Tawfik serves as Chairman of Cairo Poultry Group, Chairman of the Egyptian Co. for Starch & Glucose, Deputy Chairman of the Federation of Egyptian Industries, Deputy Chairman of the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies and Chairman of the Egyptian Franchise Development Association (EFDA).
Tawfik is also a board member of the General Authority for Investment & Free Zones (GAFI), the Export Development Authority, the Egyptian Countryside Development Company, the Chamber of Food Industries, Egyptian Regulatory Reform & Development Activity (ERADA), Egyptian National Competitiveness Council (ENCC), Export Support Program and the Agricultural Bank of Egypt.
Additionally, he is a member of the Egypt-U.S. Business Council, the Egyptian-Austrian Business Council, German Chamber Advisory Board, the Egyptian Kuwaiti Business Council, and the American University in Cairo’s Business School Advisory Board.
Tawfik holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Cairo University, a Master of Engineering from California State Polytechnic University (Pomona) and an MBA from San Francisco State University.
Omar Mohanna is chairman of Suez Cement Group of Companies (SCGC), the second largest cement producer in Egypt.
Mohanna is also chairman of Chubb Insurance Co. Egypt and chairman of Chubb Life Insurance Co. Egypt. Both companies are subsidiaries of the U.S. multinational insurance group Chubb. He is also chairman of Prometeon Tire Egypt Co., the largest tire producer in Egypt and a subsidiary of the multinational tire manufacturer Pirelli.
Mohanna is chairman of the Egypt-U.S. Business Council (EUSBC) and is also chairman of the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies (ECES). He is the past president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt (AmCham Egypt) and is a member of a number of business associations, organizations, councils and NGOs.
Mohanna is also a member of the Board of Directors of the investment banking firm CI Capital and of Corplease Egypt, the leading leasing company in Egypt. He is also a board member of B Investments, a private equity holding company.
Anis Aclimandos is president of Transcentury Associates (TCA), which manages development projects worldwide. He is also president of Woodies, a subsidiary of TCA, the import agent for Eastman-Kodak.
Aclimandos has handled large merger and acquisition projects in the Middle East, attracting FDI to the region from many countries.
Aclimandos joined the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt in 1983. He was elected to the board of governors in 1987 and re-elected in 1988 and 2007. He has served as chair of AmCham's Customs, Investment & Trade and International Donor Programs committees, and as vice president, membership from 2001 to 2005. Aclimandos was elected President of AmCham Egypt in 2013 and served for two consecutive terms till 2017.
A certified accountant, Aclimandos earned a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from Cairo University and holds Egyptian and U.S. certification in financial management and analysis.
Ahmed Abou Ali is a founding partner of Hassouna & Abou Ali law firm (1988), with an LL.M. degree from Harvard Law School (1984) and LL.B. (1980) and Diploma in Private Law (1982) from Cairo University. He practiced law in the U.S. with Sidley Austin Law Firm in the banking and corporate areas from 1985 to 1987. Acting on behalf of multinational companies and international agencies, he has expertise in the areas of banking, capital markets, corporate, investment, mergers and acquisitions, project finance and restructuring, and legislative and economic reforms. He acts both as a transactional and litigator attorney.
Abou Ali is a board member and chair of the Compensation and Bonuses Committee of Telecom Egypt and a board member of BLOM Bank Egypt and member of its Audit Committee. He is also a board member of Sekem Holding for Investment and member of its Corporate Governance Committee.
He is a member of the Egypt-U.S. Business Council, the Egypt-Spain Business Council and the Egypt-Greece Business Council. He previously served at the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt as the chair of the Legal Affairs Committee and as the past Executive Vice President from 2011 to 2013.
Abou Ali is a member of the Board of Trustees and Treasurer of the Education for Employment (EFE) association, and the current Chairman of the Board of the Egyptian Society for the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights since 2014 and its past Secretary General. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies.
Dalia Wahba is an entrepreneur and co-founder of CID Consulting, a management consulting firm specialized in both the private sector and economic development. CID services include strategy development, people transformation, customer experience development and marketing communications, as well as designing social impact initiatives serving clients across the MENA region, North America and Europe.
CID operates in diverse industries such as energy, FMCG, agribusiness, financial services, technical vocational education and training, trade and solid waste management, among others. It is engaged in a portfolio of projects in the areas of private sector investment, export promotion, organizational development and reputation management as well as social investment and sustainability programing. The company is also a licensee and representative of the global ECCO International Communications Network in Egypt and the MENA region.
Among its flagship projects, CID participated in developing the socioeconomic impact, launch and branding of the Suez Canal Area Development project (SCZone) as well as the new Renewable Energy Park of Egypt near Aswan.
Wahba has more than 25 years of experience designing and implementing public-private partnership programs including public awareness and outreach programs, and integrated communication strategies for multinational companies in technology, oil and gas, banking and other sectors. She is currently AmCham Egypt’s Vice President for Membership and co-chair of the Dean’s Strategic Advisory Board of the School of Business at the American University in Cairo.
Wahba served as a Chair of the AmCham Marketing Committee from 2015-2017. She was first elected to the AmCham Egypt Board of Governors as Vice President, Membership (2011-2015) and also served as both Chair and Co-chair of the AmCham Egypt Marketing Committee (2007-09).
Wahba holds a master’s degree in Consulting and Coaching for Change from HEC, Paris; a postgraduate degree in integrated marketing communications; and is a certified management consultant of the Institute of Management Consultancy in the United Kingdom. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication and Business Administration from the American University in Cairo.
Abu Bakr is a well-known regional veteran, entrepreneur and manager in the energy and especially natural gas industries. Over the past 34 years, he has been instrumental in growing the sustainable role and participation of the public and private sectors in the Egyptian gas and energy industry.
Based in Cairo, TAQA Arabia is the leading private sector energy distribution company in Egypt, investing in and operating energy infrastructure including gas transmission and distribution, power generation and distribution, and marketing of oil.
Through its three operational divisions and its 3,400 professional employees, TAQA serves more than 1 million customers in Egypt by providing 5 billion cubic meters of natural gas, 1,000 MW of power & 50 retail/fuel stations.
Abu Bakr is currently serving as Vice President, Programs on the AmCham Egypt Board of Governors. He is also the Chairman of the Egyptian Gas Association. He is a board member of the International Gas Union and serves as its regional coordinator for Africa & Middle East.
He is also the President of the Italian Egyptian Business Council and is on the International Advisory Board of HEC Montréal.
Tarek Mohanna is a partner of MHR & Partners in Association with White & Case. White & Case is a leading global law firm with over 2,200 legal professionals in 44 offices, located in 30 countries and active in many more.
Mohanna joined White & Case in 2008 and worked in the firm's London office until he established the White & Case Cairo office in October 2016. Prior to joining White & Case, Mohanna worked for two years at a prominent law firm in Egypt.
Mohanna holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Economics, and a Master of Arts in International Human Rights Law, both from the American University in Cairo. He completed his legal studies at BPP Law School in London.
Girgis Abd El Shahid is a former public prosecutor. Since entering private practice, Abd El Shahid has provided legal services to national and multinational companies in the Middle East. He specializes in commercial and investor/state arbitration, banking and finance, securities offerings, joint venture arrangements, acquisitions, energy and natural resources, corporate and commercial agreements, telecommunications and intellectual property.
Abd El Shahid holds an LL.M. in international legal studies from Georgetown University Law Center, an LL.B. from Cairo University, English Section, and a BA in economics, with a minor in business administration, from the American University in Cairo. Abd El Shahid is a member of the Egypt-U.S. Business Council.
Seif ElDin ElSadek is an entrepreneur, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Agrocorp for Agriculture Investment. Agrocorp is an agro processing company focused on the growing and canning of vegetables such as artichokes, pulses, tomato paste and juice, and exporting them to retailers and food service distributors in the U.S., Europe, Middle East and Africa; it also distributes in the local market under the Foody brand.
ElSadek was one of the pioneers in exporting ready-to-eat canned vegetables out of Egypt from a Qualifying Industrial Zone (QIZ). Today, his company accounts for over 50% of all foods exported under the QIZ protocol. With more than 20 years of business expertise under his belt, ElSadek has extensive experience in the agriculture sector and the development of modern agriculture and processing operations. He has a wide understanding of the global trading of processed food and fresh produce in the Western world and Egypt.
ElSadek is a board member of AmCham Egypt and also a member of the Egypt-U.S. Business Council.
ElSadek holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the American University in Cairo.
Hisham Fahmy is CEO of AmCham Egypt Inc., a mirror organization for AmCham Egypt based in Washington D.C., and advisor to the AmCham Egypt Board of Governors. Prior to January 2016, Fahmy had served as executive director, then CEO of AmCham Egypt since December 1999 and as general manager from 1987 to 1993. Fahmy has organized over 28 business missions to Washington D.C. and other states as well as three U.S. missions to Egypt in cooperation with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He is a familiar face in Washington, offering expertise on strategic bilateral issues and the economic relationship between Egypt and the United States.
For over 20 years, Fahmy has advocated for a friendly business environment for U.S. companies operating in Egypt and Egyptian companies working with the United States. He also helped create the AmCham MENA Regional Council to promote U.S. business and investment in the MENA region, and served as the council’s Regional Coordinating CEO. Fahmy also supported the establishment of AmCham Bahrain and AmCham Afghanistan. Under his leadership, AmCham Egypt’s membership reached over 1,900 members and 90 staff.
Fahmy previously served as acting director of the nonprofit think tank Egyptian Center for Economic Studies. He serves on the Egypt-U.S. Business Council (EUSBC), the Advisory Board of the American University in Cairo’s (AUC) School of Business, the Global Board of Amideast, and the Board of the Education for Employment association. A member of the American Society for Association Executives, he is the founder and former chairman of the Egyptian Society of Association Executives.
Fahmy has been recognized by U.S. corporations including ExxonMobil, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and others for his role in promoting Egypt-U.S. economic relations. Most recently, the Center for Transatlantic Relations gave him the “Mediterranean Leadership Award 2016" for his efforts in fostering stronger U.S.-Egypt business and economic relations.
Fahmy graduated from AUC in 1974 with a bachelor's degree in chemistry.
Sylvia Menassa is the CEO of AmCham Egypt and as such leads the organization, which serves and connects more than 1,900 members. Menassa has been playing an instrumental role in promoting the U.S.-Egypt business relationship through coordinating policy advocacy efforts on behalf of Egypt’s private sector, the organization of several Doorknock and business missions to and from the U.S., and awareness building activities aimed at enhancing the economic and business environment and encouraging investment.
Menassa also serves as the Chief Executive Officer for the AmCham MENA Regional Council, for which AmCham Egypt serves as the Permanent Secretariat, coordinating the activities of 10 countries and working to promote U.S. business and investment in the MENA region.
Menassa has been serving AmCham Egypt relentlessly for the past 30 years in various positions, last of which being COO of AmCham Egypt, managing the operations and overseeing the implementation of AmCham Egypt’s program of work.
Prior to joining AmCham Egypt, Menassa was a PhD fellow in Biophysics at Georgetown University, and an Instructor of Chemistry at the American University in Cairo. She holds a MSc in Solid State Science and a BSc in Chemistry.
Abdullah Assal is currently the Vice President of Globaltronics Industrial Group and the CEO of Delta Misr Payments Solutions Co. Globaltronics businesses span several electronics manufacturing and IT infrastructure activities covering the Middle East and North Africa region. Globaltronics is leading the transformation of Egypt’s electricity distribution networks, which is impacting more than 30 million households. Previously, Assal founded and managed several tech companies in payments, e-commerce and telecommunication technologies. Earlier in his career, Assal worked for Alcatel-Lucent Middle East.
Assal holds an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. He also holds a BSc and an MSc in Electrical Engineering from Cairo University and Virginia Tech, respectively.
Alaa Hashim is co-founder and Executive Partner of Transcendium, a leading boutique management services firm specialized in large-scale business transformations and investment management.
He is also the Chairman of Delicious Inc., owner and operator of the leading local coffee shop chain Cilantro Café. He also serves on the board of leading spice and herb exporter Giza Seeds and Herbs, Egypt's most modern bonded warehouse facility and air cargo handler (CACC-Cargolinx) and leading national whitegoods and electronics retailer B-Tech.
He was previously co-chief executive officer of one of Egypt's largest export manufacturing firms, MAC Carpet, and currently serves on its board. He also serves on the board of Egypt's leading think tank Egyptian Center for Economic Studies (ECES) and the Egyptian National Competitiveness Council (ENCC). He is a member of the Dean’s Strategic Advisory Board of the School of Business at the American University in Cairo, which he previously co-chaired. Hashim is a member of the Egypt-U.S. Business Council. He is also an active member of AmCham Egypt, where he chairs the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Committee and is a member of its Industry and Trade Committee. Hashim is a founding member of the Egypt Vision 2030 initiative and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Egypt Vision Foundation.
Hashim previously served as a board member of regional conglomerate Energya Industries, national conglomerate Pico Investments and leading paper bag manufacturer Suez Bag Company (Heidelberg-Italcementi group). He was also on the board of the Industrial Modernization Program and the Industrial Development Agency. Hashim also proudly served on the Egyptian National Senior Judo Team from 1993 to 1995 and represented Egypt in various international events. He earned his BSc in mathematics from the American University in Cairo in 1997.
Brian Essner is Noble Energy’s Vice President for International Marketing and Egypt Country Manager. His extensive experience covers integrated energy management, multinational negotiations, cross border transactions, marketing and trading, and midstream development with material success in Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Russia, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Israel, Trinidad & Tobago and the United States, among others. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University.
Noble Energy has discovered 40 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in the Eastern Mediterranean, operating the Mari-B and Tamar fields, offshore Israel, which are producing 1+ billion cubic feet per day of gas and associated liquids. The company is nearing completion of the $3.8 billion Leviathan project, which will provide long-term gas supply to Israel, Jordan, and Egypt. These assets, along with its Cyprus field, will connect to global markets via Egypt’s regional energy hub. Noble Energy continues looking for new exploration opportunities in Egypt to build on its already successful 20+ years in the region.
Noble Energy (NYSE: NBL) is an independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company committed to meeting the world’s growing energy needs and delivering leading returns to shareholders. The company operates a high-quality portfolio of assets onshore in the United States and offshore in the Eastern Mediterranean and off the west coast of Africa. Founded more than 85 years ago, Noble Energy is guided by its values, its commitment to safety, and respect for stakeholders, communities and the environment.
Samaha is currently Citi Egypt Banking head and has been with Citi for the past 18+ years. She has handled different roles within Citi, all within the Corporate and Investment Banking franchise. Samaha has managerial as well as credit and marketing experience with public sector, local corporate and financial institution clients. Additionally, she has worked on various corporate finance and other structured debt capital market transactions. This is in addition to her prior risk management assignments that complement her corporate banking experience.
Samaha is an American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt member and a member in all of the Citi Egypt Senior management committees.
Samaha has an MBA from Maastricht School of Management (2005) and has focused on banking and finance. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the American University in Cairo (AUC) with a major in business administration and minor in economics.
Dina Sherif is committed to building sustainable societies through the application of a more ‘conscious’ form of capitalism, and she founded Ahead of the Curve (ATC) in 2012 to further that goal. ATC is a social enterprise promoting responsible/sustainable management practices, more inclusive and equitable economies, and the development of socially innovative business models in growth markets to support both economic growth and social change. As CEO, Sherif is responsible for business strategy and development, as well as overseeing all research-related activities within the firm. Ahead of the Curve established the first impact investment fund in the MENA region, called Entrepreneurship with Impact Ventures, to support early-stage impact entrepreneurs through equity financing. It is also launching the first of its kind regional network of women leaders across the Arab region through an online and offline platform. Sherif was previously an Associate Professor of Practice at the American University in Cairo, where she was also Director of the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation from 2015-2017.
Sherif also serves as an Advisor to the President of Egypt on economic development and is passionate about public policy reform within emerging markets. Sherif comes from a background in economic development, strategic philanthropy and civil society development. She is the lead author of several key publications such as the book “From Charity to Social Change: Trends in Arab Philanthropy” and key reports including a seven-country study on trends in responsible business practice in the Arab region and the 2016 UNDP Business Solutions Report.
Sherif is an angel investor with a focus on healthcare businesses and is an avid supporter of civil society, previously serving as the Chair of the Board of the Arab Foundations Forum and currently a member of the Board of Educate Me and Ruwwad, both based in Egypt. She is an Eisenhower Fellow, a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Centre for Public Leadership, a former New America Foundation Middle East Fellow, and was chosen as AmCham Egypt's Woman Entrepreneur of the Year for Egypt in 2016.
Gamal Abou Ali is an attorney admitted to practice law in Egypt and the state of New York. He is a CEDR-accredited Mediator and Mediation Trainer, a listed mediator at the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration and a listed expert at the Investors’ Dispute Resolution Centre of the Egyptian General Authority for Investment and Free Zones.
He obtained his law degree from Cairo University, an LL.M from The University of Chicago and an LL.M from Indiana University.
Abou Ali is a partner in Hassouna & Abou Ali Law Firm (Egypt). He represents and works on various matters on behalf of multinational and local clients as well as matters referred by top-tier law firms. His areas of expertise include corporate, commercial and business laws and transactions, foreign investments, telecommunications law, intellectual property law, construction projects, employment and social insurance laws, and dispute resolution. He also acts as a legal consultant on a number of investment, economic and development projects for international organizations. He regularly participates in governmental and parliamentary legislative and economic reform dialogues.
In addition, he is the Secretary General of the Egyptian Junior Business Association, and an expert member of the Investment Committee of the Federation of Egyptian Industries.
Hatem Khair is the general manager of Kheir Group, a firm that develops fluid handling systems ranging from water, waste water and process to fire, power and industrial applications. The company represents many pump companies from the USA, UK, France, Germany and South Korea. Khair’s company was selected as best world dealer for Peerless Pump in Indianapolis.
He is one of the founders and a board member of the Egyptian Fire Protection Association and has represented Egypt in many international conferences on fire protection. He is now the Chairman of the Confederation of Fire Protection Associations International, a group of over 28 associations worldwide. He is also the only foreign member serving on the technical committee of fire pumps in the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Khair was nominated as a member of NFPA’s board of directors, based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, and is a member of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, USA.
Khair is the head of the Media Committee of the Chamber of Engineering Industries, board member of engineering services for industry section in the Chamber of Engineering Industries, and a board member and Treasurer of Egypt’s Society for Culture and Development. He studied mechanical engineering at Cairo University, graduating in 1981.
J. Michael Lacey is managing partner of the Cairo office of international law firm Dentons. He has worked for Dentons in Cairo since 2002 and is experienced in international construction projects, with a focus on privatizations. Previously, he worked on major build-operate-transfer projects, and his experience includes road, port, hospital, airport, power, bridge and airport privatizations. He also works with aviation, corporate, energy and environmental projects, including several major dispute adjudications for multinational clients in the areas of construction insurance, finance, warranties and procurement fraud. He also worked for Skanska USA and Skanska Infrastructure Development in New York and Stockholm.
Lacey served as co-chair of the Legal Affairs Committee at AmCham Egypt.
Lacey holds a Bachelor of Arts in history and international relations from the University of San Diego, a J.D. from Saint Louis University and a master’s degree in European law from Stockholm University.
Kamel Saleh is the Managing Partner of Deloitte Egypt and has more than 30 years of experience in the fields of assurance, financial advisory services, corporate and international tax.
He studied economics at the American University in Cairo, is a Fellow of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales and of The Egyptian Society of Accountants and Auditors.
Saleh has extensive experience working in Europe and in Egypt. He specializes in advising clients on matters of investing in Egypt, cross-border transactions and tax laws.
He is the author of many articles on tax and investment in Egypt.
He is currently the Secretary General and Board Member of the Egyptian Society of Accountants and Auditors and previously served as a non-executive Board Member of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones.
Maged Ezz Eldeen is the Country Senior Partner responsible for developing PwC’s vision and long-term strategies for the market in Egypt. He has been with PwC for over 25 years (including 18 months in the UK firm).
Ezz Eldeen also leads the deals practice in Egypt and works closely with the deals team to support a broad cross section of clients. He focuses on advising multinational and local financial and strategic buyers on mergers and acquisitions across industries.
He has advised a multitude of clients on their market entry for the Egyptian market and investment strategies, as well as specific transactions. Ezz Eldeen is well versed on the current economic situation of Egypt, the country’s immediate and medium-term investment needs, and the potential of various economic sectors.
Manal Hussein is an accomplished senior executive and board member with 31 years of success across the hospitality, financial services, energy, oil & gas, beverage, aviation, telecom and government sectors.
Hussein has held leadership positions as Chairwoman of Orascom Development Egypt (ODE) since 2014 to date and of Orascom Housing Communities (OHC) since 2018 to date. She is the founder and Chairwoman of Bienêtre Institut. She has been a senior advisor to Lazard Frères since 2014, and a senior consultant to Al Ahram Beverages Company since 2017. She spent 23 years serving in the Egyptian government, with roles including Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade (2003-04) and Deputy Minister of Finance (2004-11). She founded the Central Department of Commodity Councils and Small and Medium Enterprises in 2002, founded the Equal Opportunity Unit at the Ministry of Finance in 2005, and led the automation of the state budget within the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank in 2008. She additionally spearheaded the automation of pension offices including the issuance of more than two million pension cards, hailed as a breakthrough in social development efforts.
Hussein holds a BSc in Mass Communication from Cairo University, an MA in Public Administration from the American University in Cairo, and a PhD in Public Administration from Cairo University. She has held board positions including National Telecom Regulatory Authority, EgyptAir Holding Company, Egyptian Banks Co. for Technological Advancement S.A.E., Misr Iran Development Bank, Jordanian Egyptian Fajr for Natural Gas Transmission & Supply Co., and e-finance (Chair).
Marwan El Sammak is the founder and CEO of Ship & Crew - Egypt established in 1993, he is the Managing Director of Hapag Lloyd (Shipping) Egypt, Board member & General Manager of Medlevant Shipping and a co-owner of Worms Group company.
El Sammak is also a board member of the Holding Company for Maritime & Land Transport and also a board member of MG leasing.
An active business community member, he serves on the boards of many organizations, such as the Alexandria Business Association, where he was the chairman from 2013 until April 2017. He is currently the Head of the Board of Trustees of Aamal Foundation for Community Development and a board member of the Alexandria Chamber of Shipping; as well as the Chair of AmCham Egypt’s Transport and Logistics Committee.
El Sammak is a member of the Executive Education Advisory Council of the American University in Cairo and, a member of the Advisory Council for the College of International Transport & Logistics of the Arab Academy for Science Technology & Maritime Transport (AASTMT).
Mohamed Abdalla pioneered institutionalizing the real estate brokerage sector in the country by establishing Egypt’s first premier, full service real estate provider Coldwell Banker in 2001. This took place after an exceptional success in establishing and managing Egypt’s leading securities brokerage firm in the 1990s, InterCapital Securities, which is now a part of the largest investment bank in the region—EFG-Hermes.
With over 23 years of experience in the equities and real estate sectors, Abdalla is currently the Chairman of Coldwell Banker Egypt, and Coldwell Banker Intercontinental Affiliates that has the franchise of Coldwell Banker in 36 countries in the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe. Coldwell Banker Egypt has 16 branches and employs over 200 real estate agents. The company earned several awards in international real estate conferences held in the USA over the past years as the number one international master franchise.
In 2010, Abdalla co-founded Acumen Holding. The holding company has three main subsidiaries: Acumen Securities & Brokerage, Acumen Asset Management and Acumen-Beltone Real Estate Fund Management. The firm is managing “El Kheir”, Egypt’s top performing balanced fund in 2014; and Bank Audi’s Islamic fund “Izdehar”, the first fund to be launched in Egypt after the revolution; along with portfolios of public sector banks, public and private institutions, and high-net-worth individuals.
Abdalla is an active member of AmCham Egypt. He co-founded and chaired the Real Estate Committee since its inception in 2003, and has attended the AmCham Egypt Doorknock Missions to Washington D.C for the past 14 years.
Abdalla served as Board Member in Raya Holding from 2013 until 2015; and as Board Member in the Egyptian Railways Projects and Transport Company from 2005 until February 2010.
Mohamed El Kalla is the CEO of Cairo for Investment and Real Estate Development (CIRA), an EGX 30 company and Egypt’s largest investor in the area of private education. CIRA holds more than 16 affiliate companies and brands, including Futures Educational Systems, Rising Stars, Mavericks and Badr University. CIRA has invested in 25 campuses, serving more than 32,000 students around Egypt.
Following a 10-year career in the United Nations that focused on development and corporate sustainability, El Kalla founded Ahead of the Curve (ATC) consultancy, offering technical assistance to private sector on Corporate Social Responsibility issues. In 2011, Ahead of the Curve restructured into a leading regional sustainability management think tank focused around inclusive economies.
El Kalla is a specialist in private sector sustainable development, educational and BOP investments, and corporate governance and corporate social responsibility. A graduate of the American University in Cairo, he majored in political science with a specialization in international law and a minor in development studies. He started his career in UNHCR, moving on to UNV, UNRC, and UNDP, where he supported the foundation of the Global Compact Network in Egypt. El Kalla is responsible for the creation and management of more than 100 developmental projects and partnerships, including the setup of the Egyptian Responsibility Center and the Center for Transparency at the Ministry of Investment.
Omar El Labban is a Principal with BPE Partners, one of Egypt’s leading private equity managers with assets under management of around $500 million. He also heads the Investor Relations of B Investments; BPE Partners’ flagship investment company listed on the Egyptian Exchange.
Since joining BPE Partners in 2008, El Labban has led the execution of BPE Partners’ investments in the healthcare and manufacturing sectors. He was involved in the structuring, fundraising and investor relations activities of a Luxembourg-based mid-market fund successfully raising $40 million from different regional and international institutional investors.
El Labban is Co-Chair of the Capital Market Committee at the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt. He is also a member of the British Egyptian Business Association-BEBA and the Middle East Leadership Academy-MELA, among other organizations.
El Labban holds an MBA from the University of Edinburgh Business School with a specialization in strategic management and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the American University in Cairo.
Sarah El Battouty is the Chairman and founder of Egypt’s award-winning environmental architectural consultancy ECOnsult, which was selected as a Global Impact company by the UN in 2018 because of its commitment to the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals. At ECOnsult, El Battouty’s vision is to create environmental portfolios for companies and raise sustainability awareness in businesses in Egypt and beyond.
El Battouty is an advisor to the Egyptian Presidency on development since 2014 with successes in ratifying global agreements such as Egypt’s signing of the Paris Agreement and input in the UN Population Fund’s Cairo Declaration on Population & Development. Her expertise is in rural development and project management with a focus on climate change and equity. She represents Egypt on several international panels and has contributed to editorials on policy in The Guardian and Independent newspapers.
Currently she is co-chairing AmCham Egypt’s Corporate Impact & Sustainability Committee, and is a co-founder of the Egypt’s Green Building Council.
In 2017 she joined the Advisory Board of the American University of Cairo’s School of Sciences and Engineering – Department of Architecture. She is also a Board Member of the Egyptian Stock Exchange’s Sustainability Committee.
El Battouty earned her bachelor’s degree and MPhil from the University of Cambridge, UK. Following her studies in Environmental Economics, she was awarded an MSc in Sustainable Development Policy from SOAS and is now a fellow member at the Centre for Development, Environment and Policy, UK.
Sherif El Kholy joined Actis in 2004 and now manages Actis’ business in the Middle East & North Africa. He has led, executed, managed and exited investments in several sectors and countries including Université Centrale Groupe (Tunisia), Mundiapolis University (Morocco), Ecole Marocaine des Sciences de l'Ingénieur (Morocco) Edita Food Industries (Egypt), Mo'men Group (Egypt), El Rashidi El Mizan (Egypt), and Djezzy (Algeria).
El Kholy sits on the boards of directors of Université Centrale Groupe, Honoris United Universities, and Lekela Egypt for Renewable Wind BOO.
Prior to joining Actis, he worked at HSBC and prior to that with EFG-Hermes Private Equity.
El Kholy holds a PhD in Economics and an MSc in Finance and Economic Development, both from the University of London and a BA in Economics from the American University in Cairo.
El Kholy is also Co-Chairman of the Investment Committee at the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt and a Professor of Finance at the American University in Cairo.
Soha Ali joined J.P. Morgan Chase Bank in Egypt in 2010 as Senior Country Head, representing JPM relationships with financial institutions in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. She works closely with country and credit risk management, investment banking, markets, trade finance sales and product teams to coordinate and facilitate their business in Egypt. She oversees the business activities of JPM and country coverage across the same countries.
Ali’s banking experience spans over 21 years with multiple reputable local and international banks. Her coverage incorporated expertise in trade finance business, syndicated loans, correspondent banking, credit analysis of financial institutions, cash management and treasury services of banks and NBFIs.
Ali had previously worked with the subsidiary of American Express Bank in Egypt (formerly Egyptian American Bank) since 1998, where she was responsible for the correspondent banking department. She left in early 2006 to join Deutsche Bank AG running cash management across Egypt, North Africa & Levant. She assumed responsibility at BNY Mellon Cairo heading the TS business for North Africa.
Ali is fluent in English and French, and has strong Spanish and knowledge of German language, with Arabic being her mother tongue.
Tamer Hamed is Procter & Gamble’s local CEO and Vice President for Egypt and Levant markets. He has a 20-year track record of winning results at the business and organization levels. His track record highlights include defining winning business models across different categories and markets (developed and developing), leading organizations to success across different locations and cultures (Europe, India, Africa and Middle East), and turning around businesses and organizations in crisis. He is a proven local, regional and global brand builder with well-rounded commercial, financial-acumen and organization-building capabilities.
Tom Maher joined Apex International Energy in May 2016 as President and COO. Apex International Energy is an exploration and production company that is actively pursuing acquisitions and drilling opportunities in MENA in general and Egypt in particular. Apex holds two production-sharing contracts in Egypt’s Western Desert with the government. The work program includes reprocessing existing 3D seismic data, acquiring new 3D seismic data and conducting drilling operations on a multi-well exploration program.
Prior to joining Apex, Maher was the Region Vice President and General Manager, Apache Egypt Companies, from 2013-May 2016. He held several other positions in his 30-year career with Apache Corporation, including Region VP and General Manager of Apache Australia Energy, Exploration Manager of Apache Egypt, and Exploration Manager for Apache’s Mid-Continent Region of the U.S. His teams enjoyed success growing production and reserves in all three countries.
Maher holds a bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of Massachusetts, a master’s in geology from Miami University (Ohio), and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. He is an American Association of Petroleum Geologists Certified Petroleum Geologist.
Maher currently serves as Chairman of the Egypt Oil & Gas Technical Committee and is on the Advisory Board of Aton Resources Inc., a gold exploration company focused on Egypt. He has also served on the boards of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt, the Community Services Association in Egypt, and Cairo American College.
Zaidun Jawdat is Vice President and Bechtel Country Manager, Egypt. He joined Bechtel in 1977 and has held several key positions, starting in the Legal Department and proceeding to various positions of responsibility in different industrial sectors globally, including in San Francisco, London, Saudi Arabia, the Washington D.C. area and Cairo.
In 2013, he was appointed as Bechtel’s Country Manager in Egypt. From 2014 to mid-2015, he served concurrently as Country Manager for Egypt and Saudi Arabia. He presently is based in Cairo.
He received his BA from the American University of Beirut and his JD from the University of California, Davis. He is a member of the bar in California and Washington, DC.