The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) is pleased to announce the addition of five new members to its Central Board of Directors. The new members, elected during the AGBU 88th General Assembly in Yerevan on April 4, include Arnaud Attamian of the United Kingdom, Alexis Govciyan of France, Ani Manoukian of the United States, Lori Muncherian of the United States and Lena Sarkissian of Canada.

Arnaud Attamian joins the Central Board with 17 years of investment banking and equity capital markets experience in Europe. He spent the first 15 years of his career in the Telecoms and Media Group within Merrill Lynch (then Bank of America Merrill Lynch) and is currently managing director at TAP Advisors, a New York-based investment banking boutique with European offices in London. Attamian advises telecommunications companies on mergers and acquisitions as well as private placements and brings emerging market experience within Europe, the Middle East and Africa.  Attamian is an active member of AGBU, serving on the Strategic Advisory Council for the European region since December 2010. He was appointed to the board of AGBU France in April 2012 and the board of the London Trust in July 2013. He received a master’s degree in corporate finance and financial engineering from Université Paris-Dauphine in 1998.

Alexis Govciyan is among the founders of the political party Union des democrates et indépendants (UDI) and director of the Institut Supérieur des Métiers in France. He was appointed president of AGBU Europe in 2008 and served as the president of the Coordination Council of Armenian Organizations in France (CCAF) until 2012. He is the author of 24 Avril: Témoignage sur la reconnaissance par la France du génocide arménien de 1915 [April 24: Testimony on the Recognition by France of the 1915 Armenian Genocide], published by Editions du Cherche-Midi in 2003. In 2010, Govciyan was elected councilor of Île-de-France and president of the first friendship group between Île-de-France and Armenia. Most recently, he assumed the role of premier deputy mayor of the ninth arrondissement of Paris.

Ani Manoukian is a corporate attorney who has served on the AGBU Strategic Advisory Committee since 2010. In this capacity, she has provided consulting and project management services in corporate governance, human resources, marketing and fundraising management. Manoukian has also held numerous leadership positions in AGBU, including with Camp Nubar and the Young Professionals (YP), and has made a significant impact on the global YP movement by leading AGBU FOCUS from its inception in 2000 through 2007 and continuing to serve on its advisory board.  Professionally, Manoukian focuses on mergers and acquisitions in the telecommunications and cable industry. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Tufts University in French and child development with a certificate of public health and her law degree from Fordham University School of Law.

Lori Muncherian is the executive vice president of New Spark Holdings, Inc. and serves on the board of directors of the TF Educational Foundation. Muncherian has an extensive background in human resources and management. From 1986 to 2006, she served as the executive vice president and partner of Pacific Sales Kitchen and Bath Centers, Inc., a retail chain of premium home appliance, kitchen and bath fixture showrooms in Southern California. Muncherian is also a member of the Leadership Council for the University of Southern California’s Institute of Armenian Studies and serves in various capacities for several other non-profit organizations. Muncherian is a graduate of the University of Southern California where she earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration.

Lena Sarkissian is a member of the asset management team at the real estate development company Byron Hill Corporation and the director of program development at the Zoryan Institute’s International Institute for Genocide and Human Rights. Sarkissian is also a member of the advancement committee at the Toronto French School, the co-chair of the board of directors at the contemporary dance company Dancemakers and a member of the board of directors of AGBU Armen-Ontario. Sarkissian holds a bachelor’s degree in linguistics and French from the University of California, Los Angeles and a master’s degree in speech and language pathology. She also earned a certificate in strategic leadership at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies.

The new members join President Berge Setrakian, Vice Presidents Sam Simonian and Sinan Sinanian, and the fifteen members of the board who will continue their tenure: Yervant Demirjian, Sarkis Jebejian, Nazareth Festekjian, Noubar Afeyan, Joseph Basralian, Arda Haratunian, Levon Nazarian, Yervant Zorian and M. Michael Ansour of the United States as well as international representation by Aris Atamian, Vahé Gabrache, Joseph Oughourlian and Vasken Yacoubian. Carol Aslanian will serve as special advisor to the board.