About us

The Team

Michael Lahyani, Publisher: Michael is the co-founder and CEO of Swiss Media Group, and the co-founder of the Equestrio stable of titles. Swiss Media Group publishes seven magazines, and their corresponding web-portals in Switzerland and the UAE. Michael is also the co-founder and CEO of the first international property portal in the UAE, Propertyfinder.ae. In 2007 he sold 51 per cent of the company to the REA Group of Australia, which operates the world's only truly global real estate advertising company - with 18 websites in ten countries.

Earlier in his career he worked at PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Geneva, his hometown. He received his MBA with a specialty in finance from HEC Lausanne and spent a year in UCLA California.

Gerard Belicha, Publisher and Managing Director: Gerard's love of horses began in childhood when he was growing up in Geneva. Prior to moving into publishing he enjoyed an international career with Citi, based in Zurich, London and Hong Kong where he held roles ranging from Global Relationship Banking, Risk Management, Structured Corportate Finance and Fixed Income covering the whole of Asia. During his time at Citi, Gerard closed numerous structured and innovative financing, most of them 'market firsts' and some award-winning. Gerard holds a Masters degree from HEC Lausanne with a specialty in Finance and spent a year at Texas A&M.

Lucy Monro, Publisher and Editor in Chief: Author of the definitive book on the Arabian horses of the UAE, Spirits of the Sands, Lucy has contributed to most of the world’s major international equestrian titles as both writer and photographer. She has consulted for CNN and reported in print and broadcast on current affairs from around the world. In 2004 she joined forces with Michael Lahyani, to launch Equestrio Arabia. She heads up Swiss Media Group's editorial operations.
 

A horsewoman as much as a journalist, Lucy learned to ride at the age of four and competed throughout childhood in the UK, moving to three-day eventing before qualifying as a British Horse Society instructor. She returned to competition in the Gulf, show jumping in Bahrain and the UAE, as well as riding HH The Ruler of Sharjah’s Mujahid (Crusader) to win the stallion ridden championships in Abu Dhabi, and riding on the Royal Stables Endurance Team for which she was second in the first international Ladies Championship riding Alandell Houdini.

Daoud Assad, Business Development: Having travelled the world producing socio-economic reports for the International Herald, Tribune, New York Times, Le Monde and the Sunday Telegraph, Swedish/Moroccan-born Daoud settled in the UAE in 2006 after being attracted by the prospect of living and working in what he describes as “the crossroads of the world”. Fluent in Swedish, English, French, Spanish and Moroccan Arabic, Daoud has run projects in Poland, Uzbekistan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Suriname, Portugal and Mauritus. He now heads up Equestrio’s business development and marketing.