The Syrian chambers of commerce in 2020 : the rise of a new business elite.
Date: 2020-12-21
Institutions: European University Institute
Subjects: Syria, board of directors, chamber of commerce and industry, inter-company cooperation, trade policy

The Syrian Chambers of 
Commerce in 2020: 
The Rise of a 
New Business Elite

Joseph Daher

Wartime and Post-Conflict in 
Syria (WPCS)

Research Project Report
13 November 2020
2020/14

© European University Institute 2020
Content and individual chapters © Joseph Daher 2020

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European University Institute.

Middle East Directions
Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies

Research Project Report
RSCAS/Middle East Directions 2020/14
13 November 2020

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The Syrian Chambers of Commerce in 2020: 
The Rise of a New Business Elite

Joseph Daher*

* Joseph Daher is a part-time affiliate professor at the European University Institute, Florence (Italy). He works under 
the  aegis  of  the  ‘Wartime  and  Post-Conflict  in  Syria’  research  project  in  the  Middle  East  Directions  Programme.  He 
has completed a doctorate in Development Studies at SOAS, University of London (2015), and a doctorate in Political 
Science at Lausanne University, Switzerland (2018).

Table of Contents

Executive Summary  

Introduction  

1. 

Structures of the Syrian Chambers of Commerce   

Major Changes and Dynamics in the Two Main Chambers of Commerce:  

2. 
            Damascus and Aleppo  
2.1. 
2.2. 

The Damascus Chamber of Commerce  
The Aleppo Chamber of Commerce  

3. 
3.1. 
3.2. 
3.3. 
3.4. 

Overview of the Election Results in Other Chambers of Commerce   
The Rural Damascus Chamber of Commerce  
The Homs Chamber of Commerce  
The Hama Chamber of Commerce  
Smaller Chambers of Commerce and Industry  

4. 

The Federation of Syrian Chambers of Commerce  

Conclusion  

  1

  2

  3

  5
  6
  9

  13
  13
  14
  15
  16

  17

  20

Executive Summary

Two years after the end of their mandates in 2018, the formation of new boards of directors 
of Syrian chambers of commerce in September and October 2020 shows significant changes in the 
regime’s  businessmen  networks.  These  elections  saw  a  rise  of  businessmen  who  expanded  their 
economic activities during the war and are often connected with the presidential palace and/or are 
affiliated with the Fourth Division and pro-regime militias, especially in Damascus, Aleppo, Rural 
Damascus and Tartous. The profiles of these newcomers reflect a deepening of the features of the Syrian 
political economy, which is characterised by an over-development of trade, especially in imports and 
service sectors such as construction, money exchanging, food production and trading, and furniture 
services. At the same time, some prominent business figures close to the presidential palace were not 
re-elected. In the most important chambers of commerce in Damascus and Aleppo their absence is 
partially filled by the promotion of older and more traditional business figures, although they are very 
far from having the same weight as the new rising personalities. 

1

Introduction

In the mid- and late-1980s, the state progressively restored the role of the chambers of commerce 
and industry in Syria, just when liberalisation of the economy accelerated following the fiscal crisis and 
economic networks connected to the Syrian regime started to solidify. For decades, the composition 
of the boards of the chambers of commerce has been tightly controlled by the regime, just like the 
General Federation of Trade Union Workers, the General Federation of Peasants, other professional 
associations  and  other  representative  institutions  in  the  country  including  the  parliament.  While 
such institutions are widely regarded as of no use under authoritarian rule, chambers of commerce 
appear  to  be  significant  institutions  for  two  reasons.  First,  they  usually  gather  the  most  important 
and influential businessmen in the country and since 1990 their composition has often reflected the 
growing  power  of  networks  of  businessmen  with  close  links  to  the  regime.1  Second,  the  fourteen 
chambers of commerce – one per governorate – and notably the Federation of Syrian Chambers of 
Commerce, which includes representatives from all the governorates, have significant influence in 
collaborating  with  the  government  and  ministries  to  establish  and  develop  economic  policies  and 
measures. 

In this perspective, it remains important to analyse the composition of the new boards of directors in 
the Syrian chambers of commerce formed in September and October 2020 to better understand the 
evolving landscape of businessmen networks in Syria and more generally of the political economy 
of the country. The departure or side-lining of many important businessmen since the beginning of 
the conflict is assumed to have created a space for the emergence of new business actors. This study 
demonstrates that these newcomers, who very often have expanded their wealth in collaboration with 
security agencies, are well-represented on the new boards of directors of Syrian chambers of commerce 
in 2020. However, in Damascus and Aleppo some older personalities with past responsibilities in 
various economic and official institutions have made a comeback or seen their positions elevated. 

This research paper first presents the structures of the chambers of commerce and the rules which 
frame their composition. It then examines in detail the boards of directors of the two main chambers 
of commerce in the country, Damascus and Aleppo. It also gives an overview of the composition of 
the other chambers and of the Federation. The research for this study was primarily conducted in open 
databases on the websites of the chambers of commerce and the Federation of Syrian Chambers of 
Commerce, official media coverage and social media (Facebook accounts). 

1  In the early 1980s, some members of the chambers of commerce already played crucial roles in supporting the regime, 
such as Badr al-Din al-Shallah, chairman of the Damascus Chamber of Commerce, who contributed to stopping strikes in 
Damascus during the Hama massacre in 1982 by guaranteeing the loyalty of large businesses he commanded to the Syrian 
regime. Bassam Haddad, “The Syrian Regime’s Business Backbone,” Middle East Report 262 (Spring 2012), https://bit.
ly/3l0jgvN. By the late 1980s, prominent members of the board of directors of the Damascus Chamber assumed powerful 
positions  in  different  key  government  agencies,  most  notably  the  Committee  for  the  Guidance  of  Import,  Export  and 
Consumption. In the parliamentary elections of 1990, three members of the chambers of commerce – two in Damascus 
and one in Aleppo – became MPs, showing the entry of businessmen into politics. Volker Perthes, “Syria’s Parliamentary 
Elections: Remodelling Assad’s Political Base.” MERIP, No. 174 (January-February 1992), 15-18. 

2

1. 

Structures of the Syrian Chambers of Commerce 

Between  8  September  and  17  October  2020,  elections  for  the  boards  of  directors  of  all  the 
chambers of commerce were held in Syria, after they had been postponed four times since 2018. The 
elections were organised less than two months after the parliamentary election, which saw a sharp 
increase in the representation of businessmen on the People’s Council.2 Two thirds of the members 
of the board of directors of each chamber of commerce are elected – with a third being appointed by 
the Ministry of Domestic Trade – for a mandate of four years (2020-2024).3 The larger chambers of 
commerce – Damascus, Rural Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Hama and Latakia – are composed of 18 
board members. Smaller chambers, namely the chambers of commerce and industry, which jointly 
represent  the  commerce  and  industry  sectors,  generally  have  12  board  members.  Each  board  of 
directors elects an executive bureau, which is composed of seven members for the larger chambers 
and five for the others. 

Following  these  elections,  a  new  board  of  directors  and  executive  bureau  of  the  Federation  of 
Syrian Chambers of Commerce was elected at the end of October 2020. The Federation, which was 
established in Damascus in 1975, coordinates and promotes the interests of the fourteen chambers 
and  more  generally  of  traders.  Its  members  contribute  to  drafting  legislation  in  various  ministries 
and  helping  with  the  implementation  of  new  bills. The  Federation  also  represents  the  interests  of 
the Syrian chambers of commerce abroad, including by nominating their members for positions on 
the  boards  of  the  Joint Arab  Foreign  Chambers  of  Commerce.  It  provides  Syrian  exporters  with 
certificates of origin, certificates the origin of goods imported into Syria, facilitates the movement of 
Syrian businessmen abroad and provides both Syrian companies with information on foreign markets 
and international companies and foreign companies interested in investing in Syria with information 
on the local market.4

Economic actors and traders elected to the boards of chambers of commerce and in the Federation 
benefit from facilities to promote their own and sectoral interests within the country, and potentially 
outside it as well, although to a lesser extent in the current context with the various sanction regimes 
hitting Syria. 

2  Ziad Awad and Agnès Favier, “Syrian People’s Council Elections 2020: The Regime’s Social Base Contracts,” Syria 
Transition  Challenges  Project,  Geneva  Centre  for  Security  Policy  and  European  University  Institute  Middle  East 
Directions Programme, Research Project Report No. 2, October 2020, https://bit.ly/3eGcVmL 
3   The  Syria  Report,  “Chambers  of  Commerce  Elections  Mark  Fading  Influence  of  Businessmen  Who Accompanied 
Bashar’s Rise,” 21 October 2020, https://bit.ly/2ILeAvt 
4  Business 2 Business, “The Law Establishing the Single and Joint Chambers of Commerce,” (in Arabic), 21 June 2020, 
https://bit.ly/3m5xbAJ 

3

Table 1. The Structure of the Federation of Syrian Chambers of Commerce

The General Assembly is composed of 212 members

All the members of the boards of directors of the chambers of commerce, the joint chambers 
of commerce and industry, and the appointed members of the Federation’s board of directors

The Board of Directors is composed of 29 members:

•  Chairmen of the chambers of commerce

•  The secretary of each of the chambers of commerce of Damascus and Aleppo

•  A  member  elected  by  the  boards  of  directors  of  each  of  the  chambers  whose  board  of 

directors has 18 members for a period of two years 

• 

6 members appointed by the Ministry of Domestic Trade, including four members of state 
institutions (with at least the rank of director)(representatives of the Ministry of Economy 
and Foreign Trade and the Ministry of Finance); and two members from the private sector.

•  The General Director of the Chamber

The Executive Bureau is composed of nine members elected by the Board of Directors:

•  Chairman 

•  First Vice-Chairman 

•  Second Vice-Chairman 

•  Secretary

•  Treasurer 

•  Four members 

Source: Fourth Estate, “The Final Chapters of Law 8 of 2020, the New Law Defines the Tasks of the Federation of Syrian Chambers 
of Commerce ... and its Revenues and Organisational Structure” (in Arabic), 18 July 2020, https://bit.ly/38BGZ23 

On 20 April 2020, Law No. 8 was promulgated by presidential decree,5 setting a time limit of six 
months  for  elections  to  be  held  of  the  boards  of  directors  of  the  Syrian  chambers  of  commerce, 
the  mandates  of  which  were  extended  after  January  2018.  This  new  law  now  governs  economic 
chambers and replaces Law No. 131 of 1959, which was already amended in October 2018. While 
many  traders  and  employers  did  not  register  their  workers  with  the  Social  Security  Organisation 
(SSO), the amendment of 2018, the provision of which is retained in Law 8, requires members of 
the  chambers  of  commerce  to  register  their  employees  with  the  SSO.  One  of  its  objective  was  to 
target  individuals  who  did  not  have  any  real  economic  activities  and  only  wanted  to  benefit  from 
the advantages of membership of a chamber, especially the possibility of entering Lebanon.6 Since 
the amendment of the law, the total number of registered members of the chambers has diminished 
massively,  for  example  the  Damascus  Chamber  of  Commerce  has  witnessed  a  reduction  of  more 
than half of its members.7 Former Syrian Prime Minister Imad Khamis stated in 2018 that there were 
80,000 licensed private establishments and 476,000 subscribers to chambers of commerce, of which 
a large number in that period had not registered their workers.8 

5  The law was approved by the People’s Council on 11 March 2020.
6   Azz  al-Din  Nabulsi,  “A  Tense  Atmosphere  between  the  Ministry  of  Internal  Trade  and  the  Syrian  Chambers  of 
Commerce…” (in Arabic), Majesty News, 22 November 2018, https://bit.ly/358utEM 
7  The Syria Report, “Chambers of Commerce Elections.”
8  Al-Iqtisadi, “For Fair Elections ... the Damascus Chamber of Commerce Decides to Make it Electronic” (in Arabic), 29 
July 2020, https://bit.ly/3dFyfs4 

4

The candidates are traders and economic actors registered in the different chambers. They are listed 
in  five  categories  depending  on  various  standards,  including  capital  size,  number  of  workers  and 
solvency:  premium,  first,  second,  third  and  fourth  categories.  Public  sector  companies  and  joint 
ventures between the state and private investors are automatically classified in the premium category. 
Each category is accredited with a particular number of representatives on the board.

The elections of the boards of directors of chambers of commerce came with the usual accusations 
of  corruption. The  al-Baath  newspaper  reported  that  the  electoral  process  witnessed  operations  of 
“buying and selling votes” as in the previous elections.9 Important trader Hassan Azqoul and four 
other  candidates  disputed  the  results  of  the  election  for  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Damascus 
Chamber of Commerce because of corruption and fraudulent operations in the registration of voters.10 
A businessman in Aleppo commented that the results of the elections were, as in past ones, arranged 
in order to favour particular candidates close to the regime.11 

The  promotion  of  influential  businessmen  affiliated  with  regime  inner  circles  into  chambers  of 
commerce  is  not  a  new  phenomenon.  In  2009  for  example,  the  Damascene  entrepreneur  Bassam 
Ghrawi,  who  was  close  to  Bashar  al-Assad,  was  appointed  by  government  decree  as  chairman  of 
the Damascus Chamber of Commerce. He also occupied the position of chairman of the Federation 
of  Syrian  Chambers  of  Commerce.12  Kamal  Ismail  al-Assad,  a  relative  of  Bashar  al-Assad  and  a 
significant businessman,13 was already chairman of the Latakia Chamber of Commerce and Industry 
since the beginning of the 1990s. Tarif Akhras, a relative of Asma al-Assad, has been among the largest 
importers of food commodities in Syria, and was chairman of the Homs Chamber of Commerce and 
Industry and therefore a member of the board of the Federation of Syrian Chambers of Commerce.14 

2.  Major  Changes  and  Dynamics  in  the  Two  Main  Chambers  of 
Commerce: Damascus and Aleppo

After  the  beginning  of  the  uprising  in  mid-March  2011,  major  changes  occurred  in  the 
composition of chambers of commerce. Muhammad Hamsho, a businessman close to Maher al-Assad, 
entered the board of directors of the Damascus Chamber of Commerce at the beginning of 2014 by 
ministerial decision and assumed the position of secretary. He replaced Bassam Ghrawi, who had left 
the country in 2012. At the end of the same year, elections at the chambers of commerce in Aleppo 
and Damascus saw a significant turnover of their members. Of the twelve elected board members in 
each of these chambers, ten in Aleppo were newcomers and seven in Damascus, many of whom were 
unheard of before 2011.15 While major changes had already taken place in 2014, the 2020 elections 
further highlighted a high rate of renewal of the composition of chambers of commerce.

9  Kul Yawm, “The Baath Reveals Corruption in the Chamber of Commerce Elections: Selling votes!” (in Arabic), 15 
October 2020, https://bit.ly/3dwrIjm 
10  Al-Sharq Syria, “Candidates Challenge the Results of the Damascus Chamber of Commerce Elections” (in Arabic), 
Facebook, 20 October 2020, https://bit.ly/3jrSTx8 
11  Phone interview with a businessman in Aleppo, 16 October 2020.
12  Caroline Donati, “The Economics of Authoritarian Upgrading in Syria,” Heydemann and Leenders (eds.), Middle East 
Authoritarianisms: Governance, Contestation and Regime Resilience in Syria and Iran, Stanford, CA, Stanford Studies 
in Middle Eastern and Islamic Societies and Cultures 2013, 41.
13  He has investments in multiple economic sectors, including public sector contracting, the food industry and maritime 
businesses. He is the founding partner of the al-Jabal Company for Trade, Industry and Contracting and of the Al-Kamal 
Company for the Development of Agricultural Industries.
14  Stéphane Valter, “The Dynamics of Power in Syria,” in Hinnebush and Imady (eds.), The Syrian Uprising: Domestic 
Origins and Early Trajectory, London and New York, Routledge, 2018, 52.
15  Jihad Yazigi, “Syria’s Implosion: Political and Economic Impacts,” in Collombier, Favier, and Narbone (eds.), Inside 
Wars, Local Dynamics of Conflicts in Syria and Libya,” European University Institute, https://bit.ly/2STQwsc, 4. 

5

2.1.  The Damascus Chamber of Commerce

A  major  reconfiguration  of  the  Damascus  Chamber  of  Commerce  was  expected,  as  eight 
incumbent members of its board of directors announced they would not run in the election, including 
the chairman of the board, Muhammad Ghassan al-Qallaa,16 its secretary, Muhammad Hamsho, and 
the two vice-chairmen (Ammar al-Bardan and Irfan Drakel).17 

The Damascus traders list, led by the now famous businessman Wassim Qattan, won the election with 
a fair majority, with nine of its candidates elected.18 Three candidates from other lists were elected:  
Yasser Ekraym from the Fayha Damascus traders list, and Muhammad al-Hallaq and Imad Qabani 
from the Damascus List. Among the winners, only three were already members of the former board:19 
Muhammad Abu al-Hoda al-Lahham, Muhammad al-Hallaq (former treasurer of the Chamber) and 
Muhammad  Khattab.  Meanwhile,  Hassan Azqoul,  a  former  board  member  and  well-known  trader 
who had lost the parliamentary election in July 2020 in Damascus, was defeated. 

The  election  of  Wassim  Qattan  confirms  his  continual  rise  on  the  Syrian  political  and  economic 
scene. Qattan emerged during the war and one of the initial sources of his wealth was his involvement 
in  illegitimate  commercial  activities  during  the  siege  of  Eastern  Ghouta.20  He  has  benefitted  from 
multiple  governmental  contracts  to  invest  in  hotels  and  malls  and  has  diversified  his  investments 
in  various  economic  activities,  notably  real  estate  and  goods  services.  He  most  probably  acts  as 
a  frontman  for  Maher  al-Assad  and  he  was  placed  under  European  Union  and  U.S.  sanctions  in 
February and July 2020 respectively.21 Qattan has increasingly occupied official positions in various 
state and economic institutions, such as being made chairman of the Rural Damascus Chamber of 
Commerce in February 2018. Alongside the consolidation of Qattan’s power in Damascus, numerous 
medium-sized traders on the board have demonstrated their support for the regime by representing it 
at international conferences and on various national committees (Yasser Ekraym),22 or by reportedly 
contributing to ‘national reconciliation agreements’ and ‘honouring’ fighters in the Syrian Arab Army 
and the National Defence Forces (Imad Qabani).23 

More established traders who benefit from old connections with the regime were also newly elected. 
For example, Mazen Baha al-Din Hassan is a new figure on the board, but his family is historically 
linked to the regime. His father, Baha al-Din Hassan, was an MP for more than twenty years (1990-
2011) and Mazen previously held various positions in the Rural Damascus Chamber of Commerce 

16  He has been chairman of the Federation of Syrian Chambers of Commerce and chairman of the Damascus Chamber 
of Commerce since 2009. Al-Qalaa inaugurated the Sochi conference at the end of 2018 in Russia, alongside the Russian 
Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov.
17  Ramez Mahfouz, “Seven Members of the Damascus Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors are not Running in the 
Elections” (in Arabic), 6 September 2020, Al-Watan, https://bit.ly/372L1zE 
18  Emmar Syria, Facebook, 4 October 2020, https://bit.ly/2H021Md 
19  Economy 2day, Facebook, 9 October 2020, https://bit.ly/3lLnIOM 
20   Mahmoud Al-Lababidi,  “The  Phantoms  of  Marota  City,”  Research  Project  Report,  (Florence:  European  University 
Institute, Middle East Directions, Wartime and Post-Conflict in Syria, April 2019), https://bit.ly/37mlUIi
21  US. Department of Treasury, “Treasury Continues to Pressure Investors and Companies Supporting the Assad Regime’s 
Corrupt Reconstruction Efforts,” 29 July 2020, https://bit.ly/370298Z 
22  Member of the delegation to Astana in 2017 and Sotchi in 2018. He served as chairman of the Council of Elders in Syria 
(2018-2019) and as President of the al-Ihssan Charitable Society in Kafr Sousse in 2018-2019. He ran in the parliamentary 
election in 2016 but lost. Facebook, Yasser Ekraym, 20 October 2020, https://bit.ly/34fGhos; Syrian Consumer News (in 
Arabic), Facebook, 12 September 2020, https://bit.ly/3mbXAgb
23  “Other Than God, Syria and Bashar, we Don’t Choose” (in Arabic), Facebook, 7 April 2016, https://bit.ly/2TkCn7m

6

(as treasurer between 2015 and 2018 and then a member until September 2020).24 Similarly, Zouheir 
Sharabati is a long-term member of various state institutions and regime-linked committees (in the 
Damascus Chamber of Industry and that of its countryside since 2000, the Syrian Economic Group 
and the Economic Committee of the Army Club). Finally, the three members of the former board 
who were re-elected in 2020 have all been loyal to Damascus for a long time: Muhammad Khattab 
was  first  appointed  by  the  Ministry  of  Domestic  Trade  in  2014  to  replace  former  board  member 
Bassam al-Malak, who had joined the opposition ranks;25 Muhammad Abu al-Hoda al-Lahham and 
Muhammad al-Hallaq have been sitting on the board since 2001 and 2009 respectively and both have 
occupied various official positions in economic institutions. 

Among  the  six  members  appointed  by  the  government,  two  seats  were  granted  to  medium-size 
businessmen  over  sixty  years  old  (Mansour  Abaza,  who  was  also  chairman  of  the  committee 
overseeing the election of the Damascus Chamber of Commerce, and Ghatfan Ajoub). In addition 
to  them,  businesswoman  Jinan  Hanna  Bakerji,  who  was  vice-chairwoman  of  the  Businesswomen 
Committee at the Damascus Chamber of Commerce before 2011 and who has a long-term relationship 
with the regime, was nominated. The last seat allocated to a representative of the private sector went 
to Amir Nabil al-Kuzbari, brother of Ahmad al-Kuzbari, an MP since 2012 and head of the Syrian 
government’s delegation to the Constitutional Committee. His other brother, Shadi al-Kuzbari (who 
died in 2018) was accused of funding pro-regime militias and of being close to Muhammad Hamsho.26 

The  board  of  directors  of  the  Damascus  Chamber  of  Commerce  is  therefore  composed  of  three 
main groups. The first of these are established business personalities in the capital, generally over 
sixty  or  seventy  years  old  with  long-term  presences  in  state  institutions  (al-Lahham,  al-Hallaq, 
Bakerji, Sharabati and to some extent Abaza). They occupy the main positions in the new executive 
bureau. Associated with them on the board is a generation of rising influential and relatively young 
businessmen, generally around 40 years old with strong connections with personalities close to the 
presidential  palace  (Qattan,  Baha  al-Din  Hassan  and  al-Kuzbari).  The  last  group  is  composed  of 
medium-size businessmen who are rather unknown (Nasr, al-Qutb), but some have served the regime 
in particular institutions (Ekraym and Qabbani).

Table 2. Members of the Executive Bureau of the Damascus Chamber of Commerce 

Name
Abu al-Hoda al-Lahham
Mansour Abaza

Position
Chairman
First Vice-Chairman  
(appointed by the Ministry of Domestic Trade)

Abdullah Nasr

Second Vice-Chairman

Muhammad al-Hallaq 
Mazen Baha al-Din Hassan
Muhammad Samer al-Qutb 

Wassim Qattan
Imad Qabani

Secretary
Treasurer
Representative of the Damascus Chamber of Commerce in the 
Federation of Syrian Chambers of Commerce
Member
Member

Source: Syrian Days, “Abu Al-Hoda Al-Lahham, Chairman of the Damascus Chamber of Commerce and  
Mustapha for Rural Damascus” (in Arabic), 25 October 2020, https://bit.ly/3mlIapH

24  Al-Iqtisadi,  “Mazen  Baha  al-Din  Hasan”  (in Arabic),  20  October  2020,  https://bit.ly/2TgxJXY.  His  father  was  also 
chairman of the Syrian-Turkish Businessmen Council, al-Iqtisadi, “Bahaa al-Din Hassan” (in Arabic), 16 October 2020, 
https://bit.ly/37dKYkj.
25  Business 2 Business, “Four New Members of the Damascus Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors,” (in Arabic), 
7 January 2014, https://bit.ly/34cRPZm
26  Enab Baladi, “The Death of the Syrian Businessman Shadi al-Kuzbari. Who is He?” (in Arabic), https://bit.ly/2I9qrn1 

7

Table 3. Members of the Board of Directors at the Damascus Chamber of Commerce27

Name

Abdallah Nasr
Wassim Qattan

Muhammad 
Khattab

Elected 
(number of 
votes) 

549
539

500

Muhammad Hallaq

490

Zuheir Daoud

Mazen Baha al-Din 
Hassan

Yasser Ekraym

Mohi al-Din Arab 
al-Halabi
Imad Qabani

Muhammad Abu 
al-Hoda al-Lahham

465

463

408

395

394

359

Muhammad Samer 
al-Qutb
Zouheir Sharabati

No competition/ 
238
469

Mansour Abaza

Majed Omran

Appointed-
Representative 
of the Private 
Sector
Appointed-
Representative 
of the Public 
Sector

Category Main economic activities

1
1

1

1

1

1

2

2

1

1

3

4

-

-

Little-known garment trader.
Owner of various companies, including Muruj Cham 
Investment and Tourism Group, Adam Trading and 
Investment LLC, Wassim Kattan LLC and Larosa 
Furniture and Intersection LL. 
General manager of the Al-Khattab Company for 
Import and Export. Chairman of the board of directors 
of the Al-Manal Corporation for Tourism, Travel and 
Shipping. Owner of a facility for the manufacture of 
ready-to-wear clothes.
General Manager of the al-Hallaq Corporation for 
Import and Export since 1990. Founding partner in 
the Nural Aluminium Company until 2015. Member 
of the Syrian Olive Oil Council. Member of the board 
of directors of Badia Cement.
Owner of the Daoud Brothers Company. Food 
production and trade. 28
Member of the industrial committee responsible for 
following up the affairs of industrial establishments in 
the Tal Kurdi area of Damascus.
Chief Financial Officer and one of the partners in 
Qasiyon Mall. Founder of several companies relating 
to electronics companies.

Investments in manufacturing and trading of clothing 
and fabrics, and in the fields of communications and 
construction.
Owner of the al-Lahham Company for Trade and 
Contracting. Member of the Board of Directors of 
Bank of Jordan Syria.
General manager and founding partner of the Samman 
and Qutb Company in Syria.
Involved in the production of socks, Sharabati and 
Mufti Company.
Director and founding partner of the Syria Markets 
Company

Director of Damascus Customs since September 2019

27  Unless otherwise noted, the data about the main activities presented in this table are from the al-Iqtisadi specialised 
website. 
28  Facebook, Zouheir Daoud, 21 October 2020, https://bit.ly/2Tir9jG 

8

Alaa Rustom

Ghatfan Ajoub

Amir Nabil al-
Kuzbari

Jinan Hanna 
Bakerji

Appointed-
Representative 
of the Public 
Sector
Appointed-
Representative 
of the Private 
Sector
Appointed-
Representative 
of the Private 
Sector
Appointed-
Representative 
of the Private 
Sector

-

-

-

-

Director of the Damascus branch of the General 
Establishment for Domestic Trade in Metals and 
Building Materials since August 2019.

Founding partner of two companies: Yahya Trading 
and Contracting Company and Juman Company

Owner of multiple companies 

Founder and owner of an important company trading 
in medical laboratory work supplies. 

Source: Information retrieved from Facebook, Damascus Chamber of Commerce, 9 October 2020, https://bit.ly/2ISl4sr and  
Bank Insurance, “Names of All the Winners in the Elections of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry in the Governorates”  
(in Arabic), https://bit.ly/3p0WuWY

2.2.  The Aleppo Chamber of Commerce

As  in  Damascus,  the  composition  of  the Aleppo  Chamber  of  Commerce  had  already  seen  a 
profound change in the 2014 elections. In 2020, the newly elected board has no members from the 
2009-2014 mandate, demonstrating significant changes in the economic landscape of Aleppo.

The composition of the new board seems to partly confirm the results of the parliamentary election 
two months earlier when warlords swept Aleppo almost unchallenged.29 The al-Shahba list, which 
includes businessman Muhammad Fadl Qaterji, won 11 of the 12 seats on the new board of directors. 
Muhammad Omar Fares Hamwi, a new MP since July 2020, and Mahmoud Assi, received the most 
important  numbers  of  votes  among  all  the  candidates.  The  Hamwi  family  has  had  connections 
with the regime for a certain amount of time. Hamwi’s brother, who passed away in October 2014, 
was  chairman  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Craftsmen  Federation  and  a  member  of  the Aleppo 
Governorate Council. 

The overwhelming victory by this list reflects the continual growing influence of the Qaterji family in 
Aleppo and more generally in the north. Muhammad Fadl Qaterji is reportedly the younger brother of 
businessmen Hussam and Baraa Qaterji. Qaterji’s brothers were little known traders before 2011, and 
they have operated as brokers in the trade in oil and cereals between the regime and the Democratic 
Union Party, the dominant actor in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (and, 
before 2017, Islamic State).30 Numerous elected members of the board maintain good relations with 
the  Qaterji  family  and  some  of  them  publicly  supported  the  candidacy  of  Hussam  Qaterji  during 
the  last  parliamentary  election,  including  Muhammad  Hamwi  and  Abdallah  Badenjaki.  Another 

29  Awad and Favier, “Syrian People’s Council Elections 2020.”
30  Hussam Qaterji is now one of the most important businessmen in the country and has been an MP since 2016 for the 
governorate of Aleppo. In January 2020, Bashar al-Assad ratified laws granting the Qaterji brothers three contracts in 
Syria’s oil distribution sector. In the same period, Arman Hotel and Tourist Management LLC, a company owned by the 
Qaterji family and founded in 2018, was awarded a contract to develop a marina and upscale hotel in the southern part 
of the Tartous city seafront. In October 2020, the Arman company opened a new three-star hotel in the city of Aleppo. In 
November 2020, Homs Refinery company announced the signature of a contract valued at $23 million with the BS Oil 
Services Company owned by the Qaterji Group for the supply of pumps, copper tubes, control devices and spare parts 
necessary for functioning of the refinery. In the same month, the U.S. Department took sanctions against Hussam Qaterji 
“for being a senior official of the Government of Syria”. His brother, Baraa, was blacklisted in 2018.

9

 
significant business actor newly elected on the same list is Muhammad Ali Abu Rass, who has been 
accused of having funded groups of shabihas in various Aleppo neighbourhoods during the first years 
of protests.31 

While  the  elections  reflected  the  rise  of  new  business  personalities  in  the  city  of Aleppo,  such  as 
Hamwi and Assi, the new board of directors also includes more established economic actors with 
long-term investments and positions in economic institutions. This is the case of Muhammad Salih 
al-Mallah,  the  only  winner  outside  the  al-Shahba  list,  who  ran  on  the Aleppo  list. Al-Mallah  is  a 
well-known and long-established business personality in Aleppo. He was an MP between 1998 and 
2002 and chairman of the board of directors of the Aleppo Chamber of Commerce between 1995 
and  2008. Another  relatively  noteworthy  businessman,  Rafaat  al-Ammo,  who  has  been  playing  a 
growing role in industrial representative institutions since 2016 in Aleppo and then at the national 
level, was elected.32 Al-Ammo has also acted as an intermediary for the regime in discussions with the 
Democratic Union Party in Aleppo and its countryside.33 He is also reportedly in charge of managing 
relations between pro-regime and Iranian militias and the Syrian Democratic Forces in areas around 
the towns of Nubl and Zahraa in northern Aleppo.34 

Only  three  members  of  the  former  board  (elected  in  2014)  retain  their  seats  in  2020  (Abdullah 
Badendjki, who was vice-president in 2019-2020, Ayman al-Basha and Ali Rida Turkmani),35 while 
their  previous  colleagues  did  not  run  in  the  election,  including  the  former  chairman  of  the  board, 
Muhammad Majd al-Din Dabbagh, who had been present since the 1990s.36 All three members were 
active supporters of the Syrian government during the conflict. For example, Ayman al-Basha has 
been travelling to various countries to represent and promote the interests of the Aleppo Chamber of 
Commerce.

Alongside the elected members, the government re-appointed Lina Safwan Ashrafiah and Harut Karra 
Jamjian as representatives of the private sector and Nubar Qalusian as representative of the public 
sector. Through these appointments, the government secured the representation of businesswomen 
and minorities (Armenian Christians). It also appointed Hussein Kharboutly, a businessman from a 
family tribe loyal to the regime.

The composition of the new board of directors is characterised by a domination of businessmen from 
or close to the Qaterji family. In addition, a large number of the new board members are businessmen 
with some form of connection with the regime (Hamwi, Turkmani, Kharboutly and Ali Abu Rass). 

31  Syria, Freedom, Dignity and Democracy (in Arabic), Facebook, 27 March 2012, https://bit.ly/31D3ijw 
32  Elected in 2016 as representative of the owners of engineering sector industrial establishments on the board of directors 
of  the  Sheikh  Najjar  industrial  city,  al-Ammo  is  also  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Syrian  Federation  of 
Industrial Chambers formed in December 2018 and has been chairman of the Industrial City Committee of Cheikh Najjar 
since June 2019. Syrian Days, “Aleppo Industry Elects Members of the Board of Directors of the Sheikh Najjar Industrial 
City” (in Arabic), 4 August 2016, https://bit.ly/2GLMM9G
33  Mansour Hussayn, “Warlords Win the Battle of Chambers of Commerce ...” (in Arabic), al-Modon, 8 October 2020, 
https://bit.ly/37nT4at 
34  Khaled Katib, “‘Al-Shahba List’ is the Interface of ‘al-Qaterji’ Influence in the Aleppo Chamber of Commerce” (in 
Arabic), Syria TV, 2 November 2020, https://bit.ly/3p0y1Rn 
35  He is from the family of the former Syrian Defence Minister, Hassan Ali Turkmani, who was killed in 2012 in a bomb 
explosion. He has lost other family members fighting with pro-regime militias in the past few years. He is known to be 
close to Iran and has extensive relations with the leaders of the local pro-Iranian militias in Aleppo, the al-Baqer Brigade 
and the Aleppo Defenders Corps. He travelled with a delegation of businessmen led by Muhammad Hamsho to Iran in 
October 2018. Az al-Din Nabulsi, “Aleppo”; Facebook, Ali Rida Turkmani, 3 November 2020, https://bit.ly/352ZsSA; 
Khaled Katib, “‘Al-Shahba List’ is the Interface of ‘al-Qaterji.’”
36  Khaled Zanko, “‘Al-Shahba Supported by Qaterji’ Sweeps the Elections of ‘Aleppo Commerce’” (in Arabic), al-Watan, 
25 September 2020, https://bit.ly/3iSbJNp

10

Others  occupied  positions  in  state  institutions  before  2011  (al-Mallah  and Ashrafiah)  or  after  the 
beginning of the uprising (al-Basha, Kazara, Jamjian and Qalusian). The businessmen with long-term 
official positions are well rooted in the more traditional Aleppo business society, which has, however, 
lost most of its representatives.

Table 4. Members of the Executive Bureau of the Aleppo Chamber of Commerce 

Name
Muhammad Omar Fares Hamwi
Muhammad Ali Abu Ras
Muhammad Ayman Nasr
Muhammad Fadl Qaterji
Ayman al-Basha
Ali Rida Turkmani

Muhammad Kazara
Harut Karra Jamjian

Position
Chairman
First Vice-Chairman 
Second Vice-Chairman
Secretary
Treasurer
Representative of the Damascus Chamber of Commerce in the 
Federation of Syrian Chambers of Commerce
Member
Member (appointed by the Ministry of Domestic Trade)

Source: Aleppo Chamber of Commerce, Facebook, 25 October 2020, https://bit.ly/2J93CAd

Table 5. Members of the Board of Directors of the Aleppo Chamber of Commerce

Name

Muhammad 
Omar Fares 
Hamwi37
Mahmoud 
Assi38 

Muhammad 
Ali Abu Rass
Samr Abd al-
Aziz Nuawy
Muhmmad 
Fadl Qaterji

Abdallah 
Badenjaki39

Elected (number 
of votes) 

Category Main economic activities

766

707

704

677

677

674

2

1

His company, Hamwi Furniture Brothers, is involved 
in the manufacturing of furniture. He is also a money 
transfer broker. 
One of the co-founders of the al-Haram Exchange and 
has invested in real estate. The al-Haram Exchange 
has been sanctioned by the US treasury and the 
Gulf Cooperation Council for materially assisting, 
sponsoring, or providing financial, material or 
technological support for, or goods or services to or in 
support of, ISIS.

Premium Owner of several companies involved in the import and 
export of tyres, auto spare parts and batteries.
Involved in construction and trade.

2

3

Owner of the largest shares in the steel manufacturing, 
import and export company that was opened recently by 
the Qaterji family.

Premium Represents the Badenjaki family, which owns a well-
established trading company that distributes, markets 
and manufactures food and consumer products in Syria. 
It is agent for a number of brands. 

37  According to one source, he supports pro-Iran militias in Aleppo, Khaled Katib, “‘Al-Shahba List’ is the Interface of 
‘al-Qaterji.’”
38   Business  2  Business,  “Establishment  of  Al-Haram  Real  Estate  Development  Company  in  Syria”  (in  Arabic),  7 
September 2014, https://bit.ly/2Iq60BX 
39  Badenjiki Group, Facebook, 21 October 2020, https://bit.ly/3ktbIBi; Az al-Din Nabulsi, “Aleppo” (in Arabic), Syrian 
Daily News, https://bit.ly/3lU5sCN

11

Muhammad 
Salih al-
Mallah
Muhammad 
Ayman Nasr
Ayman Basha

Rafaat al-
Ammo

Muhammad 
Kazara41

Ali Rida 
Turkmani

631

583

574

551

559

547

Hussein 
Kharboutly42

Harout Qarah 
Jamajian

Appointed 
Representative of 
the Private Sector
Appointed 
Representative of 
the Private Sector

Yassin Jawad Appointed 

Nubar 
Qalusian

Lina Safwan 
Ashrafiah

Representative of 
the Public Sector
Appointed 
Representative of 
the Public Sector
Appointed 
Representative of 
the Private Sector

Luay Ibrahim 
Ibrahim

Appointed 
Representative of 
the Private Sector

1

1

1

2

4

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

Active in trade, import and export. Owner of a number 
of factories and companies and chairman of a number 
of their boards of directors.
Active in trade (import and export).

Active in electronics, electrical and medical trade. 
He has been active for the Chamber and in a personal 
capacity travelling to India, Iraq and Iran (including 
with a delegation of businessmen led by Muhammad 
Hamsho in October 2018).40
Founder of the Rafaat al-Ammo Institution for Industry 
and Trade in 1998, which is specialised in housing 
furniture and products. Secretary and chairman of 
the board of directors of the Future Housing charity 
association from 1988 until 2019.
Production of and trade in leather and other essential 
goods. Chairman of the Footwear and Leather Industry 
Committee in the Aleppo Chamber of Industry and 
Secretary-General of the Arab Federation for Leather 
Industries.
Director of the Afak Exhibitions Company and of 
a shipping and transportation company. He also 
manufactures and trades in cloths and textiles. 

Medium-size businessman hailing from a tribe, most 
probably from Rural Aleppo, with connections with the 
regime.

Member of the former board of directors of the Aleppo 
Chamber of Commerce.

Director of the Aleppo Customs Directorate since April 
2019.

Director of the Central Bank branch in Aleppo. Member 
of the former board of directors of the Aleppo Chamber 
of Commerce.

Founding partner of Achrafieh Pharmaceutical 
Industries and vice-chairwoman of the board of 
directors of Bab al-Farag Company for Tourism and 
Hotels. Long-term chairwoman of the Businesswomen 
Committee of Aleppo Chamber of Commerce and 
member of the former board of directors of the 
Chamber.43

Source: Facebook, Aleppo Chamber of Commerce, 27 September 2020, https://bit.ly/37ELAjx and Bank Insurance,  
“Names of All the Winners in the Elections of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry in the Governorates” 

40  Facebook, Ayman al-Basha, 20 October 2020, https://bit.ly/38zZa7V
41  Facebook, Muhammad Kazara, 13 September 2020, https://bit.ly/3dNzoxW
42  Facebook, Hussein Ahmad Khraboutly, 3 November 2020, https://bit.ly/2TUL88n 
43  Al-Iqtisadi, “Lina Safwan Ashrafiah” (in Arabic), 2 November 2020, https://bit.ly/34Uj6jK 

12

3.  Overview of the Election Results in Other Chambers of Commerce 

3.1.  The Rural Damascus Chamber of Commerce

In  Rural  Damascus,  the  previous  board  elected  in  2014  was  dissolved  by  the  government  in 
February 2018 on corruption charges and a need to undertake an auditing of the work of the chamber’s 
board of directors. The government instead appointed a new committee to manage the affairs of the 
Rural Damascus Chamber of Commerce which was led by Wassim Qattan until the election of the new 
board. In October 2020, the final number of candidates, after multiple withdrawals, corresponded to the 
number of seats allocated as elected representatives.44 All were therefore elected without competition.45

Five members of the 2014 board retain their seats. These include Usama Mustapha, a Baathist MP 
since 2016 and former chairman of the board of directors who is also a member of the board of trustees 
of Dar al-Assad for Culture and Arts and secretary of the Syrian-Chinese Business Council.46 Mustafa 
benefited from the support of the Fourth Division to build his wealth as a construction contractor.47 
The  other  former  members  are  well-known  established  businessmen  who  have  continued  to  play 
significant roles in government and economic institutions demonstrating their uninterrupted loyalty to 
the regime. Samir Amouri was vice-chairman of the Rural Damascus Chamber of Commerce (2015-
2020) and he is involved in many activities with foreign businessmen.48 Muhammad Khayr Sariul, 
who established his al-Khair Company for Contracting and Trading in 1985, was elected as Baathist 
MP in 2016 for Rural Damascus and he has been Secretary of the Business Administration Committee 
of the Rural Damascus Chamber of Commerce since February 2018.49 Ruba Abboud also holds many 
positions,  including  head  of  the  businesswomen’s  committee  in  the  Rural  Damascus  Chamber  of 
Commerce.50 The last member of the 2014 board re-elected in 2020 is Muhammad Sheikh Ali, from 
the city of Madaya.51

Among the seven newcomers elected to the board of directors, Amer Kheiti appears to be a rising 
prominent  business  personality. A  native  of  the  city  of  Duma,  Kheiti  has  received  the  support  of 
the  Fourth  Division  headed  by  Maher  al-Assad  to  significantly  extend  his  economic  and  political 
influence and entered the Parliament for the first time in July 2020.52 Muhannad Zayd, a former MP 

44   Three  candidates  who  withdrew  their  candidacy  before  the  voting  day  were  finally  appointed  to  the  board  by  the 
government as representatives of the private sector: Muthana Karakar, Ahmad Ali Razi and Mazen Muhammad Khayat.
45  Business 2 Business, “After the Recent Withdrawals, the Candidates for the Damascus Province Chamber of Commerce 
Won by Acclamation” (in Arabic), 5 October 2020, https://bit.ly/372HCR5 
46  Al-Iqtisadi, “Usama Mustapha” (in Arabic), 14 October 2020, https://bit.ly/3drfB73 
47  Awad and Favier, “Syrian People’s Council Elections 2020.”
48  Owner and chairman of Amouri Group Companies since 1978, Amouri has been the treasurer of the Syrian-Chinese 
Business  Council  since  2019  and  one  of  the  founders  and  secretary  of  the  Syrian-Turkish  Businessmen  Council.  He 
travelled  to  Iran  with  a  delegation  of  businessmen  led  by  Muhammad  Hamsho  in  October  2018. Al-Iqtisadi,  “Samir 
Amouri” (in Arabic), 20 October 2020, https://bit.ly/31gEeP6 
49  He also held the position of Head of Supervision and Investigation at the Construction Contractors Association. Al-
Iqtisadi,  “Muhamad  Khayr  Sariul”  (in Arabic),  21  October  2020,  https://bit.ly/3m00955.  His  company  is  involved  in 
construction, trade, contracting and manufacturing.
50  Abboud is also a member of the board of directors of both the Federation of Syrian Chambers of Commerce and the 
Exporters Association and has been a member of the Advisory Council of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers since 
November 2019. She is the owner and director of Rajhamika Modern Furniture for the manufacture and trade of modern 
furniture,  which  is  located  in  the  industrial  city  of Adra. Al-Iqtisadi,  “Ruba Abboud”  (in Arabic),  19  October  2020,  
https://bit.ly/3kbmoEo 
51  Facebook, Muhammad Sheikh Ali, 21 October 2020, https://bit.ly/3jjPBMf 
52   For  his  profile,  see  Awad  and  Favier,  “Syrian  People’s  Assembly  Elections  2020.”  In  November  2020,  the  U.S. 
Department took sanctions against Amer Kheiti for being connected to the Syrian government.

13

(2016-2020),  commanded  the  Qalamoun  Shield  forces  in  his  native  town  of Ain  al-Tineh  before 
he turned into a businessman and became co-owner of the Zayd and Kheiti Company.53 The other 
newly elected members are mostly new medium-size and small traders (Ali al-Shibli from the city 
of Arbeen, Yassin al-Nisrin from Duma, Uday al-Habsheh from al-Nabek, Khaled al-Tabl, who is 
a member of the Central Committee of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce for Export, and 
Muhammad Louay Sary). 

Similarly,  the  members  appointed  by  the  government  represent  a  mix  of  relatively  small  new 
businessmen (Muthana Karakar, who is in his mid-late thirties)54 and older economic actors (Mazen 
Muhammad  Khayat).55  The  appointment  of  Rima  al-Omary  also  allowed  the  representation  of 
businesswomen on the board.56

The composition of the board of directors in Rural Damascus shows a consolidation of two main 
types of businessmen: some are affiliated with militias and security forces (Mustafa, Kheiti, Zayd) 
and  others  are  well-established  in  government  and  economic  institutions. This  duality  is  reflected 
in the new executive board. Mustapha remains the chairman of the board, while Kheiti and Amouri 
are respectively first and second vice-chairmen. Zayd is the new treasurer and Abboud maintains her 
positions as representative of the board to the Federation of Syrian Chambers of Commerce and chair 
of the Businesswomen’s Committee. Karakar, secretary of the new board, al-Shibli and al-Habsheh 
complete the executive bureau.57 

3.2.  The Homs Chamber of Commerce

In Homs, of the 18 former members of the board of directors, only seven remained. The United 
list won all the elected seats.58 Except for the famous businessman Tarif al-Akhras, who retained his 
seat from 2009 until 2020, but did not run in these latest elections,59 the main personalities on the 
2014 board were re-elected. Former secretary of the board of directors, Antoine Daoud, who is also 
a member of the Syrian-Russian Business Council, received the highest number of votes, followed 
by MP Firas al-Salloum al-Hadba and former treasurer of the board Iyad Draq al-Sibai.60 The former 
chairman and former vice-chairman were also re-elected, Dr. Abdel al-Nasr Sheikh Futuh and Ibrahim 
al-Atassi respectively. 

The newly elected members are medium-sized businessmen, such as Nizar Kafa, who was among the 
Syrian businessmen to attend the Dubai Food Exposition in February 2020, and Dr. Sateh Kasuha, an 
agent of both the Italian company Doxal and the Russian company Avivac in Syria. 

53   Facebook,  “Muhannad  Zaid,  “Member  of  the  Syrian  People’s  Assembly”  (in  Arabic),  21  October  2020,  
https://bit.ly/35scdFD; Republican Guard Ain al-Tineh (in Arabic), Facebook, 26 May 2016, https://bit.ly/37DBMpA 
54  General Manager of the Karakar Group for Trade and director and owner of Onyx International Tourism, Travel and Tourism 
Investments established in Syria in October 2019. He held the position of chairman of the National Union of Syrian Students in 
Malaysia between 2014 and 2019. He is from Yabroud. Facebook, “Muthana Kraker,” 6 November 2020, https://bit.ly/3laeFXW 
55  He is the owner of multiple companies, mostly established before or in 2011, including the United Contracting and 
Energy Limited Liability Company and the Khayyat and Muhayri Trading Company. Al-Iqtisadi, “Mazen Muhammad 
Khayat,” (in Arabic), 2 November 2020, https://bit.ly/2JsKHQK 
56  Syrian National Women’s Foundation (in Arabic), Facebook, 7 November 2019, https://bit.ly/3k6wupk. Three other 
appointees  are  Nizar  Bakour,  Director  of  the  Directorate  of  Economy  and  Foreign  Trade  in  Rural  Damascus,  Samer 
Muhammad Zuhayli, Director of the Popular Credit Bank branch in al-Nabek, and Ahmad Ali Razi, owner and founder 
of the Ghazi and Olayan Group of Companies (food commodities).
57  Syrian Days, “Abu al-Hoda al-Lahham, head of the Damascus Chamber of Commerce and Mustapha for Rural Damascus.”
58  Facebook, Dr. Abdel al-Nasr Sheikh Futuh, 11 September 2020, https://bit.ly/2SU2Qby
59  Pro-Justice, “Tarif al-Akhras,” 2020, https://bit.ly/3nL1BK2 
60  He is also president of the al-Wathbat football team in Homs and of the historic Khalid Ibn Walid Charity Association, 
which is involved in various humanitarian activities and the restoration of buildings and shops in the city.

14

Among the members appointed by the government there are many significant economic actors. Halim 
al-Akhras, who occupied the position of vice-chairman of the board of directors of Homs Chamber of 
Commerce before 2011, has been the Director of Economy and Foreign Trade in Homs since 2002.61 
Less influential than al-Akhras, Muhammad Fadlallah al-Zein, who lost in the 2020 parliamentary 
election, is chairman of the Homs Governorate, Sports, Cultural, Social and Cultural Club created in 
2018,62 and businessman Quraysh Sahloul is a member of Homs city council. 

These results led to some relatively important changes in the new executive bureau: al-Sibai is the 
chairman and al-Akhras is the first vice-chairman, while al-Atassi remains the second vice-chairman. 
Newly elected members Muhammad Samer Safwah and Muhammad Bashar al-Taban (also a member 
of the executive bureau of Homs city council) are respectively secretary and treasurer of the board.  
Kafa and al-Salloum al-Hadba are also members of the executive bureau.63 

3.3.  The Hama Chamber of Commerce

As in Rural Damascus, the former board of directors of the Hama chamber was dissolved in 
January 2018 due to corruption-related charges against the chairman at that time.64 A month later, 
Ayman  Malandi,  an  MP  since  2012  on  the  Baath  list,  was  appointed  chairman  of  the  chamber  of 
commerce. He did not run in the election for the board of directors in 2020. 

The al-Bina list won all the seats.65 This list was notably supported by Ahmed Sbahi, an important 
businessman  in  Hama  who  withdrew  his  candidacy  in  the  2020  parliamentary  election  before  the 
voting day.66 On the new board of directors at Hama Chamber, his family is represented by Abdel 
Razaq Sbahi. Abd al-Latif Shakr, who is co-founder of a company of pipe and carton components 
products in Hama, and Abdel Karim Habbal became respectively chairman and first vice-chairman of 
the chamber’s board of directors.67 Among the six personalities appointed by governmental decree, 
the most prominent is Abd al-Rahim Rahal, who was already a member of the previous board and 
is former treasurer of the Federation of Syrian Chambers of Commerce, has been chairman of the 
Central Committee for Exports in the Federation since December 2019, is a member of the board 
of directors of the General Organisation for Fairs and International Markets, and a member of both 
the  Syrian-Russian  Business  Council  and  the  Syrian-Iranian  Business  Council.68  In  addition,  Mrs. 
Doha Karkour, chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Banna Private School, was also reappointed. 
Alongside  the  reappointment  of  Rahal,  Karkour  and  Kanazi,  the  newly  appointed  members  are 
relatively little-known business personalities.69 

61  Al-Iqtisadi, “Halim al-Akhras” (in Arabic), 25 October 2020, https://bit.ly/34th0r6 
62  Facebook, “We Build and Cultivate, the Candidate for the People’s Assembly Elections, Muhammad Fadlallah al-Zein” 
(in Arabic), 2 November 2020, https://bit.ly/385Udnk 
63  Hashtag Syria, “The Chambers of Commerce in Daraa, Tartous, al-Hasakah, Sweida, Homs and Rural Damascus Elect 
their Boards of Directors” (in Arabic), 25 October 2020, https://bit.ly/37HXaKG 
64   Enab  Baladi,  “Dismissal  of  the  Board  of  Hama  Chamber  of  Commerce  on  Charges  of  Corruption”  (in  Arabic), 
 https://bit.ly/32k611D 
65   Shamra,  “The  al-Bina  List  Wins  the  Hama  Chamber  of  Commerce  Elections”  (in  Arabic),  11  September  2020,  
https://bit.ly/31820wq 
66  He is CEO of the Sbahi Company for Industry and Trade, and he co-owns both the City Centre Complex in Hama and the 
Dream Mall Complex in Aleppo. Al-Iqtisadi, “Ahmad Hassan Sbahi” (in Arabic), 21 October 2020, https://bit.ly/2Tl3WxB 
67  Al-Watan Syria, “Abdul Latif Shakr, Chairman of the Hama Chamber of Commerce” (in Arabic), Facebook, 25 October 
2020, https://bit.ly/35Ne1Jx 
68  Al-Iqtisadi, “Abd al-Rahim Abd al-Qadr Rahal,” (in Arabic), 25 October 2020, https://bit.ly/31Y1amH 
69  SANA, “Hama Chamber of Commerce Announces the Names of its New Office Members” (in Arabic), 25 November 
2014, https://bit.ly/2IuqjOR

15

3.4.  Smaller Chambers of Commerce and Industry

In  the  case  of  certain  small  chambers  of  commerce  and  industry  (Sweida,  Daraa,  Idlib,  al-
Hasakah), in addition to Latakia, no major changes occurred in the last elections. Their new boards of 
directors were generally agreed on without much competition and most of the former board members 
were re-elected.70 In Latakia, 11 of the 12 elected members are former members, including former 
chairman Kamal Ismail al-Assad, a relative of Bashar, vice-chairman Maher Zein, and the important 
trader Anas Dib Joud, who hails from a famous business family and is also a member of the Federation 
of Syrian Chambers of Commerce.71 In the new executive bureau elected on 25 October 2020, all 
three keep the same position they had on the previous board. In contrast to the elected members, more 
government appointees are newcomers.72 Among them, Bassam Dallati is one of the most important 
businessmen in the country and owner of the largest clothing and fashion companies in Syria,73 and 
Amjad Suleiman is General Director of Latakia port.

In  contrast  to  the  case  of  Latakia,  the Tartous  Chamber  elections  saw  fierce  competition  between 
two  lists:  the  Tartous  Hope  list  led  by  businessman  Mazen  Hammad  and  the  Tartous  Merchants 
and  Industrialists  list  headed  by  Samir  Kaddour,  former  secretary  of  the  board  of  directors.  Two 
prominent  figures  on  the  second  list,  former  chairman  of Tartous  Chamber  of  Commerce  Muzhar 
Younes, whose assets were recently frozen by the government, 74 and Ali Wahib Mehri, former vice-
chairman and son of former chairman Wahib Merie (who died in 2017), withdrew their candidacies 
before the voting day.75 The Tartous Hope list eventually won six seats, against only two seats for 
the second list.76 Hammad, who is a business personality with close ties to the regime, gathered the 
most important number of votes. Owner of various companies, he has been involved in trade and 
construction contracts and has increasingly been engaged in charity initiatives in Tartous.77 In late 
2019, he also launched the first solar energy project in the country, in Tartous, at a cost of 5 billion SYP 
($10 million at the time).78 His victory reflects his growing influence in the governorate – and more 
broadly in the country – at the expense of the other economic elite members, particularly Younes and 
Merie. He became the new chairman of the board of directors of Tartous Chamber of Commerce on 
25 October. Only two members of the former board of directors were re-elected, while the executive 

70  The chairmen of the former boards of directors of the chambers of commerce and industry remain in position in al-
Hasakah (Mohammed Khair Shekhmous), in Sweida (Faisal Seif), in Idlib (Mohammed Abdullah Shatat) and in Daraa 
(Qasim al-Masalma).
71  The Joud family is one of the richest in Syria and is particularly involved in shipping and trade. The economic empire 
of the family expanded considerably under Subhi Joud, who was a prosperous Sunni entrepreneur from the city of Latakia 
and a protégé of Hafez al-Assad. He passed away in 2016.
72  Syrian Days, “Publication of the Names Victorious in the Latakia Chamber of Commerce and Industry Elections” (in 
Arabic), 17 September 2020, https://bit.ly/3lIMu27 
73  Souriat, “A Wedding Worth Half a Billion in Latakia” (in Arabic), 23 September 2017, https://bit.ly/2HV729u 
74  He is a relatively wealthy trader, owner of Sham Trading company and acts as agent for various foreign companies. He 
is son of General Tawfiq Younes, former head of the Internal Intelligence Department.
75  Syrian Days, “The Competition is Fierce to Elect the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 
Tartous” (in Arabic), 30 August 2020, https://bit.ly/31nVWjL 
76  Kifah Samir Qaddour and Muhammad Kamel Sakheya. Syrian Days, “Announcing the Winners of the Tartous Chamber 
of Commerce and Industry” (in Arabic), 18 October 2020, https://bit.ly/31mRKR9 
77  On several occasions Hammad participated in funding the provision of complete school uniforms to children of the 
martyrs and disappeared in Tartous. Economy 2day, “With the Support of Businessman Mazen Hammad” (in Arabic), 13 
September 2020, https://bit.ly/3j8YXKF 
78  Enab Baladi, “It Caused the Arrest of a Journalist Recently ... Who is Businessman Mazen Hammad?” (in Arabic), 9 
September 2020, https://bit.ly/2HlSqir. In September 2020 Hammad was accused of corruption regarding his investments 
in solar energy contracts.

16

bureau is composed completely of newly elected members.79 Among other important businessmen, 
Muhannad Ali Ismail, general manager of Tartous port, was appointed by the government, as was 
Sami Khairallah Diaa after he lost the election on the Tartous Merchants and Industrialists list. 80 

Like Tartous, the composition of the chambers of commerce and industry in Deir al-Zor, Quneitra 
and Raqqa has been greatly renewed, and in particular their chairmen. In Raqqa, Fayez al-Hussayn 
replaced Randa al-Ajili, who remains on the board of directors.81 In Quneitra, Imad Qassem replaced 
M. Mofid Mashafj.82 Finally, in Deir Zor, Hafez al-Qassem al-Arab, (also known as Hafez Fayz al-
Nuri), son of Fayez al-Nuri (former chief judge in Syria’s Supreme State Security Court, nominated 
in the period of Hafez al-Assad),83 replaced the long-term former chairman Mazen Daoud Kenamah, 
who is still a member of the board.84

4.  The Federation of Syrian Chambers of Commerce

Following the elections in the chambers of commerce in each governorate, the new board of 
directors and the executive bureau of the Federation of Syrian Chambers of Commerce were elected 
at the end of October 2020, with major changes. Of the 29 former members of the board of directors, 
only 11 were re-elected. 

The organisational structure of the federation’s board of directors follows the dispositions explained 
in  Table  1.  The  two  representatives  of  the  private  sector  selected  by  the  government  are  famous 
business personalities from Damascus. The first, Pascal al-Katib, had lost in the election of the board 
of directors of the Damascus Chamber of Commerce but was eventually appointed by the Ministry 
of Domestic Trade and then elected to the executive bureau of the Federation. Al-Katib owns a food 
company and was a director of Caritas Syria between 2012 and 2016.85 The second, Fahd Darwish, 
occupies numerous important positions in state economic institutions, including the vice-presidency 
of the Joint Syrian-Iranian Chamber of Commerce and chair of the board of directors of the Higher 
Investors Committee of the Public Establishment for Free Zones.86 Darwish has played a prominent 
role in promoting Iranian economic interests in Syria and has extensive commercial links with Teheran. 
He is notably chairman of the Syrian Armada Company for Trade and Construction – agent for the 
Syrian-Iranian Auto Manufacturing Company – and General Manager of the al-Baraka pharmaceutical 
company,  which  has  its  mother  company  located  in  Iran.  He  is  also  one  of  the  supervisors  of  the 
Iranian Centre in the Damascus Free Zone, which includes 22 Iranian companies.87 Darwish lost the 
parliamentary election in the capital in July 2020. These two nominations allow the representation of 
religious minorities on the board (respectively Christian and Shiite).

79  Al-Watan, “Hammad as Chairman of the Tartous Chamber of Commerce and Industry...” (in Arabic), 25 October 2020, 
https://bit.ly/3kEhikz 
80  Tartous Merchants and Industrialists’ list, (in Arabic), Facebook, 13 August 2020, https://bit.ly/3mShLQH 
81  Raqqa Chambers of Commerce and Industry (in Arabic), Facebook, 10 October 2020, https://bit.ly/2HOq4Ot 
82  Al-Watan, “Imad Qassem, Chairman of the Quneitra Chamber of Industry and Commerce” (in Arabic), 25 October 
2020, https://bit.ly/2JinfWt 
83  He is guilty of issuing tens of thousands of death sentences without trials in the 1980s and beyond. 
84  Sada al-Dayr, Facebook, 27 October 2020, https://bit.ly/3mzJLIA 
85  Al-Iqtisadi, “Pascal Habib al-Katib” (in Arabic), 27 October 2020, https://bit.ly/2HJMYql 
86  Al-Iqtisadi, “Fahd Darwish” (in Arabic), 27 October 2020, https://bit.ly/3mwVaJd 
87   Asharq  al-Awsat,  “Syria:  Electoral  Campaigns  Reflect  Russian  Absence,  Iranian  Influence,”  17  July  2020,  
https://bit.ly/3eFVFhm 

17

The traditional distribution of positions is respected in the Federation’s new executive board. The 
chairman and secretary of the Damascus Chamber of Commerce became chairman and secretary of 
the Federation, while the chairmen of Aleppo and Homs are respectively the first and second vice-
chairmen. The  chairman of the Rural Damascus  Chamber of  Commerce maintains his  position as 
treasurer. The rest of the members elected are two medium-size businessmen (Qassim Masalma and 
Muhammad Samer al-Qutb) and two important private actors (Anas Joud and Pascal al-Katib). 

In many respects the composition of the Federation reflects the trends observed in the main Chambers 
of Commerce with the representation of two main groups: first a generation of rising and influential 
young businessmen with close connections with the regime and personalities linked to it; and second,  
more  established  and  older  businessmen,  generally  with  extensive  presences  in  state  economic 
institutions. 

Table 6. The Board of Directors of the Federation of  
Syrian Chambers of Commerce (2020-2024)

Name 

Position

Muhammad Abu al-
Hoda al-Lahham
Muhammad Amer 
Hamwi
Iyad Draq al-Sibai
Muhammad al-Hallaq
Osama Mostafa
Qasim al-Masalma

Anas Joud

Muhammad Samer al-
Qutb
Pascal al-Katib

Chairman of the 
Federation 
First Vice-Chairman

Second Vice-Chairman
Secretary
Treasurer
Member of the executive 
bureau
Member of the executive 
bureau
Member of the executive 
bureau
Member of the executive 
bureau

Kamal Ismail al-Assad Member of the board
Member of the board
Abd al-Latif Shakr
Member of the board
Mazen Hammad
Member of the board
Imad Qassem
Member of the board
Hafez al-Qassem al-Arab 
(also known Hafez Fayz 
al-Nouri)
Faisal Talal al-Seif
Muhammad Abdallah 
Shattat
Fayez al-Hussayn
Muhammed Khair 
Shekhmous
Muhammad Fadl Qaterji Member of the Board
Member of the Board
Ali Rida Turkmani
Member of the Board
Ruba Abboud

Member of the Board
Member of the Board

Member of the board
Member of the board

Governorate/Ministry 
representation
Damascus

Elected or appointed by 
the government
Elected

Aleppo

Homs
Damascus
Rural Damascus
Daraa

Latakia

Damascus

Representative of 
the private sector 
(Damascus)
Latakia
Hama
Tartous
Quneitra 
Deir al-Zor 

Sweida 
Idlib 

Raqqa 
Al-Hasakah 

Aleppo
Aleppo
Rural Damascus

Elected

Elected
Elected
Elected
Elected

Elected

Elected

Appointed 

Elected
Elected
Elected
Elected
Elected

Elected
Elected

Elected
Elected

Elected
Elected
Elected

18

Firas Salloum
Abdel Razaq Sbahi
Manal Abu Raqti

Member of the Board
Member of the Board
Member of the Board

Munther Wannous

Member of the board

Shady Jawhara

Member of the board

Ahmed Najm

Member of the board

Fahd Darwish

Member of the board

Muhammad Fares al-
Jijakli

Member of the board

Elected
Elected
Appointed – Director 
of the Foreign Trade 
Directorate
Appointed – Director 
General of the Tax and 
Fees Authority
Appointed – General 
Manager of the General 
Organisation for Foreign 
Trade
Appointed – General 
Director of the Syrian 
Trade Establishment 
Appointed 

Homs
Hama
Representing the 
Ministry of Economy 
and Foreign Trade.
Representing the 
Ministry of Finance

Representing the Public 
Sector

Representing the Public 
Sector

Representative of 
the private sector 
(Damascus)
General Director of the 
Federation

Source: Federation of Syrian Chambers of Commerce, Facebook, 27 October 2020, https://bit.ly/3oCkLlX

19

Conclusion

The  formation  of  the  boards  of  directors  of  the  chambers  of  commerce  and  the  Federation 
constituted  a  tool  for  Damascus  to  (re)construct  networks  of  businessmen  supporting  the  regime 
while renewing its popular base. These elections witnessed meaningful changes in the compositions 
of the boards of directors of several chambers of commerce. The size of the change to some extent 
reflects  a  significant  modification  of  the  economic  landscape,  business  activities  and  networks  in 
every city. The larger chambers of commerce include a high number of newcomers on their boards: 
55.5 percent in Homs, nearly 67 percent in Aleppo, 72 percent in Rural Damascus and over 83 percent 
in Damascus and Hama. The only exception to this trend is Latakia, where more than 60 percent of 
the board members were on the former board, demonstrating a stability of the economic elite in this 
region, which did not suffer mass destruction. 

One of the most notable aspects of these results is the election of business personalities who rose 
during  the  war  and  are  connected  with  the  presidential  palace,  the  Fourth  Division  or  pro-regime 
militias  (mainly  in  Damascus, Aleppo,  Rural  Damascus  and  Tartous).  Most  of  the  newly  elected 
economic actors are generally in their forties. They were initially involved in various sectors of the 
war  economy  and  smuggling. They  have  acted  as  commercial  intermediaries  importing  particular 
products and goods lacking in Syria or as front men for influential regime personalities. In the past 
few  years,  these  businessmen  have  increasingly  invested  in  the  formal  economy.  They  have  now 
consolidated their power by occupying official positions in state institutions, such as the parliament 
and the chambers of commerce. At the same time, the departure of very prominent businessmen, such 
as Mahmoud Hamsho and Tarif al-Akhras, from the boards of directors of chambers of commerce 
and the Federation does not necessarily mean a decline in their power and influence but rather their 
withdrawal  from  state  and  economic  institutions.  Interestingly,  similar  dynamics  were  observed 
among the businessmen elected as MPs in July 2020.88 

However, compared to the profiles of the MP businessmen, the main difference in the composition 
of  the  new  chambers  of  commerce  is  the  return  or  the  promotion  of  old  and  established  business 
figures, often over sixty or seventy years old with historical presences in economic and government 
institutions. Although they are very far from having the same weight as the new rising businessmen, 
they are generally more entrenched in the traditional economic elites of their cities. Their elections 
or appointments could first be an attempt to give more credibility and weight to these chambers due 
to their centrality in the Syrian economy. This could secondly mean that the regime may use them as 
intermediaries in the near and medium future to convince businessmen who left the country to come 
back.

88  Awad and Favier, “Syrian People’s Council Elections 2020s.”

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Research Project Report
13 November 2020
2020/14

ISBN:978-92-9084-940-7
doi:10.2870/2963