Program Designers, Facilitators, Collaborators

A team of 20+ experienced professionals are contributing to the design and delivery of Bridges to New Horizons: Integral Projects Leadership – Lebanon (IPL-L). They offer a blend of insight and actionable strategies gained from facilitation and implementation of initiatives around the world. Program Co-Leader Patricia Shafer is a Rotary Peace Fellow and Founder of NewGen Peacebuilders. Co-Leader Marc Padberg is a former Middle East Hub Leader with McKinsey & Co.

Program Co-Leaders

  • Patricia Shafer is co-leader of the Bridges to New Horizons initiative and Executive Director of NewGen Peacebuilders/Youth & Peace in Action, an international nonprofit that educates, trains, and certifies a new generation of peacebuilders. She is a Senior Fellow for Peace Education at the Alliance for Peacebuilding, a global, award-winning network of more than 200 member organizations in 181 countries. Patricia’s accomplishments include change management and corporate affairs leadership roles in two global Fortune 100 companies. She is known for her strategic vision and skills in scaling community-based social responsibility and social enterprise projects in geographies affected by conflict. Her upcoming book to be released in 2026, titled Accelerating Peace, will share her analysis – based on experiences in 18 countries – of action-based approaches for integral peace leadership projects. Patricia holds an MSc in Consulting and Coaching for Change, a joint venture of Oxford University, UK, and HEC Paris, and an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University. She is a Rotary Peace Fellow and Global Ambassador for Institute for Economics & Peace.

  • Marc Padberg is co-leader of the Bridges to New Horizons initiative and a highly skilled coach and facilitator with experience gained on six continents. Marc specializes in providing deep leadership development experiences to support trauma-informed conflict resolution and systems transformation. He creates experiences that support connection and healing between groups, organizations, and communities. As founder of the organization and related methodologies for Deep Dialogues, he is an agile guide of multi-stakeholder processes that involve resonant listening, courageous conversations, and developing intergroup coherence. Previously, Marc was a co-founder of Aberkyn, a leadership consulting organization that is now part of global consulting firm McKinsey & Company, where he also served as Middle East Hub Leader and McKinsey Associate Partner. Before that he was a strategy consultant at The Boston Consulting Group and held leadership roles at Fortune 500 company DSM-Firmenich. His experience coaching more than 40 CEOs, 100 senior executives, and 50 top teams on high-performance strategies, conscious leadership, and human-centered interventions brings a unique process-driven approach to both profit and non-profit spaces. He holds an MS in Business Administration from Groningen University and numerous globally-recognized certifications in negotiation, transformational facilitation, and trauma healing.

  • Dr. Jimmie West is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP®) with experience across telecommunications, aerospace, manufacturing, and government in 38 countries. A specialist in strategic paradigm shifts, Jimmie has delivered professional development to 5,000 individuals and served in advanced project management academic roles at Shepherd University, George Washington University, and the University of Maryland. He has authored and contributed to scholarly works on how to achieve human-centered project management with measurable impact.

  • Hesham El Gamal is a human development coach with experience in engineering and business development. He supports senior and emerging leaders to unlock personal potential and drive organizational change and cultural transformation. Hesham serves as Chairman of Quest for Human Development, advisor to McKinsey & Company, and a Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) facilitator. He is known for blending research-based approaches with creative play for adult learning. His certifications include LEGO Serious Play. He holds a BSc in Chemical Engineering from Cairo University and an Executive MBA from Rennes School of Business in France.

  • Rawan Albina is a leadership development professional who specializes in values-based coaching and consulting in trauma-sensitive and conflict-affected contexts. Her successive roles include Director of the Leadership Academy at The Chalhoub Group; Expert Associate Partner for the Middle East at McKinsey & Company; a consultant with Mobius Executive Leadership. As founder of LEAP CONSULTANCY FZE, Rawan coached over 250 clients from 90 nationalities. She is certified in multiple leadership assessment tools and experienced with their use in diverse cultural contexts. Rawan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business & Economics from Haigazian University.

  • James Ruberg is a global executive coach and senior adviser to NewGen Peacebuilders who blends research-driven methods with practical experience to support personal, organizational, and systemic growth and change. His career spans Fortune 100s, SMEs, and nonprofits on six continents. James is a Lead Dynamic Ownership Coach for global corporation Bayer Crop Science. He has held management and leadership roles at Bank of America, KPMG, and TIAA-CREF and served as a Senior Advisor to McKinsey & Company. His MBA concentration is in Organizational Development, and he is certified in multiple personal and organizational values assessment instruments.

  • Rony Zgheib is a Senior Project Lead at Transparency International – Lebanon and a social impact-driven consultant in program management and institutional development. With a multi-disciplinary education and career background, Rony takes an integral approach to transparency, anti-corruption, conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and humanitarian development. He holds a Master’s Degree in Architecture from Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) and is certified in Agile technologies. Rony has a deep commitment to socially and environmentally responsible project design and implementation.

  • Auke van Nimwegen is co-founder of Value Match and The Art of Leadership, as well as an expert consultant in Spiral Dynamics, a framework used in the Bridges to New Horizons – Lebanon initiative. He has held computer engineering and global ICT leadership roles and worked on a global scale with Microsoft, Impact Benelux, and companies spanning banking, telecom, pharma, and utilities. He expertly blends quantitative and qualitative approaches to community, corporate, and country-level change.

During the development of Bridges to New Horizons: Integral Projects Leadership – Lebanon, leaders within the International Coaching Federation (ICF) – Lebanon Chapter and the Project Management Institute (PMI) – Lebanon Chapter have provided collaborative counsel. The skill sets of their members will come into play for the personal and project coaching aspects of the program.

  • Paul Awkar is a passionate project management specialist (PMP® and ACP® certified) with 19 years of experience in the telecom and ICT sectors across the MENA and Asia regions. He’s known for leading multidisciplinary teams and delivering value through strategic consulting, digital transformation, and cross-functional project execution. Paul holds a leadership role within the PMI – Lebanon Chapter, including driving youth outreach and member engagement. He holds an Executive MBA from ESA and a Master’s Degree in Computer and Telecommunication Engineering from Antonine University.

  • Riam Chazbeck is a consultant with 14 years of experience in project management, PMO, and strategic policy, currently supporting KPMG on a Dubai Municipality project and serving in a leadership capacity with PMI – Lebanon Chapter. She has led PMOs at EY, contributed to national strategies at WFP UN, and managed construction projects at Loft. She holds a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering, PMP® certification, and a Bachelors in Mechatronics from the American University in Beirut. She is also a speaker and co-author of the “Artificial Intelligence and Project Management” report.

  • Doris Saouma is an experienced coach who has partnered with leaders and teams in Lebanon, MENA, Europe, and the US. She holds a leadership position in the ICF – Lebanon Chapter. Doris is certified in multiple globally recognized coaching instruments, including Spiral Dynamics, a framework used in the Bridges to New Horizons – Lebanon initiative. Doris has positively influenced workplace culture in the for-profit, non-profit, and public sectors. She holds a Master’s Degree in Finance from New York University and a Bachelor’s in Business from the American University of Beirut.