GAZA CRISIS: Former Wall Street Banker, Syria's First Lady Speaks Out!

The New Face of Syria:  Asma Assad

Wall Street Banker!  Moderate, Articulate, and Intelligent!  A New Middle East?

Watch Video of Asma Assad talking about Gaza War Crisis with CNN

Asma Assad is a revelation — with a competitive edge learned on Wall Street, a light-up-the-room charisma, and a down-to-earth touch. Born and raised in Britain, she is now the modern face of Syria.

"I remember growing up in the U.K. and the perceptions toward the region as a whole, not just Syria, and the perception is of a distant place, almost exotic, almost alien," Assad says once.

"It’s a country of transition and with that you need to develop in your human capital more than anything else, which means education, it means building capabilities and skills," she says.  So across Syria, she has started programs to open up young minds to new ideas.  The former banker, just 31, married Bashar Assad seven years ago. The couple have three children. 

Asma attended Kings College, London and graduated in 1996 with a BSc first class honours degree in computer science and a diploma in French Literature. After university, Asma spent six months travelling throughout the Far East and Europe. Upon her return in 1997, she started work at Deutsche Morgan Grenfell in London (now known as Deutsche Bank) as an analyst in the Hedge fund Management section of Sales and Trading, covering clients in the Far East and Europe.

In 1998, Asma joined the investment banking division of J.P. Morgan, London. She specialized in Mergers and Acquisitions for Biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. During the three years she spent at J.P. Morgan, she was sent to their Paris office for nine months and to the New York office for eighteen months, where she advised and executed four large merger transactions for both European and American clients.

After leaving J.P. Morgan in November 2000, Asma returned to Syria and married Bashar al-Assad in December 2000. On December 3, 2001, they became the parents of their first-born child, named Hafez after his late grandfather. Zein was born on November 5, 2003, and Kareem on December 16, 2004. Her father is London-based cardiologist Fawaz al-Akhras, and mother Sahar Otri al-Akhras, an active philanthropist in Syria. She has two brothers; Feras, a doctor, and Eyad, a communications consultant based in Qatar.

Unlike previous Syrian First Ladies, Asma has maintained a higher profile at state, diplomatic, and charitable events. In 2004 Asma al-Assad was awarded an Honorary doctorate in Archaeology from La Sapienza University, Rome.

As the first lady of Syria, Asma initiated and supported programs designed to foster economic development and improve the quality of life for Syrian people. Asma has focused on issues concerning rural development technology. In July 2001, she established Syrias first rural development N.G.O., known as the Fund for Integrated Rural Development of Syria (F.I.R.D.O.S.). The fund aims to play a leading role in advancing comprehensive and sustainable human development through the direct participation of the Syrian population. During her frequent visits to villages and local communities throughout the country, Asma stresses the importance of strengthening and enhancing the capacity of communities, whilst respecting the positive values of local culture and heritage

Asma has highlighted the key role of women in the development process and facilitated their participation. She recently hosted the "Women and Education" forum which gathered First Ladies from six various Arab countries and delegations from all 22 Arab countries. The three-day event gathered viewpoints and opinions on new trends and methodologies in education. Asma is head of Mawred, a Syrian NGO set up under her patronage in 2003 with the aim to enhance the role of women in Syria’s economic development. She actively supports the Syrian Business Womens Committee in the Chamber of Commerce.

Asma’s interest in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) began during her school years. In July 2002 she initiated the first Mobile Information Center (M.I.C.) in the Middle East, intended to help bridge the gap between the information-rich and information-poor communities in Syria. The M.I.C. serves the purpose of a fully equipped mobile computer classroom, which travels through Syrias remote villages to conduct I.C.T. literacy programs.

Through her newly founded Syria Development Trust, Asma al-Assad is an active sponsor of events that promote the history, culture and arts of Syria.

As the wife of the Syrian President Asma has taken a prominent public role.

On August 27, 2008, al-Asad received the Arab First Lady Award for 2008, given by the Center for Studies of Arab Women Contribution, in cooperation with the Arab League.