Empowering Leadership Through Theatre
Transform corporate teams with theatre-based coaching
MEET THE MENTORS
Rana Najjar
Johnny El Helou
Johnny El Helou
Rana Najjar is an award-winning creative leader, communication coach, and Co-Founder & Managing Director of Najjar Performing Arts Academy.
With over 25 years in advertising, she has led creative teams at the highest level, winning 7 Cannes Lions and more than 70 regional and international awards across major advertising festivals, recognition for work that has shaped some of the region’s most impactful brand storytelling.
Alongside her advertising career, Rana has a deep-rooted background in theatre, having directed five stage productions for large audiences in Lebanon and acted in several series.
This dual expertise in commercial storytelling and live performance uniquely informs her approach to communication, blending narrative precision with emotional depth and stage presence.
For more than 15 years, she has trained professionals across Lebanon, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia in public speaking, storytelling, and communication skills. Her theatre-based methodology helps individuals and teams move beyond technique into presence, combining authenticity, emotional intelligence, and performance tools to communicate with clarity, confidence, and impact.
At Najjar Performing Arts Academy, Rana continues to pioneer a new approach to human development, where theatre becomes a framework for leadership, expression, and transformation in both personal and professional contexts.
Johnny El Helou
Johnny El Helou
Johnny El Helou
Johnny El Helou is a trainer, instructional designer, and motivational speaker with extensive experience in leadership development, communication, and interpersonal skills training across the Middle East and Europe.
He is the Managing Director and Senior Trainer at Tawjih s.a.r.l., where he designs and delivers high-impact learning experiences for professionals using highly interactive and engagement-driven methodologies.
A Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD) from the Association for Talent Development (ATD) in the USA, Johnny has trained over 8,500 individuals across private companies, NGOs, and public institutions in Lebanon, the UAE, KSA, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, and France. His work focuses on transforming traditional training into dynamic, applied learning experiences that build real behavioral change in leadership and communication.
Beyond corporate training, Johnny is also the coach and host of “The Entertraining Show,” an innovative online emotional intelligence program delivered in collaboration with public figures and celebrities, designed to make learning more human, accessible, and engaging. He also brings academic experience as a university lecturer in Human Resources and Management, further grounding his practice in both theory and application.
At Najjar Performing Arts Academy, Johnny leads workshops that blend structure with energy, helping participants develop confidence, presence, and influence through experiential learning. His approach reflects a deep belief that leadership and communication are not taught, but practiced, embodied, and lived.
Bechara Kioumji
Bechara Kioumji
Bechara Kioumji
Bechara Kioumji is a seasoned global executive with more than 25 years of leadership experience across FMCG, food, and consumer goods businesses spanning Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Oceania, and Asia.
Having held senior leadership roles at Nestlé, IFFCO, EFI, and several boards and advisory positions, he has built and led high-performing teams, consistently delivering transformational growth and operational excellence.
Known for his ability to connect strategy with execution, Bechara is equally passionate about developing people.
Throughout his career, he has mentored leaders and teams across multiple countries, fostering cultures of trust, collaboration, and accountability while empowering individuals to negotiate, influence, and lead with confidence.
Today, as COO and Managing Partner at HK Associates and an Independent Board Member at Amana Foods, Bechara continues to advise organizations on growth and transformation. At Najjar Performing Arts Academy, he brings his wealth of real-world leadership experience to help participants master the art of negotiation: combining strategic thinking with the human skills that drive meaningful outcomes.
Ranya Ghanem
Bechara Kioumji
Bechara Kioumji
Ranya Ghanem is a regional marketing leader with over 15 years of experience across the Middle East and Africa, working with multinational organizations in industries including professional services, banking, telecom, and business transformation.
Throughout her career, she has led strategic initiatives, managed cross-functional teams, and partnered with senior stakeholders across diverse markets, shaping both brand and business growth.
Beyond her corporate leadership roles, Ranya has played an active mentorship role within her teams, guiding professionals to strengthen their communication, leadership presence, and career development.
She is known for investing in people, helping individuals grow into clearer thinkers, stronger communicators, and more confident leaders within fast-paced corporate environments.
At Najjar Performing Arts Academy, Ranya leads leadership workshops that bridge real corporate experience with practical human skills. Her sessions focus on leadership development, workplace communication, executive presence, team collaboration, personal branding, and professional confidence, equipping participants with tools to lead and influence with clarity and impact.
Known for her engaging and relatable style, Ranya brings a grounded, real-world perspective to leadership training, empowering professionals and future leaders to navigate complexity, communicate effectively, and grow with confidence in today’s evolving workplace.
CHOOSE YOUR PATH
For the Young
For the Young
For the Young
Ideal for:
University students, fresh graduates, people entering the workforce.
Focus areas:
- Confidence
- Public speaking
- Interview skills
- Self-expression
- Team communication
- Emotional intelligence
- Presence
- Handling pressure
- Finding your voice
For the Savvy
For the Young
For the Young
Ideal For:
Professionals, managers, entrepreneurs, team leaders.
Focus areas:
- Leadership presence
- Negotiation
- Conflict management
- Persuasion
- Executive communication
- Storytelling
- Team dynamics
- Emotional regulation
- Public speaking
For the Team
For the Young
For the Team
Ideal For:
Companies, teams, departments, leaders, HR development programs
Focus areas:
- Team communication
- Collaboration under pressure
- Conflict resolution
- Leadership alignment
- Emotional intelligence at work
- Workplace presence & behavior
- Psychological safety in teams
- Effective feedback culture
- Meeting dynamics & engagement
OUR WORKSHOPS
Young Professionals — Speak Up: The Art of Confident Expression
- Build confidence and overcome fear of speaking in professional settings
- Use theatre tools to develop clarity, structure, and natural expression
- Learn storytelling techniques to make ideas engaging and memorable
- Develop presence in meetings, interviews, and everyday communication
Emerging Leaders — Presence in Action: Public Speaking for Emerging Leaders
- Strengthen executive presence and verbal clarity under pressure
- Use voice, body, and emotional awareness to command attention
- Learn to adapt messaging for different audiences and contexts
- Move from delivering information to inspiring through presence
Corporate Teams — Collective Voice: Theatre-Based Communication for Teams
- Improve alignment and clarity in team communication
- Strengthen listening, collaboration, and group expression
- Reduce miscommunication through shared communication tools
- Build stronger presentation and speaking consistency as a team
Young Professionals — Emotional Agility: Understanding Yourself in Action
- Build self-awareness and recognize emotional triggers
- Learn to manage reactions in real workplace situations
- Improve communication through emotional regulation
- Develop stronger interpersonal awareness and empathy
Emerging Leaders — Leading with Emotional Intelligence
- Develop empathy and awareness of team dynamics
- Learn to manage conflict and high-pressure interactions
- Strengthen emotional regulation in leadership situations
- Build trust through emotionally intelligent communication
Corporate Teams — Emotion in Motion: Building Stronger Team Dynamics
- Improve emotional awareness within team interactions
- Reduce friction through better understanding of reactions and behavior
- Strengthen psychological safety and trust
- Enhance collaboration through empathy-driven communication
Young Professionals — The Art of Everyday Negotiation
- Build confidence in asking, speaking up, and setting boundaries
- Learn structured thinking for persuasive communication
- Handle pressure and objections with clarity
- Develop win-win thinking in daily workplace interactions
Emerging Leaders — Influence & Negotiation: Leading Conversations that Matter
- Strengthen influence in high-stakes conversations
- Learn to manage resistance and competing perspectives
- Improve emotional awareness in negotiation settings
- Lead discussions with clarity, empathy, and strategy
Corporate Teams — Aligned Outcomes: Negotiation Skills for Teams
- Improve internal alignment during decision-making
- Strengthen cross-functional communication and negotiation
- Reduce conflict through structured dialogue tools
- Build win-win thinking across team and departments
Young Professionals — Discover Your Leadership Voice
- Identify your natural leadership style and strengths
- Build confidence in expressing opinions and decisions
- Develop assertiveness in early career situations
- Learn to take ownership in communication and actions
Emerging Leaders — The Assertive Leader: Presence, Clarity & Impact
- Define and refine personal leadership identity
- Strengthen assertiveness without aggression
- Improve decision-making and boundary-setting
- Build consistent leadership presence across situations
Corporate Teams — Leadership in Action: Building Assertive Teams
- Understand different leadership styles within teams
- Improve clarity in roles, expectations, and communication
- Strengthen collective decision-making and accountability
- Build a more confident and assertive team culture
DESIGN YOUR OWN WORKSHOP
Your team has specific needs that you would like to discuss with us? Let's have a conversation.
OUR METHODOLOGY
We believe something simple... but often ignored.
That human skills are not “soft skills.”
They are survival skills.
And they are rarely taught in the places where they matter most.
Schools teach us what to think. Universities teach us what to know.
But almost nowhere do we learn how to be.
- How to speak when it matters.
- How to listen when emotions are high.
- How to hold presence in a room full of pressure.
- How to express ourselves without collapsing, overreacting, or disappearing.
So we built a methodology that starts where most systems stop.
We use theatre, not as performance, but as practice.
Because theatre is one of the few disciplines where the whole human is trained at once: voice, body, emotion, attention, and awareness. It is not about pretending to be someone else. It is about becoming more fully yourself—under conditions of truth, pressure, and presence.
In our work, there is no separation between “personal” and “professional.”
There is only communication under real conditions.
A meeting is a scene.
A negotiation is a scene.
A leadership moment is a scene.
A conflict is a scene.
And in every scene, you either default to habit—or you choose awareness.
Our methodology is built on three pillars:
Expression.
We train how you speak, move, and structure your ideas so your message lands with clarity and intention.
Emotional Intelligence.
We train how you notice, understand, and regulate what is happening inside you and between people, especially under pressure.
Presence in Action.
We train how you stay grounded and impactful when the stakes are real, the audience is real, and the outcome matters.
We do not believe in passive learning.
We believe in embodied experience.
That means people do not just “understand” communication, they practice it, fail at it, refine it, and repeat it until it becomes instinct.
This is why our sessions feel alive. Not because they are theatrical, but because they are real. People are not learning about themselves. They are meeting themselves in action.
We are not here to turn everyone into performers.
We are here to remove the gap between who people are and how they show up.
Because in the end, life does not reward the most knowledgeable person in the room.
It rewards the one who can speak, listen, and lead... when it matters most.