Raghida Dergham is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Beirut Institute and Columnist for The National. She served as Columnist, Senior Diplomatic Correspondent, and NY Bureau Chief for the London-based Al-Hayat for 28 years. She has contributed to Al Joumhouria, Huffington Post, Arab News, Al Arabiya English, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Newsweek. She was a political analyst for NBC, MSNBC, and LBC for eight years as well as a contributing editor for Global Viewpoint produced for the Los Angeles Times Syndicate. Since founding Beirut Institute, she has partnered with remarkable board members, global think tanks, exceptional staff, and with host governments of the Beirut Institute Summit such as the United Arab Emirates. Such partnering has allowed her to lead an organization since its inception till it became a highly respected global brand recognized by other think tanks all over the world. She was named one of the 100 Most Powerful Arab Women in 2011 and in 2016, and in 2017 she was named "Arab Woman of the Year" for her achievements in Journalism. In 2018, she was named one of the 50 Most Influential Women in the Arab World, and was also honored by Forbes Middle East in Lebanon as one of the most influential people that are supporting the growth of the country’s economy.