George Bitar is a co-founder of Kuluna Irada, a Lebanese non-profit organization advocating for political reforms. Kuluna Irada was the only civil society group invited to the CÈDRE Conference and its monitoring committee. Bitar also co-founded and presides over Social and Economic Action for Lebanon, which provides grants to underserved communities, benefiting over 35,000 Lebanese individuals across all religions and sects.

Additionally, he is a founding board member of LIFE (Lebanese International Finance Executives), a network of 1,000+ Lebanese professionals that has awarded over 225 scholarships to Lebanese MBA students. Growing up in Lebanon, Bitar initially planned a military career, but family advice redirected him to the United States in 1983 for his university studies.

He began his career at Thomson McKinnon, where he worked in commodities and foreign exchange trading. In 1989, he attended Columbia Business School, later joining Merrill Lynch’s restructuring group, advising on debt restructuring and acquisition financing for troubled companies. In 2013, Bitar transitioned to a more entrepreneurial path, partnering with Habib Kairouz to raise a fund focused on mid-size technology investments. Bitar’s philanthropic drive, shaped by his family’s social and political legacy and his mother’s commitment to charity, reflects his dedication to giving back to Lebanon through civic and social initiatives.