VZCZCXYZ0009
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTU #0880/01 3341604
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 301604Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY TUNIS
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7036

UNCLAS TUNIS 000880 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR S/P (BEHRMAN), NEA/MAG 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON EAID PREL SOCI TS
SUBJECT: TUNISIAN NOMINEES FOR PRESIDENTIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP SUMMIT 
 
REF: STATE 112468 
 
¶1. (U) Attached is Embassy Tunis' submission of ten nominees to 
attend the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship in Washington 
(reftel).  The list includes already-established entrepreneurs, 
members of entrepreneurship and student organizations, women 
entrepreneurs, and candidates from the private equity/banking 
sectors.  Together they represent a cadre of individuals who could 
be active, value-added participants in the summit and would spread 
the knowledge gleaned from their participation throughout their 
various networks in Tunisia. 
 
------------ 
Summary List 
------------ 
 
¶1. Mr. Slim Ben Ammar (Center for Young Entrepreneurs) 
¶2. Ms. Douja Ben Mahmoud Gharbi (National Chamber of Women 
Entrepreneurs) 
¶3. Ms. Zahra Ben Nasr (Center for Young Entrepreneurs, Bizerte) 
¶4. Mr. Alaya Bettaieb (Arab Science and Technology Foundation) 
¶5. Mr. Riadh Bouzaouche (Institute of Higher Business Studies, 
Sousse) 
¶6. Ms. Nefissa Chakroun (Ministry of Education and Scientific 
Research) 
¶7. Mr. Medhi Douss (International Association of Students in 
Economics and Business) 
¶8. Mr. Mohamed Ali Khiari (Banking/Trade entrepreneur) 
¶9. Mr. Majdi Hassen (Arab Institute for Managers) 
¶10. Mr. Aziz Mebarek (Tuninvest, Private Equity Fund) 
 
------------------ 
Candidate profiles 
------------------ 
 
¶1. NAME: Mr. Slim Ben Ammar 
ORGANIZATION: Center for Young Entrepreneurs (CJD) 
JUSTIFICATION: Mr. Ben Ammar is the new president of CJD, an 
influential network of successful young entrepreneurs which is 
active throughout Tunisia.  Ben Ammar met with the NSC's Director 
for Global Engagement during his visit in September 2009.  Ben Ammar 
is the head of Sodexho Pass Tunisie, the Tunisian branch of an 
international company that provides integrated food and facilities 
management services.  As a successful and influential Tunisian 
entrepreneur at the head of a vibrant organization like CJD, we 
believe Mr. Ben Ammar would make strong substantive contributions to 
the conference. 
 
¶2. NAME: Ms. Douja Ben Mahmoud Gharbi 
ORGANIZATION: Center for Young Entrepreneurs (CJD), National Chamber 
of Women Entrepreneurs (CNFCE), also owner of Royal Tapis (a carpet 
manufacturer) 
JUSTIFICATION: Ms. Gharbi owns a nationwide rug distributorship and 
home decoration retail operation, and is also a member of the 
premier women's and entrepreneurship organizations in Tunisia.  Ms. 
Gharbi is a rising star in the Tunisian private sector and would fit 
in well with counterparts from other countries at this summit. 
 
¶3. NAME: Ms. Zahra Ben Nassr 
ORGANIZATION: Center for Young Entrepreneurs (CJD), owner of 
internet business 
JUSTIFICATION:   Ms. Nassr is the leader of CJD Bizerte and has a 
dual track career -  working in a French railway engineering 
company, while owning  a number of internet cafes.  She has a very 
active role in the Center for Young Entrepreneurs and would be able 
to share the benefits of the summit with a non-elite audience 
outside of Tunis. 
 
¶4. NAME: Mr. Alaya Bettaieb 
ORGANIZATION: Arab Science and Technology Foundation 
JUSTIFICATION: Alaya Bettaieb is a key player in efforts to promote 
entrepreneurship and venture capital in Tunisia, particularly in the 
field of science and technology.  He has worked closely with the USG 
to promote these goals, partnering last year with the Commerce 
Department's Commercial Law Development Program on a technology 
transfer program involving U.S. businesses and universities. 
Bettaieb speaks fluent English and has extensive contacts in the 
U.S., Tunisia, and in the MENA region.  He brings energy, 
enthusiasm, and vision to his efforts, along with a sincere desire 
to improve the Tunisian business climate for knowledge-based 
entrepreneurship. 
 
¶5. NAME:  Mr. Riadh Bouzaouche 
ORGANIZATION: Institute of Higher Business Studies of Sousse, Sousse 
University 
JUSTIFICATION:  Mr. Bouzaouche is the Coordinator of the 
Entrepreneurial Programs at the University of Sousse.  He is also 
the General Coordinator of FICRE, a program that aims to foster a 
spirit of entrepreneurship in universities and among recent 
graduates.  Participation in the summit will enhance his ability to 
educate and mentor the next generation of entrepreneurs from all 
disciplines given his close contact with chambers of commerce, 
business leaders, and students. 
 
¶6. NAME: Ms. Nefissa Chakroun 
ORGANIZATION: Director of Intellectual Property in the Ministry of 
Higher Education and Scientific Research. 
JUSTIFICATION:  Ms. Chakroun is an energetic, idea-driven leader who 
is a "change agent" and an advocate of reform within the Tunisian 
administration.  With a background in law and business, she has a 
well-developed vision for the future of intellectual property rights 
and entrepreneurship in Tunisia. 
 
¶7. NAME: Mr. Mehdi Douss 
ORGANIZATION:  International Association of Students in Economics 
and Business (AIESEC) 
JUSTIFICATION: Mr. Douss is the president of AIESEC chapter Tunisia. 
 He is keen to loop in USG initiatives into his vision for the 
organization and has shown in interest in focusing his organization 
on entrepreneurship.  Tunisia's biggest economic challenge is 
unemployment, especially among recent graduates.  Mr. Douss' 
participation would allow him to foster entrepreneurship as a tool 
to bridge that unemployment gap. 
 
¶8. NAME: Mr. Majdi Hassen 
ORGANIZATION: Arab Institute of Business Managers (IACE) 
JUSTIFICATION: Mr. Hassen is a young, energetic leader in this 
organization, which brings together entrepreneurs and businesspeople 
throughout Tunisia.  IACE offers business training courses and 
prepares Tunisia-specific economic studies.  Mr. Hassen comes from 
an academic background, and has helped propel IACE's partnerships 
with important international organizations.  The experience gained 
from the Summit would then be translated to IACE's wide-ranging 
membership, which touches all economic sectors and has a 
training/academic component which could benefit new entrepreneurs. 
 
¶9. NAME: Mr. Mohamed Ali Khiari 
ORGANIZATION: Sofirec (Financial Recovery Company, the legal 
subsidiary of BNA, Tunisia's largest bank) 
JUSTIFICATION: Mr. Khiari has a business and law background, but has 
spent most of his career in the financial sector (both public and 
private).  He started as a legal expert in a major local financial 
company, contributing to numerous studies, market analyses and 
research before he was involved in the structuring and launch of the 
Tunisian Solidarity Bank, where he helped set up branches and even 
chaired a district department.  As a young entrepreneur, Mr. Khiari 
has recently started an international trading company specializing 
in the export of Mediterranean products to the EU and other markets. 
 If given the chance to attend the Summit, Mohamed Ali Khiari could 
ensure a recursive impact on the Bank's institutional clients by 
sharing acquired knowledge and success stories he will have learned 
from his U.S. experience. 
 
¶10. NAME: Mr. Aziz Mebarek 
ORGANIZATION: Tuninvest 
JUSTIFICATION: Mr. Mebarek is a founding partner of Tuninvest, a 
private equity group with projects all over North and Sub-Saharan 
Africa.  His participation at the summit would be interesting in 
that he addresses the financing side of entrepreneurship.  He could 
network with other entrepreneurs, train them on how to be attractive 
to investors, and find potential projects to fund. 
 
The points of contact for the list of candidates are Pete Davis 
(DavisPJ@state.gov) and Isabel Rioja-Scott (Rioja-ScottIE@state.gov)