On February 24th Tamkeen Sustainability Advisors hosted a CSR workshop "Your business and society - Closing the gap" led and conducted by CSR Think Tank Tomorrow's Company Director Mr. Mark Goyder. The workshop was attended by CSR and marketing managers in top Saudi and multinational companies and covered strategies, tactics and best CSR practices.

Sponsored by NCB, in cooperation with Lund University of Sweden, Tamkeen Sustainability Advisors launched a media training program to educate the media about CSR. Tamkeen's objective is to create common understanding for CSR on the first level (media) by empowering leading editors in the field by providing them with valuable information & development terminologies. The program includes: - Focused training given by international experts - Debates & workshops - Debates with Arab media figures - Other interactive and spill-over tools throughout 5 months of training

In the framework of the practical application of the Social Responsibility awareness program, initiated and organized by Tamkeen Sustainability Advisors, aiming at launching a Saudi media group specializing in Corporate Social Responsibility, the participated group met in an open panel discussion with the Lebanese media guru Zaven Kouyoumjian, host of the famous talk-show "Sera Wenfatahet" - on Future TV Channel-The workshop was conducted in Jeddah Hilton, March 28, 2009 and sponsored by the National Commercial Bank (NCB).

Zaven reviewed, with the targeted media group, methods of conducting social investigations, reporting results to the concerned parties and placing pressure on them to get desired results, pointing out that the media in the Arab world can play a strong and influential role in promoting the Arab culture of Social Responsibility among the various age groups, by optimizing the use of medial and its attractive ability to influence.

Zaven also reviewed his personal experience of Social Responsibility through his show, stressing that successful media person is able to convert any social case into an attractive media case for TV if he can diversify the way to prepare and present the case and catering for the right mix of exciting attraction and depth in the material provided.

Zaven Kouyoumjian, is a Lebanese media guru and the host of the famous talk-show on Future TV Channel "Sera Wenfatahet" since 1999. Zaven born in 1970, specialized in media at the American University in Lebanon and underwent several training courses worldwide.

He started his professional career as a news reporter at the National Lebanese TV, then moved to Future TV Channel and hosted the famous talk-show "Sera Wenfatahet" carrying the experience of seven years of reporting.

Zaven special style and bold approach in handling and discussing hot and sensitive issues and his ability to create a comfortable atmosphere in the studio made his talk-show "Sera Wenfatahet" at the top of the Arab talk-shows for ten consecutive years and brought him several awards and certificates of appreciation on both national and international scale. Zaven was selected by the American "Newsweek" magazine as one of the 42 most influential figures in the Arab world in the year 2005.

In the beginning of this year, Zaven re-launched his talk-show "Sera Wenfatahet" with a new style and content, promising to reach a new level of transparent dialogue in the Arab television. In 2003 Zaven issued his first book, "Lebanon then Lebanon," which is still among the best-sellers in Lebanon's bookstores.

The first CSR study conducted in KSA coupled with the increasing demand from corporate sector on training indicated the need to create awareness and build capacities specialized in CSR.In that context,Tamkeen Sustainability Advisors established alliances with leading international experts and developed and conducted a series of CSR trainings directed to top executives of 20 top Saudi companies,led by international and local CSR experts.
To view the schedule of Training please click here