AHMED HEIKAL

Chairman

Dr. Heikal is the founder of Qalaa Holdings (QH). In the past 10 years QH transformed from a general partnership private equity manager with EGP 2 million in capital to a leading investment holdings firm investing in Egypt and East Africa with EGP 9.1 billion in capital. The firm is a leading investor in a number of platform companies in the energy, cement, transportation & logistics, mining, consumer finance and retail sectors.

Prior to founding Qalaa Holdings, Dr. Heikal had joined EFG Hermes in 1992. At the time, EFG Hermes had a capital of EGP 250,000. Dr. Heikal was instrumental in transforming EFG Hermes from a small financial consultancy into the leading investment bank in the Arab world and emerging markets. Dr. Heikal was an executive board member and Managing Director of EFG Hermes Holding. He was also head of asset management (1994-95), head of investment banking (1996-97), head of securities brokerage (1997-99), and head of private equity (1999-2001). He spearheaded highly successful private equity investments, including the creation of Egypt’s leading IT company (Raya Holding) and Egypt’s largest natural gas distribution company (Genco). He also raised three rounds of financing for regional mobile telecommunications operator Orascom Telecom and led the IPOs of Orascom Construction Industries and Orascom Hotels, among other landmark transactions.

Dr. Heikal holds a Master’s degree and a PhD in Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management from Stanford University.

Hisham El-Khazindar

Managing Director

Mr. Hisham El-Khazindar is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Qalaa Holdings, a leading investment company in Africa and the Middle East. Established in 2004, Qalaa Holdings (formerly known as Citadel Capital) is an African leader in energy and infrastructure. Prior to co-founding Qalaa Holdings, Mr. El-Khazindar was Executive Director of Investment Banking at EFG Hermes where he advised on landmark M&A and IPO transactions in the region, and where he started his career in 1996. During 1999-2000, he was on secondment to Goldman Sachs in London. Mr. El-Khazindar serves on the boards of several leading regional companies including El Sewedy Electric and Magrabi Retail. He also serves as a Trustee of the American University in Cairo, and as a Fellow of the Aspen Institute’s Middle East Leadership Initiative. In 2013 Mr. El-Khazindar was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and in 2014 he was chosen among the top 100 Young African Leaders by the Paris-based Think Tank, Institut Choiseul. He holds a BA in Economics from the American University in Cairo (1996) and an MBA from Harvard Business School (2003).

KARIM SADEK

Managing Director of Transportation & Logistics

Prior to joining Qalaa Holdings, Mr. Sadek was Managing Director of the Arab Investment Company (ABIC), one of the largest private-equity firms in Egypt. During his tenure, Mr. Sadek returned a substantial part of the firm’s total investments (valued at over EGP 500 million [US$ 90.91 million]) to ABIC’s shareholders in the form of dividends and share buybacks. Mr. Sadek holds a Master’s in International Securities, Investment and Banking from the Business School for Financial Markets at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom. He has extensive experience in corporate banking and credit risk assessment through his work both at the Commercial International Bank (CIB) and Arab Bank.

Taymour Heikal

Board Member

Taymour Heikal is the founder of Mazari3, a start-up dedicated to unlocking value for farmers and customers by creating an efficient and resilient agri-food supply chain. He currently serves as a non-executive member of the Board of Directors of Qalaa Holdings. 

Mr. Heikal holds a BS and MS in Bioinformatics from New York University, where he co-authored research on cancer genetics.
 

MONA MAKRAM-EBEID

Board Member

Dr. Mona Makram-Ebeid has been a professor of political science and sociology at the American University in Cairo since 1983. She served in Egypt’s Parliament from 1990-95, in which capacity she was a member of the parliament’s committees on foreign affairs, education and the budget. She is a former advisor on the MENA region to the World Bank and is a consultant to the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC. Makram-Ebeid is a founding member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs and works actively with a range of international organizations and regional NGOs.

MAGDY EL DESOUKY

Board Member

Magdy El-Desouky is a Non-Executive Member of the Board of Directors of Qalaa Holdings. Mr. El-Deskouky has since 1994 been with Egypt’s Youssef Allam Group, where he is presently Vice-President for Investments. With more than 35 years of experience at both global and regional investment and financial management firms, Mr. El-Dessouky was previously assistant financial auditor of Le Meridian Jeddah Hotel, the financial auditor of Ramada Jeddah Hotel, General Director of Ramada Jeddah Hotel, and the administrative director and finance manager at Naghi Motors Company in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In addition to his service to Qalaa Holdings' Board of Directors, he sits on the boards of companies including EGYCAP Investment, MENA for Real Estate Investment, National Company for Development and Trade, Golden Crescent, Bonyan, Gozour and United Company for Foundries. Mr. El-Desouky holds a BA in Commerce from Cairo University.

PHILIP BLAIR DUNDAS, JR.

Independent Board Member

Philip Dundas is an Independent Member of the Board of Directors of Qalaa Holdings. Mr. Dundas is a veteran of the Middle East business community, with particular expertise in energy, finance, restructuring, and joint investment, as well as mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Dundas was the Managing Partner of the Abu Dhabi Office of Shearman & Sterling LLP from 1981 through 2013, having joined the firm in 1973 in New York. He has previously served as a director of Hyundai Oilbank and STX Metals of Korea, as well as of Xojet and Fuji Marine. 

Mr. Dundas has received wide recognition from industry publications for his longstanding contributions to business and finance in the Middle East, particularly as it relates to energy and M&A. He earned his BA in Government from Wesleyan University and his Juris Doctorate from Washington & Lee University.
 

DINA HASSAN SHERIF

Independent Board Member

Dr. Dina Sherif is an Independent Member of the Board of Directors of Qalaa Holdings. Ms. Sherif is the founder and CEO of Ahead of the Curve (ATC), a social enterprise promoting sustainable management practices and the development of socially innovative business models. ATC established the first impact investment fund in the MENA region called Entrepreneurship with Impact Ventures to support early stage impact entrepreneurs through equity financing. Ms. Sherif serves as an Advisor to the President of Egypt for economic development and job creation, and is currently an Associate Professor of Practice, holding the endowed Willard Brown Chair for International Business at the American University in Cairo, where she is also Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship. She earned both her BA in Political Science and International Relations and her MA in Economic Development from the American University in Cairo.