Rita Chidiac

Public Affairs Lead at ACCA Middle East

Moderator

Rita Chidiac is a public affairs and policy expert with over 20 years of experience across the Middle East, Africa, and Eastern Europe. She joined ACCA in 2025, leading strategic engagement with regulators, policymakers, and institutional partners to advance national capacity-building, regulatory reform, and sustainable finance agendas.

Before ACCA, Rita worked as an Independent Public Affairs Consultant (2022–2025), advising multinationals and government stakeholders on advocacy strategy and policy engagement across high-impact sectors.

From 2011 to 2022, she held senior roles at Japan Tobacco International (JTI), leading corporate affairs and communications across the Middle East, Africa, and CIS markets.

Earlier in her career, Rita served as a Political Analyst with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Minister of State for Administrative Reform in Lebanon from 2004 to 2010, supporting public sector modernization and governance reform.

She is a former Board Member of the Middle East and Africa Duty Free Association (MEADFA) and served as Secretary General of its Advocacy Working Group until 2022.

Rita holds a master’s degree in public administration from Notre Dame University in Lebanon, and a bachelor’s in international affairs and diplomacy. A regular speaker and moderator at policy forums, she is known for her ability to translate complex issues into actionable dialogue that bridges government, industry, and civil society.