Holder of a PhD in Economics from the Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne, France, Professor Assaf is Dean of the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik USEK Business School (UBS). He served as the Director General of the Presidency of the Lebanese Republic in charge of economic, social, and cultural issues, higher education and research.
He has also served as Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at the Lebanese University, and Dean of the Faculty of Information and Documentation. He was behind the establishment of the Diploma in Journalism at the Lebanese University in collaboration with the French Press Institute (IFP) and the Centre de formation des journalistes (CFJ).
Professor Assaf was also Director General of Lebanon’s Customs, which he helped modernize and computerize. In addition to founding and chairing the École Nationale d’Administration (ENA-Lebanon) in collaboration with France, he authored numerous economic and financial books and articles, and was the editor of Le Commerce du Levant magazine.
Professor Assaf is also a founding member of the Lebanese Businessmen Association (RDCL), as well as a member of the Strategic Committee of the Cultural Council of the Union for the Mediterranean, and a member of the Scientific Research Committee (CEDRE). Decorated with the title of Commander of the Legion of Honor of the French Republic and the Italian Republic, he was also awarded the Grand-Croix du Roi d’Espagne from Spain, and the National Order of the Cedar from the Lebanese Republic.