Our Founders
Dr. Lina Daouk-Öyry
Dr. Lina Daouk-Öyry is a distinguished scholar and practitioner with a proven track record of bridging the gap between academia and the business world. As an Associate Professor of Organizational Psychology at BI Norweigan business school with a PhD in Psychometrics, she brings a unique combination and skill-set of excellence in teaching, theoretical expertise, and practical experience to her work.
Dr. Daouk-Öyry’s research focuses on the intersection of people, management, organization, and society. Her approach is inter-disciplinary and translational, drawing insights from various fields to create actionable solutions for businesses striving to optimize performance and enhance employee engagement. As a consultant, Dr. Daouk-Öyry has served corporate clients across the Arab MENA region with lasting impact in sectors including healthcare, banking, and telecommunications with a specialization in leadership.
Dr. Daouk-Öyry has actively promoted women’s empowerment and workplace inclusion across the Middle East. Her contributions to the Women in Data Science (WiDS) initiative have been instrumental in advancing women’s participation in this dynamic field. Currently, Dr. Daouk-Öyry serves as co-Principal Investigator (co-PI) on the SAWI Project, a multi-million USD initiative funded by the U.S. Department of State Middle East Partnership Initiative. This groundbreaking project aims to empower employers in eight Middle Eastern countries to adopt more inclusive workplace cultures and HR systems. Her commitment to impactful research has been recognized with multiple awards, including the 2020 Distinguished Scholar Award from the Arab Fund for Social and Economic Development.
Dr. Lina Daouk-Öyry has been an educator for over 15 years designing undergraduate and graduate university courses, executive education, and mentorship programs in several countries notably: Lebanon, Kuwait, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, China, Norway, Finland, and the United Kingdom. She is also a widely published academic in journals such as Journal of Personality Assessment, British Journal of Management, Journal of Nursing Management, and Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Dr. Carmen Geha
Dr. Carmen Geha is a seasoned academic and practitioner with a proven track record of impactful work in the areas of public policy, workplace inclusion, strategic communication, and leadership development. She is the Managing Director of Soltara Consulting.
She holds a PhD in International Relations from the University of St. Andrews, and has been a Visiting Scholar at Harvard University, Brown University, Institute for Advanced Study, and the University of Witswatersrand in Johannesburg. Dr. Geha’s research focuses on the nexus of public administration, institutional reform, and civic engagement. She has immense experience in higher education with hands-on consulting experience advising and training business associations, regional organizations, international agencies, government institutions, and civil society organizations.
Dr. Geha has received prestigious academic awards including the Fulbright Award from the United States and the Maria Zambrano award for international scholarly talent in Spain. Her research trajectory has been granted $11 million in research funding from various prestigious funding agencies including the Norwegian Research Council, European Commission, and the Middle East Partnership Initiative at the US Department as state; with her serving as Principal and Co-Principal investigator.
Dr. Geha was an Associate Professor of Public Administration at the American University of Beirut, and co-founder of the Center for Inclusive Business and Leadership at the Olayan School of Business. She is currently a lecturer in Gender and Globalization at the Barcelona Institute for International Affairs, and a lecturer in Migration Studies at Pompeu Fabra University, where she resides in Barcelona.
Dr. Geha has taught in higher education for 12 years and successfully designed and implemented executive education training for senior executives across the Arab region. Her research on public policy institutions and civil society has been widely published including in the Journal of Middle Esat Law and Governance, Journal of Women, Politics, and Policy, Middle East Journal, British Journal for Middle East Studies, and the Journal of Refugee Studies.