The Lebanon Chapter of the Project Management Institute
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Bridges to New Horizons: An Integral Projects Leadership Program for Lebanon

Young leaders turning ideas into community change

  • Dates January 16 – June 7, 2026
  • Participants 35 young leaders, 175 team members
  • Format 4 immersive sessions + personalized mentoring
  • Guided by Patricia Shafer and Marc Padberg
35 young leaders designing community projects across Lebanon
  • Community
  • PMI Lebanon Chapter

Bridges to New Horizons – Integral Projects Leadership | Lebanon is an inspiring six-month journey bringing together 35 young leaders and 175 team members to design and implement community-based projects that foster unity, resilience, and positive change. The program runs from January 16 to June 7, 2026.

It blends project management, leadership, peacebuilding, and trauma healing, guided by global experts Patricia Shafer and Marc Padberg. Through four immersive sessions and personalized mentoring by Lebanese and international coaches, participants gain hands-on experience in turning ideas into impactful, real-world initiatives, from concept to community change.

Together, they are shaping a new generation of leaders committed to Lebanon’s sustainable and peaceful future.

Key themes

  • Project management
  • Leadership
  • Peacebuilding
  • Trauma healing
About the people

Meet the people in this story

ShowHide people (2)

Ms. Patricia Shafer

Executive Director at NewGen Peacebuilders

Patricia Shafer serves as Executive Director at NewGen Peacebuilders.

She also holds the role of Executive Director at Mothering Across Continents, where her work encompasses business analysis, consulting, non-executive director duties, and executive level management.

Shafer earned a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Connect on LinkedIn ↗ with Ms. Patricia Shafer (opens in a new tab)

Mr. Marc Padberg

Senior Affiliate Advisor

Marc Padberg serves as a Senior Affiliate Advisor, supporting leaders in organizations, politics, and business in consciously leading through complex personal and systemic transformation. He previously worked as Hub Leader Middle East and Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company from 2016 to 2019, and co-founded Aberkyn, an affiliate partner of McKinsey & Company focused on leadership transformation, team alignment, and cultural change.

Marc Padberg specializes in deep dialogue, collective trauma integration, leadership in conflict, conflict resolution, peace building, multi-stakeholder alignment, executive coaching, top team development, and organizational constellation work. His geographical focus spans the Balkans, the Middle East, The Netherlands, and Germany.

Marc Padberg completed training in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution at Harvard Law School's Harvard Program on Negotiation in 2020. Marc Padberg also completed Collective Trauma Facilitation Training in Conscious Healing, Mediation & Meditation with Thomas Hübl from 2019 to 2023.

Connect on LinkedIn ↗ with Mr. Marc Padberg (opens in a new tab)

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