
Najib Mikati transitioned from a successful business career into politics, first serving as Minister of Public Works and Transport across three consecutive governments from 1998 to 2004. He was elected as a Member of Parliament for the city of Tripoli in 2000, serving until 2005, when he was appointed Prime Minister to lead a government tasked with overseeing parliamentary elections. He pledged not to run in those elections to ensure the neutrality of his government, which went on to hold free and fair elections in May 2005, an achievement acknowledged by all Lebanese political factions and relevant international bodies. This marked the first time in Lebanon’s history that a Prime Minister committed to complete electoral neutrality to the extent of not running for office himself.
He was re-elected as MP for Tripoli in 2009 and again in 2018, serving until 2022.
He was reappointed Prime Minister on January 25, 2011, and an official decree naming him Prime Minister was issued on June 13, 2011. He later submitted his government’s resignation on March 23, 2013, continuing to serve in a caretaker role until February 15, 2014.
Mikati assumed the role of Prime Minister for the third time on September 10, 2021, and remained in office until February 8, 2025.
In the early 1980s, he co-founded the company INVESTCOM, which became a pioneer in telecommunications in emerging markets across the Middle East and Africa, achieving unprecedented success and growth. After being listed on the London and Dubai stock exchanges, the company merged in 2006 with the global telecom giant MTN.
In 2007, the M1 Group was founded, which engages in diversified investment ventures.
Mikati has used his experience to bridge the gap between the public and private sectors. He is a former trustee of the American University of Beirut, a member of the advisory council of the Harris School at the University of Chicago, and a member of the International Crisis Group’s advisory board. He also heads the “Moderation Forum in Lebanon” and the “Middle East Foresight Forum.”
Together with his older brother Taha, he oversees the Azm and Saade Association, which carries out charitable and development work across various Lebanese regions, as well as the MIKATI Foundation, which is active in the developing world, particularly in Arab countries and Africa.
Najib Mikati was born in 1955. He completed his studies at the American University of Beirut and pursued postgraduate education at INSEAD in France and Harvard University in the United States.