BEIRUT: An adviser who heads former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s international affairs office was chosen Thursday as one of the top 99 young professionals in the field of foreign policy by the Washington-based Diplomatic Courier magazine.

A graduate of the American University of Beirut and New York’s Columbia University, Karma Ekmekji was selected as one of the “Top 99 Foreign Policy Leaders Under 33.”

The list is compiled every year by the Diplomatic Courier, a global affairs magazine, and the nonprofit Young Professionals in Foreign Policy organization.

Ekmekji was named to the category of “influencer” – as someone who “mobilizes people in the foreign policy community with bold new ideas.”

Formerly a political officer for the special coordinator of United Nations secretary-general in Lebanon, Ekmekji has specialized in elections and has worked for the International Foundation for Electoral Systems.

After graduation, she joined the U.N. in New York as the Rick Hooper Fellow in the Department of Political Affairs.