Hesham Gohar

Managing Director & Group CEO
CI Capital

Having been with the Group since 2012, Gohar held leadership positions including his most recent role of CEO for the Investment Bank. Formerly, Gohar was MD & Head of Investment Banking, where he led the highly successful transformation of the Group’s investment banking franchise into a top ranked advisor. In 2019, Gohar launched CI Capital’s merchant banking platform, anchored by the highly successful investment in Taaleem for Management Services, in which he serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Prior to joining CI Capital, Gohar held senior leadership positions in investment banking and private equity investing across the region at Shuaa Capital (Group Head of Principal Investments), Dubai Group and Beltone Financial, among others. During his 22 year career, Gohar has been a board director of more than 15 companies and completed >70 transactions in Egypt and other growth markets with an aggregate value of $17bn+.

Gohar is a graduate of the American University in Cairo with a BA in Economics and completed Executive Education at Harvard Business School.

Dalia Wahba

Chief Execitve Officer
Hassan Allam Utilities

Dalia Wahba is the CEO of Hassan Allam Utilities, the investment and development arm within Hassan Allam Holding. Dalia joined HAU in 2021, and assumed current role in 2023, overseeing project development and investment operations for Hassan Allam Investment Managers in pivotal sectors such as logistics, water, energy, and social infrastructure. Additionally, she plays a crucial role in the Corporate Leadership team for Hassan Allam Holding.

With a wealth of expertise spanning over two decades in finance and investment across the MENA region, Dalia brings a robust background to her position. Prior to joining Hassan Allam Utilities, she held the position of Senior Manager for the MENA region at the International Finance Corporation (IFC). During her tenure, she managed IFC's business and operations in the region, boasting an investment portfolio exceeding US$5 billion and an annual investment program of $1 billion. Dalia also served in various operational roles within the IFC, including Country Manager for the Levant region and Senior Investment Officer in the Global Infrastructure Department, where she covered power, transport, and utilities in the MENA region.

Dalia commenced her career at the Commercial International Bank in Egypt, spending seven years in the investment banking department. Her final role at the bank was Manager in the Corporate Finance team. She holds a BA in Business Administration from the American University in Cairo and has successfully completed all three levels of the Chartered Financial Analyst certification.

Ahmed Issa

Executive Board Member and Deputy CEO
Banque Misr

Ahmed served as Minister of Tourism and Antiquities from 2022 until this summer. He entered government service from CIB, where he was CEO of CIB Retail Banking, Group CFO, and managing director of CI Capital Investment Banking. He has also served as a non-executive director at EgyptAir, AmCham Egypt, and ITIDA. Ahmed is a graduate of the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School (MBA) and of Ain Shams University (Commerce).

Ahmed Sobhy

Chief Investment Officer
Banque Misr

Mr. Ahmed Sobhy joined Banque Misr in April 2020 as the Chief Investment Officer with oversight over the bank’s principal investments in private equity, debt capital markets, and third-party assets under management. Mr. Sobhy joined with extensive experience in investing and investment banking in several locations, including the UK, the US, and Egypt, where he led and worked on M&A transactions valued at more than USD 31bn. Before joining Banque Misr, Mr. Sobhy was Investment Principal at Ezdehar Fund Management in Egypt. Prior to that, he held the position of Vice President in the Investment Banking Division at Morgan Stanley, where he advised on M&A transactions and capital raising for several sectors across North America and EMEA (Europe,Middle East, and Africa). Before that, Mr. Sobhy worked in the Financial Advisory and Principal Investments teams at Swicorp, a MENA-focused M&A and investment firm based in Geneva and Riyadh. Mr. Sobhy is also a Non-Executive Board Member at CI Capital Holding, Cleopatra Hospitals Group and Midar for Urban Development. Mr. Sobhy holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the American University in Cairo and a master’s degree in finance from London Business School.

Kamel Saleh

Managing Partner & CEO
Saleh, Barsoum & Abdel Aziz – Grant Thornton

Kamel Saleh is the Managing Partner of Saleh, Barsoum, and Abdel Aziz (SBA)—one of Egypt’s largest professional services firms. Saleh started his career at BDO in England, remaining there for five years before moving to Egypt in 1990. Since then, he has accumulated over 35 years of experience in the fields of auditing, financial advisory, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and investments, as well as in providing auditing, financial, and accounting consultancy services to some of the most prominent corporations in Egypt and the region.

With a track record spanning three decades of working with public and private sector financial and other institutions in Egypt and the region, Saleh has gained extensive experience in operations, restructuring, and privatization. He has provided audit and business advisory services in relation to group structuring, IPOs, and M&As to a number of international and local clients. He was the lead advisor on a number of major privatization projects, restructurings, and carve-outs in different sectors. Saleh is also an advisor to leading PE and investment banks in Egypt on transaction structuring. He has worked across multiple countries, including Egypt, Jordan, Switzerland, England, UAE, and Algeria.

Saleh was a member of the Board of Directors of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), and Chairman of the Board’s Audit Committee from 2005 to 2015. He was a member of the Audit Committee of the Central Bank of Egypt from 2015 to 2019 and is currently Vice President and member of the Board of Directors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt. Saleh has also been General Secretary and Board Member of the Egyptian Society of Accountants and Auditors since 2000 to date and a member of the Egyptian American Business Council since 2014.

Saleh received a BA in economics and computer science from the American University in Cairo (AUC) in 1985, and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. He is also a Fellow of the Egyptian Society of Accountants and Auditors.

Karim Awad

Group CEO & Chairman of the Executive Committee
EFG Holding

Mr. Karim Awad is the Group CEO, Chairman of the Executive Committee, and member of the Board of Directors of EFG Holding S.A.E., a trailblazing financial institution with a Universal Bank in Egypt and the leading Investment Bank in the Middle East and North Africa. With over 25 years of experience, Mr. Awad started his career at EFG Hermes in 1998 in the Investment Banking Department. He eventually headed the division in 2007 and led several high-profile local and regional transactions. He assumed managerial roles in the Firm thereafter, first as CEO of the Investment Bank, EFG Hermes, in 2012 and then as Group CEO of EFG Holding in 2013.

Since then, Mr. Awad has led a substantial restructuring of EFG Holding that included streamlining its expenses and divesting its non-core assets, primarily among which was a majority stake in Lebanese bank Credit Libanais. Working together with EFG Holding’s senior management, Mr. Awad spearheaded a major shift in EFG Holding’s strategy that transformed it into a Middle East and North Africa markets-focused financial solutions house of choice. To achieve this vision, the Firm focuses on six pillars: hiring the best people, improving the Firm’s positioning in markets it operates in, selectively expanding its geographical presence, enhancing its product offering, increasing profitability metrics, and ensuring that public responsibility remains front and center to all its operations.

During the past nine years, EFG Holding’s Investment Bank, EFG Hermes, was able to enhance its market share in its core sell-side operations of investment banking, brokerage, and research in its key markets of Egypt, UAE, KSA, and Kuwait. The Buy-side business was completely revamped through the consolidation of its regional asset management business with UAE-based affiliate Frontier Investment Management (FIM) in 2017 and the re-emergence of an active Private Equity division that is becoming a key player in renewables, education, and healthcare. The Firm was also able to significantly increase the suite of products it offers to clients by building a full-fledged non-bank financial institutions (NBFI) platform, EFG Finance, that currently includes leasing & factoring, microfinance, financial technology, mortgage, payments, and insurance, in addition to fixed income and structured product platforms. In November 2021, EFG Holding finalized an acquisition of a commercial bank in Egypt, aiBANK, thereby completing its transformation into a universal banking platform that will further increase the suite of products that it offers its clients while laying a strong foundation for the Firm’s future growth prospects.

The strategic shift helped drive growth in the Firm’s revenues, which reached EGP 14.7 billion, and profits, which stood at EGP 2.5 billion in 2023, all while maintaining a strong commitment to the communities in which the Firm operates through a vibrant CSR policy and actively adopting progressive ESG standards.

Mr. Awad holds a degree in business administration (BBA) from the American University in Cairo.

Sherif El Kholy

Partner & Head of MENA
Actis

Sherif has spent most of his life in Egypt and the Middle East, apart from a period of time spent in London where he gained a Ph.D. in economics and an MSc. in finance and economic development (with distinction) at the University of London.  Sherif started his career at EFG-Hermes Private Equity, investing in Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey, and then did a brief stint in structured finance at HSBC. In 2004, Sherif joined Actis as an associate focusing on North Africa. Now he is the managing partner of Actis’ business across the Middle East and Africa where Actis has invested over USD 5 billion to date, he has played various deal leadership, execution, investment management and exit roles across the MENA region in leading businesses including Yellow Door Energy, Emirates District Cooling Company, Lekela Power, Edita Food Industries, Honoris United Universities, Cleopatra Hospital Group, and El-Rashidi El-Mizan, as well as playing a key role in Actis’ acquisition of the management rights of private equity funds previously managed by Abraaj in 2019.  Sherif serves on the Economic Advisory Council of H.E. the Prime Minister of Egypt, and he sits on the board of directors of some of the most prominent businesses across the region. Sherif has also periodically lectured on private equity as an adjunct professor of finance at the American University in Cairo School of Business where he was awarded the “excellence in teaching award”.

Pakinam Kafafi

Chief Executive Officer
TAQA Arabia

Mrs. Pakinam Kafafi is an energy expert and one of TAQA Arabia’s cornerstones since its incorporation in 2006. She is taking pride in having an exceptional 29 years of track record of accomplishments of which 18 years advancing to leading Egypt’s largest home-grown private sector Energy Distribution Company.

In 2003, she joined TAQA’s Gas Division as its Strategy and Investment General Manager, and in 2006, she became the Group Chief Investment Officer, and she led the group evolution by acquiring and consolidating several gas distribution companies as well diversifying the business to Power Generation and Distribution and Renewable Energy. In 2013, she was nominated TAQA Arabia’s CEO.

TAQA Arabia is the leading private sector energy distribution & Utility company in Egypt, investing and operating energy & water infrastructure including gas transmission and distribution, conventional and renewable power generation and distribution, marketing & sales of petroleum products and lubes as well as water treatment services and desalination for all sectors.

Through its 4 main operational divisions (Gas, Power, Petroleum & Water) and its 3400 professional employees working in 18 Egyptian Governorates and more than 50 cities, TAQA serves more than 1.7 million customers with more than 7.5 billion cubic meters of gas, over 1300 MW of contracted power capacities, 65 retail/fuel stations as well as more than 105 MW of renewable energy projects including the state of the art 65MW Solar Energy (PV) in Benban – “Aswan”, one of the largest renewable energy complexes on the planet. TAQA Arabia is also a leading company in the CNG business with more than 75 CNG Stations and 15 conversion centers scattered all around the country while also being a pioneer and first mover for introducing the “CNG Mobile” Services for the first time in Egypt serving clients away of the natural gas national grid with the best sustainable solution.

Prior to joining the Gas Industry, Mrs. Kafafi built her career at EFG‐Hermes, the leading investment institution in MENA, where she rose to the position of vice president of EFG‐Hermes Investment Banking. She had successful accomplished many privatizations and acquisitions in Egypt.

Mrs. Kafafi has been appointed as board member for a diversified list of companies including the Arabian cement company the leading cement producer and seller in Egypt, Digital Finance Holding (DFIN) Egypt's FinTech Platform for tech-based financial services startups.

Mrs. Kafafi was recently recognized by Forbes Middle east for the 5th year in a row holding the 24th position of the 100 Power Businesswomen ranking, she was also chosen to be one of the Top Fifty Women performing in Egypt besides being recently nominated by the global economics magazine for being the best CEO in Energy Sector. She is also a long-standing member in the American Chamber of Commerce and has been recently nominated as a board member of the British Egyptian Business Association (BEBA). Mrs. Kafafi also believes success is not only measured by financial returns but on the social impact the company generates. From a major eye hospital in Suez, to contributing to several educational institution, TAQA Arabia has always kept an eye on the corporate social responsibility. During the past years, TAQA has allocated more than 50 million Egyptian pounds to support a diversified list of CSR activities.

Mounir Nakhla

Founder and Chief Executive Officer
MNT-Halan

Mounir Nakhla is the Founder and CEO of MNT-Halan, Egypt’s first unicorn and the region’s leading fintech, with a mission to revolutionize access to financial services through technology. MNT-Halan currently delivers convenient, seamless, and cost-effective financial solutions to millions of individuals and small businesses.

Nakhla is a serial entrepreneur who founded his first company in 2010, initially focused on asset-based financing, which later evolved into a full-fledged provider of consumer finance. In 2015, he launched Egypt’s largest microfinance company, and by 2017, he began making significant investments in financial technology and payments. Today, MNT-Halan’s comprehensive suite of services and customer-centric approach have positioned it as a key challenger in the region's financial services sector. The company has raised over USD 540 million from international investors and has recently expanded its operations to Turkey, Pakistan, and the UAE, in addition to its home market Egypt.

Nakhla strongly believes in the power of unlocking financial freedom to improve lives and foster economic opportunities, with a particular focus on the empowerment of women. He proactively champions these causes at high-level discussions at the World Economic Forum in Davos and the Asia Society in Hong Kong, as well as through partnerships with International Development Organizations and UN Women. In 2023, Nakhla was named Endeavor Egypt’s Entrepreneur of the Year.

Ibrahim El Missiry

CEO
Somabay

Ibrahim joined Somabay in 2012 as Director of Development and assumed his current role at the end of 2014.

He is responsible for managing the Somabay group of eleven [11] companies, comprised of ASDC the master developer of the 10 million sqm peninsula, 5-Hotel Companies, and other related subsidiaries all operating in Soma Bay on the Red Sea in Egypt. During that time, Ibrahim led the transformation of Somabay from a collection of resort hotels to a high-end mixed-use destination comprising 10 hotels, 2,500 homes, marina, 2.5 golf courses along with all the associated ancillary services.

Ibrahim started his career in construction where he worked with Bechtel the largest construction company in the world at the time for around 14 years across various business units; including hotels, infrastructure, aviation, ports, high-speed rail across 3 continents. His experience included work on some signature projects such as the New Doha International Airport [the second largest airport in the world] and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, UK [Transferring the main London Terminal for the Eurostar from Waterloo to St Pancras]. He also worked for shorter spells with Orascom and CH2MHill. The latter part of his career has been in real estate development, starting with Dubai World’s international arm [Limitless] as they set up in North Africa. This was followed by four years working on the transformation of MNHD to becoming one of the fastest growing private sector developers in Cairo and finally Somabay.

El Missiri graduated from the American University in Cairo in 1994 with B.Sc. in Construction Engineering with High Honors. He then got his M.Sc. Degree from University College London in 1999 in Built Environment after being awarded the British Chevening Scholarship.

Lamyaa Gadelhak

Partner
Baker McKenzie Cairo

Lamyaa Gadelhak is a Partner at Helmy, Hamza & Partners, Baker McKenzie Cairo, where she co-heads the Banking & Projects Practice Group. She has almost 20 years of experience working on the entire spectrum of banking and finance and developing critical projects in energy, mining, infrastructure, environmental markets, and climate change. Lamyaa has been at the forefront of Baker McKenzie's efforts to expand the Firm's expertise in other jurisdictions, including in Africa. In the area of projects, Lamyaa advises on project development and financing, as well as on regulatory and corporate matters and various of these transactions were award winning. She also provided her unique perspective in several publications on renewable energy, banking and finance, emissions trading, climate change, and carbon capture and storage. Lamyaa currently serves as a member of the Firm's Global Project Finance Steering Committee and Africa Steering Committee. Lamyaa’s exceptional accomplishments have garnered her widespread acclaim and accolades in the legal industry. Her remarkable achievements are rankings as a “Market Leader”, “Leading Individual” and placement in” Band 1” by publications such as IFLR, Legal 500 and Chambers Global. Additionally, Lamyaa stands out as the only Egyptian woman shortlisted for this year’s IFLR Middle East Awards in the esteemed category of Women Dealmaker Hall of Fame. Her previous recognition as the IFLR Women Leader over the years in several editions further exemplifies her dedication and influence in the field. Lamyaa received an LLB from Cairo University Faculty of Law and an LLB from Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne both in 2004. She then completed her LLM in International and European Business Law in 2007 also from the Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne. She was admitted to the Egyptian Bar Association in 2005.

Leila Serhan

Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager for Nalp
Visa

Ms. Serhan brings more than two decades of experience in leadership positions, including 20 years at Microsoft. Ms. Serhan most recently led Microsoft’s public sector business across the Gulf region, and previously served as General Manager for its operations across North Africa, East Mediterranean, and Pakistan. She previously held roles spanning country management, finance and marketing and has driven public and private sector digital transformation initiatives in finance, government and education. Ms. Serhan is a strong advocate for women’s empowerment, founding and currently serving as President for the Women in IT Association in Lebanon.

Walid Hassouna

Chief Executive Officer
Valu

Walid Hassouna is the Founder and CEO of Valu, the Chairman of Paytabs Egypt and the Vice Chairman of EFG EV Fintech. He sits on multiple boards including, EFG Hermes Corp Solutions for leasing and factoring, Bedaya for mortgage finance and KarmSolar.

Walid’s track-record on the Non-Bank Financial Institutions (NBFI) platform at EFG Hermes Holding over 5+ years has seen it grow multiple businesses and launch innovative brands.

Prior to joining EFG Hermes in 2016, Walid had a successful 17-year banking career. He was General Manager and Head of Structured Finance and Investment Banking at Bank Audi, where he closed structured and project finance transactions in excess of USD 15 billion. He first started in Misr International Bank, structuring and executing several award-winning deals, in project finance and M&As within Egypt and the GCC. He was the Head of structured finance and syndication in Banque Misr where he successfully managed to top the league table of the MENA region in syndicated loans.

Walid holds a Cairo-University B.B.A with highest honors, an MBA from J. Mack Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University and an Islamic Finance Qualification from CISI- UK.

Ayman Amer

General Manager
SODIC

Ayman Amer is SODIC’s General Manager. Amer has over 20 years of experience across the Real Estate, Project Management, and Construction industries in North Africa. Amer previously held the position of SODIC’s Chief Operating Officer, where he headed the development business unit, and oversaw operations from land acquisition and project development to the marketing and sales of SODIC’s developments. He also served as SODIC’s Chief Business Development and Procurement Officer, where he was responsible for setting and monitoring SODIC’s procurement strategy across all divisions, as well as expanding the company’s land bank and forming strategic partnerships.

Prior to joining SODIC, Amer spent four years at Turner International Middle East (TIME), following his tenure at Orascom Construction Industries (OCI).

Amer holds a BSc in architectural engineering from Cairo University, and a diploma in project management from the American University in Cairo, as a Certified International Procurement Professional.

Hatem Samir

Founder, Group CEO and MD
GlobalCorp

Founder, Group MD, and CEO of GlobalCorp. Hatem is a seasoned leasing expert with more than 30 + years of experience spanning an array of territories including the USA, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Hatem currently resides as the Chairman of the Egyptian Factoring Federation as well as Board Member at The Egyptian Leasing Federation. Following a career where he assumed several managerial positions at a number of established companies where he last served as Deputy CEO of A.T. Lease, Hatem launched GlobalCorp previously Global Leasing Company- in 2015 with the aim of providing companies of all sizes in Egypt with leading leasing and factoring solutions. Hatem holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Marketing from CityU of Seattle, an International Risk Diploma from the American Academy for Financial Management and Credit Risk Diploma from the American University In Cairo.

Helmy Ghazi

Deputy CEO and Head of Global Banking
HSBC Egypt

He is responsible for leading the Bank’s coverage of its biggest multinational and global corporate, financial, and government clients in Egypt. Ghazi has over 25 years of experience in corporate and investment banking, with a significant focus around the energy, infrastructure, and the general industrials sectors. He is also responsible for driving the Sustainability Strategy for the bank in Egypt. Over the course of his career, he has originated and executed numerous complex and high-profile structured financing and advisory transactions in Egypt and the MENA region, as well as leading client relationships in other key sectors. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Foreign Trade and is a CFA Charter holder.

Chantal Sabbagh

General Manager Business Development for SMEs
National Bank of Egypt

Chantal is an experienced socio-economic development professional with 20+ years of diversified experience across business development, advisory services, and SME enhancement in Egypt and the Arab region. Currently leading business development and non-financial services for SMEs at the National Bank of Egypt, Chantal previously played a pivotal role at the EBRD, where she was one of the first hires that participated in establishing the Advisory and SME Finance and Development Group in Egypt in 2012 and coordinated advisory programs across the SEMED region. She has a proven track record in building strategic partnerships, managing stakeholder and donor relations, and driving technical cooperation initiatives. In addition, Chantal’s entrepreneurial experience, including 10 years of managing her own business and working with startups at Endeavor Egypt, gives her unique insight into the challenges and opportunities of private sector growth.

Essam Al Tamimi

Chairman
Al Tamimi & Company

In 1989, Essam Al Tamimi established what is now the largest law firm in the Middle East, Al Tamimi & Company and currently holds the position of Chairman at the firm. Essam has over thirty four (34) years of experience in litigation and arbitration in the UAE and the GCC countries covering almost all fields of law, both private and public law, including matters relating to corporate and commercial law, banking and financial law, real estate and property law, across several industries and sectors.

He has been involved in drafting laws and regulations and has assisted federal and local governments in drafting laws and regulations relating to a range of sectors. These have included the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, Dubai Internet and Media City free zones, the Abu Dhabi government in privatization of water and electricity and played a major role in drafting the privatization and ADWEA laws and regulations, assisted the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry in drafting the Federal Industrial law and implementing regulations, contributed to the drafting of the relevant laws for establishing several Free Zones in the UAE, assisted Dubai International Financial Centre Authority in drafting number of laws and regulations relating to the DIFC Authority, the DIFC Court and the DIFC Arbitration Centre and have been actively involved in commenting and reviewing most of the federal laws including the Arbitration law, Commercial Companies law and the Consumer Protection law. He has extensive experience in regulatory matters and has assisted local and federal governments on regulatory issues.

Essam’s principal place of practice is Dubai, United Arab Emirates but he also has extensive experience in advising and assisting clients throughout the Arab region where he has worked and advised and attended to projects in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt and Iraq.

In addition to his role as counsel in numerous arbitration matters, Essam has also acted as an expert witness in a wide array of litigious matters. Essam has also been appointed as an arbitrator and chair of arbitral tribunals in arbitration proceedings under ADCCAC, CRCICA, DIAC, LCIA, ICC and PCA Rules.

Essam was on the ICC Court and formerly acted as Vice-Chair of the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR, Paris and is the former Chair of the ICC UAE Commission on Arbitration and ADR. He is now a member of the Steering Committee of the ICC UAE Commission on Arbitration and ADR, served as Chairman and is Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He is the Founder and Patron of the UAE Branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, member of the International Bar Association, served as member of the LCIA Court, served as President of the LCIA Arab Users Council. He has served a number of years as member of the board of The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA). He is actively involved in development of arbitration laws in the region and for the training and development of arbitration in the UAE and the region. His practice focuses primarily on local and international clients in shipping, banking, intellectual property, commercial agency, joint venture, construction and commercial litigation. Essam has published a number of articles and books on litigation and arbitration in the UAE and setting up business in the region. He has received Gulf Legal Lifetime Achievement Award for outstanding contribution to the Gulf Legal Market. He is on the editorial advisory board of the ICLR and GAR, former Co-Chair of the IBA Rule of Law Forum, member of the Review Committee of Energy Arbitrators List, member of the Advisory Board of IBA’s Eyewitness to Atrocities, member of the Advisory Board of the BCDR International Arbitration Review, member of the FIAA Board of Trustees, member of the American Law Institute(ALI), member of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA), member of the Board of Trustees of Ajman University, received Lifetime Achievement Award from International Financial Law Review (IFLR), is a member of the Arab Arbitration Group of the ICC, member of the SIAC Users Council and is a fellow and faculty member of the International Dispute Resolution Academy (IDRA). Essam is an appointed member of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce Advisory Board, which has been established to consolidate, represent and protect the interests of Dubai-based companies.

Nayer Fouad

Co-Founder & CEO
Infinity

Nayer Fouad is the co-founder of Infinity, the leading renewable energy solutions provider in Egypt and Africa, and Managing Partner of Infinity Power, a joint venture between InfinityandMasdar. Fouad co-founded Infinity in 2014, playing a key role in scaling the company from a small start-up to becoming the largest renewable energy company in Egypt today. As a part of his role at Infinity, he has been responsible for developing meticulously planned renewable energy solutions across scales and technologies.

He has been instrumental in leading teams to close and deliver the first and only PV plot in Benban, Aswan under the FIT Round 1 guidelines with non-recourse financing, on time, while adhering to world-class specifications. The team under his leadership stayed the course by delivering four more plots in FIT Round 2.

Fouad has contributed immensely in building partnerships with major investors, world-class partners and global experts to deliver exponential growth. He has also played a pertinent role in the continued success, growth and expansion of Infinity EV, and under his guidance, Infinity EV has built the largest EV charging network in Egypt.

Furthermore, Fouad has been at the forefront of Infinity’s expansion into new markets in Africa. He has been actively involved in spearheading the company's expansion efforts across the continent, leading to the establishment of Infinity Power in collaboration with Masdar, in 2020. Through this joint venture, Fouad played a pivotal role in the acquisition of Lekela Power, which marked Africa's biggest renewable energy deal in 2023. This transaction propelled Infinity Power to become the largest renewable energy company on the continent.

Previously, Fouad co-founded a construction firm, IND, for residential, commercial and development projects in 2009. The firm has now become the construction arm of Infinity, building over 230 MW of solar projects in the Africa’s biggest solar park to date in Benban Aswan, Egypt. In 1998, he also established Arkitech, an independent architecture, planning and interior design firm in Cairo, specializing in residential, commercial, leisure, and urban development projects modeled around his own contemporary vision. Fouad was born and raised in Paris, France and graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture from the Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University. He also has a Master’s Degree in Architecture and Urban Planning from Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris.

Ahmed Ali Abdelrahman

CEO & Managing Director
Post For Investment

Ahmed is an experienced Investment professional with cumulative 28 years of experience in Egypt / GCC capital markets and financial services spaces. He currently holds the position of Managing Director & CEO at Post for Investments (PFI), the investment holding arm for Egypt Post.

Prior to joining PFI, Ahmed held the position of Group Deputy CEO & CIO at Beltone Financial Holding, one of Egypt’s largest asset managers and investment banking firms, since 2018. Besides his role in assisting the group CEO in managing the strategic as well as operational directions of the firm. In 2021, he spearheaded the setup of Beltone NBFI platform and introduced three new LOBs in leasing, consumer and SME finance with an aggregate portfolio close to EGP 2+ bn by the time left in 2023. He also led the digital transformation initiative to transform Beltone into E2E digital challenger.

In 2016, Ahmed co-founded Sameem as Egypt’s 1st activist Investment firm offering a new asset class to local and regional investors in the activism space, invested in one of the leading investment banks in Egypt. Later in 2020, Sameem existed its investment achieving an IRR of 63%.

Previously, Ahmed held leadership position at multiple investment banking firms in the GCC, on top of which is Kamco Invest, a leading regional Investment Bank with AUM in excess of US$3B. Ahmed held the top position as CEO for Egypt & Saudi where he managed to achieve a complete business and financial turnaround. Under his leadership, Saudi operation has grown and repositioned itself as the leading non-bank backed investment firm in the Kingdom (AUM grew to US$ 300m, closed a number of cross border IB deals and the business turned into profitability for the first time in 2014).

His past roles include CEO of Kamco Invest Egypt, MD of Beltone UAE, GM of Prime Holding UAE, Investment Director of SAB Holding KSA, Head of IB & Capital Markets Prime Holding, Manager Corporate Banking of Citigroup and Credit Agricole Egypt.

He is a business acumen with in-depth understanding of different business & operating models, international best practices, regulations and governance & risk management. Over the tenure of his career, he has developed a robust relationship across a large spectrum of constituents (Institutional Investors, family offices, HNIs, DFI’s, corporates, regulators, government officials and policy makers). Ahmed holds a degree in accounting from Cairo University and Credit & Investment certified by Chase & Citigroup in Egypt & Turkey. He’s also a certified CEO by CMA in Saudi and FRA in Egypt.

Hassan El Khatib

Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade
Arab Republic of Egypt

Hassan El Khatib, the Egyptian Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his role. With a career spanning over 35 years, he has made significant contributions to private equity, investment management and corporate governance.

El Khatib currently serves as a non-executive Board Member of the Central Bank of Egypt and a member of its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), he also served as an Independent Board Member of the Sovereign Fund of Egypt from 2019 to 2023. His commitment to economic development is exemplified by his involvement with the Egyptian Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Committee.

From 2014 to 2023, he served as Managing Director Equity at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), managing a portfolio valued at $8-10 billion. He oversaw direct and quasi-equity investments across 38 countries, achieving successful exits exceeding $6 billion and substantial profits for the bank.

Prior to his role at EBRD, El Khatib held significant positions in the private equity sector. As Managing Director at the Carlyle Group and as Managing Partner at EFG-Hermes Private Equity.

He has contributed his expertise to numerous sectors, including financial institutions, energy, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, real estate and charity organizations. He is the ex-Chairman of the Egyptian Junior Businessmen Association and the Egyptian Private Equity Association. Additionally, he is the founder and a member of the board of trustees for the Misr ElKheir Foundation, and has been involved with various boards and advisory committees, including the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies and the American Chamber of Commerce in Cairo.

El Khatib holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from California State University, Sacramento, where he graduated with highest distinction, and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Structural Engineering from Cairo University. H.E. El Khatib is also a visiting lecturer at Imperial College London’s postgraduate Masters of Finance (MSc) Programme.

Hussein Abaza

CEO & Managing Director
Commercial International Bank

Mr. Hussein Abaza leads strategy and operations at CIB, an institution with more than 8,040 employees serving more than 1.6 million customers, including Egypt’s 800 largest corporations, online and at more than 206 branches, 1,339 ATMs, and 24,229 points of sale nationwide.

Mr. Abaza has been Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director since June 24, 2021, and Chief Executive Officer and a Member of the Board of Directors since March 2017 till June 24, 2021. He also Chairs the Executive Committees (Management and High Lending & Investment Committees). He assumed this position after a six-year run as CEO of Institutional Banking. Prior to this, Mr. Abaza was the Bank’s Chief Operating Officer and, from 2001 to 2010, its Chief Risk Officer, responsible for managing credit, market, and operational risk across CIB.

Mr. Abaza is also a leader of the Bank’s award-winning Investor Relations program; in which capacity he has helped CIB grow from a market capitalization of EGP 10.8 billion in 2008 to EGP 82.3 billion as of July 2021. Under Mr. Abaza’s leadership, the team managed Ripplewood’s 2009 exit from CIB, the entry into the shareholding structure of global emerging markets private equity firm Actis, and the subsequent sale of Actis’s 6.5% stake to Canadian insurance firm Fairfax Financial Holding Ltd. in the Egyptian Exchange’s first block trading transaction. The Bank’s IR program has taken home wins from the Extel / MEIRA poll for five consecutive years, from 2014 to 2018.

In his more than 25 years with CIB, Mr. Abaza has become actively involved in the Bank’s regionally renowned credit training program, providing talented young bankers with the theoretical basis and hands-on experience needed to assess the creditworthiness of organizations across all sectors of the economy.

He brings to CIB a sharp interest in financial markets and non-bank financial services, having served as Head of Research and then Managing Director at EFG Hermes Asset Management from 1995 until his return to CIB in 2001. He called on that experience from 2014 to 2017 as Chairman of Cl Capital, a leading Egyptian investment bank and subsidiary of CIB until the Bank exited its investments.

Mr. Abaza joined CIB after obtaining his BA in Business Administration from AUC. He has pursued post-graduate training and education in Belgium, Switzerland, London, and New York.

Dasha Badrawi

Executive Vice-Chairman
MARAKEZ

Ahmed Demerdash Badrawi – Dasha - serves as the Executive Vice Chairman of MARAKEZ, a member of the Fawaz Alhokair Group, one of the largest Saudi based foreign investors in Egypt with interests in real estate, retail and the renewables sectors.Dasha joined the Group to lead the new phase of its development and expansion in Egypt and established MARAKEZ in 2015.Today MARAKEZ operates in multiple asset classes:

• 4 operating malls in Cairo and the governorates - Mall of Arabia, District 5 Mall, Mall of Tanta & Town Center - hosting over 700 retailers over 320,000 sqm of GLA with more than 30 million visitors per year;
• 250,000 sqm of office space for rent and sale;
• over 3,000 residential homes in East and West Cairo (District Five & AEON), and
• over 1,500 homes and 2 hotels in Ras El Heikma on Egypt’s stunning North Mediterranean coast.

In 9 short years, MARAKEZ has become the leading mixed-use developer in Egypt with one of the largest recurring revenue platforms in the country.

Amr El Bahey

Chief Executive Officer
Mashreq Egypt

Amr El Bahey is a banking veteran with over twenty-four years of experience in Global and leading Regional Banks spanning across Cairo, London, and Dubai. He has been responsible for the management, planning, and execution of multiple diverse, strategic, and transformative business projects across his career.

Amr is currently the CEO of Mashreq Egypt - a position he has held since May 2018. Prior to joining Mashreq Egypt, Amr served as the Regional Head of Client Network Banking, Business Development, & Propositions at HSBC Middle East covering MENA and Turkey, Head of Large Corporate Banking for HSBC Egypt, and Head of Public Sector and Financial Institutions for Citi Egypt. Amr initially joined Citi Egypt in 2000 as part of the global ‘Management Associate’ talent program.

Amr holds a Bachelor of Economics from Concordia University in Montreal and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Maastricht School of Management with a specialization in Finance. Amr has completed multiple senior executive training programs focused on strategy execution and digital transformation in Harvard Business School, London Business School, and INSEAD. He has underwent the leadership development program of the Administrative Authority in Egypt and has completed multiple global training programs and courses throughout his career in Citi and HSBC covering all aspects of banking in addition to digitalization and sustainability.

Under Amr’s leadership, Mashreq Egypt witnessed strong growth across all business lines with client and employee experience at the core of its business model. The bank’s growth and achievements have earned Mashreq Egypt numerous prestigious recognitions including ‘Best Service’ & ‘Market Leader’ award for Cash Management by Euromoney in 2023, ‘Best Bank for Financing SMEs’ by the Union of Arab Bankers in 2023, ‘Leaders’ award for top business leaders by Alam El Al-Mal newspaper in 2023, ‘Market Leader’ award in Trade Finance by Euromoney in 2024, and ‘Best Bank for SMEs’ award by Euromoney in 2024.

Amr Helal

Chief Executive Officer Sell-Side Investment Bank
CI Capital

Mr. Helal is a seasoned finance professional bringing in over 20 years of investment banking and private equity experience across Egypt, the MENA region, and emerging markets with a proven track record of value creation and monetization as an advisor and investor.

He is the Chief Executive Officer Sell-Side Investment Bank at CI Capital where he is responsible for leading the bank’s sell-side activities across Egypt and the region.

Prior to joining CI Capital, Amr was the Chief Executive Officer of Renaissance Capital North Africa where he was responsible for leading the business across North Africa and the Middle East.

Mr. Helal is credited with building Renaissance Capital’s presence across Egypt and the MENA region having established Renaissance Capital as a trusted advisor to Government-backed entities and private corporates alike with a number of landmark transactions and executions across equity capital markets, debt advisory and M&A.

Previously Amr held senior leadership positions with The Abraaj Group and EFG-Hermes.

Amr is a founding and board member of the Egyptian Private Equity Association, a recipient of the prestigious AUC Outstanding Alumni Award and the Money & Finance Summit award for contribution to the Egyptian economy as well as a regular speaker at a number of conferences and events.

Amr is a graduate of the American University in Cairo with a BA where he majored in economics and minored in political science international relations.

Ashraf Abdel Fattah

Chief Executive Officer
Beltone SMEs

Ashraf Abdel Fattah joined Beltone Holding - a wholly owned subsidiary of Beltone Holding - one of the fastest growing financial institutions in the MENA region - in 2023 as the CEO of Beltone SMEs. He brings with him 23 years of experience and knowledge of the Egyptian banking sector.

Prior to joining Beltone, Abdel Fattah served as Head of SME and MID-CAP at ABK-EGYPT (2017–2023), SME Sector Head (EVP) at ADIB (2012–2017) and was also an ADILEASE Board Member (2016–2017). He has also worked at a number of top banking institutions, such as Banque Misr, ALEX Bank, Barclays Bank, and the National Bank of Abu Dhabi – Egypt.

He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Cairo University in 2000. He is also credit certified from the Institute of Banking and Finance at the American University in Cairo in 2003, as well as an MBA in International Business Administration from ESLSCA in 2008.

Michal Panowicz

Managing Director & Partner
BCG London

Michal Panowicz rejoined Boston Consulting Group in 2018 as director of the Technology Advantage practice in London. He works with top global clients in scoping, incubating, running, launching, and commercializing major digital transformations. Michal is a leader in digital financial services and digital transformation. His current interests lean toward digital sales, personalization, and building digital challenger banks.

Michal has successfully built and commercialized disruptive innovations across more than 12 key areas of digital transformation: machine learning and big data, mobile and online banking, digital payments, alternative consumer credit models, agile culture and collaboration methods, video banking, real time CRM and analytics, digital governance and organization structure, modern IT governance and portfolio management, digital insurance, and personal financial management.

Michal began his professional career for BCG in Warsaw as a senior consultant for the financial services team until 2004. Before returning to BCG, he worked for eBay’s corporate strategy group in San Jose, CA, as well as Microsoft’s worldwide licensing and pricing, and corporate strategy teams in Redmond, WA.