Samir Hulileh holds an MSc in economics from the American University of Beirut. He was recently named CEO of the Palestine Development and Investment Limited Company, a limited public shareholding company that has a paid-in capital of US$ 250 million. Previous posts include the position of managing director of Portland Trust in Palestine, cabinet secretary of the Palestinian government from 2005 to 2006 (he stepped down after the January 2006 elections), and chair of the board for both the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute – MAS and the Palestine Development Fund (PDF). He is a board member of both Paltel Company and Putin Institute in Bethlehem, and the chair of Portland Trust – a British private NGO that specializes in promoting peace and stability between Palestinians and Israelis. Mr. Hulileh is a former secretary general and chief of staff of the Council of Ministers and director of the Prime Minister’s Office, and former chair of PalTrade. He has participated in economic multilateral and bilateral Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. Mr. Hulileh has held key positions at Nassar Investment Company and is now a partner in Nassar International Company, based in Dubai.