Raya Raphaël is member of the Board of Directors and General Manager of Banque Libano-Française S.A.L. (BLF). She also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Banque SBA S.A. (France), owned 99% by BLF, as well as Bancassurance S.A.L and Libano-Française Finance S.A.L. Raphaël started her banking career at BLF in 1997 as a financial analyst, progressively assuming responsibilities in project finance, investment banking, and the development of retail banking. She notably led the launch of electronic and digital banking, as well as bancassurance activities. In 2001, she joined the General Management of the bank as Secretary-General, and in 2010, she was elected as a member of the Board of Directors and appointed Deputy General Manager. She has served as General Manager of the bank since September 2014.
Raya Raphaël has also been an independent member of the Board of Directors of Holcim (Lebanon) S.A.L., a subsidiary of Lafarge Holcim Group, since 2013. In 2018, she joined the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Council of the United Nations Global Compact Network Lebanon (GCNL).
Since 2021, she has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the Saint Joseph University of Beirut (USJ), where she serves as Secretary-General.
In July 2024, Raphaël was appointed as « Conseillère du Commerce Extérieur de la France » (CCE - French Foreign Trade Advisor) by the Prime Minister of France (Decree of July 7, 2024 in the Official Gazette). In this role, CCEs voluntarily share their expertise to contribute to the development of France. They are vested with four missions by public authorities: advising public authorities, supporting businesses, training young people for the international stage, and promoting France’s attractiveness.
Raphaël is a founding member of LIFE ltd (Lebanese International Finance Executive); a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering connections between LIFE members worldwide to promote Lebanon, support its economy and nurture the next generation of leaders.
She is also member of the Board of Directors of House of Today, a non-profit organization committed to cultivating a sustainable design ecosystem in Lebanon that transcends international borders.
She holds a Master in Financial Management with honors from Université de Dauphine Paris IX (France), and a DESS in Banking and Finance, under Professor Christian de Boissieu, from Université Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne (France), also with honors.