Alumni network with business reps at annual cocktail reception

Over 200 alumni, HR executives of companies, and LAU officials gather for an informal meeting where they swap business cards and discuss career opportunities.

May 19, 2010

From left: LAU alumnus Samer Touma, recruitment, training and development manager from Farouk, Maamoun Tamer & Co; Ghada Majed, assistant director of Alumni Relations, and Abdallah Al Khal, director of Alumni Relations.

Aya Mir, career guidance officer in Beirut, praised the efforts of all the participants and organizers at the fourth annual Business Networking Cocktail Reception. "We are proud of our alumni whose excellent reputation … is attracting the most competitive institutions," she said.

Click on any photo above to view all five images.

LAU alumni networked with HR executives from about 80 high-profile companies during the fourth annual Business Networking Cocktail Reception, May 11 at Beirut’s Gefinor Rotana Hotel.

Co-organized by LAU’s Alumni Relations and Guidance offices, the event served as an informal venue for graduates to meet with company representatives, swap business cards and discuss job markets and career opportunities.

Most of the companies represented at the reception were also present during the career fairs at LAU’s Byblos and Beirut campuses on May 10 and 12, respectively.

“The reception was partly held to thank them for participating in our career fairs,” says Abdallah Al Khal, director of the Alumni Relations Office.

“Many of our graduates got job offers during this reception although it’s not meant to be a recruitment event,” Al Khal adds.

Vahe Bernardi, senior project manager at Al Jaber Energy Services, was one of the many company representatives who used the cocktail gathering as an occasion to scout for potential recruits.

“We are looking to encourage fresh graduates in engineering, both civil and mechanical, to come and join us,” he said.

Khaled Chehab, a 1995 LAU computer science graduate who later earned an M.B.A. from the University of Bradford in the U.K., took advantage of the event to meet employers after being forced to leave his work in Dubai due to the financial crisis.

“This is the first time I attend [the reception], and it’s very promising,” Chehab said. “I am planning to stay here [in Lebanon] and hopefully revamp my career.”

LAU President Dr. Joseph Jabbra addressed the crowd where he spoke about recent LAU achievements, while assuring company reps that they can be confident when hiring LAU graduates.

The recruitment, training and development manager of Farouk, Maamoun Tamer & Co, Samer Touma, an LAU alumnus, spoke about how the Guidance Office helped him get recruited as a fresh grad and how now he, in turn, has the pleasure of recruiting LAU graduates.

Rana Sakr, career guidance officer on the Byblos campus, said, “This event is a great way to show some of our appreciation to the companies who have been supporting our students and graduates over the years.”

“It’s a very joyful event,” said Dr. Tarek Na’was, Dean of Students at LAU Beirut. “It’s a chance not only to see the old alumni and the companies that we cooperate with, but it’s a very nice thing to see everybody so happy, meeting each other and communicating freely. … It’s becoming more successful every year.”

Find stories by date

Subscribe to the RSS feed

Alumni network with business reps at annual cocktail reception

More

Latest Stories