Charles Kestenbaum & James Durso

Charles Kestenbaum has been involved in Middle East business for more than 40  years. His career has spanned from covering the Lebanese civil war in the 1970s for NBC News and BBC News to a 25 year term as a diplomat at US Embassies as a Senior Commercial Counselor. He currently provides competitive intelligence, due diligence and risk management for the US private sector. He has worked at the World Bank, and is founding Vice President of the Middle East North Africa Consultants Association.

James D. Durso is the Managing Director of Corsair LLC, a supply chain consultancy. In 2013 to
2015, he was the Chief Executive Officer of AKM Consulting, a provider of business development and international project management services in Central and Southwest Asia to U.S. clients in a variety of industries including telecommunications, homeland security, and defense. Since 2013, he has mentored graduate students at The George Washington University, Elliot School of International Affairs on the roles of members of the Country Team at an American embassy, security assistance, and the functions of military advisors attached to an embassy.