, bringing together members around culture, capital, and cross-border exchange. Programs such as Current Trends in AI in the Arab World (with Viaka) and Banking on Stability: Rebuilding Global Financial Bridges to a Post-Crisis Syria (with Clifford Chance) further reflected ABANA at its best—tackling issues that matter for the region’s future with real-world expertise.
2025 also marked meaningful progress for the ABANA Foundation. The Foundation expanded its impact through the John Mack ABANA Fellowship, welcoming an exceptional new cohort from leading business schools and hosting the 2025 Fellowship Summit in New York. We are deeply grateful to the Mack family, our donors, and all of you who support this work and help build a sustainable platform for mentorship and opportunity.
As we look ahead to 2026, we remain committed to building on this momentum—deepening our programming, investing in the next generation, and strengthening the bridges that connect our community across geographies and generations.
On behalf of the ABANA Board, thank you for being part of this journey. I wish you and your families a healthy, peaceful, and prosperous New Year.
With gratitude,
Lotfi Karoui
Chair, ABANA and the ABANA Foundation
