In the presence of His Excellency Mr. Ali Karanouh, Ambassador of Lebanon to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Construction, Engineering & Contracting Committee of the Lebanese Executives Council brought members and sector professionals together for an evening built around one question: what does it take to build for the future?

Dr. Maher Kahil, Head of the Committee, opened the evening, and Youmna Naufal, Communications Director at APCO, moderated our panel “Building for the Future: Value, Safety and Intelligence in the Built Environment” — three vantage points on the same question:

Dr. Fahad Saud Allahaim, Chairman of the Technical Committee of the Residential Building Code (SBCC), on the Saudi Building Code and the economics of construction investment.

Elie Khairallah, Group Geotechnical Manager at ACTS, on why quality and safety must outlast every schedule.

Maan Ghannam, CEO of Keyara Solutions, on connected buildings in the AI era.

The evening also carried a proud moment for Lebanon: the screening of President Joseph Aoun’s announcement that Lebanon would apply to join the Digital Cooperation Organization — an accession the DCO Council approved on 28 August, on a journey that began at our June 2025 conference in Beirut.

To His Excellency the Ambassador, our panelists, our moderator, and every member and guest who joined us: thank you for an evening that lived up to its title.