Elie Badawi

Regional Director KSA

Elie Badawi has built a career across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, spanning both the independent restaurant scene and luxury hotel brands. His path has included roles with names such as Novikov, Toko, Sass Cafe, and Cipriani in the UAE, as well as Four Seasons, where he served as Director of Food & Beverage. He joined Hilton in 2019 as Regional Director of Food & Beverage overseeing more than 39 hotels across Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the Levant, having previously been General Manager of a private UAE company spanning hospitality and retail. He began his career as a chef under Alain Ducasse, rising to Executive Chef before moving into front-of-house leadership. Elie holds a bachelor's degree in Web Engineering from the American University of Beirut, a bachelor's degree and a Master's in Hospitality Management from Ecole hoteliere de Lausanne, and is pursuing a Doctorate in Business Administration at Grenoble Ecole de Management. A Lebanese-French national, he is fluent in Arabic, English, and French, and volunteered with the International Red Cross for seven years.