Chaker Khazaal is an award-winning Palestinian-Canadian author, reporter, public speaker, and Executive Chairman of the New York-based firm OBCIDO Inc.
Born in 1987 as a Palestinian refugee in Lebanon, Mr. Khazaal grew up in the Bourj el Barajneh camp in Beirut. At a young age, he participated in several local plays and starred in the film Sugar of Jaffa. He later immigrated to Canada. As one of four recipients of the Global Leader of Tomorrow Award in 2005, he studied at York University in Toronto, graduating in 2009 with a B.A. in international development studies.
Khazaal, an advocate for refugees and aspiring young writers, is a strong, engaging, and savvy communicator. He has been invited to speak at organizations, corporations, and governments worldwide, including the UN, Google, Meta, and national parliaments, as well as being regularly featured addressing and hosting global conferences. He has published six novels: Confessions of a War Child trilogy, Tale of Tala, Ouch!, and Arikaz.
In 2022, he became a columnist for Arabian Business magazine, writing about trending global issues and geopolitics.
In 2024, he was appointed President of the Women’s Humanitarian Organization (PWHO) in Lebanon, an NGO founded by his late mother, Dr. Olfat Mahmoud. In this new role, he digitalized the organization to reduce its environmental footprint in operations and launched scholarships in Artificial Intelligence and Digital Marketing for people in vulnerable communities. A key focus of these initiatives is engaging more female participants in technology fields, aiming to address the gender gap in AI and digital marketing.
He was named Esquire’s Middle East Man of the Year 2015, and in 2016, Khazaal was ranked first by Arabian Business Magazine in the 100 Most Powerful Arabs Under 40. In the same year, he was presented with the Mentor Arabia Award by Queen Silvia of Sweden and Prince Turki Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. In December 2017, he was awarded the Global Trailblazer honor, alongside Arianna Huffington, by the New York-based NGO Bridges of Understanding. In 2024, ITP Publishing enlisted him in the next generation of leaders shaping the region: 30 Under 40. Inc. Magazine included him as well in its list of 51 Powerful Middle-Eastern Businessmen You Should Know.
He currently resides in Europe, where he is working on a new novel while remotely leading OBCIDO Inc. and PWHO. In addition, he serves as a consultant for various global projects in technology, media, and education.
