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قادة سوريون حول العالم

The permanent
record of Syrians
who changed things.

Syrian Global Leaders is an editorial publication. Not a directory. Not a community page. A selective, permanent record of Syrians of consequence worldwide.

10+ Profiles on record
12+ Cities represented
7+ Sectors documented
7.2% Avg engagement rate
24/30 Minimum vetting score
Mo Kowatly - Microsoft Canada, Toronto Dr. Louna Al Hallak - Stanton University, California Ruba Hachim - Microsoft Commercial Cloud EMEA, Dubai Farrah Koudsi - Founder, 7Sparx Majd Abbar - Microsoft Middle East Dr. Maher Hakim - CMU Silicon Valley Noor Sweid - Global Ventures, $300M AUM Rama Chakaki - $60M, 11 Data Centers Dr. Souhel Najjar - Neurology, Damascus confirmed Dr. Rola Hallam - First Syrian TED Fellow, CanDo Mo Kowatly - Microsoft Canada, Toronto Dr. Louna Al Hallak - Stanton University, California Ruba Hachim - Microsoft Commercial Cloud EMEA, Dubai Farrah Koudsi - Founder, 7Sparx Majd Abbar - Microsoft Middle East Dr. Maher Hakim - CMU Silicon Valley Noor Sweid - Global Ventures, $300M AUM Rama Chakaki - $60M, 11 Data Centers Dr. Souhel Najjar - Neurology, Damascus confirmed Dr. Rola Hallam - First Syrian TED Fellow, CanDo

What this is

Syrian professionals are running departments, founding companies, and publishing research at the top of their fields. Most people just haven't been paying attention.

Syrian Global Leaders exists to fix that. Not through celebration. Not through a list. Through a permanent editorial record - the kind that lasts, that can be cited, that documents contribution at the level it deserves.

Every profile on this record passed a 30-point vetting process. Every name earned its place. That standard is the only thing that makes the record worth reading.

ما الذي نبنيه هنا

قادة سوريون حول العالم ليست قائمة، وليست منصة تواصل. هي سجل تحريري دائم يوثّق أثر السوريين في مجالاتهم - بمعايير صارمة، وبصوت واضح.

كل اسم في هذا السجل اجتاز معيار التحقق. هذا ما يجعل السجل يستحق القراءة.

Three pillars

01
Core Profiles

The permanent editorial record. Two per week. Minimum 24/30 vetting score required. No exceptions.

02
Founder's POV

Bassel ALHALABI's first-person analysis. Weekly. No spin. No positioning. What he actually thinks.

03
Lightweight

Sector questions, field reports, contrasts, and geography. Context for the record.

The Record

Profiles on record

Read all profiles on LinkedIn →

Tier A ▪ Technology

Mo Kowatly

Enterprise Technology Leader
Microsoft Canada

Built and scaled enterprise operations across Canada from a base in Toronto. Part of the founding cohort.

Toronto, Canada

Tier A ▪ Technology

Ruba Hachim

Chief of Staff, Microsoft Commercial Cloud EMEA

One of the most senior operational roles in Microsoft's EMEA structure. 176 reactions - highest Core on record.

Dubai, UAE

Tier A ▪ Entrepreneurship

Farrah Koudsi

Founder & CEO, 7Sparx

Built 7Sparx from a founding idea into a recognized technology brand. A precise example of what Syrian founders are building globally.

Global

Tier A ▪ Technology

Majd Abbar

Regional Director, Customer Success
Microsoft Middle East

Drives customer success strategy across one of Microsoft's most complex emerging-market regions.

Middle East

Tier A ▪ Medicine / Humanitarian

Dr. Rola Hallam

Founder, CanDo - First Syrian TED Fellow

7 hospitals built inside Syria. 4 million people reached. The first Syrian to hold a TED Fellowship. Score: 30/30 - perfect.

London, UK

Tier A ▪ Medicine

Dr. Souhel Najjar

Neurologist - Brain on Fire case, Damascus confirmed

The treating neurologist behind one of the most documented autoimmune encephalitis cases in modern medicine. Score: 27/30.

New York, USA

Tier B ▪ Entrepreneurship

Rama Chakaki

Technology Entrepreneur

$60M raised. 11 data centers built. A founder who built infrastructure, not just product.

USA

Tier B ▪ Academia / Entrepreneurship

Dr. Maher Hakim

CMU Silicon Valley

At the intersection of entrepreneurship education and applied technology research. Building the next generation at CMU's Silicon Valley campus.

San Francisco, USA
Follow on LinkedIn for every new profile →

Sectors

Where Syrians are building

Technology

4 profiles on record

Medicine

3 profiles on record

Entrepreneurship

3 profiles on record

Venture Capital

1 profile on record

Finance

Accepting vetted candidates

Energy

Accepting vetted candidates

Humanitarian

1 profile on record

Architecture

Reconstruction pipeline

Founder's Note

There is no shortage of Syrians doing serious work. There is a shortage of people documenting it at the level it deserves.

This record exists because serious work deserves serious documentation. Not a LinkedIn post that disappears in 48 hours. Not a press release from an organization with an agenda. An editorial record - vetted, permanent, built on evidence.

Every week, I write from one angle: what this tells us about what Syrians are actually capable of when the world pays attention. The Argument. The Pattern. The Moment. Three lenses, rotating. All first person. No spin.

The standard is 24 out of 30. If a candidate doesn't clear it, they don't get in. Not because I doubt their work - because a record is only worth what you keep out of it.

Bassel ALHALABI

Founder, Syrian Global Leaders

Recent POV editions

May 31, 2026

The Moment - when a single data point reframes everything you thought you knew about Syrian talent

The Moment ▪ Rotation 3

May 24, 2026

The pattern is there if you know where to look - and it starts in Damascus

The Pattern ▪ Rotation 2 ▪ 172 reactions

May 18, 2026

The argument for a record: why naming names matters more than building platforms

The Argument ▪ Rotation 1

Read all editions →

Geography

The record spans 12+ cities

Dubai

UAE

Toronto

Canada

London

United Kingdom

New York

USA

San Francisco

USA

Doha

Qatar

Berlin

Germany

Riyadh

Saudi Arabia

Stockholm

Sweden

Amsterdam

Netherlands

Paris

France

Growing

Every week

The standard

What it takes to be on this record

Syrian Global Leaders does not accept submissions. SGL does not invite candidates. SGL does not run profiles in exchange for promotion or partnership.

Every candidate is independently researched across five layers: identity verification, documented outcomes, regulatory roles, political risk, and diaspora activity. The vetting score runs from 0 to 30 across six dimensions. A PASS requires 24 or above. Below that, the candidate does not get in, regardless of name recognition or public profile.

This is not a bar we lower when the pipeline is thin. A missed week is recoverable. A weak profile on the record is permanent.

01

Impact

Documented, verifiable contribution to their field. Not potential. Not promise. What they built, ran, treated, funded, or published.

02

Permanence

Does the contribution outlast the role? A company that still operates. A paper that still gets cited. A policy that changed practice.

03

Relevance

Does this belong in a record of Syrians of consequence worldwide? Not every high achiever belongs here. Context matters.

04

Record Worthiness

Would a serious journalist or historian include this profile in a 20-year retrospective on Syrian contributions? If yes, it qualifies.

05

Evidence Strength

Can the claims be verified through primary sources? Weak or unverifiable evidence lowers the score regardless of how impressive the claim sounds.

06

Bridge Value

Does this profile create a meaningful connection between the Syrian diaspora and the wider world this publication is trying to reach?

The no-exceptions rule

No profile runs in exchange for promotion. No profile runs for a subject who wants to use SGL as a platform. No sponsor can attach their name to a specific profile. If a featured subject objects to accurate editorial content, SGL verifies the facts - it does not pull the record. If the pipeline runs thin, SGL posts silence. That standard is not negotiable. It is the only thing that makes this record worth reading.

Follow the record as it builds

Every Monday and Wednesday, a new profile. Every Sunday, the Founder's POV. Every Tuesday, a sector question. Live on LinkedIn.