On the evening of Thursday, June 12, 2025, Sursock Palace in Achrafieh opened its grand halls to an elegant poetic gathering celebrating the launch of “L’Enfer Magique,” the second poetry collection by Hikmat Abou Zeid. The event drew a vibrant crowd of journalists, cultural figures, and longtime friends of the author, offering a refined setting for a night steeped in art and reflection.
The evening began with the Lebanese national anthem, after which Abou Zeid personally welcomed guests and expressed gratitude for their presence. He shared that poetry, to him, is “not merely writing but a way of understanding both the self and the world.”
He added:“Words pull me to places I hadn’t planned to go, to memories, faces, and beautiful pain… This collection is a continuation of a journey that started from within myself toward the world.”
Abou Zeid described L’Enfer Magique as a poetic exploration of the gray zones of the human soul—“those spaces overflowing with contradiction, fragility, and beauty at once.”
He reflected on its core themes: collapse and rebirth, the struggle to reshape the self through pain, and the redemptive force of love.
“It is a journey through anguish and desire, through the simple words that carry life,” he said.
Blending personal experiences with universal emotions, the collection captures moments of vulnerability and resilience, offering readers a lyrical map of the human condition.
The Entrepreneurial Journey of Hikmat Abou Zeid
While celebrated this week as a poet, Hikmat Abou Zeid’s path has been defined by a dynamic blend of finance, activism, and writing, marked by strategic vision, adaptability, and leadership.
Born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1981, he studied at Lycée Franco-Libanais, where he became politically active during Lebanon’s Syrian occupation. He co-founded the Independent Student Movement (ISM), advocating for Lebanese sovereignty—a cause that led to his brief detention and showcased his early readiness to challenge entrenched systems.
He later earned a law degree from USEK Holy Spirit University in 2004 and completed a Master’s in management from Institut Supérieur de Gestion in Paris, sharpening his expertise in capital markets and business strategy.
His early career included roles at Western Union Canada and Fidus, the wealth management arm of SGBL, where he experienced firsthand the volatility of the 2008 financial crisis. In 2009, he launched the Ahli Investment Group in partnership with Ahli International Bank, and later managed his family’s investment portfolio spanning waste management, mobile advertising, real estate, and banking.
Since 2019, as Vice Chairman of OMT, Abou Zeid has driven the company’s digital transformation, reflecting his belief in technological innovation as a cornerstone of modern business.
In 2024 he was appointed as Chairman of the Board [ CEO ].
Internationally, he has served on the board of AstroBank in Cyprus and founded the Georgian-Lebanese Chamber of Commerce, fostering cross-border trade and investment ties.
Beyond business, Abou Zeid has emerged as a thought leader, publishing the 2022 book La Révolution Institutionnelle au Liban, a sharp critique of corruption and a call for administrative decentralization. His first poetry collection, Les Artères de L’instant, underscored his belief that creativity fuels innovation and critical thinking—an ethos that continues in L’Enfer Magique.