Neemat Frem

Neemat Georges Frem (Arabic: نعمة ج. افرام‎‎‎; born 10 September 1967) is a Lebanese politician, businessman and an incumbent Member of the Lebanese Parliament from Keserwan and Byblos constituency serving from May 2022.[2] He previously held the position under same constituency since 2018 but resigned shortly after the Beirut explosion, on 9 August 2020, as a protest against the corruption and the failure of the Lebanese political system that led to the financial collapse and the destruction of Beirut. He also served as the Chair of the National Economy, Trade, Industry & Planning Parliamentary Commission and as an active member in the Immigrants and Foreign Affairs Parliamentary Commission at the time.[3]

Neemat Frem
نعمة ج. افرام
Official portrait as a Lebanese MP
Born
Neemat Georges Frem

(1967-09-10) 10 September 1967
Jounieh, Keserwan, Lebanon
EducationElectrical Engineering
Alma materAmerican University of Beirut
Occupation(s)Engineer, businessman, politician, inventor
Political partyIndependent
SpouseZena Nakhle
Children4
Parent(s)Georges Frem (father)
Hayat El Khazen (mother)
Member of the Parliament of Lebanon from Mount Lebanon I
Assumed office
May 2022
In office
2018 – 2020 (resigned)
President of the Executive Board of “Project Watan”[1]
Assumed office
2021
Chairman and CEO of INDEVCO Group
Assumed office
2006
President of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists
In office
2010–2014
Websiteneematfrem.com

He is currently the president of the executive board of “Project Watan”, a national political movement that according to the group "aims to ensure the happiness and dignity of the Lebanese people and build a state of freedom, prosperity and sovereignty".[4]

Neemat Frem is also the chief executive of the multinational company INDEVCO Group, employing over 10,000 people worldwide. He is the founder and president of Phoenix Machinery and president of Phoenix Group. Frem is also former president of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists. He presided the Maronite Foundation in the World from 2016 to 2018.

Neemat Frem is the founder and Board Member of several associations promoting inter-religious (Christian-Islamic) dialogue. In 2013, he launched “Better Lebanon" initiative, a national, holistic, and visionary approach to propelling Lebanon’s economic, social and governance reforms. In 2019, the initiative was institutionalized as an NGO, which coordinates with other organizations and the Diaspora to provide sustainable development, humanitarian aid and social support.[5]

Early life and education

Neemat Frem was born on 10 September 1967 in Jounieh, Keserwan of Lebanon. He is the son of INDEVCO Group founder Georges Frem, a Lebanese politician who served as a minister in various cabinets over three periods, between 1982 and 2003.[6][7]

He completed school at Collège Saint Joseph – Antoura, and graduated from the American University of Beirut with a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering in 1991.[7] He then completed a postgraduate diploma on leadership and business from Harvard University Business School, Georgetown University Business School and Stanford University Business School.[5]

In July 2018, Frem received a Doctorate Honoris Causa from the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik.

Career

Business career

After graduating from the American University of Beirut (AUB) in 1991, Frem became Design and Project coordinator at INDEVCO Group, an international group of companies manufacturing corrugated, plastic and paper packaging, tissue, as well as household, institutional, and personal care disposables.

In 1994, he was appointed the General Manager of Unipak Tissue Mill.

In 1998, he founded and managed Phoenix Machinery, with a view to bridging the distance between the traditional activities of INDEVCO and the technology industry. Currently, the company is a provider of renewable energy and waste management services, as well as engineering products to the Middle East and North Africa. In response to the increasing demand during COVID-19 pandemic in Lebanon in 2020, the company started manufacturing ICU ventilators conforming to ISO 9001:2015, ISO 13485:2016, CE certificate: medical devices directive 93/42/EEC (21449), LIBNOR, FDA certificate in collaboration with AUH.[8]

During the economic crisis in Lebanon, intensified by the fuel shortage, Phoenix EV also provided the Lebanese with a fleet of electric cars

In 2000, Frem was appointed Managing Director for all INDEVCO Lebanon Operations until 2005 where he then became the Chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of INDEVCO Group.

Neemat Frem also served as the CEO of Interstate Resources, Inc. (IRI) in the US.


In 2017, he financed the launch of the Olive Grove, a new cluster of tech startups in Hamra, Beirut.[9]

Frem at Research and Strategic Studies Center of Lebanon.

Political career

In 2018, Frem announced his candidacy for the 2018 Lebanese General Election, running for the Maronite seat in the Keserwan and Byblos constituency. His campaign driver was “People First”. Following the general election held on 6 May 2018, he was officially announced as a winning candidate.

Frem served as the Chair of the Commission of the National Economy, Trade, Industry and Planning. He called for the restructuring of the Lebanese public administration in order to boost national productivity. He was the first deputy to inquire about the Lebanese administration’s recruitments figures.[10]

Frem presented a bill to the parliament to cancel old municipal payables under Sukleen and help face one of the biggest forms of endemic corruption in the country.

In late February 2020, Better Lebanon founded by Frem, prepared a master-plan to help equip Lebanon to respond to COVID-19 pandemic. They partnered with INDEVCO and Phoenix Machinery to manufacture state of-the-art ventilators and cost-efficient personal protective equipment meeting international standards.

In October 2020, as the Chair of the Commission of the National Economy, Trade, Industry and Planning Frem elaborated a 5-year plan to achieve a zero budget deficit to rescue Lebanon from the economic crisis and presented it to all concerned officials as a proposed framework for future government budgets and a major guideline for ministries, public institutions and administrations. Despite all the warnings of the commission, the public administration ignored all the corrective actions presented in this plan. Shortly after the Beirut explosion, on 9 August 2020, he announced his resignation from the parliament in protest against the corruption and the unproductivity of the Lebanese political system that led to the financial collapse and the destruction of Beirut.[11]

In July 2021, determined to face the total collapse of the Lebanese State and alleviate the dire economic situation wrecking the Lebanese’s daily lives, Frem – together with a group of other political figures – launched “Project Watan”, a national political movement.[12][13] According to the founders, “Project Watan” strives to shape a new creative identity for Lebanon through large-scale reforms and serious plans for political, social, cultural and economic development.

In 2022, Frem announced his candidacy for the 2022 Lebanese General Election, running for the Maronite seat in the Keserwan and Byblos constituency. His campaign driver was “Vote for Happiness”. Following the general election held on 15 May 2022, he was officially announced as a winning candidate.[14]

Other mandates
  • Member of Immigrants and Foreign Affairs Committee.
  • Founder and Board Member of a number of associations promoting inter-religious (Christian – Islamic) dialogue and civic society.
  • Founder and president of Phellipolis, the association that organizes the Jounieh International Festival[15][16]

References
  1. "Frem launches Project Watan: A political movement for freedom, mission & sovereignty". MTV Lebanon. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  2. "Lebanon's March 2022 Parliamentary Elections: A Chance for Change?". VOA. 18 December 2021. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
  3. "Neemat Frem passe la main en tant que président de la Fondation maronite dans le monde". L'Orient-Le Jour (in French). 2018-10-25. Retrieved 2019-01-18.
  4. "About CLFW- Bios". www.clfw.org. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
  5. "Q&A – Neemat Frem". Executive Magazine. 2011-08-03. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
  6. Badran, Faysal (2006-06-01). "Georges Frem". Executive Magazine. Retrieved 2022-10-03.
  7. "Building a quake-proof business" (PDF). Entrepreneur Levant. July 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  8. "Phoenix Machinery S.A.L". Association of Lebanese Industrialists. 2016-10-18. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  9. Derek Issacs (15 June 2017). "Start-up cluster to launch in Hamra". Businessnews.com.lb. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  10. "Lebanon: Aoun Signs Controversial Naturalization Decree". Asharq AL-awsat. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  11. "الوكالة الوطنية للإعلام - "Change is coming," vows Frem". ui.webname. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
  12. "Frem launches Project Watan: A political movement for freedom, mission & sovereignty". MTV Lebanon. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
  13. "Lebanon's March 2022 Parliamentary Elections: A Chance for Change?". VOA. 18 December 2021. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
  14. "Lebanon's opposition MPs now need to prove their victory not only symbolic". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
  15. "Jounieh Festival shows to go on despite political tensions". Ticketingboxoffice.com. 25 April 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  16. "Une inauguration 'a couper le souffle pour le festival international de Jounieh 2015". Facelookmag.com (in French). 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
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