Category: People-EN

VICE CHAIRMAN

Hesham Heikal joined Emaar Properties in 2020 as the Group Chief Financial Officer. He has 30 years of diverse experience gained in the Middle East and the United States spanning across financial, operational, investment and Board-level roles. During his career, his responsibilities covered areas such as accounting,
corporate finance, general management and overseeing corporate support functions such as legal, procurement, administration, human capital, and information technology.

Hesham spent the first 15 years of his career with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) where he worked in Cairo, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and with the firm’s practice in the Silicon Valley, California. When he left PwC in 2008 he was the Partner leading the firm’s Assurance practice in Abu Dhabi. His experience covered
several industries with a particular focus on Real Estate, Manufacturing (mostly FMCG), Telecommunications and Technology.

Prior to Emaar, Hesham was the Group Chief Financial Officer of Alrajhi Holding Group, a multi-billion-dollar Saudi conglomerate with investments in Industrial, Infrastructure, Building Solutions, Contracting, Financial Services, and Real Estate. In his role, he reported to the Group Chairman and served as a member
on the Boards of Directors of the Group’s Industrial, Building Solutions and Contracting sectors as well as two industrial joint ventures, and served as a member of the Executive Committee and Audit Committee of a joint venture.

From November 2015 till May 2019 Hesham was the Group Chief Financial Officer of Dubai Properties Group, the largest privately held integrated real estate developer in Dubai. Scope of his responsibility included finance, strategy, contracts and procurement, information technology and cost control. In addition to his main role, Hesham also served on the Board of Directors of some of the Group’s joint ventures in the UAE and Bahrain.

Hesham is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) from Colorado, USA and holds an MBA from London Business School.

BOARD MEMBER

Mr. Mohammad Al Bastaki is the Chief Executive Officer of Emirates NBD Capital, the investment banking arm of Emirates NBD, a leading banking group in the MENAT region. Mohammad currently is responsible for overseeing the structured finance, capital markets, and advisory businesses with a mandate to drive the growth of the Group’s Investment Banking franchise.

Prior to his appointment, Mohammad was the Head of Public Sector – Corporate and Institutional Banking at Emirates NBD where he had leadership and oversight over several key strategic initiatives within the Public Sector space.

He has previously worked with HSBC for 12 years within Commercial Banking, Retail Banking and Global Banking in different strategic roles.

Mohammad holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the Higher Colleges of Technology Dubai, UAE

MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Eng. Saed Mohamed Alawadi, is now the Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Industries & Exports, earlier being the Chief Operating Officer at EHS, the regulatory arm of Dubai World. Saed has over 20 years of experience in the Government and Private sector with in-depth local market and industrial expertise and knowledge that equip him with the necessary leadership skills to lead and guide organizations.

He holds a degree in Chemical & Petroleum Engineering, with a Masters in Environmental Engineering, supplemented by Executive MBA from Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania. His leadership skills have also resulted in several individual Excellence awards. His experience in establishing new companies/ government entities (DEDC, Export Credit Insurance Company… etc.) has been derived from his vast experience in the Manufacturing, Recycling, Commerce, Trade & Exports and Management.

Saed’s leadership / technical skills and management aptitude were evident during his earlier employment, where he quickly rose up in the ranks to manage more than 200 Engineering / Technical and Administrative personnel at Dubai World. His proficiency in managing large organizations, financial acumen (e.g. by converting EHS, a Cost Centre to a Profitable Company) and people management skills has justified the leadership position he is in today.

Saed also holds several positions as a member of the board of directors of many institutions, such as the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the Export Credit Insurance Company of United Arab Emirates (ECI), and as a Member of the Board of Directors of Emaar Industries and Investments (EII), and other investment and industry companies.

Meet Shah is responsible for handling financial control and reporting, group consolidation, treasury & finance, working closely with auditors and advisors, accounting and budgeting functions including providing necessary business support to the portfolio companies of EII CAPITAL.

Prior to joining EII CAPITAL, Meet was associated as a Finance Manager with a large UAE-based conglomerate with diversified business verticals. He was primarily responsible for fundraising, management reporting and working capital management. His range of experience includes leading the negotiation & documentation process with the syndicate banks, financial advisors and legal counsel.

Meet brings with him over 11 years of experience and started his professional career with Price Waterhouse (an affiliate firm of PwC) in India and was also associated with Ernst & Young (EY) in Dubai. In both these roles, he was responsible for independently conducting statutory audits of listed and unlisted companies having operations in oil & gas, construction, real estate, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, engineering, technology, media & entertainment, as well as trading.

Meet is a Chartered Accountant from The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, a Company Secretary from The Institute of Company Secretaries of India and a graduate in Commerce from Gujarat University, India.

Dana Noueihed is an investment professional at EII CAPITAL where her key responsibilities involve screening and evaluating deals, as per EII CAPITAL’s investment criteria, and presenting investment proposals to the senior management and investment committee of EII CAPITAL. Dana also works closely with the senior team members to implement EII CAPITAL’s investment strategy and assists in managing the existing portfolio of investments and also helps implementing EII CAPITAL’s business propositions to unlock and maximize value in preparation for exit.

Dana brings with her over 10 years of experience in investment advisory and corporate finance in the Middle East, UK and Europe. Prior to joining EII CAPITAL, Dana was a Senior Associate at leading high net worth family office in Lebanon, where she focused on managing M&A transactions and monitoring portfolio companies related to various industries including banking, insurance, luxury retail and others. Previously, she was a Manager at PwC in the Transaction Services team executing financial due diligence and valuation projects across the Middle East focusing on retail, insurance and FMCG. Dana was also an Associate at Barclays in London where she was involved in a wide range of M&A transactions focusing on Banks and Wealth Management clients in Europe. She began her career in investments at Gulf Capital in UAE, where she actively participated in origination, analysis and execution of private equity deals in MENA.

Across her experience, Dana’s main responsibilities included project management, recommending clients and partners optimum solutions for deal structuring and execution in addition to assisting executive teams in setting and achieving their business plan.
Dana earned a Master of Finance degree from the Judge Business School at Cambridge University and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Finance from the Lebanese American University.

Senior Investment Analyst

Mr. Mattias Trost is the Senior Investment Analyst at Emaar Industries and Investments (EII). Throughout the investment process, Mattias plays an active role in sourcing, screening and evaluating deals and proposing investments to senior management and the investment committee. Mattias’ responsibilities range from meeting with the C-suite and owners of potential targets to managing external advisors. Further, Mattias is responsible for building complex financial models and plays a key role in deal structuring and execution. Post deal execution, Mattias also assists in management of portfolio companies.

Prior to joining EII, Mattias did investment banking at Deutsche Bank in London working in M&A across sectors including Industrials, O&G, Healthcare and TMT. Mattias also has investment banking experience from Moelis & Company in London and EOC Partners in Stockholm. Further, Mattias did a stint in asset management at Skagen Funds in Stockholm.

Mattias holds a BSc in Business & Economics with majors in Finance and Accounting from Stockholm School of Economics.

Investment Manager

Mr. Karthik Subramanyan is an Investment Manager at Emaar Industries and Investments (EII). Reporting to the Chief Investment Officer, Karthik plays a key role in screening & evaluating deals, as per EII’s investment criteria, and presenting proposals to the senior management and investment committee of EII. Karthik also works closely with the Chief Investment Officer to implement EII’s investment strategy and assists in managing the existing portfolio of investments.

Before joining EII, Karthik was an Associate Director at a leading transaction advisory services firm in the UAE. His experience in UAE includes working with marquee clients including large family houses, financial institutions and conglomerates on wide range of assignments including M&A (sell-side and buy-side), strategic business plan reviews, business valuations, debt restructuring and fund raising across sectors such as construction, consumer & retail, financial services, healthcare and IT/ITeS.

Karthik’s professional background over the past 11 years also includes sizable international experience with JP Morgan in their New York, Chicago & Mumbai offices as well as PricewaterhouseCoopers in their Mumbai office. In each of these roles his responsibilities included being the independent lead on projects, project management, building complex financial models, assisting clients in drafting strategy papers for entry into new business ventures and working with clients to assist them in improving financial controls and implementing healthy corporate governance practices.

Karthik is a CFA® charterholder, an Associate member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and also holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting from the University of Mumbai.

Mr. Faisal Ishaque is responsible for leading the company’s overall strategy, managing the investment portfolio, and delivering the growth plan. Mr. Ishaque was previously the Chief Finance Officer of EII, a position he held since 2017.
Mr. Ishaque is also a member of the Investment Committee of EII and sits on the Boards of various investee companies including Memaar Building Systems, Leaders Fort Contracting, AASA Middle East, Abode Investments, Dubai Angel Investors and Service Market.
Mr. Ishaque began his career 25 years ago with PricewaterhouseCoopers. Ever since, he has built up a solid professional track record at premier corporate entities in emerging markets, delivering across borders with the proven ability to develop strategic, transformational approaches and follow through to implementation in sectors as diverse as pre-engineered steel fabrications, engineering, construction, FMCG, automotive, tobacco, petrochemical, and insurance.

Before joining EII CAPITAL, Mr Ishaque was Group CFO at a regional manufacturing and contracting conglomerate. Prior to that, he was Acting President of Mabani Steel (An Al Rajhi Group Company). At Mabani, he was instrumental in developing the strategic framework to successfully reposition the company as a differentiated competitor— winning market share boosting profitability and restoring shareholder confidence through double-digit EBITDA growth.

Mr. Ishaque holds a Bachelor Degree in Accounting and is a fellow member of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan

Accounting Manager

Mr. Muhammad Zubair is the Accounting Manager of Emaar Industries & Investments (EII) reporting to the Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Zubair is responsible to provide and interpret financial information and reporting as per applicable accounting standards and laws.

Mr. Zubair brings with him 10 years progressing experience in accounting, auditing, business process re-arranging and automation, ERP implementation, forecasting, treasury, budgeting & costing, consulting and financial analysis.

Prior to EII, Mr. Zubair was serving as Chief Accountant in Mammut Building Systems FZC (MBS) a subsidiary of EII which is a leading manufacturer and supplier of PEB in Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Prior to MBS, Mr. Zubair has worked in middle management role in IT, service, energy & automobiles sectors in listed and large group of companies in Pakistan.
Mr. Zubair holds Bachelor degree in Commerce from University of Karachi in Pakistan and completed his Master in Accounting and Finance from Virtual University of Pakistan.

NON-EXECUTIVE INVESTMENT COMMITTEE REPRESENTATIVE

Mr. Syed Farhan Zaidi joined the Investment Committee of EII in 2019. As an EII’s Board of Directors appointee, he provides strategic guidance and oversees/supports the management team of EII. He represents EII on the board of its portfolio companies including Starwood Industries, Dubai Angel Investors and Service Market.

Mr. Zaidi has two decades of professional experience in private equity, venture capital and investment banking, covering the MENA and South Asian emerging markets. His forte is in deal execution of large and small to mid-cap buy-out and growth capital equity transactions and has exposure to deals in technology, healthcare, logistics, oil & gas, financial services and media & entertainment sectors.

Mr. Zaidi leads the investment function at the Chairman Office of Emaar and Eagle Hills. He advises Emaar in relation to its real estate development project in Pakistan and fund initiatives. In addition, he is a member of board of several mid-sized portfolio companies including Bounce Middle East, Diwan Media Videos and ILS. Mr. Zaidi is also a member of investment committee of Middle East Venture Fund III.

Up until 2014, Mr. Zaidi worked at The Abraaj Group, part of the investment team (in Singapore and Dubai offices) where he was involved in both large and SME deals including acquisition of a healthcare platform in Turkey and growth capital investment in a UAE based consumer discount offers app, the Entertainer. Prior to this, he worked for The National Investor, an investment banking firm in Abu Dhabi, where he worked on IPO of Aramex International and Islamic sukuk offering for Tabreed. His career also includes three years with MCB Bank in Karachi as part of the debt syndication team. He started his professional life as an intern at Citibank.

He is a CFA charter holder – issued by CFA Institute, USA and holds an MBA degree with concentration in finance and BBA (Honors) from Institute of Business Administration Karachi. He also holds diploma in Banking from Institute of Bankers..