Who We Are

Lea is Lebanese, born in France, and has spent most of her life living outside Lebanon—an experience that has only deepened her connection to her roots. She holds a BA in European Social & Political Studies and an MSc in International Public Policy from University College London (UCL).

She began her career in London’s journalism sector, where her work focused on current affairs in the Middle East and was published across multiple platforms. Lea later relocated to Lebanon to work as a political consultant specialising in the MENA region, before transitioning into the nonprofit sector. She brings over a decade of experience working with organisations across Lebanon, West Africa, and the UK. For many years, she served as Director of a Lebanon-based NGO that collaborated closely with the American University of Beirut Medical Center, leading fundraising initiatives for awareness, inclusion, scholarships, and medical therapy packages for children and young people with special needs.

Following a rare disease diagnosis in May 2021, Lea became a committed advocate for Stiff Person Syndrome. She founded Bent Not Broken on Instagram and Heart to Heart Conversations on YouTube, building a globally recognised awareness and community platform supported by both patients and medical professionals.

As her life took a new direction, Lea assumed a remote role as Fundraising and Communications Manager in a UK-based nonprofit organisation. Over the past year and a half, she has designed and implemented a new organisational strategy and led the development of a CPD-certified digital learning platform providing accredited courses for professionals working in the social care sector.

Her latest and proudest achievement is co-founding Boukra Nour NGO in Lebanon, founded with the vision:

“Empowering Futures, Rooted in Healing.”

The organisation’s twofold mission focuses on delivering technology-driven solutions to local actors to improve case management, while also creating an innovative online platform offering accredited training to those supporting children and marginalised communities.

Driven, resilient, and action-oriented, Lea thrives on challenge and consistently seeks to exceed expectations. She approaches obstacles with determination and creativity, viewing them as opportunities for growth. She has recently submitted her second manuscript to her editor, with the aspiration of achieving worldwide publication. Lea is deeply committed to purpose-driven work and brings meaningful impact to every team and mission she supports. She believes in the change Boukra Nour can bring to Lebanon.

Georges Debbas was born in Lebanon and grew up amid the realities of civil war—an experience that profoundly shaped his worldview and lifelong commitment to well-being and social impact. In 2007, he migrated to the United Kingdom to complete his studies and began a career in the financial services industry, where he has worked ever since.

Alongside his professional career, Georges developed a deep interest in well-being, trauma awareness, and trauma-informed intervention—rooted in years of personal work to understand and heal from his own lived experiences. In 2020, he took a year-long sabbatical to dedicate himself to supporting a UK-based not-for-profit organisation focused on children from abused and neglected backgrounds. This marked a pivotal shift in his journey from personal healing to systemic impact.

Over the past four to five years, Georges has championed innovative, technology-enabled solutions and training initiatives designed to improve outcomes across the care sector. He is particularly passionate about supporting children and individuals within the care system, whom he believes have the greatest potential to positively shape our communities when given the right support. A strong advocate for digital transformation, Georges believes that without the right tools and technology, administrative burden and inefficiencies can dilute impact. His mission is to help democratise care—enabling practitioners to focus on what truly matters: delivering informed, compassionate, and effective support, while ensuring processes remain streamlined and digital.

Georges holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Mathematics and a Master’s degree in Finance. He is also a proud father to two children, Nour and Arthur.

Nada AbdelSater-Abusamra is an international lawyer admitted to the Courts of New York and Beirut and in The Hague (Netherlands), where she acts as the legal representative of victims at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon looking into the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri.

She is the founding partner of ASAS Law, a Lebanese law firm with activities across the Middle East and extending to Europe, the USA and Commonwealth countries. She has a strong practice in international cross-border transactions, litigation, and arbitration including notably white-collar crimes, as well as complex commercial litigation, confiscation, freezing orders and cross-border enforcement of judgements and arbitral awards.

Her clients include high-profile individuals and multinationals. She leads multi-faceted investigation processes and asset recovery proceedings across several jurisdictions according to rigorous and high professional standards.

She advises clients on tracing and seizing or freezing funds and assets located in Lebanon or deposited in Lebanese bank accounts. She acts for clients in liberating funds that were unduly frozen by international or national regulatory authorities. She is distinctly respected by high-ranking regulators (notably in the banking sector) who solicit her insight on legal matters.

As part of her practice, she handles complex transactions including financial engineering, M&A, oil and gas, PPP, corporate and financial transactions and corporate governance restructuring.

She was named more than once as “Leading Lawyer” by reputed international guides. She earned international recognition for her work in corporate governance and ethics. She is the recipient of the Corporate Governance Rising Star Award, 2009, Yale University (School of Management, the Millstein Center) and has received other medals and decorations.

She holds a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School (LL.M. 1999), a Lebanese and French Master’s law degree from Université Saint-Joseph in Beirut (1998), a Bachelor of Science from the American University of Beirut (1994) and has completed the M.A. coursework in International Affairs at the Lebanese American University (1994). Nada taught law and corporate governance at the American University of Beirut Business School.

During her studies, she co-founded an antique store. Inspired by Boukra Nour’s mission to strengthen Lebanon’s social care and educational sectors through innovation, Maya joined the organization as Treasurer.

She is committed to supporting the NGO’s growth by ensuring responsible financial stewardship and contributing to its long-term sustainability and impact.

After managing operations at BlattChaya, she co-founded Makan, a Lebanese restaurant concept in Spain.

Today, she is the co-founder of Rezz, a tech startup reinventing online gifting. Her passion lies in turning ideas into ventures that bring together creativity, innovation, and real-world impact.