Governance
We are committed to transparent governance in everything that we do. Caram’s strategy and finances are led by a Management Board, a Supervisory Board and a Statutory Auditor. The Management Board meets regularly and decisions are taken through voting and by majority vote. Posts on the various governance bodies are set at two-year terms. The governance bodies have a member limit of ten people, and applications for new members are available every two years.
Management Board
BASSEMA JAMALEDINE
PRESIDENT
Bassema has a background in engineering, holds an MBA and a CFA charter, and built a long career in corporate banking, including senior leadership roles. She continues to work today in finance and consulting. Originally from Lebanon, she moved to Portugal five years ago and is now a Portuguese citizen. She holds a strong belief in the power of helping others — a conviction that led her to take on the Presidency of the Board, dedicating herself with the board members to building a united, integrated Lebanese community in Portugal, while keeping alive the connection to those most in need in Lebanon.
Faek abilama
Vice-President in charge of PR & External Relations
Faek is an architect and project manager with experience in projects of different scales. Having worked across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, Faek has honed his ability to adapt to diverse client needs and regional specificities. Building and maintaining strong relationships has been a cornerstone of his approach.
Mayssa Nasr
Vice-President in charge of Events
Mayssa holds an MBA and brings nearly 20 years of experience in marketing, business strategy, and leadership, having worked with international companies such as L’Oréal and Mars and today advising businesses as a marketing consultant and fractional CMO. She is also a certified life coach, a published author, and founder of Unlearn to Grow, an initiative focused on personal and professional growth.
Originally from Lebanon and also holder of the French citizenship, Mayssa has been living in Portugal with her family since 2023. Deeply connected to her Lebanese roots, she strongly believes in the power of community, connection, and giving back. As a member of the Board, she is committed to strengthening and bringing together the Lebanese community in Portugal, while maintaining a meaningful connection with Lebanon and supporting those most in need.
Haifa Najjar
Vice President in charge of Communication and Member Engagement
Haifa holds a degree in Business Administration and brings 17 years of cross-sector experience in social enterprise strategy, organizational development, and communications across Lebanon and the MENA region, having worked with organizations such as Alfanar Venture Philanthropy, Thomson Reuters, and Holdal Group, and today advising nonprofits and businesses as an independent consultant. She is a recognized Top 4 SDG Pioneer by the Global Compact Network Lebanon.
Originally from Beirut, Lebanon, Haifa has been based in Lisbon, Portugal, since relocating. Deeply connected to her Lebanese roots, she believes in the power of community and giving back, and stays actively engaged with Lebanon's social enterprise ecosystem while building new connections in Portugal.
Jean Dahdah
Vice President in charge of Finance
Jean brings more than 20 years of international experience in banking and finance, with senior responsibilities across treasury, capital markets, risk management, audit and financial governance. Throughout his career, he has worked across Europe and the Middle East, gaining broad exposure to different business, regulatory and cultural environments.
His experience includes financial management, internal controls, risk oversight, investment and audit governance, as well as working closely with regulators, auditors and senior management. At Caram, Jean oversees financial matters and contributes to the Board’s strategic and governance responsibilities, with a focus on transparency, financial sustainability and ensuring that resources are effectively directed toward the organisation’s community and charitable initiatives.
Ezzat Ellaz
Alternate Board Member
Ezzat is the founder of Garçon – Hospitality Services and a Food & Beverage entrepreneur with over 17 years of experience spanning the Middle East and Europe. He holds a BBA in Hospitality Management from Glion Hotel School in Switzerland and an MBA in International Marketing from the European University in Germany. He built his early career creating and launching restaurant concepts in Beirut, Dubai, and Saudi Arabia before settling in Lisbon. In 2016 he founded Muito BEY, the restaurant that helped pioneer modern Lebanese cuisine in the city, and since 2021 he has focused on F&B consulting, supporting the successful opening of 11 restaurants across Lisbon and Porto.
At Caram, Ezzat connects the board and its members with Portugal's hospitality sector — facilitating partnerships with restaurants, hotels, and venues, and helping bring the community together around a good table.
General Assembly
LEmy Gresh
Co-Founder & GA Chairman
After 45 years in Investment Banking and Asset Management, Lemy is now semi-retired. He is involved in charitable activities aiming to provide education and healthcare to Lebanese in Lebanon. He is chairman of the board of trustees of LIFE Generation and a trustee of Impact Charity Lebanon, both charities granting scholarships for higher education to underprivileged Lebanese youth. Lemy believes that united, the Lebanese diaspora can achieve enormous accomplishments while having fun as a community.
Maha Mouchantaf
GA Vice Chairman
Joining Caram Portugal was a natural extension of Maha’s values and aspirations. In her professional life, she is involved in various projects in the field of education and has particular expertise in gender equality and women's leadership. These are very useful assets for the development of some of Caram’s charity activities, but also for its organization in general.
Francisco Granja de Almeida
Vice Chairman & General Council
Francisco is a lawyer, with a specialization in human rights. He holds an LLM in Public International Law and it was in the course of his studies that he established the first contact with the role of multinational corporations in the protection of internationally recognized human rights. Professionally, he was an associate lawyer at VdA — Vieira de Almeida in the Social Economy & Human Rights team, and he is currently a Legal Counsel & Human Rights specialist at Galp.
Sole Auditor
Fouad Hashem
Sole Auditor
Fouad is an adjunct professor of finance at Nova School of Business and Economics. His experience includes working for several major financial institutions all over the world. Fouad is also a part-time director for a small technology company and is often developing new projects. His latest venture involves assisting a Swiss charity focused on helping connect young people from disadvantaged backgrounds via football.