The University of Balamand (UOB) would like to congratulate the Faculty of Business and Management (FOBM) students for winning the first prize in AUB's IBDAA 2024 competition (Business Planning and Recovery category) on the 25th of April 2025.

Competing against 10 other universities, the UOB winning team (Francois Maarkach, Anthony Mouawad, Omar Mohsen, and Ali Merei), supervised by Dr. Mariam Shebaya, excelled in the Business Planning and Recovery category with their Rainwater Harvesting and Filtration solution. They developed innovative strategies to tackle Lebanon's diverse water-related issues, including a detailed strategic analysis and implementation plan for their solution.

Eight undergraduate and three graduate teams from FOBM collaborated on projects addressing Lebanon's water challenges as part of their courses in Strategic Management (BUSN230) and Business Strategy (MGMT550). Their efforts resulted in innovative solutions, strategic analyses, and comprehensive plans.

IBDAA competition annually organized by AUB's Nature Conservation Center (NCC), is an annual nationwide poster forum and student competition that focuses on environmental issues in Lebanon and fosters innovative approaches to biodiversity and environmental challenges. This year’s theme focused on Water issues.

Dr. Karim Rebeiz, Dean of the Faculty of Business and Management, praised the students’ achievement, focusing on their depth of knowledge, understanding, and innovative ideas. He added: “The faculty is incredibly proud of the successful team for bringing recognition to UOB in a challenging competitive environment.”











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