Elie FarahVP Strategy & Coaching
areas of expertise
- Economic Development Training & Coaching
- FDI Prospection Best Practices
- Languages: English, French
education
- B.A.Sc. in Chemical Engineering, University of Cairo
- Business Administration, HEC University of Montreal
Elie is a well-known and respected FDI Professional and a key individual in the Economic Development industry in Canada. Elie Farah is endowed with a rich and culturally diverse background. He was born in Egypt and has travelled extensively internationally and working as a chemical engineer in Switzerland before moving to Québec.
A seasonned Investment Attraction Professional bringing with him a solid 27 years’ experience in Economic Development
After various professional Business Development assignments in the Life Science industry Elie spent 10 productive years in various Economic Development and Foreign investment Attraction functions for the Quebec Government.
In January 1992, he became Industrial Commissioner for the Montreal Urban Community where for over 5 years assumed the responsibility of Foreign Investment Attraction. He later joined LAB International Holdings as President of its subsidiary, LAB Biosyn Corporation. In January 2000, he became Vice President of Business & Corporate Development at Biophage Inc. He was promoted to Chief Executive Officer of the company in May 2002.
After this 5 years hiatus in the private sector, Elie joined Montréal International in July 2004, as Vice President, Investment Greater Montreal. He managed a team of 20 economic developers specialized in Foreign Direct Investment attraction, reinvestment and retention. Under his leadership, Montreal International has brought its strategic contribution to 400 investment projects worth $8.7 Billion and the creation /retention of nearly 35,000 jobs.
In October 2016 Elie joined the CIDEP team as VP of Strategy & Coaching. He brings with him a tremendous wealth of experience and he currently is in charge of developing and implementing training programs in addition to his work in training Economic Development professionals in North America.
Elie is a Member of the Order of Engineers of Quebec. He is also a past Chairman of the Board of BIO Quebec, the Quebec Biotechnology Association and a past member of the Board of Directors of la Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie Française au Canada.