Mr Rizk has been a Director in the Australian Lebanese Chamber of Commerce since 1987 and held the position of President for six years and as Head of Trade Relations between Australia and Lebanon to date.
Mr Rizk has organised trade missions to Lebanon on several occasions and organised the first Australian product exhibition in Lebanon in 1997 during the official visit of the then Premier of NSW Bob Carr together with a large official business and media delegation. He also organised several Lebanese/Middle East trade and cultural exhibitions in Sydney.
Professional
Mr Rizk took part in Lebanon’s booming days in trade and tourism in the 1970s with prominent Lebanese companies with deep concentration on the Gulf states. When the war broke out in 1975, Mr Rizk began to operate/export/ship out of the port of Jounieh to all Middle East destinations.
In 1983, Mr Rizk established the first Lebanese Arabic/Cultural venue (Maktaba) in Sydney which became a major link between Lebanon and Australia. The Maktaba promoted the true image of Lebanon especially to the young members of the community and to the Australian society.
Mr Rizk has presented to government departments, universities and schools, to give an accurate picture of Lebanon’s current state and the role a small country can play regardless of war and neighbouring pressure.
Mr Rizk exported various Australian food products, primarily honey to the Middle East and maintained a continuous trade link with Lebanon throughout the war period. He always held a strong belief in Lebanon’s will to survive and produced a documentary in 1989 with a title “Watan La Yamout” which was filmed in very difficult circumstances.
Voluntary
Chairman of the Melkite Catholic Eparchy Council in Australia to date
Advisory Committee Member, NSW Education Department 1992-1994
Board Member of the Sydney Archdiocesan Catholic Schools Board 1992-1994
President of the Sydney Lebanon Lions Club 1990-1992