Current Minister

A Lebanese behavioral economist who pioneered the use of behavioral economics and “nudge” concepts in the Middle East. He was previously Partner and Director at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in Washington, DC, co-leading its Behavioral Science Lab.

In 2016, he established and led the first behavioral science units in the Middle East Nudge Lebanon, and B4Development, the nudge unit of the Organization Committee for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, where he integrated behavioral insights into planning and delivering the tournament. He has also supported the establishment of more than a dozen behavioral science teams globally across governments, private sector, NGO, and international organizations, and conducted over 150 behavioral experiments in areas of sports, health, sustainability, education, inclusion, compliance and rule of law.

In 2021, Dr. Makki was named as one of the world’s 50 most influential individuals navigating disruption (Agile 50), by the World Economic Forum and Apolitical. He served as co-chair of the WHO’s Technical Advisory Group on Behavioral Insights for Health. He was member of the World Economic Forum’s Future Council for Behavioral Science in 2016-2018. He has published extensively on behavioral science, economic and trade policy, public sector reform, health, education and inclusion. He held academic positions as research fellow, adjunct professor or lecturer in many universities including, Cambridge University, Institut Universitaire de Hautes Etudes Internationales, Georgetown University, the American University of Beirut (AUB), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), the Lebanese University and USJ.

He worked previously at Cisco, Booz Allen Hamilton, Booz & Co., leading strategies, restructuring, digital transformation and change management, for governments, private sector organizations, in the Middle East.

He served between 2002 and 2005, as Director General of the Lebanese Ministry of Economy and Trade, where he spearheaded Lebanon’s accession to the WTO and led multiple reform initiatives of services and regulatory functions across government. He also worked as advisor for Qatar’s Ministry of Finance, Economy, and Trade, as well as the Qatar National Food Security Program. Before that, worked for the Islamic Development Bank in Saudi Arabia and the World Trade Organization in Geneva.

He holds a PhD from Cambridge University, master’s degrees from the London School of Economics and Hull University, and bachelor’s degrees from AUB and the Lebanese University.