Carlos Ghosn to coach
business leaders at USEK

Top managers from

Jaguar, Goldman Sachs will join

Carlos Ghosn, former CEO and Chairman of Nissan, who fled trial in Japan, is launching a business training program to help spark economic recovery in Lebanon.

He plans to coach business leaders, provide tech training, and create start-up jobs as part of a new tie-up with the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK), named ‘Moving Forward’. Ghosn was approached by the university shortly after his return to Lebanon late last year.

Ghosn said the initiative was not politically motivated but intended to support Lebanon “during this difficult period.” He said: “This is about creating jobs, employment and entrepreneurs to allow society to take its role in the reconstruction of the country.”

He will be joined in his supervisory role by international managers such as Jaguar and Land Rover Chief Executive Thierry Bollore and former Goldman Sachs Vice Chairman Ken Curtis, who have agreed to give pro bono courses.

The first of the courses, which is set to launch in March, will be available to 15 to 20 senior executives in Lebanon and the Middle East.

The second program focuses on providing technical training, in areas such as computer-aided design and artificial intelligence. The third action will be an incubator for start-ups, with a particular emphasis on environmental impact.

Ghosn is widely celebrated for turning around the fortunes of Japanese car manufacturer Nissan. “The role model is my experience, what I think are the basic needs of a top executive in a very competitive environment,” Ghosn said. “If you bring back trust, money will come,” he said. “You can have an excellent plan for Lebanon but if you don’t execute it you are not even at starting point.”