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Ahmed Abdel-Meguid
Assistant Professor of Accounting
The American University in Cairo
Dr. Ahmed Abdel-Meguid is an assistant professor of accounting at the School of
Business, the American University in Cairo (AUC). He has previously taught at Syracuse
University (NY, USA), the German University in Cairo (GUC), and Ain Shams
University. He also has extensive experience in teaching training courses for professional
certifications such the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and the Chartered Financial
Analyst (CFA). He also worked as a consultant to the Egyptian Tax Authority. Dr. Abdel-
Meguid acts as the liaison between the School of Business at the AUC and the Secretariat
of the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) - an initiative based on
the UN Global Compact. He is also the founding faculty advisor for the Corporate
Governance Club (CGC) at the AUC. His research interests include audit quality and
corporate governance. He has papers published and forthcoming in the Review of
Accounting and Finance, Journal of Management and Governance, International Journal
of Accounting and Information Management, Corporate Governance: The International
Journal of Business in Society. Dr. Abdel-Meguid holds a Masters of Science in
Accounting and a Ph.D. in Business Administration (accounting) from Syracuse
University. He is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) non-practicing certificate
holder in the USA.
Ahmed El Daly
Founder & CEO Dale Carnegie Training Egypt
Ahmed El Daly is a serial entrepreneur who founded more than 10 different companies
since his graduation from the Faculty of Commerce in 1987 – the most known and most
successful of which are Berlitz Egypt Founded in 1997 and specializing in language
training and Dale Carnegie Training Egypt founded in 2002, representing the 100 years‟
old training and development company.
He has been active in many organizations that support youth and entrepreneurship. He is
Chairman and co-founder of the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Committee at AmCham,
board member at the “Egyptian Franchise Development Association (EFDA)”, member
of the Advisory Council of “Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE Egypt)”, member of the
“Franchisees Advisory Council” of Berlitz International and the “Millennium Group” of
Dale Carnegie International (a network of the largest Dale Carnegie operations
worldwide).
Ahmed Nawara,
Vice Chairman, Al Manar Group
My name is Ahmed Abdel Alim Nawara. Born in 1975 in Cairo.I graduated from AUC
class of 97 major Business Administration and minor Economics. After graduation, I
worked with my father in our family business ( Al Manar Import and Export).Since 1975,
Al Manar has been agent and distributor of several multinational European manufacturer
specialized in auto spare parts.For 3 years I moved from one department to another till I
gained some experience in corporate life.In 2000, I expanded my father‟s business by
signing a contract with an American multinational companies called Honeywell that
owns a French brand of braking systems “Bendix”. The contract mainly allows me to
blend and bottle brake fluid for cars in Egypt under license from Honeywell and under
Bendix brand.We started the factory, Al Manar for manufacturing car fluids and spare
parts (AMCF), early 2002 and now AMCF is one of the market leaders in the brake fluid
market in Egypt. Other than brake fluid, AMCF now blends and bottles many car fluids such as
Coolants, Automatic Transmission Fluids, Hydraulic oils, Battery waters, Grease…etc.Now Al
Manar Group consists of several companies working in the automotive sector and I am the vice
chairman of the group.I am member in Egyptian Junior Businessmen Association (EJB).I attended
some executive courses such as “Kellogg-AUC Executive Development Program” and “Supply
Chain Excellence for Marketing Success” in AUC also.
Ahmed Ragab, Counselor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Former Executive Director
of the UNDP Center for Transparency, IFC Corporate Governance Certified
Consultant and Trainer
Over the past years, Mr. Ragab initiated and coordinated the full strategy of the UNDP
Center for Transparency & Investor Relations. He turned it into a consulting body that
provides assessment and business strategic poliy frameworks for the Companies.
Mr.Ragab received his MBA in strategy, international business and marketing from
City Univerity of New York , his MPA in Public Economic Policies from York
Univerity in the UK, and his BA from the American University in Cairo, AUC. He is
currently an instructor of Business Communication and Economics for certificate and
diploma students at the the American University in Cairo, AUC. Mr. Ragab is fluent in
five languages. He visited more than 40 countries and has published numerous articles.
Prior to his current function. Mr.Ragab served at the Permanent Mission of Egypt as a
delegate to the UN . His work covered a wide array of fields , such as Security Council
issues (the Middle East Conflict – Kosovo – Iraq and Afghanistan), reform of the
General Assembly , as well as negotiated the outcome of the economic and social
council and the second committee for four consecutive GA sessions. He also
participated in the preparatory process for the World Summit on Sutainable
Development (WSSD) and led the G77 in negiotations on natural resources. As a
member of the negotiating group Mr. Ragab developed the strategy for negotiations for
the final outcome. Mr.Ragab also worked at the United Development Program (UNDP)
Headquarters in New York. He was a part of the core team that drafted two Human
Development Reports , on information and democracy in the Middle East.
Aida Sammour
Ex-President of the 2009 & 2010 SIFE World cup winning team
French University in Egypt (FUE)
A graduate of the French University in Egypt ( UFE), faculty of Management
and Information Systems, within the top five ,class of 2010.President of the SIFE
UFE team ( 2010), World Cup Champions for two years in a row, 2009 and
2010.Currently working as Quality Manager at Misr Plastics for Packing Industry.
Being a SIFE UFE Alumni, I am always dedicated to my team and serve as
Business Advisor .
Ambreen Waheed
Founding Executive Director of Responsible
Business Initiative (RBI), Pakistan
Globally recognized for pioneering work in CSR & Responsible Entrepreneurship.
Represent on governance bodies of GRI, APRSCP, UNGC, CSR expert committees
UNCTAD-ISAR ,AccountabilitySES, of ICAP and SECP. Co-founded AsiaPacific CSR
Centergrp, SAFoRB & GRLI. Taught at ESSEC France, Michigan and Wharton USA.
Authored Pakistan‟s first CSR status review (2005) and “Responsible Business Guide: A
toolkit for winning companies (2010) ” contributed to international publications and
textbooks.
Anna Pehar
Director, Calix Consulting
Anna Pehar is an independent international management consultant in the area of Executive Development. With her extensive experience in both the corporate and the academic world, she
acts as an advisor to both Business Schools and Universities as well as to Corporates and NGO‟s.
Her areas of expertise include post-graduate and executive education, program development and project management, organizational effectiveness, business development and consultative selling,
account management and effective communication. Her approach is personal and practical; when
assisting her clients in developing a business strategy, value proposition or developmental program, she focuses on the implementation, the „how to do it‟. Her starting point is always the
uniqueness of the person or organization she is working with; finding the strength that is already
there and develop it further. Anna‟s corporate background is commercial, but always in the
professional services sector with broad experience in sales and consultancy, including HR Consultancy and training and development. From there she moved into academia and was the
director of Executive Education at the Rotterdam School of Management/Erasmus University in
the Netherlands for 10 years. In that position she was among other responsible for the management of the unit and the growth and internationalization of the Custom Programs
portfolio, moving RSM high in the rankings as a credible partner in executive program
development. Her personal client portfolio included United Nations, BankSeta, Kone, Denso, GoodyearDunlop, AstraZeneca, Tesa, Leadership for Conservation Africa (LCA) and many
others. After leaving RSM she worked at EFMD (European Foundation for Management
Development) in Brussels in the role of director of Business School Services, where she was
responsible for the activities for the business school members. This included the organization of academic conferences and developmental programs and acting as a „linking pin‟ within the
network and with other international networks, providing information and disseminating
knowledge to the member institutions globally. In 2010 she established her own consultancy practice, linking her profound professional experience with her extensive international
network.Anna holds a master‟s degree in linguistics, with majors in socio- and psycho linguistics
and she has a fascination for how interpersonal communication works – or does not work. Her motivation to work in executive development is the opportunity to contribute to the development
of organizations through the development of people. She strongly believes that „people‟ are any
organizations most important asset and often not enough valued as such.Anna is born in Italy
from Croatian parents; she was raised and educated in Sweden and obtained her university degree in the Netherlands where she is currently based. She has lived and worked in several countries
and cooperated with people from many different cultures and she finds that has enriched her, both
professionally and personally. She communicates fluently in 5 languages and sees herself as a
true citizen of Europe. For some reason she has developed a very special interest and affection for
Africa, this being her second favorite continent after Europe, where her roots lie.
Ayman Ismail
Assistant Professor
Jameel Chair of Entrepreneurship, School of Business, The American
University in Cairo
Dr. Ayman Ismail is the Assistant Professor and Abdul Latif Jameel Endowed Chair of
Entrepreneurship at the American University in Cairo School of Business. His research
focuses on entrepreneurship; venture capital and private equity in emerging markets;
economic development in the Middle East; industrial strategy; international technology
diffusion and knowledge transfer to developing countries; technology policy and
innovation; energy and food security; and political economy of development. Dr. Ismail
is a former Research Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at
the Kennedy School of Government in Harvard University. He received his PhD in
International Economic Development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT). He also holds a bachelor degree in engineering and an MBA from the American
University in Cairo, and a master in city planning and geographic information systems
from MIT. He is also a co-founder and Managing Partner in Enovio, a management &
strategy consulting firm operating in the US and the Middle East. Prior to that, he was a
consultant in McKinsey & Company’s Business Technology Office, based in New York
for several years. Dr. Ismail has advised senior management in leading Fortune 100
companies, fast-growing startups, government agencies, and non-profits on key
organization, operations and technology issues. He has also consulted and conducted
research for international organizations such as the World Bank and UNCTAD, as well
as multiple US government agencies. Dr. Ismail has a broad multidisciplinary
experience in economic development, business strategy, city planning and technology
based on professional practice and academic research. Dr. Ismail is a co-founder and
member the Board of Directors of Nahdet El-Mahrousa, a leading NGO incubating
social entrepreneurs and social ventures targeting economic and social development
issues in Egypt. He is also an Endeavor VentureCorps Mentor, advising entrepreneurs
and their ventures in Egypt. Endeavor is a global non-profit supporting high-impact
entrepreneurship as the leading force for sustainable economic development.
Barış Tan
Dean, College of Administrative Sciences and Professor of Operations
Management Koç University, Turkey
Barış Tan is the Dean of College of Administrative Sciences and Professor of
Operations Management at Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey. He received a B.Sc. degree
in Electrical Engineering from Boğaziçi University, Istanbul, Turkey, and ME and MSE
in Industrial and Systems Engineering, and PhD in Operations Research from the
University of Florida. His current research interests are in supply chain management and
design, analysis and control of production systems. He is the recipient of Turkish
Academy of Sciences Distinguished Young Scholar Award, TÜBİTAK fellowship, and
NATO Science Fellowship. Professor Tan is teaching operations management,
management science, and supply chain management courses at Koç University since
1994. Prof. Tan held visiting positions at Harvard University Center for Textile and
Apparel Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Operations Research Center,
and MIT Laboratory for Manufacturing and Productivity. Professor Tan serves on the
Boards of EFMD and CEMS Global Alliance in Management Education.
Dina El-Mofty
Executive Director, Injaz Egypt
As Executive Director of Injaz Egypt Dina helped pilot the Junior Achievement/INJAZ
initiative in Egypt in 2003. Driven by the private sector Injaz was established to create a
new generation of empowered youth who will become entrepreneurs or the future
employees of choice corporations, instead of joining the growing ranks of the
unemployed. Dina‟s work entailed expanding Injaz programs within schools and
universities across Egypt, and in acquiring Private sector partnerships with the
organization. In 2007 Injaz Egypt was officially registered as an Egyptian organization
governed by a board of Directors represented by leading companies of the Egyptian
private sector. The organization helps impact more than 140,000 students.Prior to piloting
Injaz in Egypt, in 2001 Dina worked for Save the Children heading up communications
and development. In 1999 she was part of a team that helped in establishing the Future
Generation Foundation in Egypt. In 1998 Dina was part of the team overseeing the US-
Egypt Presidents Council, representing leading businessmen of Egypt‟s private sector.
Dina received her MA from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, and Bachelors
degree from the American University in Cairo, and also pursued studies at Georgetown
University, Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service.
Dina Sherif,
Associate Director
John D. Gerhart Center for Philanthropy and Civic Engagement, The
American University in Cairo
Dina Sherif has been the Associate Director of the John D. Gerhart Center for
Philanthropy and Civic Engagement since it was established in 2006 at the American
University in Cairo. Further to that, she also frequently consults with companies based in
the Arab region with regards to their corporate social responsibility efforts. Prior to her
position at the John D. Gerhart Center for Philanthropy and Civic Engagement, she was
the Deputy Director of Projects at Financial Technical Consulting Services, a consultancy
firm that specializes in rural development in sub-Saharan Africa, where she travelled
extensively throughout Africa. Ms. Sherif also has wide-ranging experience in
development at the local level in Egypt through her work at the Institute for Cultural
Affairs in the Middle East and North Africa, and her work at Environmental Quality
International. Further to the above, she is currently a board member of the Arab Media
Forum for Environment and Development, a US Based NGO called Soliya, the
Alashanek ya Baladi Association (For You My Country), and Tawasol; all based in
Egypt. Ms. Sherif‟s overall experience has led her to be qualified in project management,
strategic planning, the design of public awareness campaigns, monitoring and evaluation,
program design, organizational capacity building and socio-economic research. Over Ms.
Sherif‟s ten years of experience, her work has been applied to the following areas:
environment, education, women‟s empowerment, youth development, food security,
agricultural development, public health, service learning and strategic philanthropy.Ms.
Sherif is co –editor and contributing author of the book: From Charity to Social Change:
Trends in Arab Philanthropy. Ms. Sherif holds a BA in Political Science and an MA in
Development Studies, both acquired from the American University in Cairo and is
currently working on a PhD in Philanthropy Studies at Indiana University Purdue in
Indianapolis, Indiana.
Enase Okonedo
Dean
Lagos Business School, Pan-African University, Nigeria
Enase Okonedo, Dean of Lagos Business School (LBS), is a Fellow of the Institute of
Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA). She has a Bachelor of Science degree in
accounting, an MBA from IESE Business School, Barcelona and a Doctorate in Business
Administration from International School of Management (ISM), Paris.She joined Lagos
Business School in 1995 after working for several years in the Nigerian Banking sector.
As a full-time faculty member at Lagos Business School, she taught courses on problem
solving and decision making, corporate financial management and financial strategy on
the Executive MBA and MBA programmes as well as on all executive programmes.
Before her appointment as dean in July 2009, Dr Okonedo had held several leadership
positions at LBS at various times including Executive MBA Director; Director, Degree
Programmes; Faculty Director and Deputy Dean, Academics. She was appointed a
member of the Management Team of the School in February 2004 and a member of the
University Governing Council of Pan-African University in July 2009. She is a member
of the senate of Pan-African University and serves on the board of the Association of
African Business Schools (AABS), the academic advisory board of Global Business
School Network (GBSN) as well as on the board of several indigenous companies. She
has extensive consulting experience notably on business restructuring, financial
institutions and financial strategy. She has conducted research in the areas of credit
management in Nigerian companies; treasury management in Nigerian companies;
decision making among Nigerian CEO's and investor behaviour in the Nigerian stock
market. Enase is married with one daughter.
Ghada Howaidy
Director, Institutional Development & International Executive
Education Institute, IEEI School of Business
The American University in Cairo
Ghada Howaidy is the founding Director of the International Executive Education
Institute, the American University in Cairo, AUC. Before joining AUC in 2008, she was
the Director of International Relations at the Ministry of Communications and
information Technology in Egypt. She has experience since 1987 in project
administration and international cooperation in local, regional and international
development organizations in the areas of higher education, human rights, management
development, information technology and export promotion. She has post graduate
degrees in Middle East studies and public management from AUC and the London
School of Economics, as well as senior executive training at Harvard Business School.
Hamed M. Shamma
Assistant Professor of Management, The American University in Cairo
Dr. Shamma received his Ph.D. in Marketing from the George Washington University in 2007.
His research interests are in the areas of corporate marketing, strategic brand management, and
customer relationship management (CRM).He is specialized in examining corporate-level issues
about organizations. This includes: corporate reputation, corporate branding, corporate image,
corporate reporting and corporate performance. Also, recently he has been working on other
topics including: marketing of e-government services, social marketing and green marketing.
Professor Shamma has extensive corporate experience at Mobinil, a subsidiary of Orange – a
leading telecommunications service provider – and Egypt‟s leading mobile service operator. He
was involved with corporate performance valuation which included developing the company‟s
balanced scorecard and corporate Key Performance Indicators (KPI‟s) and assessing the
performance of the company on a regular basis. His dissertation study - which was built on his
prior experience - involved examining the corporate reputation of the major wireless operators in
the U.S. as viewed by its stakeholders. Professor Shamma published several papers in leading
journals such as: the Journal of Product and Brand Management, International Journal of
Marketing Studies and International Journal of Customer Relationship Marketing & Management
among others. He was invited to contribute to a book chapter with the following paper “A
Multiple Stakeholder Perspective for Measuring Corporate Brand Equity: Linking Corporate
Brand Equity with Corporate Performance.” He also presented a variety of papers at leading
international conferences such as the American Marketing Association Annual Conference,
Annual Academy of Marketing Science Conference and the Society for Marketing Advances
Annual conference among others.” He received the best paper award for his paper “Customer
Relationship Management in Professional Service Organizations: Factors Influencing CRM
Adoption and Use in the Building Industry,” presented at the Annual Society for Marketing
Advances Conference in 2006. Shamma has taught a variety of courses including: marketing
management, consumer behavior, marketing research, marketing strategy, marketing of services
and has been a guest speaker to several others including: strategic brand management, advertising
and promotion management and marketing information systems. He has also conducted training
and consulting for several organizations including: Ministry of Civil Aviation, Eva Pharma,
Orange Labs, the International Advertising Association (IAA) in Egypt, The Future Generation
Foundation, Prana for Self and Corporate Development and Artrac among many others.
Hesham Gharaibeh
Dean of Talal Abu Ghazaleh College of Business, German Jordanian
University, Jordan
Education:
Ph. D. University of Texas, USA (Financial Management), 1979
MBA , University of Dallas, USA , 1974
Bsc. Commerce, University of Alexandria, Egypt, 1970 Current Positions:
Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Hashemite University-Jordan.
Dean, Talal Abu Ghazaleh Graduate School of Business. German- Jordanian University.
Member, board of Directors: Jordan Petroleum Refinery. Previous positions
Minister of Environment, Government of Jordan.
Vice – President for Academic Affairs, Yarmouk University.
Chairman of Board of Directors: National Electric Power Company – Jordan.
Head of Consultancy Dept. Arab Organization for Administrative Sciences- League of Arab States.
Jonas Haertle
Head of PRME Secretariat
UN Global Compact Office
Jonas Haertle is Head of the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME)
secretariat in the United Nations Global Compact Office. The mission of the PRME
initiative is to inspire and champion responsible management education, research and
thought leadership globally. In his role as coordinator for Global Compact Local
Networks he works with the country networks in Latin America and the Caribbean. Mr.
Haertle holds a master's degree in European Studies of Hamburg University. As a
Fulbright scholar, he also attained a MSc degree in Global Affairs from Rutgers
University, New Jersey, US.
Khaled Ismail
Managing Director
Intel Mobile Communications, Egypt
Khaled Ismail is a former Cairo University Professor with a PH.D. in Electrical
Engineering (nano -electronics) from MIT ( 1989). He worked at IBM's Watson Research
Center in the design of noval devices and materials for the semi-conductor
industry. Accepted the position as CEO in Cairo, during which time he also completed an
executive MBA program at Wharton. Between 2005 and 2007, Khaled was the senior
adviser of the Egyptian Minister of Communications and Information Technology,
comprising the inauguration of the Technology Development Fund. Khaled established
his start-up “SySDSoft” in 2002. He managed to turn his project from just a local
company to become one of the leading companies in building the software that runs
wireless communication systems. In March 2011, SySDSoft was acquired by
Intel. Khaled serves now as the Managing Director of Intel Mobile Communications.
Lisa Anderson
President, The American University in Cairo
Lisa Anderson took office as the 11th President of the American University in Cairo on January 1,
2011. She had served as Provost of the American University from 2008 until her appointment as
President. She is Dean Emerita of the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia
University, where she led the school from 1997-2007. She was on the faculty of Columbia since
1986; prior to her appointment as Dean, she served as Chair of the Political Science Department
and Director of Columbia's Middle East Institute; she held the James T. Shotwell Chair in
International Relations in the Political Science Department. Before coming to Columbia, she
taught at Harvard University in the Government and Social Studies departments. As Dean at
SIPA, Dr. Anderson oversaw the introduction of a number of new degree programs, including the
MPA in Environmental Science and Policy and the PhD in Sustainable Development. She also
developed the Global Public Policy Network, a set of dual degree programs in public policy
among Columbia‟s SIPA, the London School of Economics, Sciences Po in Paris, and the Lee
Kwan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. As Provost at AUC,
Dr. Anderson launched the School of Global Affairs and Public Policy and the Graduate School
of Education, developed a reorganized School of Business, and secured authorization for the
University‟s first PhD programs, in Applied Science and Engineering. President Anderson‟s
research has included work on state formation in the Middle East and North Africa; on regime
change and democratization in developing countries; and on social science, academic research
and public policy both in the United States and around the world. She is author of The State and
Social Transformation in Tunisia and Libya, 1830-1980 (1986), co-editor of The Origins of Arab
Nationalism (1991), editor of Transitions to Democracy (1999) and author of Pursuing Truth,
Exercising Power: Social Science and Public Policy in the Twenty-first Century (2003), as well
as numerous scholarly articles.President Anderson has served on the Board of Directors of
Human Rights Watch from 1988-2003; as the President of the Middle East Studies Association in
2003 and on the Council of the American Political Science Association from 2004-2006. She also
served on the Board of Trustees of the American University in Cairo (2006-2008) and as Chair of
the Board of the Social Science Research Council (1998-2008). She is a member of the Advisory
Council of the World Congress of Middle East Studies, the Advisory Boards of the School of
International Affairs at Sciences Po in Paris and the Alexander von Humbolt Foundation in
Berlin, and of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.
Maha ElShinnawy
Professor of Leadership and Ethics, Director, Goldman Sachs
Entrepreneurship and Leadership Program, The American
University in Cairo Maha ElShinnawy is Professor of Leadership and Ethics at The American University in Cairo
(AUC) and is the Director of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women‟s Entrepreneurship and
Leadership Program for the Arab region. Recently, she was named by CEO Middle East as one of
the most powerful 100 Arab women for setting standards of excellence. Previously, she was
associate dean for research and graduate studies and The Willard D. Brown Chair in International
Leadership in the School of Business at AUC. Prior to that, she was a tenured Associate Professor
at the Lowry Mays College and Graduate School of Business at Texas A&M University. Dr.
ElShinnawy joined the faculty of AUC in 2004. She received her Ph.D. from The Anderson
School at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1993. She received her BA from
AUC in 1984 suma cum laude and her MBA in 1986. She received the best dissertation Finalist
award for her work on Social Media by The Institute of Management Sciences. Her research
interests are in the area of Social Networks and Media, Leadership, Organizational Change,
Group dynamics, and Ethics in organizations. Her research also investigates the effects of
collaboration, virtual communication and culture on group interaction and performance. She has
presented her work in numerous conferences such as the Academy of Management, the
Association for Information Systems and the International Conference on Information Systems
and published her work in leading peer reviewed journals such as Management Information
Systems Quarterly (MISQ), IEEE Transactions, The International Journal of Human Computer
Studies, The Information Society, among others.Dr. ElShinnawy has been recognized for her
teaching excellence by the Center for Teaching Excellence of Texas A&M University. She is an
advisor to the Making Connections Academy of Management OB division; An Ethics Faculty
Advisor to SIFE, Students in Free Enterprise, Beta Gamma Sigma, and a Certified Extraordinary
Leadership Coach for Louis Allen Worldwide. She also served in The Academy of Future
International Leaders at the George Bush School of International Business of Texas A&M
University. She has been quoted internationally in Business Week, CNNmoney.com, Associated
Press, Time Magazine, Voice of America, Herald Tribune, Financial Times, among others. She
has also been quoted in local publications such as: ElMasry AlYoum, AlAhram, The Caravan,
Nisf Aldonia, The Egyptian Gazette, Nahdet Misr, among others. She is the AUC representative
serving on the board of trustees of Cairo American College. She is married with three children.
Manual Escudero
Director General
Deusto Business School, Spain
Dr. Manuel Escudero is Director General of Deusto Business School, University of Deusto, since
February 2010. Professor Escudero is also Special Adviser to the United Nations Global Compact
(UNGC). Manuel Escudero is founding father of the Principles for Responsible Management
Education (PRME), a United Nations-supported initiative, with more than 330 business schools
participating around the world. He has been Head of the Secretariat of (PRME) since its inception
in 2007 until June 2010. Dr. Escudero worked as the Executive Director of the Research Center
for the Global Compact at the Levin Institute in the State University of New York (SUNY). Prior
to accepting his position as Senior Staff member and Head of Networks at the United Nation
Global Compact in 2006, Dr. Escudero was Professor of Macroeconomics at IE Business
Schoolin Madrid, Spain. During his career at the IE Business School, he was Research Dean and
Faculty Dean, Associate General Director of the IE Business School and founder and Associate
Director of the IE Executive College. He has written 8 books, more than 100 op-ed articles, 5
public reports, and 20 working papers. He has been Director/Principal Researcher of 20 Research
Projects, among them “The Labor Market in Spain, Analysis and Reforms.” (Tinker Foundation,
USA, 2005),“Investing in the Fastest-Growing Economy of Brazil, Strategic Partnerships in the
State of Minas Gerais” (Commission of European Communities,1998) and “Priorities for
Executive Development.” (Leonardo da Vinci Program, Commission of European Communities,
1997). He has participated as Director/Keynote Speaker/Speaker in 86 Conferences in 25
countries. His most recent books include Homo Globalis, en Busca del Buen Gobierno (2005),
and Pleno Empleo (1998) Dr. Escudero‟s public sector experience in Spain includes his role as
Director of the Ministerial Group of Thought Leaders on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR),
Secretary of the CSR Experts Forum for Corporate Social Responsibility under the Chairmanship
of the Minister of Labor, Secretary General - Spanish Network of the UN Global Compact, Senior
Advisor for Policy and Programs of the nominated Candidate for Prime Minister of the Spanish
Government. Dr. Escudero served in elected office as Member of the Spanish Parliament for the
2000/2004 term. He holds a B.Sc. from Escuela Superior de Técnicas Empresariales (Spain), and
a M.Sc. and Ph.D. from the London School of Economics and Political Sciences.
Marc Rauch,
Sustainability Coordinator
The American University in Cairo
Marc Rauch started as AUC‟s first Sustainability Coordinator a month ago. As
Sustainability Coordinator, Marc will work to reduce the university‟s dependency on
carbon-based fuels that contribute to global warming, to conserve water and other
resources vital to Egypt‟s future, and toensure that the university‟s activities do not
contribute to the pollution ofEgypt‟s land, air or water. Marc will also seek to establish
AUC‟s sustainability program as a model for universities throughout MENA, and to
engage AUC‟s surrounding communities in joint sustainability efforts based on shared
environmental concerns.Before joining AUC, Marc practiced real estate law in New York
City for 25 years, frequently working with facilities managers, architects and engineers
on issues relating to building systems, utilities and energy use. He has also served on not-
for-profit boards and has been active in government service, most recently (2010-2011)
as Special Adviser to the New York City Mayor‟s Office of Long-Term Planning and
Sustainability, where he led widely recognized efforts to improve energy efficiency in
New York‟s commercial office buildings.Marc received his Bachelor of Arts degree from
Columbia University and his law degree from Harvard Law School. He has also studied
urban and environmental planning at Columbia‟s Graduate School of Architecture,
Preservation and Planning.
Medhat Haroun
Provost
The American University in Cairo
Dr. Haroun is a Fellow of ASCE and IAE, and a full member of several other
professional organizations including ASME, ACI and EERI. Professor Haroun has been
an active member of numerous code-development and code-update committees of the
Egyptian National Housing and Building Research Center. He is currently the Principal
Coordinator of a multi-million dollars AUC-KAUST research project on “Integrated
Desert Building Technologies”.
Dr. Haroun received numerous prestigious awards for his contributions to research,
teaching and services including the Martin Duke Lifeline Earthquake Engineering Award
(2006) and the Walter Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize (1992), both from the
American Society of Civil Engineers; Distinguished Engineering Educator Awards
(2000, 1995, 1992) from the Orange County and the Los Angeles Councils of Engineers
and Scientists; Distinguished Faculty Lectureship Award for Teaching (1997), University
of California; and Excellence in Teaching Award (2003), the American University in
Cairo; as well as the AUC President‟s Distinguished Service Award (2008) and the
Excellence in Academic Service Award (2010).
As Dean of the School of Sciences and Engineering, he embarked on an ambitious
strategic plan to transform SSE into a world-class school. He oversaw an unprecedented
expansion of the academic undergraduate and graduate programs, establishment of the
first ever PhD. Program at AUC in Applied Sciences and Engineering, a substantial
increase in extramural research funding for cutting-edge research, and enhancement of
university-industry relations.
Mike Nolte
CEO
Mercedes-Benz Egypt S.A.E.
Mike Nolte has been appointed as CEO at Mercedes Benz Egypt in November 2007.
Since 2010 he is also acting as Vice President of the German Arab Chamber of Industry
and Commerce in Egypt, where he also co-chairs the CSR Committee of the Chamber.
Before his appointment at Mercedes Benz Egypt Mr. Nolte was Managing Director and
CFO of DaimlerChrysler Automotive Slovakia S.R.O. in Bratislava from 2005. His
automotive experience with DaimlerChrysler extends as far back as 1992. Mr. Nolte held
a number of prestigious management posts including 5 years as Controller responsible for
Overseas Sales at Daimler AG, Stuttgart. At Chrysler Europe S.A. located in Brussels,
Belgium, Mr. Nolte was Assistant Treasurer between 1996 and 1997. His first position at
the Chrysler Corporation was at Chrysler Europe (Automotive Services) GnbH,
Frankfurt, Germany, in 1992 as Finance Manager Europe. Mike Nolte‟s professional life
before joining the Automotive Industry 19 years ago in 1992 is impressively filled with
achievements in the International Finance Industry, as he was Operations Manager at
VereinWest Capital Markets, Inc., from 1989 until 1991, located in Miami, USA. He was
also Director of Operations and Client Services at BV Capital Market in New York, USA
until 1988.Born in New York, USA Mr. Nolte, who is married with 3 children, carries
both the American and German citizenship.
Mohamed Eid
Assistant Professor of Sustainability, Business Ethics and CSR, Former
Faculty Coordinator for Teaching & Learning (BUE), Egypt
Dr. Eid is the author of the book entitled "Sustainable Development & Project
Management; Rethinking Relationships in the Construction Industry, Integrating SD into
PM Processes”, he has been an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Business, Economics
& Political Science at the British University in Egypt since 2006. He held several
managerial positions at the Faculty Level as Faculty Coordinator for Teaching &
Learning and at the Business Department level as Joint Head of Department. Dr. Eid also
works as an independent consultant in the fields of Sustainable Development,
Governance, Urban development & Environmental Policy Making & Public Participation
on the strategic level. This interdisciplinary specialization is underpinned by an awarded
PhD degree from the University of Edinburgh; integrating the fields of sustainable
development, project management, and systems thinking theories. The PhD research
focused mainly on the general guidelines of sustainable development with analysis of the
triple bottom of environmental, social and economic levels on the decision and policy
making level. His work as a consultant to UN-Habitat Egypt, qualified him to be a
member of the RUSPS (Rapid Urban Sector Profile Study) team in Egypt responsible for
the Governance theme across several different cities and also being part of the UN-
Habitat training team implementing a TOT in certain Middle Eastern countries covering
the Governance issues themes.
Mohamed El-Mahdi
Chairman, Managing Director
Siemens S.A.E
Mohamed El-Mahdi has almost twenty years of extensive international management
experience in the field of infrastructures and has held a number of management
assignments within Siemens in Germany, Mexico and Egypt. Mohamed El-Mahdi is a
graduate of the Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University and has accomplished various
management programs at Thunderbird School of Global Management, The American
Graduate School for International Management and The Fuqua School of Business, Duke
University. After joining Siemens in Munich, Germany in 1991 he worked for the Latin
American and Middle East regions. In 2003 he took over responsibility for the Siemens
Corporate strategy in North and South America, based in Munich. Since March 2006 he
is in charge of the Siemens business in Egypt, based in Cairo.
Mohamed Morsy
Engagement Manager
McKinsey, Cairo Office, Egypt
Mohamed Morsy is a Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company‟s Cairo Office.
Since joining McKinsey in 2008, Mohamed focused mainly on telecom and also worked
on different fields including water management, banking and healthcare. Prior to joining
McKinsey, Mohamed worked for 9 years in Telecom, he worked for Orascom Telecom
as responsible for the 3G access in the group, he was involved in building the CapEx and
OpEx in the business plan in OT operations, he also participated in the 3G vendor
selection. Prior to this, Mohamed was the Pre-Sales Network Design Manager in Alcatel.
Mohamed has extensive international experience working with different operators across
the world. Mohamed is a graduate from Communication department-Cairo University
(99) and from Maastricht school of Management (07).
Mohga Badran
Professor and Chair of the Department of Management
The American University in Cairo
Dr. Mohga Badran is currently the Chair of the Department of Management, American
University in Cairo. She holds a B.Sc. in Statistics from The Faculty of Economics and
Political Science, Cairo University, an M.A. in Management from The American
University in Cairo, and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of
Stockholm. She is a Certified Management Consultant by The Institute of Management
Consultancy, London, England, and is a Certified Coach for Learning Organizations by
The Learning Circle associated with Peter Senge. Her research interests include
management of change, management of conflict, learning organizations, reengineering,
sustainable development, organizational design, and organizational development. She has
more than twenty years of experience in training and consulting in the areas of human
resource management, organizational behavior and organizational design. She was
awarded the “Parent‟s Association Cup for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching” for
the academic year 1999/2000.
Nehme Azoury
Dean, Faculty of Business and Commercial Sciences at USEK, Lebanon
Holder of a PhD in Business Sciences (Université Paris XI and Holy Spirit University of
Kaslik, USEK), Nehme Azoury is Associate Professor and Dean of the Faculty of
Business and Commercial Sciences at USEK, where he teaches Strategic Management
and Corporate Governance courses. He is Secretary General of the Arab Society of
Faculties of Business Administration (affiliated to the Association of Arab Universities
and founded by the Arab League) and one of the eight members of the scientific
committee of Eduniversal, as a representative of the Eurasian region. He has been
Associate and Visiting Professor at various foreign reputed universities, among which
Panthéon-Assas (Paris II), Euromed-Marseille, La Rochelle, Lyon 3, HEC Montréal and
George Washington University which presented him with an appreciation award for
Active Contribution to the Education of the MSF Students. He is the author of several
publications and the editor-in-chief of the Arab Economic & Business Journal and “The
Lebanese Journal of Economics and Management”. He is currently Managing Partner at
Widein, a consultancy firm based in Lebanon.
Omar Fathy
Founder and CEO, Divine Worx, Egypt
Omar Hussein Fathy born 8th 0f Feb 1974, graduated from 6
th of Oct High Institute
Bachelor of Hotel Management 1995. Trained at Hilton Ramses 91 and 92. Then Moved
to Sharm el Sheikh 1994 and joined Movenpick Jolly Vile hotel as a front office
receptionist. By the end of 1996 Omar has joined Camel hotel for five years in the
capacity of Asst. Food and Beverage manager. In 2002, founder Omar Fathy
conceptualized the original Makani Bakery in his Sharm El Sheikh kitchen as an answer
to the needs of the working residents. The ambition was simple: to create an environment
of high standard where the community could enjoy affordable and high-quality food and
beverage. Divine Worx owns 4 brands; Makani, Burger Joint, El sit Hosnya and Zo
(Asian Restaurant) has developed and maintained high standards across its business by
integrating traditional business practices and seek new ways to translate our innovative
ideas, unified vision, and management talents into products which equal or exceed
international standards in the food service industry. Omar Fathy has successfully started
the company with one single Brand, 12 associates 2003, in seven years, organically,
turned the company into 18 outlets with four, brands 550 associates.
Omar Ibrahim
Graduate Student
Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, The
Netherlands
Omar‟s expertise lies in logistical competences. He started at a young age as a
coordinator at a public transportation bus company, where hundreds of passengers relied
on him for having up to a 150 busses on 35 routes driving according to the timetable. In
order to expand and develop he accepted a job offer as a train traffic controller at ProRail,
a semi-government institution responsible for the entire train network in the Netherlands.
As it is one of the densest and high-tech railway systems in Europe, safety was his
primary responsibility. However his inherited entrepreneurial genes demanded more. He
started his own taxi company, which he expended over a period of 3 years, to a
respectable company of 5 new Mercedes and 7 employees working 24/7. He achieved all
this while continuing educating himself, he believes knowledge and experience combined
are the key to success, which is his primary goal in life. His ambition is to expend his
horizon abroad, to share and develop his knowledge and experience. The explanation for
his personal interest in the Arab world, mainly Egypt, lies in his roots. After finishing his
Master degree next year he plans to pursue his ambition, by selling his company, and
combining a part-time job as a University teacher and a managerial function in a large
company abroad.”
Omar Soudodi
General Manager, Souq.com Egypt
Omar Soudodi was born in New Jersey (USA) where he spent his early years before
returning to Egypt. His entrepreneurial spirit started early on at the age of 19 were he
negotiated a partnership agreement on behalf of his family to convert family owned
Italian restaurant into the first McDonalds chain in Alexandria- Egypt. Omar moved back
to the U.S. to continue his education, where heattended CaliforniaState University,
Fullerton, coupled with obtaining his Financial Advisor certification from the National
Association of Securities Dealers(NASD). Upon completing his studies, Omar worked for
various banks in different capacities primarily in commercial, international, and private
banking, asAssistant Vice President atBank of America Private Bank, California Bank &
Trust and Sunwest bank. In 2003 Omar published a white paper introducing a new
business-to-business marketing technique (Power Marketing), which was later adopted
by California Bank & Trust and Sunwest Bank for their commercial business
development activities. After ten years in the U.S., Omar was curious to come to Middle
East and break new grounds with Accelarabia.com initially founding the first online
mortgage aggregator in the Middle East earning him two nominations: young
Entrepreneur nomination 2005 and Arab technology award nomination in 2006 and
various guest speaker opportunities in PAN Arab technology conferences such co-
chairing the e-commerce summit 2008 Dubai.
Omar joined Souq.com with the goal to help expand the company in North Africa with
Souq.com Egypt being the top e-commerce site in Egypt as well as launching Souq.com
Real Estate and Automotive early this year.
Raghda El Ebrashi - Lecturer of Strategic Management, The German
University in Cairo, Founder and Chairperson of Alashanek ya Balady
Association for Sustainable Development (AYB-SD)
Raghda El Ebrashi is currently a lecturer of Strategic Management at the German University in Cairo
(GUC). She earned her Bachelor Degree in Business Administration in 2004 from the American
University in Cairo (AUC), and acquired her Master Degree in Professional Development from the
AUC as well in 2006. She earned her PhD degree in 2010 in Strategic Management from the GUC,
and wrote her thesis on Social Entrepreneurship. Raghda has got an extensive experience in the field
of community development in various governorates in Egypt since the age of 15. She is currently
working on national and international researches related to economic and social development. Raghda
is an Ashoka Fellow, a Board Member in the International Youth Foundation (IYF) based in the US,
and she is the founder and Chairperson of Alashanek ya Balady Association for Sustainable
Development (AYB-SD).Raghda received numerous local and international awards for her
community development efforts. In February 2007, Raghda was selected as being one of the most 65
influential social entrepreneurs and future leaders in Egypt by Al Ahram Newspaper. In October 2007,
Raghda was awarded from World Business Magazine (London) and Shell International the award of
“35 under 35” for being one of the 35 influential international social entrepreneurs under the age of
35. In November 2007, Raghda was selected among the most 30 influential social entrepreneurs in
Egypt by Channel One, and her profile was broadcasted on the National TV. In November 2007 as
well, Raghda was selected and awarded from the UNDP and Microsoft in Malaysia for being one of
the influential 100 global young social entrepreneurs. In February 2008, Raghda was selected as one
of the 24 Board of Advisors for the Egyptian Cabinet for a special project named “the Social
Contract”, which works on the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals of the UNDP in
Egypt. Later in 2008, Raghda won the YouthActionNet Fellowship from the United States as being
the first Egyptian to win this award. In 2009, Raghda won Synergos fellowship in the United States
for being an Arab World Social Innovator, and she won the King Abdullah Award for Youth
Innovation and Achievement in 2009 in the World Economic Forum in Jordan. In March 2010,
Raghda was selected by the World Economic Forum and the Schwab Foundation as a Young Global
Leader.Raghda is a professional trainer and consultant in the field of social entrepreneurship, and
strategic management and financial sustainability for NGOs and social enterprises. She participated in
international and local conferences related to entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship, as well as
shared in the design of national policies related to poverty reduction and social justice. National
projects included being part of the Advisory Council of the Social Contract Center that works on the
implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Egypt, and being a Committee
Member in the implementation of the Conditional Cash Strategy in Egypt, which is a project between
between the Ministry of Social Solidarity and Gerhart Center for Philanthropy and Civic Engagement
at the AUC.
Ramez Farag
Corporate Communication and Reputation Manager (P&G), Egypt
Ramez Farag is P&G‟s Corporate Communication & Reputation Manager for the Near-
East region (Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iraq). In this capacity, Farag handles the
design and implementation of the Company‟s Corporate Social Responsibility portfolio.
He is the Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt‟s CSR committee,
one of the country's pioneering CSR knowledge centers. He lectured about CSR in
various Egyptian forums, in addition to international CSR conferences. Mr. Farag is an
Architect. Before joining P&G, he worked for six years in different not-for-profit
organizations, mostly in the area of Arts & Culture.
Rania Salem
Lecturer of finance,
The German University in Cairo (GUC), Egypt
Dr. Rania Salem is a lecturer of finance at the German University in Cairo (GUC). She
has obtained her Bachelors Degree from the faculty of Commerce, Ein Shams University,
Egypt in 2002, and holds MBA concentration Financial Management from the Arab
Academy for Banking and Financial Sciences since 2005. She has recently received her
Ph.D. – magna cum laude – entitled "A Risk Management Framework for Islamic Banks"
from the GUC. Prior to joining the academic field, Dr. Salem worked as an Analyst
Assistant in the Research Department in the CIBC (Commercial International Brokerage
Company). Her research in bank management and Islamic finance has resulted in a
number of papers and participations in international conferences.
Salma Salem
Marketing and Communications Manager Endeavor, Egypt
Salma Salem graduated from the American University in Cairo, where she received her
Master's Degree in Television Journalism in 2005. Salma started her career as TV field
reporter in Al Ashera Masa'an program covering political, economic and feature stories.
In 2008, deciding to shift her career to the public relations field, Salma joined a high-
profile local PR firm as Foreign Media Relations Coordinator. Then, in 2010, she worked
as PR Manager at an IT start up company (ConnectmeTV) owned by one of Endeavor
Egypt entrepreneurs. Salma joined Endeavor Egypt in April 2011 as Marketing &
Communication Manager, with the mission to promote Endeavor Egypt entrepreneurs
and make awareness of the organization's message.
Sama Sayed Singer
Vice president, SIFE Cairo University
Graduated from the faculty of Economics and Political Science - Political Science
Department
Currently a post graduate studies student in the same faculty
Sherif Kamel
Dean ,School of Business
The American University in Cairo
Sherif H Kamel is Founding Dean of the School of Business at the American University in Cairo
and Professor of Management Information Systems. Prior to joining AUC, he was director of
the Regional IT Institute (1992-2001) and managed the training department of the Cabinet of
Egypt Information and Decision Support Centre (1987-1992). He has accumulated experience in
establishing and managing professional development institutions addressing management
development, entrepreneurial and leadership issues. Kamel is a co-founding member of the
Internet Society of Egypt (1996). His research and teaching interests include management of
information technology, information technology transfer to developing nations, electronic
business, human resources development, and decision support systems and has published widely
in the areas of IS and management. Kamel serves on the editorial and advisory board of a
number of IS journals and is the associate editor of the Journal of Cases on Information
Technology and Journal of IT for Development. Kamel is an Eisenhower Fellow (2005) and
serves as member of the Eisenhower Fellowships Alumni Advisory Council. He is a member of
the board of trustees of the Information Technology Institute and the Sadat Academy for
Management Sciences. Kamel served as Chairman of the Chevening Association in Egypt
(2004-2009). He holds a PhD from London School of Economics and Political Science, an
MBA and a BA in Business Administration from The American University in Cairo.
Shima Barakat
Research and Teaching Fellow, Judge Business School Centre for
Entrepreneurial Learning, University of Cambridge.
Shima is an academic obsessed with making a difference in the world. Her research
interests lie in the areas of sustainability in business, more specifically different
combinations of: natural capital, education, gender and entrepreneurship. Shima is
responsible for the credit-bearing taught programmes offered across the University of
Cambridge to all faculties and student levels from undergraduates to PhDs and beyond.
She also manages the research portfolio at the Judge Business School Centre for
Entrepreneurial Learning, worth almost £1 million. She obtained her PhD in the area of
Strategy and the Environment from Strathclyde University, UK.
Shima has an MBA and a first degree in Construction Engineering from AUC, and over
15years experience teaching in engineering, management and entrepreneurship in the
Egypt, UK and other EU countries. She has advised numerous organisations on startup
and development issues and founded a small company in the UK in 2006 for the express
purpose of research and consultancy in responsible enterprise for universities, foreign aid
organizations and businesses. Shima is also among the founders of two social enterprises
in the US and Egypt.
Steef van de Velde,
Professor of Operations Management & Technology, Interim Dean of
Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, The Netherlands.
Steef van de Velde is the Professor of Operations Management & Technology and
Interim Dean of Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University. He holds an
MSc (1985) in Econometrics from Erasmus School of Economics and a PhD in
Mathematics and Computer Science from Eindhoven University of Technology. His
research interests lie in the area of (behavioral) supply chain management and operational
excellence. While he worked all his life in academia, in 1999 and 2001 he has been a
part-time consultant at Ortec, a global provider of advanced planning and optimization
software solutions and consulting services. Van de Velde has also been a Programme
Director at KLICT, a national institute to stimulate research on Chains, Networks,
Logistics & ICT (2001-2003); a Founding Editor of the Journal of Scheduling (1997-
2011); Scientific Director at Dinalog, the Dutch Institute for Advanced Logistics (2009-
2010); and Vice Dean at RSM (2008-2011). Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus
University is consistently ranked amongst the top 10 business schools in Europe. It is
located in
the international port city of Rotterdam where core Dutch values of openness, flexibility
and acceptance of diversity have attracted businesses on a global scale. Our emphasis is
on groundbreaking research and practices relevant to business; our primary focus is on
developing business leaders who carry their innovative ideas into a sustainable future.
Our portfolio includes a broad array of bachelor, master, doctoral, MBA and executive
education programmes.
Tarek Abdel-Satar
Graduate Advisor & Human Resources Director of The Corporate Governance
Club (CGC) - The American University in Cairo
Tarek Abdel-Sattar Refaay graduated from The American University in Cairo in June
2011 with a degree in accounting. He is an active member of CGC‟s organizing
committee. Currently he is the Graduate Advisor and Human Resources Director of CGC.
His personal hobbies are martial arts and he is the second place winner of the Egyptian
Fighting Championship in Muay Thai.
Tarek Tawfik
Managing Director, Cairo Poultry Group
Education
MBA-San Francisco State University USA 1986
Masters of Engineering – Calpoly USA 1981
Master of BSCE - Civil Engineering Cairo University 1978
Professional Career: Managing Director - Cairo Poultry Group (CPG). Vice Chairman - Farm Frites Egypt. Managing Director - Int. Co for Agro Industries. Chairman Americana Egypt for Cold Storage Facilities. Chairman of El Hashimeya for Land Reclamation.
Public Affiliations
Chairman of Agriculture Egyptian Competitiveness Council – Egypt. Chairman - The Egyptian Dutch Business Club. Board Member - The Egyptian Investment Authority. Board Member – The Egyptian Federation of Chambers of Commerce. Board Member - The Chamber of Food Industries – Egyptian Federation of
Industries Board Member – Agricultural Research & Development Fund. Board Member –Egyptian Poultry Federation. Board Member – Union of Producers & Exporters of Horticultural Crops. Deputy Chairman – International Commission for Food Industries – Paris.
Wafa El Garah- Dean,
School of Business Administration - Al Akhawayn University in
Ifrane, Morocco
Dr. Ouafaa (Wafa) El Garah is Dean of the School of Business Administration at Al
Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco. She is an Associate professor of Information
Systems and Corporate Strategy. She holds a Ph.D. in Management Information Systems
from University of Central Florida, USA and an MBA in Marketing and Management
from University of North Texas, USA. Her research has appeared in outlets such as Data
Base for Advances in Information Systems, Communications of the AIS as well as
numerous international research conference proceedings. Prior to joining academia, Dr.
El Garah worked in several companies where she played key roles in IT based projects
and new products and services marketing initiatives. Her research interests include
Decision Support Systems, E-government, Data Mining, Diffusion of Innovation and
Design theories.
Walid Bakr
Principal, Abraaj Capital, Egypt
Walid Bakr is a principal with Riyada Enterprise Development, the small and medium
enterprise investment platform of Abraaj Capital (The Middle East and North Africa's
leading PE firm). Now based in Cairo, Mr. Bakr started his career as an information-
technology professional and entrepreneur before becoming an investment professional for
the last nine years. Given his operational and entrepreneurial background, as well as
plenty of exposure to the international business community, Mr. Bakr brings a wealth of
experience to his investment activities. Before Abraaj, he was a director of Riyada
Ventures, a venture capital firm based in Amman, Jordan - that was before Riyada
Ventures was purchased and became part of the Abraaj Group. Whilst at Riyada
Ventures, Mr. Bakr advised on numerous investment funds and participated in structuring
many early- stage investment transactions in the Middle East and North Africa. Before
that, he CEO of IDEAVELOPERS, an EFG- Hermes subsidiary responsible for setting up
and advising the Technology Development Fund, Egypt‟s first seed and early-stage
information and communications technology venture capital fund. During his career, Mr.
Bakr has held management positions in the Egyptian ministry of CIT, the Arab Stock
Exchange, and Sunbelt Software in Paris, France, amongst others. He holds a B.Sc. in
Communications Engineering, with the highest honors, from Alexandria University.
Yousef El Sammaa
Chief Executive Officer, Entrepreneurs' Society (ES),
The American University in Cairo
Yousef is the President of Entrepreneurs‟ Society, a student run organization at the
American University in Cairo. Yousef is a senior student at AUC majoring in
Construction Management Engineering and minoring in Economics. He has held
positions at several leading student activities on campus like MAL and the Student
Union. He has taken part in various conferences and conventions that aim to spread
entrepreneurship as this is his passion. He is also a member of the Giza Roteract Club, as
giving back to the community is a priority to him.