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Todd Wilcox

CEO and Vice-Chair, HSBC Egypt

HSBC Bank Egypt, Chief Executive Officer and Deputy Chairman

Todd Wilcox is the Deputy Chairman and CEO for HSBC Bank Egypt. Todd has an extensive international banking experience for more than 30 years. He joined Egypt from HSBC China, where he was appointed as Senior Executive Vice President, Deputy CEO and Executive Director of the Board. Todd has been in a series of leadership roles as he was appointed as CEO Brunei for the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. Earlier in his career, he was appointed as CRO for Asia-Pacific overseeing 11 markets in the region and served as COO for Risk across all Asian markets. Todd was also appointed as Head of Retail Banking and Marketing, HSBC Bermuda and he had spent the first two years of his career within HSBC in Canada, helping to expand the Group’s operations. Prior to joining HSBC, Todd worked for Royal Bank of Canada in a wide range of business and functional roles.

Sherif El Kholy

Partner and head of MENA, Actis

Partner and Head of the Middle East & Africa Infrastructure and Head of the Middle East & North Africa Private Equity, Actis  Cairo-born 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 a managing partner heading up Actis’ business across the Middle East and Africa, 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, is a member of the board of governors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt, and a member of the board of directors of the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies, and a member of the board of directors of Ahli United Bank Egypt. 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”.

Tarek El Nahas

Group Head of International Banking, Mashreq Bank

As the Group Head of Mashreq’s International Banking, Tarek is responsible for supporting local and multi-national clients of Mashreq at each stage of their international expansion and focus on facilitating trade flows to and from the region, covering markets that include Africa and Asia.As part of this overarching objective, Tarek formulates strategies for Mashreq’s international business segment; with the aim of increasing revenue and profit targets that contribute to the Bank’s objectives of solidifying its position in the international business arena.Prior to joining Mashreq, Tarek spent 25 years at Citibank, most recently as the Head of Corporate and Investment Banking for North Africa, Egypt and Levant, managing teams across six countries in the MENA region.Tarek has held several senior roles in Egypt, Algeria and the UAE and has extensive experience across a wide range of disciplines, including corporate finance, investment banking, derivatives and structured products, commercial banking and corporate banking.Tarek’s wholesale banking experience extended to working with large corporates, financial institutions, sovereigns and the public sector.Tarek holds a BA in economics and political science from the American University in Cairo and a MSc in economics from the London School of Economics.

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.

Akef El Maghraby

Vice Chairman, Banque Misr

Mr. Akef El Maghraby is a veteran banker with over two decades of experience in this space. He is the current Vice Chairman of Banque Misr, where he is responsible for overseeing the bank’s various lines of business, including corporate, retail, SMEs, and global transaction banking, as well as the bank’s digital transformation and financial inclusion efforts. Prior to joining Banque Misr in 2016, he spent 16 years at Citibank where he held various leadership positions across multiple functions, including corporate and investment banking, ratings advisory, and corporate finance. Akef’s time at Citibank has seen him oversee the execution of landmark mergers and acquisitions as well as equity and debt capital market transactions across Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, UK, and the Netherlands. He holds an MBA and a bachelor’s degree in accounting, both received from the American University in Cairo.

Hazem Hegazy

Chief Executive Officer, Al Baraka Bank

Hazem Hegazy is the CEO and Vice Chairman of Al Baraka Bank Egypt since October 2021 till present. He has over 31 years of experience across Egypt and the GCC specifically in retail, SME’s, branches, and risk management. Before joining Al Baraka Bank, he held the position of the Executive Vice Chairman at Banque du Caire from 2018. Mr. Hegazy held several positions of different responsibilities including the CEO of Retail and SMEs at the National Bank of Egypt (NBE) for two years. He also served as the CEO of Egypt division of Network International (NI), a leading UAE-based payment solutions provider, where he initiated the strategy plans and streamlining operations that helped maximize the company’s profitability. Prior to that, he was the Head of the Consumer Banking Group at Barclays Bank Egypt where he managed the bank’s retail and branch network solutions. Also, at NBE he was earlier appointed for 6 years as Group Head of the Retail and Branches, where he restructured the retail business. From 2007 to 2008, Mr. Hegazy held the position of VP Head of Retail Banking at the Arab Bank, and from 2005 to 2007 he was the Head of Branches at Al Ahli United Bank in Qatar where he demonstrated a full restructuring across all branches and implemented new strategies that boosted the Bank’s performance. Mr. Hegazy served as AVP Operations Risk Manager for Union National Bank in UAE where he played a central role in formulating the Bank’s risk management strategies. He also held the position of the Manager of Asset Sales with the UAE division of Standard Chartered Bank where he developed consumer-facing products, enhanced the portfolio, and expanded the volume of the bank’s retail business. The beginning of his banking career was with Mashreq Bank in the UAE where he held numerous posts ending with a 4-year role as Branch Manager. He is currently a board member in Tally for Payments Solutions, Egyptian Takaful Insurance company as well as Al Nasr Housing and Development Company in Egypt. Mr. Hegazy holds a BSc degree in Accounting from the Faculty of Commerce at Cairo University.

Fadi Abi-Nader

Vice President - one demand, global emerging markets (GEM), Mars Wrigley

In his capacity, Fadi leads the Demand function, which covers Marketing, Sales, Digital Commerce and Data & Analytics across Emerging Markets which span 140 countries over 5 continents. Originally from Egypt, Fadi has over 20 years of professional CPG experience in General Management and multi-continent Marketing, Sales, Demand and Strategy Leadership. He is passionate about developing others and creating high-performance teams that can lead change and deliver profitable sustainable growth. He started his career with Henkel, and then moved to Mars where, in the last 20 years, he held many different leadership positions. Before his current role, Fadi was the General Manager of the Mars Egypt business up until 2019, where, along with his team, he turned around the geography’s growth and profitability trajectories, including quadrupling Mars Egypt’s turnover and profitability within four years. Fadi holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the American University in Cairo

Ashraf Sabry

Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Fawry

Ashraf is a technology business expert with more than 20 years of experience in finance and IT. He founded and currently serves as the CEO of Fawry, Egypt’s largest Electronic Payment Network. With a vision to enable electronic financial services nationwide, Ashraf established Fawry and led it to be one of the fastest growing ventures in the Middle East. Prior to founding Fawry, Ashraf spent 10 years leading sales at IBM Egypt and later oversaw the growth and success of Raya Holding, one of Egypt’s leading Technology conglomerates, in his capacity as CEO, where he directed operations, finance, and business development for several years. Ashraf holds an MBA from Leeds University in the United Kingdom.

Galal El Beshbishy

Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer, Synapse Analytics

Galal El Beshbishy is the Co-Founder and COO of Synapse Analytics. He has headed 40+ Artificial Intelligence deployments across different industries, including financial services, manufacturing, retail, and more. Synapse Analytics is a region leader in the AI & Data Science field, with a pioneering product suite at the intersection of the AI-Credit Decisioning & MLOPS space. Galal also sits on the board of Naqla, a tech-enabled trucking company disrupting the logistics space.

Sherif El Behery

Chief Executive Officer, Misr Digital Innovations

Sherif El Behery is currently the Chief Executive Officer for Misr Digital Innovations, a Banque Misr subsidiary. Sherif brings a variety and diversity of expertise to the role having worked in various areas throughout his career in SMEs, Retail banking, Finance, Business Development and Strategy capacities. Prior to this post he held the role of Head of SMEs & Micro Finance and Islamic Banking for Banque Misr. Before joining Banque Misr Sherif was the Director of Retail & Business Banking for Barclays Bank Egypt. He joined Barclays Bank Egypt in 2010 as the Director of Strategy, Planning, and Marketing & Corporate Affairs. Prior to that, he was based in UAE- Barclays Africa Centre, where he has spent nearly four years moving between senior roles in the Emerging Markets Centre and Russia. Sherif assumed a number of positions at Vodafone and Citigroup. Sherif holds a degree in Business Administration from Ain Shams University and is a CFA Charterholder.

Dalia Wahba

CEO, Hassan Allam Utilities

Dalia Wahba joined Hassan Allam Utilities (HAU) in October 2021 as CEO of Hassan Allam Utlities. In this role, she is leading the project development and investment operations of HAU in key sectors including logistics, water, energy and social infrastructure. She is also part of the Corporate Leadership team for HAH group. Dalia brings over 20 years of experience in finance and investment across the MENA region. Prior to joining HAU, Dalia was Senior Manager for the MENA region with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), overseeing IFC’s business and operations throughout the region, including an investment portfolio exceeding US$5 billion and a yearly investment program of $1 billion. Prior to this role, she assumed several operational roles with the IFC including Country Manager for the Levant region, covering Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Syria and Senior Investment Officer in the Global Infrastructure Department covering power, transport and utilities in the MENA region. Dalia started her career in the Commercial International Bank in Egypt. She spent 7 years in the investment banking department. Her last position was Manager in the Corporate Finance team. Dalia holds a BA in Business Administration from the American University in Cairo. She also completed all three levels of the Chartered Financial Analyst certification.

Hassan Allam

Chief Executive Officer, Hassan Allam Holding

Hassan Allam has been Chief Executive Officer of the Group since 2009, where he spearheaded its growth to create a multifaceted conglomerate, considered today as one of the leading construction & engineering, building materials and utilities groups in the Middle East and Africa. Today, the group ranks among the Engineering News-Record (ENR) list of the top 250 global contractors and continues to be the leading contractor for strategic projects. Under his leadership as CEO, the group has been awarded numerous landmark projects in several countries including Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Oman. Currently, Allam leads the development of the Group's strategic plans, mission and objectives, revenue and business growth, international expansion, diversification, profitability, and oversees the overall company operations to ensure service and production efficiency, quality, safety and cost-effective management. Since 2009, the group has witnessed over tenfold growth in its backlog, from USD 0.5BN in 2009 to more than USD 5.5BN in 2022. Allam holds a BSc in Civil Engineering from the American University in Cairo. He joined the construction arm of Hassan Allam Holding in 2002, and held several positions in the construction division including Operations Director, followed by being Managing Director in 2008. In addition, Allam is a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), Hayat Karima Egyptian Government Program, The Egyptian Center for Economic Studies, American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt, and the British Egyptian Business Association. Over the past 2 decades, Allam has been a noteworthy leader in the construction and engineering space, with remarkable contributions in the pivotal transformation of Hassan Allam Holding Group.

Lamyaa Gadelhak

Partner, Baker McKenzie Cairo

Lamyaa Gadelhak is a Principal 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 of the year in 2021 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.

Tarek Assaad

Managing Partner, Algebra Ventures

Tarek Assaad is Managing Partner at Algebra Ventures, Egypt’s leading VC firm. Algebra's $54M first fund invested in 21 companies including some of Egypt’s most prominent technology startups. Its new $100M fund is actively investing in Egypt and the region. Prior to Algebra, Tarek was Managing Partner at Ideavelopers where he had been managing $50m of VC investments since 2009 and where he led the fund's investment in Fawry, the first venture-backed company to go public in Egypt and to become a unicorn. Tarek started his career as an engineer at Lucent Technologies then as a software developer at SAQQARA Systems, an internet startup in Silicon Valley. Tarek holds a B.Sc. in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Ain Shams University in Cairo and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Islam Zekry

Group CFO, CIB

Islam at his current capacity as a Group Chief Financial Officer is leading the group Finance and strategy with a proven track record of success in optimizing financial performance, driving growth, fostering innovation, and delivering value to stakeholders. He has a deep understanding of global markets, regulatory environments, and industry trends locally and globally. Adding to his experience in the field of mergers and acquisitions enabling him to provide strategic financial guidance and make informed decisions to support the organization's overall strategic objectives. Under his leadership, London Business School (LBS) featured CIB’s data transformation as a case study in 2018, making CIB the first Middle Eastern company to be analyzed in a case study by the master's for Advanced Analytics students. Shortly afterwards, Harvard Business School followed suit and started using the case study in its curriculum in addition to the adoption of a large group of international and academic research centers on the models that were built by the teamwork as reference cases for study. The vast experience gathered, has made Mr. Islam a thought leader in digital finance space and new economy, with a flair for innovation., and he nominated recently to be a member in the first Egyptian AI council, which is sponsored by the Egyptian president to formulate and execute EGYPT AI Vision and execution strategy Mr. Islam brings 25 years of international experience across Europe, Middle East and Africa, he is a member of the Chartered Institute of Managerial Accountants in UK, member of FITCH quantitative finance Institute- London and he is a Non-Executive-Director at NLB Banking group- Central Europe Mr. Islam has a Doctorate in Financial mathematics and MBA from University of Chicago- Booth Business School-with outstanding track record in the area of Advanced Financial Analytics and Corporate Economic Performance Management.

Fernando Morillo

Group Head of Retail Banking, Mashreq

As Group Head of Mashreq’s Retail Banking Group (RBG), Fernando ensures that every Mashreq retail customer receives a superior banking experience. He is responsible for delivering profitable revenue growth and managing and executing the retail strategy across Mashreq’s personal banking, Mashreq Gold, private banking, SMEs, Islamic and Emirati segments, in addition to the bank’s digital propositions - Mashreq Neo and NEOBiz. Fernando brings almost 30 years of financial services experience to his new role at Mashreq. Most recently, he served as the Managing Director & Global Head of Retail Products and Segments for Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore. He began his career in McKinsey & Company where he focused on banking, insurance, retail and digital across EMEA and the US. In 2002 Fernando joined Bankinter where he held a number of senior positions in retail banking. 2011 saw him move to BBVA to lead their retail and commercial products and segments units across all of the Group’s banks. He enjoys widespread retail, digital and commercial banking experience having worked in a diverse range of specialist disciplines, notably private, affluent, emerging affluent, mass, SMEs and mid-market. In addition, he has also developed expertise in digital, CRM, analytics, marketing, and distribution. He holds a General Management Program (G.M.P.) from Harvard Business School, an MBA from Instituto De Empresa in Madrid, and a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering (specialization in Aircraft and Spacecraft design) from Universidad Politécnica De Madrid.

Mohamed Mounir

Deputy CEO, Valu

Mohamed Mounir is the Deputy CEO of valU. Prior to that, he was the CEO of Paynas, a fintech platform managing HR and payroll, and offering financial benefits & insurance for MSMEs that he founded in 2018. He has over 17 years of experience across Europe, the Middle East and Africa in the tech & telecom industries. Before founding Paynas, Mounir co-founded BlueCrunch, one of the fastest growing development startups in the region catering for the needs of more than 100 clients across 10 countries. His diverse career encompassed roles in several world-class organizations, including Careem, as Business Development Director; ARPUPLUS (an A15 company), as Head of International Business Development; and Orange Labs, where he was the Program Manager for Voice in developing markets. Throughout his jam-packed and dynamic professional journey, he has gained significant expertise in developing new businesses and leading teams in multi-country, multi-cultural environments.

Hoda Kassem

Director of the Cairo Global Service Center, HSBC Egypt

Hoda Kassem is a seasoned professional with nearly three decades of experience at HSBC Group. She currently serves as Centre Director at the Global Service Centre (GSC) in Cairo and Managing Director of HSBC Electronic Data Services where she leads a team of over 2000 employees across four regions and 42 countries. Hoda has taken on diverse leadership roles at HSBC, with her expertise spanning operations, customer service, change management, and performance improvement. Prior to her current role, Hoda was Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Wealth and Personal Banking Management (WPB) at HSBC Bank Egypt, where she was responsible for strategic planning and transformation, as well as risk management, and cost control. Moreover, Hoda is dedicated to staff development, diversity, and inclusion, where she has contributed significantly to HSBC's Onboarding Program, and has also led the Diversity and Inclusion Committee for GSC Cairo between 2012 and 2016. Hoda holds a bachelor’s in English Language and Literature from Alexandria University.

Basel El-Hini

Chairman, Housing and Development Bank

Basel El-Hini is an accomplished banking and finance executive with over 40 years of experience leading major financial institutions in Egypt. He is currently chairman of the Housing & Development Bank (HDB) where he provides strategic oversight for one of Egypt's largest commercial banking players. Basel’s extensive experience in the banking and finance sectors has seen him hold various executive positions at leading institutions. Prior to joining HDB, he was the Chairman and CEO for Misr Insurance Holding Company where he led a major strategic and cultural transformation that drove MIHC to become Egypt's largest non-banking financial services group. Additionally, El-Hini served as Managing Director of Banque du Caire, where he was responsible for overseeing the bank’s credit, corporate, and retail banking divisions and played a key role in propelling the bank to become a major market player. He also held senior advisory roles in Egypt's Ministry of Finance where he helped shape policies to spur economic growth, increase foreign investment, and privatize state-owned enterprises. Basel holds a master’s degree in economics from the American University in Cairo and bachelor’s in economics from Cairo University.

Karim Awad

Group CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee, EFG Holding

Karim Awad is an accomplished leader with over 23 years of experience in financial markets. He currently serves as the Group Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Executive Committee, and is a key member of the Board of Directors at EFG Hermes Holding S.A.E. His journey with EFG Hermes began in 1998 within the Investment Banking Department, where he steadily rose through the ranks to head the division in 2007, overseeing numerous prominent local and regional transactions. Throughout his career, Mr. Awad has played pivotal roles within the firm, serving as CEO of the Investment Bank in 2012 before assuming the role of Group CEO in 2013. Under his guidance, EFG Hermes underwent a significant transformation, refocusing its strategy from a MENA-based investment bank to a frontier and emerging market financial solutions powerhouse. Under his guidance over the past nine years, EFG Hermes has strengthened its position in key markets such as the UAE, KSA, and Egypt while expanding into seven new markets across sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. The firm revitalized its buy-side business, consolidated its regional asset management, and ventured into Private Equity in sectors like renewables, education, and healthcare. Furthermore, EFG Hermes broadened its suite of client offerings with a comprehensive non-bank financial institutions (NBFI) platform encompassing leasing, factoring, microfinance, consumer finance, mortgages, payments, insurance, fixed income, and structured products. Additionally, he was instrumental in the Firm’s expansion into commercial banking through aiBANK, a leading provider of integrated retail, corporate, and Islamic banking products in Egypt. Mr. Awad holds a Bachelor of Arts in business administration from the American University in Cairo.

Leila Serhan

Group country manager and senior vice president for North Africa, Levant and Pakistan, 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.

Amro Abouesh

Founder, Maseera

Founder & CEO of Maseera, an infant FinTech start-up. Prior to its establishment in 2023, Abouesh is the founder and ex Chairman & CEO of Tanmeyah Microenterprise Services, established in 2009. Abouesh worked on both sides of the coin, starting with macroeconomic research and policies in his role as Technical Assistant to the Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade for M/SME Affairs. The other side being products and services, within banking first, through two jobs:
- Executive Advisor to the Chairman of Banque-du-Caire for Microfinance, Personal Loans and SMEs
- Head of Microfinance and SMEs in the Bank of Alexandria, INTESA-SanPaolo.
Amro completed his postgraduate education in both London Business School, and the ISMA Center, University of Reading in the UK, for an MSc. in addition to a BSc. in Economics from the Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University. He is the author and co-author of many publications, including the Draft National Policy for M/SME Development in Egypt, and is a featured speaker/panelist in many events, including the World Economic Forum of 2005. Abouesh served/is serving as a non-executive director/chairman in the boards of multiple companies over the course of the years.

Pakinam Kafafi

Chief Executive Officer, TAQA Arabia

A significant affiliate to the Egyptian energy market and a notably respected member of the local business community, Mrs. Pakinam Kafafi, has nearly 26 years of experience within the Energy and Investment Banking sectors. She assumed leadership of TAQA Arabia as Chief Executive Officer in 2013. Mrs. Kafafi was one of the founding cornerstones of TAQA Arabia in 2006 when she served as the Chief Investment officer. She successfully contributed to the group’s evolution by acquiring and consolidating several gas distribution companies of BG, ENI, Edison and AMEC. In addition, she led the group’s business diversification strategy into Power Generation and Distribution and later orchestrated TAQA Arabia penetration to the Renewable Energy market. Before TAQA Arabia’s incorporation, Mrs. Kafafi served as the Investment General Manager for Genco Group starting 2003. In her role as Chief Executive Officer, Mrs. Kafafi provides strategic planning and operational leadership to optimize the company’s growth. Her expertise and proven track record as an efficient and talented leader are invaluable for TAQA Arabia. Before joining TAQA Arabia she held the position of Vice President at EFG-Hermes Investment Banking a leading regional investment institution, where she successfully participated in various acquisitions and privatization projects in Egypt. In 2022, and for the third consecutive year, Mrs. Kafafi was chosen as one of the 50 Most Powerful Businesswomen in the Middle East where she holds the 21st position. Mrs. Kafafi 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 of the American Chamber of Commerce and the British Egyptian Business Association (BEBA).

Basma Rady

Chief Data Scientist, Beltone Holding

Basma Rady is a highly accomplished professional currently serving as the Chief Data Scientist at Beltone Financial Holding (BTFH.CA), a leading investment bank in the MENA region. With a strong background in data science and advanced analytics, Basma brings a wealth of expertise to her role in Beltone since early 2023. In addition to her role at Beltone, Basma is currently serving as an Adjunct Faculty of Data Science in the Mathematics and Actuarial Science Department at the American University in Cairo. Before joining Beltone Financial, Rady was the Founder and Head of the Data Science and Advanced Analytics Hub at the Central Bank of Egypt (2020-2023). In this capacity, she spearheaded the development of the hub’s strategy, vision, mission, and operating model to successfully launch the hub within six months. She led a cross-functional team that delivered data science and analytics projects that provided the Governor with near real time view of Egypt’s economy, leveraging state-of-the-art machine learning and natural language processing techniques. Prior to her work at the Central Bank, Rady served as a Data Science Manager in the Transaction Advisory Services division at Ernst & Young in Dubai (2016-2020). Her expertise in data analysis and machine learning contributed to the success of various projects for clients across the MENA region including conducting current state assessment of data and analytics maturity, designing organization-wide advanced analytics vision and roadmap of use cases, and leading the implementation of end-to-end data analytics projects. Rady holds a Master's degree in Operations Research and Information Engineering with a concentration in Financial Engineering from Cornell University and received a Bachelor's degree in Actuarial Science and Business Administration (Finance) from the American University in Cairo.

Mariam El Samny

Head of Consumer Banking, FABMISR

Mariam has 25+ years of banking experience in managing large scale banking operations and spearheading new market roll outs across multiple geographies. She is currently the Head of Consumer Banking in FABMISR, where she led a major transformation of the business since joining in 2018. Prior to that she was with Bank Audi (leading Lebanese Bank) in Egypt as their Chief Consumer & Delivery Channels Officer (2017 – 2018), where she managed their retail business as well the branch network of 43+ branches. In this role, she effectively managed the transformation of the bank embracing a state-of-the art technology platform, implemented new strategic direction to ensure a customer-centric process is in place and tools are effectively put in place to support the front-end enabling a unique customer experience across all touchpoints. Prior to her role with Bank Audi, Mariam worked in Dubai with the leading finance company, Dunia Finance (2006 – 2017). She was a founding management team member of Dunia Finance (strategic alliance between Fullerton Financial Holdings - wholly owned subsidiary of Temasek Holdings in Singapore – sovereign wealth arm, and Mubadala Development Company – investment arm of the government of Abu Dhabi). Mariam worked for 10 years+ with the company, and she led several key pillars for the company in the UAE as well as strategic market roll-outs / business transformation roles for Fullerton Financial Holdings across multiple geographies (China, Vietnam, India, Pakistan, Mexico, Russia). She also led the BPO business for Dunia Services’ (BPO / KPO arm of Dunia Group) and was handling one of the largest consulting assignments in Ukraine from 2011 – 2015 which entailed an end-to-end business transformation. Prior to Dunia Finance, Mariam worked for Citibank (Egypt, UAE, Russia – 1997 – 2006) for 9 years where she handled several key startup businesses during her stint. She began her career with Procter & Gamble, Egypt in Marketing. Mariam was awarded the ‘Women Achievement Award’ at the World Women Leadership Congress in India in 2015. She is a double MBA holder from University of Chicago (2008) and from the American University in Cairo (1997).

Larry Lerner

Partner, McKinsey & Partners, Washington DC

Larry Lerner is a Financial Institutions Partner with McKinsey & Company’s Washington DC Office. He is the Global leader for Banking and Securities Analytics and is leading the Firm’s global taskforce in Generative AI for banking. Larry serves Global Financial Institutions, including Banks, Insurers, and Wealth and Asset Managers. His areas of expertise include Agile and Digital Transformations, Advanced Analytics, Agile Marketing, Data and Technology Modernization and Scaling of Analytic Capabilities. Larry is a frequent author and speaker, presenting often on topics ranging from Advanced Analytics to Digital Transformations. Prior to joining McKinsey, Larry led Accenture’s Global Financial Services and Risk Analytics practices. Before that, he held leadership positions at Capital One, where he led the Statistics and Data Analysis teams, as well as Product Development and Credit Policy for the US Card business, and at The Citadel Investment Group, a large multi-strategy Hedge Fund. Larry received his Master's in Business Administration with Honors from the University of Chicago.

Tarek Shahin

Chief Investment Officer, CI Asset Management

Tarek Shahin is chief investment officer of CI Capital Asset Management, a leading investment manager based in Cairo, Egypt. Tarek has almost 20 years of experience in the field of investment management and finance, previously having been a managing director of global emerging market equities at Manulife Investment Management – Europe and before that a portfolio manager and specialist at Ninety One (formerly Investec Asset Management), focused on frontier and emerging markets.

Ibrahim El Missiri

Chief Executive Officer, Somabay

Ibrahim joined ASDC in 2012 as Director of Development and assumed his current role at the end of 2014. His responsibilities include managing ASDC and the group of companies which ASDC is a shareholder in, those include 3-Hotel Companies and other services companies all operating in Soma Bay on the Red Sea in Egypt. He is tasked with managing the operations of those companies, growing their business and developing the 10 million sqm. of property that ASDC owns. Prior to joining ASDC, he held the following positions:

• Regional Business Development Director, CH2MHill, MENAI
• Director of Development, MNHD
• Director of Development, North Africa, Limitless [a Dubai World Company]
• Business / Commercial and Project Controls Manager Roles, Bechtel

He graduated from the American University in Cairo in 1994 with B.Sc. in Construction Engineering with High Honors, then he got his M.Sc. Degree from University College London in 1999 in Built Environment

Bahaa Alieldean

Managing Partner, ALC Alieldean Weshai and Partners

Dr. Bahaa Alieldean is the Managing Partner of ALC Alieldean Weshai and Partners, a Cairo based Law firm that focuses on complex commercial transactions in Egypt and the region. Dr. Bahaa specializes in capital market and banking transactions. He heads the Capital Market practice at ALC with a track record of over 50 securitization issues and 4 Sharia compliant Sukuk. He served as a legal advisor to various national and multinational firms in Egypt advising on Egyptian investment laws. He has acted as legal counsel for major Egyptian Banks and leading companies in complex multi-million-dollar financial transactions. Over the course of his career, he has taught commercial law at several academic institutions. He holds a Ph.D. in business law from King’s College London and has published multiple academic papers on commercial and business law issues.

Tamer El Emary

Chief Executive Officer, GB Capital

Tamer joined the group in 2022, serving as CEO of GB Capital. He is a seasoned global business development executive, with more than 25 years of experience delivering accelerated growth and increased top and bottom line performance. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer of cross-border payments and global fintech, Thunes and before that as Chief Commercial Officer of global remittance scale-up, WorldRemit. Prior to that Tamer was SVP & Group Head at MasterCard for the UK & Ireland and he also held various global leadership roles at American Express after starting his career at Citigroup. Tamer holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, a Master’s degree from the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy and a Bachelor of Arts in History and International Relations from Tufts University.

Mounir Nakhla

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, MNT Halan

Mounir Nakhla is the Co-Founder and CEO of Egypt’s first unicorn, MNT-Halan, the country’s leading fintech ecosystem and the largest and fastest growing lender to the unbanked and underbanked. Since 2017, MNT-Halan has been disrupting traditional banking models and cash-based markets through tech and data driven solutions, while driving financial inclusion and economic empowerment. Earlier this year, the company received $400m, the largest funding in Egypt and the Middle East in the past 12 months, pushing its valuation past USD 1 billion. Mr. Nakhla is a serial entrepreneur, having founded multiple businesses. In 2010, he founded Mashroey, an asset-based microfinance company that focused on selling 2 and 3 wheelers and developed to become a full-fledged consumer finance company. In 2014, he founded Tasaheel, currently Egypt’s largest microfinance company, followed by Halan, a fintech company, in 2017, and Raseedy (now Halan Cash), a payment company, in 2019. Mr. Nakhla began his career at Environmental Quality International in 2000, becoming Managing Partner in 2008, and helping it become Egypt’s leading microfinance consultancy. He holds a Master of Science in Environment & Development from the London School of Economics, and a Bachelor of Science in International Business Studies from the European Business School. He was named Egypt’s Entrepreneur of the Year by the Endeavor Foundation in 2023.

Nivanne Mortagy

North Africa Lead, Upstream Advisory, IFC

Nivanne Amr Mortagy has extensive background of 23 years in Investment Banking, Corporate Banking, PE, Corporate Finance, Strategy & Planning, Business Development, Wealth & Asset Management and Private Banking. She specializes in management restructuring of financial institutions in the Egyptian private & public sector in order to enhance competitiveness and market share and increase shareholder value. Ms. Mortagy currently holds the position of Upstream/Advisory Lead for North Africa for the Financial Institutions Group (FIG), at the IFC, World Bank Group. She is responsible for leading the origination and strategic business development for investments in the banking and NBFI sector, to deliver on IFCs’ 3.0 strategy. Her leadership role serves the overall implementation of IFCs’ global strategy, which focuses on unlocking market bottlenecks to stimulate the flow of private capital investments. A key focus is in mobilizing private capital at significant scale, with greater focus on the poorest and fragile and conflict-affected countries. Prior to that, Ms. Mortagy has served in key leadership positions in the private and public sector in the MENA region.

Himanshu Shrimali

Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Menthum

Himanshu Shrimali boasts nearly three decades of experience across the GCC, India, and Egypt covering strategy formulation and execution across retail banking, product management, technology, as well as policy and process frameworks. He is the Co-Founder and CEO of Menthum Holding for Financial Investments, an Egypt-based fintech venture that focuses on providing innovative digital savings solutions, and parallel to this, he is also the Co-Founder of JoinIvy, an online educational platform. Prior to this, he was the Head of Digital Transformation at IBAG Money Transfer Services and spent nearly a decade at Arab African International Bank where he was the Head of Retail Banking and Product Management. He is a CFA charterholder, holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management from the Indian Institute of Management, and a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electronics and Telecommunication from Regional Engineering College, in Bhopal, India.

Said Hanafi

Partner, upstream, MHR & Partners in association with White & Case LLP

Said Hanafi is a seasoned lawyer with over 20 years of experience and is recognized as one of Egypt’s leading corporate, mergers and acquisitions, and capital markets lawyers. He is currently a partner at MHR & Partners in association with White & Case, where he focuses on general corporate transactions, mergers and acquisitions and financing arrangements. Said is also experienced in legal disputes and complex negotiations with government authorities. Parallel to this, he is the Co-President of the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Egypt and Vice President of El Gouna Football Club. Previously, Said was General Counsel of Orascom Development Holdings (ODH), where he put together and managed a team of 30 lawyers across 6 different jurisdictions and advised on most operational aspects of ODH. He was also the Executive Chairman of Orascom Housing Communities, Egypt's largest private developer of low-income housing. Additionally, he also served as the Vice President of Legal Affairs at the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt. Prior to joining ODH, he worked as a Legal Associate at The World Bank Group, as Policy Analyst at the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and started his career as a lawyer with a Munich based law firm, Amereller Rechtsanwälte, focusing on the Middle East. Said holds a Bachelor of Law from Cairo University, and holds a Master of Laws (LLM) from Queen Mary University of London.

Hazem Moussa

Chairman, Contact Financial Holding

Hazem Moussa is the co-founder and Chairman of Contact Financial Holding, Egypt’s leading non-bank financial services provider. With a strong vision and dedicated leadership, Hazem has played an instrumental role in building out the company from its beginnings in 2001 as a one-product consumer lending business into a thriving business encompassing a suite of consumer and commercial financial services delivered physically and digitally to a wide range of Egyptians. In addition to being the largest consumer financing business in Egypt, Contact also has pioneering businesses in insurance, technology, and the debt capital markets. Leading a strong team of dedicated Egyptian professionals with a range of experience, Hazem led the business as General Manager then Chief Executive Officer for 18 years before focusing on strategy & development as Chairman. Hazem holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Hamilton College, New York.

Tarek Abdelrahman

Managing Partner, Compass Capital

Tarek Abdel-Rahman is the Managing Partner at Compass Capital. With a distinguished 25-year career in investment banking spanning Cairo and London, he has worked at top-tier institutions like HSBC, and Citigroup. His primary expertise lies in mergers and acquisitions and financing across diverse sectors, including financial institutions, consumer goods, infrastructure and healthcare Before his tenure at Compass Capital, Mr. Abdel Rahman served as the CEO of Palm Hills Developments, a prominent real estate developer listed on the Egyptian exchange with a market capitalization of USD 420 million. Abdel Rahman earned his BA in Business Administration from the American University in Cairo and later pursued an MBA from the London Business School. Furthermore, EFG Hermes broadened its suite of client offerings with a comprehensive non-bank financial institutions (NBFI) platform encompassing leasing, factoring, microfinance, consumer finance, mortgages, payments, insurance, fixed income, and structured products. Additionally, he was instrumental in the Firm’s expansion into commercial banking through aiBANK, a leading provider of integrated retail, corporate, and Islamic banking products in Egypt. Mr. Awad holds a Bachelor of Arts in business administration from the American University in Cairo.

Menna Zekrallah

Senior Banker, Manufacturing & Services, EBRD

Menna joined the EBRD back in 2012 as the first Banker in the region. Currently Menna leads EBRD investments in the industrial and & services sectors. Prior to the EBRD, Menna was with EFG Hermes Private Equity, analysing investment and divestment opportunities in Egypt and the region.
Menna started her career as analyst at EFG Hermes Private Equity and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the American University in Cairo.

Kamel Saleh

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

Kamel Saleh is the Managing Partner of Saleh Barsoum Abdel Aziz - Grant Thornton (“SBA.GT”) one of Egypt’s largest and oldest professional services firms. Throughout his career he has been providing advisory services to corporates covering multiple sectors with a focus on financial institutions. He started his career in audit in the UK before moving to Egypt, over the years he became more focused on financial advisory services, transaction structuring, and related taxation and investment law issues. He currently serves as the General Secretary and Board Member of the Egyptian Society of Accountants and Auditors, Board Member of the Egyptian US Business Council and a Board Member of the Rwanda Heart Care Foundation and Board member and Vice President- Programs at the American Chamber of Commerce. In the past, Kamel has served as a member of the Audit Committee of the Central Bank of Egypt and a Board Member of GAFI. Kamel received his BA in Economics and Computer Science from the American University in Cairo and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and the Egyptian Society of Accountants and Auditors in Egypt. Kamel regularly shares his insights on investment matters, fiscal policy, and related legislation matters in Egypt.