Joint Press Release: The AACI and Tomorrow’s Advice

PRESS RELEASE

Tempe, May 18, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The American Anti-Corruption Institute (AACI) and Tomorrow’s Advice s.a.r.l, the Exclusive Strategic Partner of The AACI in Lebanon and Kuwait, achieved unprecedented anti-corruption professional results in Lebanon during a relatively short time. During less than 45 days, TA empowered more than 30 Lebanese individuals of diversified professional and experience backgrounds, to become qualified as Certified Anti-Corruption Manager (CACM), the global premier anti-corruption management credential. CACMs in Lebanon include judges, bankers, lawyers, Certified Public Accountants (CPAs), engineers, politicians, Sr. Public officials (general manager), journalists, university professors, civil society activists, and.businessmen and women.

Led by Ms. Gina J. Chammas, the Sr. Advisor of The AACI in the MENA region and the founder of Tomorrow’s Advice (TA), The AACI and TA accomplished the following:

1- Attended by 27 delegates at Alyarz Leisure Club Beirut – Lebanon, The AACI conducted an Intensive 5 Days CACM Review Course and Exam, during March 23-27, 2019. Twenty-five participants passed the CACM exam so far.

2- Attended by 14 delegates at Alyarz Leisure Club Beirut – Lebanon, The AACI conducted an Intensive 5 Days CACM Review Course and Exam, during May 1-5, 2019. Ten participants passed the CACM exam so far.

While 62% of the delegates passed in March, 71% of the delegates passed on May 5, 2019.

3- On May 14, 2019, The American Anti-Corruption Institute (AACI) and Tomorrow’s Advice s.a.r.l., prepared “Notes on the Lebanese Draft National Strategy for Combating Corruption and Its Executive Outline 2018-2023” and conducted a workshop in Beirut – Lebanon to discuss and analyze the Lebanese Draft National Strategy for Combating Corruption and Its Executive Outline 2018-2023.

The attendance of the seminar was restricted to the Lebanese members of The AACI who are qualified as Certified Anti-Corruption Manager (CACM). Attended by more than 20 CACMs, Ms. Gina Chammas and Mr. Mike Masoud, Sr. Director of The AACI in the Middle East and Africa, led this unique workshop. The CACMs and the seminar instructors discussed and analyzed the draft strategy based on the CACM Review Textbook and the body of knowledge the CACMs obtained when they attended the CACM Review Course and Exam earlier in March and May of this year.

4- On May 17, 2019, the TA celebrated the achievements above at Alyarz Leisure Club accompanied by Mr. Mike Masoud and Mr. Talal Makdessi, the President of The Makdessi Foundation. While Ms. Chammas thanked the participants who were brave and up to the level of the challenge, she saluted the certified public accountants who became Certified Anti-Corruption Managers raising the bar for the profession and the role of the CPAs in Lebanon.

Mr. Masoud was forward in commending Lebanese professionals for the unprecedented success in the region and reiterated the commitment of The AACI to providing knowledge and tools to prevent and deter corruption as well as spreading the concept of Integrity in global communities seeking change. Mr. Makdessi congratulated the participants as well as Tomorrow’s Advice and The AACI for this historical breakthrough and noting the gender balance among CACMs. After the speeches, the Certified Anti-Corruption Manager (CACM) certificates and the CACM Review Course certificates of attendance were distributed.

The ceremony ended with an unusual move by Mr. Mike Masoud who delivered The AACI’s Abraham Lincoln Excellence Award honoring Ms. Gina J. Chammas and TA for the exceptional anti-corruption professional achievements described above and awarded her The AACI’s Abraham Lincoln Excellence Award. It is the first time The AACI provides this award in the Middle East and Africa.

The AACI also awarded two CACMs by The AACI’s Abraham Lincoln Excellence Award: Mr. Abdul Karim Jrab, a certified public accountant who scored 95% in the CACM exam on May 5, 2019: the highest score in the CACM session of May 2019 in Lebanon and Mr. Rabih Choueiry, IT expert who scored 94% on March 27, 2019: the highest CACM score in March session of the CACM exam in Lebanon.

On May 18, The AACI and TA discussed and agreed on the long-term strategy of their professional cooperation in Lebanon and Kuwait. Accordingly, TA launched the Youth Initiative, the University Initiative, and the Reward Initiative in Lebanon to be implemented on an annual basis starting 2019-2020.

Tomorrow’s Advice s.a.r.l. P.O. Box 40144 Baabda, Beirut, Lebanon; tel/fax +961 1 495 415/425; +961 70 199 277; mobile: +961 3 509 000; email: Chammas28@gmail.com