Ahmed Salem is the chief operating officer of Deloitte Innovation Hub in Cairo, Egypt, where he leads operations and drives the growth of advanced engineering capabilities across AI&Data, Cloud, Software, and Systems Integration. With over 20 years of international experience, Ahmed plays a key role in positioning Deloitte Innovation Hub as a trusted partner for complex, technology-driven transformation programs across EMEA. In addition to his role at the Deloitte Innovation Hub, Ahmed also serves as AI&Data Engineering Director at Deloitte UK. He works closely with global teams to architect and scale enterprise-grade data platforms, helping clients accelerate innovation, meet regulatory demands, and unlock long-term value from their data investments. Prior to joining Deloitte, Ahmed held senior leadership roles at Orange Business, and other multinational organizations. His career spans the design and execution of large-scale, cloud-native data ecosystems; including data lakes, streaming architectures, and machine learning platforms for Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions, and public sector entities. Ahmed has led multi-disciplinary teams across onshore, nearshore, and offshore delivery models. He is recognized for his ability to manage high-impact transformation programs from strategy to implementation, consistently delivering measurable outcomes at scale. Salem holds a Bachelor of Engineering with Honors in Electronic and Computer Engineering from the University of Brighton, UK

Fabio Lorenzon is the Managing Partner of Lorenzon Srl, an industrial manufacturing company with a long-standing legacy, and the Founder & CEO of SolutioAI, a fast-growing startup in the field of artificial intelligence. At just 29, Fabio bridges two very different worlds: traditional industry and cutting-edge technology. After unexpectedly taking over the family business, he led Lorenzon through a phase of modernization, global expansion, and operational transformation, opening a U.S. branch, a Saudi branch and redefining the company’s strategy in international markets. Driven by a passion for innovation and a belief in the power of data, he launched SolutioAI to help companies make smarter, faster decisions through AI-powered tools and platforms. Fabio is especially focused on making AI accessible for businesses that are not inherently tech-based, bridging the gap between vision and execution. He holds a master’s degree in industrial management engineering from Politecnico di Milano and has previous experience at Amazon, where he learned operational discipline and data-driven leadership. Fabio often speaks about entrepreneurship, leadership at a young age, and the human-centered use of artificial intelligence. He believes that being young is not a limitation, but a strength, especially when building companies that challenge the status quo.

Mohamed Kassem is the General Manager of Microsoft Egypt, where he leads the company’s strategic efforts to accelerate the nation’s digital transformation and drive inclusive, sustainable economic growth. In his role, Kassem partners closely with government entities, enterprises, and organizations across sectors to unlock innovation and empower people, businesses, and communities with trusted technology solutions. With nearly 20 years of experience at Microsoft, Kassem brings deep industry expertise and a strong track record of leadership supporting customers to advance their digital capabilities across cloud, AI, cybersecurity, and other emerging technologies. Prior to his current role, he served as Public Sector Lead for Microsoft Egypt, where he guided national digital transformation efforts and supported public sector innovation through secure, AI-powered solutions. As General Manager of Microsoft Egypt, Kassem leads the company’s strategy and operations in the Egyptian market, strengthening Microsoft’s commitment to local leadership and lasting positive impact. He prioritizes building strategic partnerships, encouraging the responsible adoption of technology, and empowering organizations of all sizes to leverage digital tools that drive prosperity and enhance economic competitiveness. Kassem’s dedication to innovation, inclusive growth, and talent development continues to inform his work at Microsoft and support Egypt’s broader digital ambitions.

Lisa is a global citizen of Egyptian heritage and an economic development strategist, entrepreneur, investor, and community builder with 25 years of international experience. She works with governments, corporations, investors, and entrepreneurs to design the systems that transform innovation into sustainable economic growth. Over the course of her career, Lisa has advised more than 150 organizations and entrepreneurs while helping deploy over $80 million in capital. Her expertise spans strategy, ecosystem development, and capital alignment, helping high-growth ventures scale while mobilizing the institutions, partners, and infrastructure that enable thriving and stable economies. Her work spans the United States and emerging markets, including Africa, Central America, and Southeast Asia, where she operates at the intersection of technology, economic development, and culture.

Walid Hassouna is the Chief Executive Officer of Valu, Egypt’s leading universal financial technology powerhouse. In his role, he leads the company’s continued growth as it expands its comprehensive suite of convenient financial solutions for customers and businesses across multiple markets and use cases. Valu, legally known as U Consumer Finance S.A.E. and listed on the Egyptian Exchange under the ticker EGX: VALU.CA, is the first fintech company in Egypt providing consumer finance to become publicly listed on the EGX. This milestone, together with Amazon’s direct stake in the company, reflects Valu’s dynamic business model and ongoing growth journey. Under its expanding product universe, Valu pioneered Buy-Now, Pay-Later (BNPL) solutions in the MENA region through U, offering customizable financing plans of up to 60 months across more than 9,000 stores and online platforms. Its network spans a diverse range of categories, including home appliances, electronics, home finishing, furniture, residential solar solutions, healthcare, education, travel, fashion, and more. Valu’s ecosystem also includes investment products through Valu Invest with the AZ Valu Fund and EFG Hermes ONE, an instant cash redemption program through Sha2labaz, a high-end financing program through Ulter to facilitate the purchase of luxury big-ticket items up to EGP 60 million, and its marketplace through Shop’IT. In addition, Valu offers business-to-business solutions through Valu Business. Further expanding its payment solutions, Valu introduced its prepaid card and co-branded credit card in collaboration with Visa, strengthening its ability to provide customers with versatile, convenient, and comprehensive payment options. As an award-winning fintech player in the MENA region, Valu embraces a progressive business approach, driven by an agile team committed to architecting innovative financial solutions that meet customers’ evolving needs. Most recently, Valu launched its services in Jordan in May 2026 under a Specialized Finance license, following final approval from the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ), offering consumers convenient financing solutions in the market. Walid currently sits on the board of KarmSolar and previously served on the board of Bedaya for Mortgage Finance. He also previously served as Chairman of PayTabs Egypt and Vice Chairman of EFG EV Fintech. Over more than five years, Walid’s leadership of the NBFI platform at EFG Holding saw the platform grow multiple businesses and launch innovative brands. Prior to joining EFG Holding in 2016, he built a successful 17-year career in banking. He served as General Manager and Head of Structured Finance and Investment Banking at Bank Audi, where he closed structured and project finance transactions exceeding USD 15 billion. He began his career at Misr International Bank, structuring and executing several award-winning project finance and M&A transactions in Egypt and the GCC. He also served as Head of Structured Finance and Syndication at Banque Misr, where he successfully led the bank to top the MENA region’s syndicated loans league table. Walid holds a B.B.A. with highest honors from Cairo University, an MBA from the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University, and an Islamic Finance Qualification from CISI, UK.

Samhaa R. El-Beltagy is the Chief AI Officer at Nawy, where she leads the company's AI strategy and innovation agenda, driving advanced AI solutions that transform real estate technology and customer experience. She is also a Professor of Computer Science and the Founding Dean of the School of Information Technology at Newgiza University (NGU). Her career spans academia, industry, and entrepreneurship, with a consistent focus on bridging research and practice: she co-founded AIM Technologies, a Middle East–based startup specializing in NLP and advanced analytics, and previously served as Head of Research and Development at Optomatica, a company focused on AI solutions for real-world complex problems. Dr. El-Beltagy has played a pivotal role in national AI initiatives and is a member of the technical committee of the Egyptian National Council for AI, as well as the advisory committee of the ACL Special Interest Group on Arabic NLP (SIGARAB). She was named one of the Top 30 AI Leaders in the Middle East by MIT Technology Review (2022) and has been featured in Stanford University's global list of the top 2% of scientists (2019, 2021). She has authored over 90 international publications and served in senior roles at leading conferences, including Tutorial Chair at EMNLP 2022, Program Chair at ArabicNLP 2026(co-located with EMNLP 2026) and Program Chair at ArabicNLP 2023 (co-located with EMNLP 2023). She is a long-standing jury member for the L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science program, and co-founder and organizer of the International ACLing Conference Series (initiated in 2015, published by Elsevier). Her research interests include Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language Processing, Large Language Models, and Arabic NLP.

Mohamed Elsabban Chief Innovation & Strategic Ventures Officer, Banque Misr Mohamed Elsabban is a senior executive with over 33 years of diverse experience across leading local and international banks and companies. He currently serves as the Chief Innovation and Strategic Ventures Officer at Banque Misr, where he leads the bank’s transformation into a future-ready financial ecosystem. In this role, Mohamed is driving a comprehensive innovation agenda that aligns with the bank’s 2030 North Star vision. His leadership focuses on open innovation, ecosystem orchestration, venture investment, and the incubation of new business models. Key initiatives under his mandate include the co-creation of Egypt’s first corporate venture platform, a captive insurance model, and an embedded finance framework for SMEs—developed in close collaboration with relevant business sectors across the bank. These efforts aim to position Banque Misr as the country’s most innovation-driven and ecosystem-oriented financial institution. Mohamed has also led the launch of flagship programs such as TEQDAR, one of Egypt’s most impactful corporate accelerators, and BMV Studio, a venture-building platform empowering both startups and internal talent to co-create transformative solutions. His work is helping Banque Misr unlock new revenue streams, serve evolving customer needs, and build strategic partnerships across banking and beyond. Prior to joining Banque Misr, Mohamed held senior leadership roles at Commercial International Bank (CIB), Boubyan Bank (Kuwait), National Bank of Egypt (NBE), National Commercial Bank (Saudi Arabia), and Raya Group. Across these roles, he has built deep expertise in digital transformation, fintech collaboration, alternative distribution channels, and payment innovation. In addition to his executive role, Mohamed actively contributes to the broader financial and innovation ecosystem through several board and advisory roles: - Board Member, Misr Lel Ibtikar W Alreyada Bela Hodod (2024–Present) - Board Member, E-Aswaq Egypt (2022–Present) - Board Member, Misr for Investment and Export Development (2022–Present) - Technology & Digital Transformation Advisor, Al Ahly Sporting Club (2019–Present) - Chair of the Digital Transformation Committee, Reefy Microfinance (2023–Present) He holds a BSc in Statistics and Operations Research from Helwan University and has completed executive leadership programs at Harvard, Cambridge, Manchester Business School, and IMD.

The second act Most founder stories have one arc. Mine has three. The build (2004 – 2022) My first company was Luxor Instruments, founded in 2004 while I was still an engineering student at Minia University. A small operation in Upper Egypt building self-service internet kiosks for the Nile cruise boats running between Luxor and Aswan. The lesson that landed early: a good product is not enough on its own. What makes a company work is the team that grows with it. Then more than fifteen years in semiconductor engineering — cryptographic hardware in Riyadh, then Silicon Vision in Cairo's Sheraton Valley (IP portfolio later acquired by Synopsys), then ARM Holdings in Cambridge. The infrastructure mindset I learned designing chip IP turned out to be the one customer experience was missing. In 2016, I founded Tactful in Cairo with Mohammad Fouad Hassan, while still at ARM. Over the next six years we built a CX infrastructure platform from scratch: 60+ engineers, $5M+ in R&D, enterprise customers across MENA including Elaraby Group, valU, Fairmont, and Address Hotels. We didn't build a chatbot. We built the five-layer stack beneath every customer interaction. The sale (2022 – 2024) Destiny (later rebranded Dstny), a European business communications group, acquired Tactful. The partnership brought European distribution, enterprise credibility, and a perspective I could not have gained from the inside. By the end of it, I knew what Tactful's next chapter needed: full founder autonomy to pursue the agentic CX vision. Coming back (early 2024 – present) In early 2024, Mohammad and I reacquired full ownership. In February 2026, we closed a $1M Pre-Series A. The platform is seeing 100x growth. We are building with the clarity that only comes from having done it once before. “I bought my company back because the best version of it hadn't been built yet.”

Suzanne El Akabaoui Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Personal Data Protection Center | Advisor to the ICT Minister for Data Governance Suzanne El Akabaoui is a leading expert in data governance, privacy regulations, and digital policy. As Acting CEO of the Personal Data Protection Center and, Advisor to Egypt’s ICT Minister for Data Governance, she spearheads the development of national regulatory frameworks for personal data protection and privacy in alignment with Egypt’s 2030 Vision. A highly accomplished attorney, Suzanne brings extensive experience in commercial, corporate, technology, and data privacy law. She has advised multinational clients on GDPR compliance, Egyptian data protection laws, Data Sharing Agreements, and agreements for cybersecurity services. Her academic credentials include: • Law Degree, Sorbonne Paris University • Master’s Degree in Business Law • Bachelor’s Degree in Economics & Statistics, Cairo University • Certificate in Economics, Georgetown University • Certificate in Data: Law, Policy, and Regulation, London School of Economics • Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe (CIPP/E) • Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM)

Said Baaghil is one of the Middle East’s most recognized brand strategists, a global keynote speaker across 60+ stages, and the author of five books endorsed by global leaders.

Ayman Bazaraa is a serial entrepreneur passionate about unleashing human potential through technology. As the CEO of Sprints, he leads a revolutionary AI platform that personalize and gamify learning. He also co-founded HiRemoters, connecting global companies with top remote talent; MicroDoers, an augmented reality solutions company; and Avelabs, a leading deep tech for autonomous driving software. Avelabs, was acquired by Fortune 500 company Arrow. Ayman's leadership journey includes roles at Orange, IBM, and Valeo.

Khaled Alaa is the Head of Operations and User Experience at Talabat Egypt, bringing more than 18 years of experience across e-commerce, marketplaces, logistics, and technology-driven businesses. In his current role, he leads operations, customer and vendor experience, compliance, and business transformation initiatives focused on driving operational excellence and sustainable growth. Prior to Talabat, Khaled held leadership positions at Jumia and MaxAB, where he played key roles in scaling operations, improving customer journeys, and building high-performing teams. He is also a founding board member of the Customer Experience Egyptian Association (CXEGA), contributing to the advancement of customer experience practices across Egypt.

Ahmed Abaza is the Co-founder and CEO of Synapse Analytics, an AI company helping banks and financial institutions make faster, smarter, and more responsible Risk decisions. With a background spanning engineering, technology, consulting, and business transformation, Ahmed focuses on turning complex AI systems into practical products that create real-world impact. He is a frequent speaker on AI, innovation, and the challenge of moving artificial intelligence from impressive demos into production.

ahmoud Taema is a senior retail and e-commerce executive with more than 25 years of experience leading digital transformation, omnichannel growth, and commercial strategy across the retail and consumer goods sectors in the Middle East. He currently serves as E-Commerce Director at Spinneys Egypt, where he leads the company's digital commerce strategy, online growth, customer experience, marketplace partnerships, and last-mile innovation initiatives. Under his leadership, Spinneys continues to accelerate its digital transformation journey, expanding online operations, enhancing customer engagement, and scaling new fulfillment and instant delivery models. Prior to joining Spinneys, Mahmoud held leadership positions across several leading regional and international organizations, including L’azurde Group, Electrolux, and Zanussi, where he successfully built and scaled e-commerce businesses across multiple markets including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Throughout his career, Mahmoud has been passionate about leveraging technology, data, and customer-centric innovation to drive sustainable growth and competitive advantage. His expertise spans e-commerce strategy, omnichannel retail, digital marketing, customer acquisition and retention, loyalty programs, operational excellence, last-mile delivery, and business transformation. Mahmoud is a frequent speaker on digital commerce, retail innovation, customer experience, and the future of e-commerce in the region. He is particularly interested in how AI, personalization, data-driven decision making, and evolving consumer behavior are reshaping the future of retail.

Nezar is an Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Technology Management expert and Project Officer at UNDP He served in private, academic government and semi government organizations for the last 28 years. Also, is the founder of Nilepreneurs initiative that supports entrepreneurship ecosystem in Egypt Nezar is a certified Innovation Coach helping organizations to develop their new innovation management systems Nezar is a facilitator, mentor and judge in world-class entrepreneurship competition

TikTok Speaker MEA , Favikon partner in KSA & Egypt, ‏CEO Oligence AI, Founder IMFND academy, Instructor @Udemy, 18 years of Experience in Technical Marketing and Growth Hacking.

Ahmed Raafat is Head of Data & AI Specialist Solutions Architects at AWS UK & Ireland, with over 20 years of experience in technology. He helps leading organisations harness AI, machine learning, cloud, and data to drive innovation and business transformation. A trusted advisor to C-suite leaders, Ahmed works with customers on AI strategy and adoption, helping them turn emerging technologies into practical outcomes at scale.

Mohamed Mostafa, Co-founder & CTO of WideBot, is an AI entrepreneur and product leader with twenty years of experience building intelligent systems that solve real-world problems. He bridges cutting-edge AI research with product execution—architecting solutions that are both technically rigorous and commercially viable, with a relentless focus on user impact.

Digital Communications and Creative Strategy leader with 11+ years of experience shaping the digital presence of leading local and regional brands. Throughout my career, I have driven end-to-end digital brand strategies, led integrated campaigns, built and mentored high-performing creative teams, and transformed business objectives into impactful creative solutions that deliver measurable results.

Short BIO : Hisham Mohamed Aly – Chief Information Security Officer - More than 15 years of experience in cyber security - ITU Cyber Security Expert (UN Organization) - Formally named to the IFSEC Global “Top Security Influencers for 2020” - Member in Blockchain Committee – Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) - Public Speaker - Blockchain expert - Fintech expert - IoT expert Awarded: - CISO of The Year - Arab Security Conference 2018 , 2020 - CISO Of The Year - IDC 2019 , 2020 - CISO RISING Star - Arab Security Conference 2019 - Covid-19, Superstar Global CISO Award 2020 - Covid-19 Superhero CISO Award – MEA Region (Enterprise IT) - Deliver Cyber Security Trainings in different occasions and events.

Mohamed Sadat is a Group Chief Information Security Officer at Paymob, one of MENA’s leading fintech platforms processing digital payments across Egypt, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Oman. With two decades of progressive cybersecurity leadership, he is one of the few CISOs in the region operating compliance and resilience programs simultaneously across five central bank jurisdictions — CBE, CBUAE, SAMA, SECP, and CBO — making him a uniquely positioned voice on cross-border regulatory risk in financial services. Recognised as Arab CISO of the Year for five consecutive years (2019–2023) and an IDC CISO of the Year 2020 Finalist, Mohamed brings a rare combination of technical depth and executive impact. He oversees programs spanning PCI DSS v4.0, SOC 2, ISO 27001, and UAE IA compliance, and leads Paymob’s cyber resilience strategy across a multi-country regulated environment. He holds an MBA from Liverpool John Moores University and an MSc in Cybersecurity, grounding his strategic vision in both business and technical mastery. His credentials include CCISO, CISM, CRISC, CDPSE, ISO 27001 LA, and ISO 22301 LA. He serves on the EC-Council CCISO Exam Committee, the CTIA Scheme Committee, and as Vice President of ISACA’s Cairo Chapter — reinforcing his commitment to raising professional standards across the region. A sought-after keynote speaker and panel moderator, Mohamed has addressed premier regional forums including GITEX, AI Everything, Arab Security Conference, GRC Summit Egypt, CSCAMP, and EngineeRex. His thought leadership spans fintech security architecture, board-level risk communication, third-party and platform risk governance, and quantum-safe preparedness. He is a Packt Tech Advisory Board member and recognised as a Top Cybersecurity Voice on LinkedIn. Mohamed champions cybersecurity not as a compliance obligation but as a strategic enabler of trust and growth in digital financial services. He is dedicated to building security culture, mentoring the next generation of Arab cybersecurity professionals, and demonstrating that resilience and innovation can — and must — coexist in a digital-first economy.

Mohamed Ismail is a Lead Product Designer at Homzmart, one of Egypt's leading furniture and home e-commerce platforms, where he crafts user experiences tailored to the MENA market. With a focus on Arabic-first, conversion-driven design, he bridges product strategy and hands-on UI/UX across e-commerce and branding work. He's especially interested in how emerging tech — AI design tools, 3D web, and generative media — is reshaping the future of product design.

Hisham Akram is a pioneer in Egypt’s financial sector with over 30 years of experience in building and scaling leading institutions. He is the Founder and CEO of GRANITE Financial Holding, where he leads the company’s mission to redefine asset management through introducing innovative and secure, client-centric solutions that disrupt conventional business offerings. He played a pioneering role in launching Egypt’s and the Region’s first investment funds and worked closely with regulators to develop the country’s capital markets. Hisham was a founding partner of Beltone Financial and held senior leadership positions at EFG Hermes and was the CEO of Madinet Nasr. He currently serves on the boards of several institutions, including Misr Real Estate Assets Management and the Investment Committee of the Endowments Authority.

A technology enthusiast with more than 20 years of software development, design & architecture experience. Led the technology innovation in big companies/products like Otlob, Jumia, Teeela, Dsquares/Lucky, Homzmart. Established & managed big teams (50+) in different technology stacks, onsite & remote, and from different locations/countries (Canada, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Argentina, Türkiye..

A brand architect and a seasoned marketing expert with over 25 years of experience in building businesses, brands and people.

Amira Swilam is an investor and ecosystem builder with a strong focus on supporting early-stage, impact-driven startups across the MENA region and Africa. As Back Office Partner at Den VC, a leading venture capital firm investing in tech-enabled ventures across Pan-Arab and African markets, she plays a key role in shaping investment decisions and supporting founders beyond capital through hands-on guidance and strategic direction. With experience spanning over hundreds of startups, Amira has worked extensively across acceleration and incubation programs funded by world-class international organizations such as the United Nations and Oxfam. She is deeply committed to empowering entrepreneurs tackling real-world challenges across social, economic, and environmental sectors, and brings a strong lens on defensibility, scalability, and impact. Prior to Den VC, Amira co-founded ventures in freelancing and career development, supporting over 50,000 freelancers and entrepreneurs through access to offshoring opportunities and capacity-building programs. She has also worked with leading ecosystem players across MENA, including Rally Accelerate, DMZ, Flat6Labs, TIEC, Reach MENA, etc. In parallel, Amira serves as a Teaching Assistant at the American University in Cairo, where she teaches entrepreneurship and innovation, supporting the development of the next generation of founders. Amira holds a bachelor’s degree in English Interpretation and Literature, an MBA in Marketing Management from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Venture Capital Diploma from the American University in Cairo. Her work is driven by a mission to enable high-potential startups to grow into impactful, scalable businesses through investment, mentorship, and ecosystem support.

With over 10 years of experience as a growth and digital marketing professional, I’ve been part of numerous growth models built in companies of different scales located in KSA, Bahrain, Egypt, and UAE. Inspired by a journey across a wide range of industries including e-commerce, real estate, telecommunication, and education, I’ve cofounded Taager to establish from scratch a growth machine for a whole new business model fueled by new initiatives, experimentations, and scaling decisions based on calculated risks, and data outcomes.

Ehsan Sayed is an AI Sales Enablement Expert, Business Development Guru, and Founder of Sales Techies, an Arabic-first learning platform dedicated to helping revenue professionals and organizations leverage Artificial Intelligence to accelerate growth and improve sales performance. Through highly practical, hands-on empowerment programs, Ehsan enables sales teams, business developers, and commercial leaders to adopt AI-driven strategies, modern revenue systems, and automation workflows that deliver measurable business impact and sustainable revenue growth. With over 9 years of experience across Business Development, Sales Operations, Product Management, and Revenue Growth, Ehsan has worked with startups, scale-ups, and enterprise organizations across Egypt and the GCC. Throughout her career, she has led commercial growth initiatives, built sales systems, designed go-to-market strategies, and implemented technology-driven sales processes that improve efficiency and performance. As the founder of Sales Techies, Ehsan has trained and mentored hundreds of sales and business development professionals through corporate programs, bootcamps, workshops, and executive training sessions. Her expertise spans AI-powered lead generation, CRM transformation, sales automation, market intelligence, workflow design, and revenue operations. Ehsan is a frequent speaker, trainer, and workshop facilitator who has delivered AI, sales, and business development programs for leading organizations, universities, and innovation ecosystems, including Edventures, Techne Summit, Information Technology Institute (ITI), and Entreprenelle. She specializes in helping sales teams transition from traditional selling approaches to modern AI-powered revenue systems that enhance productivity, optimize pipeline performance, improve forecasting accuracy, and accelerate sustainable business growth. Through her training and consulting work, Ehsan enables organizations to transform technology into measurable revenue outcomes.

Mohamed Ramadan is a Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft with over 16 years of experience in technology, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation. He helps organizations across the Middle East and Africa accelerate innovation through AI, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and intelligent agents. Passionate about making AI practical and accessible, Mohamed regularly leads workshops and advisory engagements focused on helping businesses and individuals harness AI securely and responsibly to drive productivity, creativity, and growth.

Ahmed is passionate about shaping the future of manufacturing through AI, Industry 4.0, and digital transformation. He helps industrial organizations build intelligent factory solutions that turn innovation into measurable business impact, bridging emerging technologies with real-world manufacturing challenges.

About Mohamed Gamal: Mohamed Gamal is a PR & Communications consultant working with a wide range of companies, entrepreneurs, and public figures on building impactful communication strategies, PR plans, and personal branding. He currently works with several prominent business leaders and companies, advising them on corporate communication strategies as well as personal branding for executives and entrepreneurs. Also works as Group PR Manager at Al Salem Holding, a diversified group of companies operating across multiple industries in several countries, where he leads the group’s communication strategies and PR efforts, Mohamed also provides consulting for a number of companies and well-known business figures on communication planning, PR strategy, and executive positioning.

Yasmine has over 10 years of experience managing teams and programs. She is currently the Chief Operations Officer (COO) at ElGameya, where she oversees the collection, customer service, risk, back office, tech, and product departments, ensuring smooth operations and that customer needs are met. Before joining ElGameya, Yasmine was the Acceleration Manager at AUC Venture Lab, Egypt's first university-based startup accelerator and a leading program in Africa and the MENA region. There, she worked with over 300 companies, helping them launch and grow their businesses.

I am Amr Gazea, CEO and Co-Founder of Mezatech, a circular technology company dedicated to extending the lifecycle of electronic devices through refurbishment, recommerce, and e-waste recycling. With more than 10 years of experience building and scaling startups, I specialize in business strategy, operations, and organizational growth, helping companies transform ambitious ideas into sustainable businesses. Today, I lead Mezatech's mission to accelerate the circular economy by developing innovative solutions that maximize the value of technology assets, reduce electronic waste, and make sustainable technology more accessible. I am passionate about combining business innovation with environmental impact and sharing practical insights on leadership, scaling startups, and building circular business models.

Sameh Emam is a cybersecurity strategist and technology advisor with more than 25 years of experience helping organizations strengthen cyber resilience, modernize security architectures, and accelerate secure digital transformation across the Middle East and Africa. He has advised government entities, critical infrastructure operators, financial institutions, and large enterprises on Zero Trust, cloud security, AI security, security operations, and cyber resilience. A frequent keynote speaker, moderator, and industry judge, Sameh is recognized for translating complex cybersecurity challenges into practical business outcomes and fostering collaboration between technology leaders, policymakers, and the security community.

Hassan Elsokkary is a global executive, board advisor, and venture investor with over three decades of experience leading digital transformations at the intersection of technology, policy, and human impact. His career is marked by scaling national infrastructure and innovative platforms in cybersecurity, healthtech, and edtech across the MENA region. Formerly a global leader at Vodafone and CEO of eHealth, Hassan has spearheaded multi-million dollar initiatives, including Egypt’s nationwide health insurance digitalization and large-scale educational ERP modernization. He currently serves on the boards of e-finance Investment Group, the Universal Health Insurance Authority, Elevate Capital, and Innovation University, while chairing Qualidev and QETRAA. As a co-founder of VITA Venture Studio and an active mentor at the AUC Venture Lab, Hassan is dedicated to cultivating deep-tech ecosystems and advancing ethical AI implementation.

Mohamed Elmenoufy is the visionary founder of Infinity Technology and a highly respected lecturer in the fields of programming and web development. Having trained more than 5,000 professionals, authored three foundational books, and produced comprehensive courses across major digital platforms, he is a driving force in technical education. His work focuses on simplifying complex coding concepts and equipping students with the practical skills needed to thrive in the modern IT landscape.

Bako Ambianda is a visionary entrepreneur, investor, author, and global speaker dedicated to driving Africa’s economic transformation through strategic enterprise and capital allocation. As the Chairman of Bako Group Holdings and CEO of Backbone Capital, Bako orchestrates investments and builds high-growth companies across strategic sectors—including energy, mobility, technology, real estate, and media. His expertise spans private equity, venture building, and high-level strategic advisory, helping global institutions and private investors navigate and unlock Africa's most promising markets. A passionate advocate for ecosystem building, Bako is also the founder of Capital Allocators 100, a premier initiative highlighting the influential investors actively shaping the continent’s financial landscape. Beyond the boardroom, he is an accomplished author of multiple books and a highly sought-after global speaker, delivering actionable insights on entrepreneurship, investment, leadership, and Africa’s economic future.

Hassan Mansi is an entrepreneur and operations executive with more than 20 years of experience building consulting firms, venture programs, and startup-support platforms across the MENA region. With an engineering and business background, he has led organizational development, restructuring, and operational excellence engagements using Lean Six Sigma for financial institutions and companies across multiple sectors and markets. He previously chaired the Youth Committee at the Alexandria Business Association, where he supported young entrepreneurs through training and ecosystem initiatives. He also collaborated with international development programs, including USAID-supported initiatives, to strengthen entrepreneurship in Alexandria and improve local startups’ access to finance. Hassan earned his Master of Science in Technology Commercialization from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin and holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and Management from the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport. Throughout his career, he has designed and delivered acceleration and ecosystem-development programs in partnership with leading international institutions and private-sector organizations. These programs engaged more than 12,000 participants across 81 events in 14 cities, achieved an online reach exceeding 27 million users, received approximately 6,000 applications, and accelerated more than 200 startups. They also delivered over 3,400 hours of training, coaching, and mentorship, awarded 18 grants valued at approximately USD 440,000, and supported participating startups in securing around USD 40 million in follow-on funding while generating more than USD 32 million in revenues.

Ehab Darwish is the Founder of iSkala and a Go To Market strategist, outbound expert, and lead generation consultant. He has helped 300+ brands build scalable growth engines, including Fawry, Swvl, ZenHR, Bayzat, Bayt.com and ElCoach among many more. Ehab has also trained more than 2,000 professionals across 12 countries on modern sales, AI, automation, and Go-To-Market engineering.

Ali Ghamlouch is the co-founder of Whitebee Media and former head of originals at Shahid, with a track record of shaping some of the Arab world’s most talked-about original titles. he helped redefine digital storytelling, earning a nomination for an International Emmy Award. With over 20 years in the industry, his work bridges creativity and strategy across development and production and the business side of the industry. Beyond the screen, he’s shared his knowledge as a university professor and mentor to over 40 media startups across the Arab region and Turkey. Ghamlouch remains an active voice in the media space through talks, workshops, consultancy and creative collaborations.

HNI Learning and Development head for the past 4 years. Leading and transforming the solutions provided to the GCC market. Offering a new structure to be responsive to the market's ongoing dynamics. Yosra is a highly skilled corporate trainer & facilitator with more than 23 years’ training delivery experience, and in addition to hands-on experience in the entire training and L& D functions, including needs assessment, developing content, designing & delivering training programs and workshops, in addition to managing training programs & has proven ability to conduct assessment & development centers. Delivered training to various nationalities & cultural backgrounds in the Middle East &Africa (Egypt, Lebanon, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Kuwait) with an ongoing passion for learning and development. I have acquired the following certificates: • Certified professional in Talent and Development (CPTD) from the Association of Talent and Development (ATD) (www.td.org). • Certified Associate Consultant, from Assessment and Development Consultants (a&dc.uk) https://www.adc.uk.com/ • Core Facilitation Skills Program from ILM (City and Guilds Group Business) (https://www.i-l-m.com) • Train the Trainer (TOT) Certificate from Regional IT Institute (http://www.riti.org) Designed, delivered and managed leadership academies, Train the Trainer, Retail programs, Sales, Customer Service, Presentation skills, Public speaking, NGO’s development, most of the basic business and soft skills topics for various industries.

Nabil Khalifa Co-Founder & CEO, Meska AI Nabil Khalifa is a serial entrepreneur on a mission to make AI adoption practical and measurable across MENA and beyond. As Co-Founder and CEO of Meska AI, he leads a fast-scaling company spanning AI education, corporate training, and transformation consulting — helping organizations move past the hype to real execution. His entrepreneurial foundation runs deep: he co-founded Sigma Fit, a tech-powered wearables company serving 400,000+ users, and Hive Analytics, a performance-marketing and AI services firm supporting 200+ clients. That track record in scaling ventures now drives his vision for Meska AI as a leading force in the region's AI transformation.

Salah Abo El-Magd | CEO - ACTA | International Sales Trainer & Leadership Coach With over 15 years of experience in training, behavioral transformation, and performance development, Mr. Salah Abo El-Magd is widely recognized as one of the most influential Arabic-speaking trainers in the Middle East. What sets Mr. Salah apart is not only his expertise, but also his rare ability to create genuine demand for learning in environments where engagement is typically passive. Mr. Salah has trained and inspired over 50,000 professionals across the Middle East, working with leading organizations such as ADNOC, Orascom, Saudi National Bank (SNB), and Chanel.

Highly Experienced Chief Creative Officer with a demonstrated 25 year history of working in the marketing and advertising industry, with some of most Globally profound clients such as Pepsico, Visa, GM, Mercedes, ExxonMobil, Vodafone, and Orange. Strong arts and design professional skilled in Creative Developement and communication strategy, Corporate Identity, Graphics, Integrated Marketing, and through media Advertising and communications. With extensive experience in building and leading teams and agencies performing at globally competitive levels.

Omar Marzouk is the founder of Better Life and the Egyptian sports nutrition brand Pureganic. He began his professional journey as an engineer in the heavy industries sector before turning his passion for entrepreneurship and marketing into a growing business in the sports nutrition market. Omar has hands-on experience in product development, brand building, operations management, marketing, and sales across both B2B and B2C channels. He is also pursuing an MBA with a specialization in Marketing and is passionate about sharing his experience in building businesses, overcoming market challenges, and transforming ideas into real, scalable brands.

Samah Anwar is one of Egypt's most enduring and versatile screen presences, an actress, director, and producer whose career spans more than four decades of Arabic cinema, television, and theatre. She grew up surrounded by the arts: her father was the acclaimed writer Anwar Abdullah, and her mother the beloved actress Souad Hussein. Art was never a choice for Samah Anwar; it was an inheritance. Before the camera found her, sport did first. Samah Anwar won the Egyptian national swimming championship at El Zamalek Sports Club, an athletic foundation that would later prove indispensable when she became the rare Egyptian actress cast in demanding physical action roles. She pursued French Literature at the Faculty of Arts, Cairo University, and later deepened her craft through theatre training at the American University in Cairo (AUC) and the Hollywood Film Institute. Her screen debut came with the 1981 film Secret Visit (الزيارة السرية). Over the following decade she built an unmistakable body of work in Egyptian action cinema, most memorably in Haalat Talaboss (حالة تلبس, 1988), Emraa Waheda La Takfi (امرأة واحدة لا تكفي, 1990), Al-Sajeenataan (السجينتان), and Bint Mushaghiba Jiddan (بنت مشاغبة جداً). At a time when Egyptian cinema rarely cast women in high-octane roles, Samah Anwar leapt through glass on motorcycles and commanded the screen with the ease of someone who had spent years in the water. On television, she became a household name across the Arab world through landmark series including Raafat Al Haggan (رأفت الهجان, 1990–1992), Ze'ab Al-Gabal / Wolves of the Mountain (ذئاب الجبل, 1993), El Hesab (الحساب), Sonbol Baad Al Million (سنبل بعد المليون), and Zizinia (زيزينيا, 1997). On stage, she was equally commanding, notably in Rakesa Qetaa Aam (راقصة قطاع عام, 1985). A severe car accident brought an extended pause, one she navigated with the same resilience that defined her work on screen. She returned in 2002 through the satellite programme My Experience (تجربتي), and gradually reclaimed not only her presence as a performer but expanded it to direction and production. Her directorial credits include the Nagwa Karam video clip Atchana (عطشانة), the TV film Piano, and the 2011 Kuwaiti drama Baqaya Gurooh. Her most recent chapter has been nothing short of a full reinvention. She delivered one of the most talked-about performances in the 2022 series Al Layla Wa Elly Feeha (الليلة وإللي فيها). She then starred in the Egyptian Netflix original Catalog (كتالوج, 2025), a family dramedy that topped Netflix and Google Trends across the Arab world upon its July 2025 premiere. In Ramadan 2026, she appeared on two fronts simultaneously: Aard W Talab (عرض وطلب) and Hekayet Narges (حكاية نرجس). Beyond the screen, Samah Anwar is Founder and CEO of TellAVision.io, an AI-powered content creation platform for MENA creators, and hosts the Arabic-language AI podcast "AI بالعربي." She is a committed advocate for making artificial intelligence accessible to Arabic-speaking audiences.

With over 20 years of experience in data engineering, science and analysis, Dr Ismail Anwar has helped clients in both the public and private sector address hard challenges when it comes to deriving insights from complex data assets. With a proven record for understanding complex analytical data needs and articulating them to sustainable analytical architectures, Ismail has helped clients of various sizes in building analytical pipelines for the ingestion, storage, transformation, enrichment and presentation of data for analytical consumption and decision making. He also consulted clients on building achievable data and AI strategies to address their current and future needs. On the academic side, Ismail has an interest in the use of Computational Intelligence and AI for addressing hard problems in data science and decision making in complex, multiobjective scenarios. Ismail holds a PhD from the University of Kent.

As the Founder of Hired HR, a leading recruitment and HR agency in Egypt, I am passionate about transforming the HR landscape in the MENA region. With over 15 years of experience, my mission is to empower both individuals and businesses to achieve their full potential through innovative talent acquisition and career development solutions. What I Bring: Talent Acquisition Expertise: Successfully connected 400+ companies across 6 countries with top talent, exceeding hiring goals. Career Development Impact: Empowered thousands of organizations teams, job seekers and trainees to land their dream jobs through tailored coaching and skills development programs. AI Transformation for HR: Blending HR expertise with AI solutions to enhance HR departments productivity. Influential Speaker: Delivered impactful speeches and training sessions at platforms like TEDx, ILO, GIZ, AAST Entrepreneurship Center, Injaz Egypt, DSC MENA, Techne Summit, and the US Embassy in Cairo, shaping HR practices across industries. AI for HR Sessions: AI in Hiring, DSC MENA AI in Hiring, Techne Summit AI for HR, El Hazek Group; HR Department AI for Business Leaders, Nile Air Strategic Leadership: Proven ability to build and lead high-performing teams in Recruitment, Training, and Business Development. My Mission: To build a robust HR ecosystem in the MENA region by fostering collaboration, innovation, and growth. Whether it's crafting strategic hiring initiatives or coaching professionals to succeed, I aim to leave a lasting impact on the HR community.

Dr. Khedr is a management and entrepreneurship consultant and a bestselling author with over 30 years of experience in founding, managing, investing in, and partnering with businesses. His expertise is built on decades of practical business leadership, complemented by a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA), enabling him to bridge academic insight with real-world entrepreneurial experience.

Yehia Ashour is a seasoned investment and finance executive with over 20 years of experience in financial advisory, private equity, and capital raising across the MENA region. As Co-Founder and CEO of INVIA, he is building Egypt’s next-generation financial operating platform for SMEs—combining real-time financial visibility, performance insights, and revenue-based financing to help businesses grow sustainably. He is currently leading INVIA’s expansion.

Omar Khalifa graduated from the American University in Cairo with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science / International Relations. After his graduation, Omar followed his dream to launch his own media company in which he called Omedia in 2009. Specialized in publishing services, Omedia had a very successful publishing portfolio that generated $150,000 in sales revenue in its first year. Following the January 2011 revolution, he faced a turning point in his company and was in debt for 3 consecutive years from 2011-2014. Egypt struggled with its stalling economy and Omedia lost its entire publishing portfolio. In an effort to get the company back up to pursue his dream, Omar rebuilt Omedia from scratch with an aim to diversify the company’s revenues; he expanded the company’s activities by managing the outdoor advertising sales of Tarek Nour Communications, and focused on thermal paper advertising to be the first company to use banks’ queuing tickets for advertising purposes - Omedia signed an exclusive agreement with the Commercial International Bank to use its tickets for advertising purposes. Late 2015, Omar launched Shaghalni, which was an idea he had back then while he was still studying. Inspired by the employment fairs that granted the best jobs to graduates at different universities, he wanted to create an online platform that serves all Egyptians, and the name was Shaghalni. Once the website was in beta version with only 500 users, he had a 5-minute meeting to pitch to Egyptian billionaire Eng. Naguib Sawiris the idea, which resulted in his decision to invest in the company to fight unemployment. Since Shaghalni’s launch in 2016, it has approximately 5000 registered companies and a database of over 1.7 million jobseekers. After several years of trial and error with the digital model, Omar decided to go brick and mortar with Shaghalni by building the first hiring center in Egypt, and he chose Sohag as a starting point to combat one of the highest unemployment rates in Egypt, where jobseekers get interviewed instantly and gain access to training programs and financial solutions. After the initial success of the first hiring center, Omar had the opportunity to pitch the idea in Shark Tank and managed to land investment from all five sharks, which led to establishing a central hiring center serving Greater Cairo. To date, Shaghalni contributed in employing approximately 10,000 jobseekers in decent jobs across Egypt. Omar is also a professional angler with 12 IGFA World Records and represented Egypt in several Big Game World Championships.

Youssef VP & Director of Strategic Growth, Meska AI | Founder & CEO, RAFI AI Labs Youssef is the VP and Director of Growth at Meska AI, a Cairo-based applied AI education and consulting company with a community of over 2,000 members. He owns the Growth Department, leading corporate B2B training sales, client relationships, and the company's overall growth strategy. Under his leadership, Meska AI has built a corporate training pipeline spanning real estate, FMCG, fintech, and energy sectors, working with some of Egypt's largest organizations. He is also the Founder and CEO of RAFI AI Labs (formerly Rafi Technology Solutions), where he builds AI-powered solutions and automations for businesses. With more than 8 years in the software and training industry, Youssef has been active in the field since 2016. Youssef combines commercial leadership with hands-on technical work designing Enterprise-Level AI Solutions.

Yasmine AbdelKarim is a trailblazing entrepreneur, Harvard Kennedy School graduate, and Founder of YFS, one of North Africa’s breakthrough on-demand logistics technology platforms. Known for transforming bold ideas into scalable ventures, Yasmine has become one of the region’s most influential voices in technology, innovation, and women’s leadership. Yasmine founded YFS with a clear mission: revolutionize last-mile logistics in Egypt through technology, operational excellence, and trust. Under her leadership, YFS quickly grew into a benchmark for reliability in the region, earning partnerships with major brands and attracting regional media attention for its economic impact and women-led governance. Her work has been featured in many global Tech publications, TechCrunch, Entrepreneur Europe (15 European leaders), AlMal, Zawya, and multiple editions of Forbes Middle East. Her outstanding achievements have earned her some of the region’s most prestigious recognitions & awards, including being named one of Forbes Middle East’s Top 3 Tech Entrepreneur Women (2022). She was also selected as a UNCTAD Global eTrade for Women Advocate a role given to exceptional female founders driving digital transformation in emerging economies. In addition, Yasmine serves as the World Bank MENA Representative for Women in Tech, amplifying the role of women in the digital economy across the Middle East and North Africa. She has also been honored with the EY MENA Women Entrepreneur Award, recognizing her as one of the region’s most impactful innovators. A graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School, Yasmine blends public-policy insight with entrepreneurial execution. She has been invited to speak globally on innovation, economic inclusion, and the future of tech in emerging markets, consistently championing scalable solutions that create real-world impact. Today, Yasmine is embarking on another transformative venture with Yassir: launching a cutting-edge Finetech platform & SuperApp for North Africa, France, & Senegal. This new initiative aims to solve one of the region’s most persistent challenges, fragmented financial access, by building a seamless, secure, and inclusive payments ecosystem for both businesses and consumers. Her move into fintech marks the next chapter of her mission to modernize and empower the region’s digital economy. With a career defined by vision, courage, and an unwavering commitment to unlocking opportunity, Yasmine AbdelKarim stands at the forefront of North Africa’s innovation landscape, shaping its logistics, digital financial systems, and the future of entrepreneurial leadership.

Mohamed Fahmy Menza is the Senior Director of Executive Education at the School of Global Affairs & Public Policy (GAPP). He has more than 20 years of experience in the fields of socioeconomic research, development, and cross-cultural education, whereby he developed a plethora of multidisciplinary educational initiatives within Higher Education Institutions in the Arab world, the Global South, Europe and North America, using virtual exchange pedagogies. Menza previously served as the Director of Dialogue Courses and an Affiliate Assistant Professor at AUC’s Core Curriculum and as the founding Program Manager of the Institute of International Education’s (IIE’s) flagship virtual exchange initiatives, HIVE/HIVER. He holds a PhD in Arab & Islamic Studies, with a specialization in political economy and sociology, from the University of Exeter and his research and teaching focus on state/society relations, informal and patronage networks and the political economy of development, on which he has developed and taught a variety of courses at Exeter University, AMIDEAST Egypt and AUC. Menza also provided consultancies to a host of international development organizations such as the World Bank, UN-Habitat, the Population Council and CARE International and his academic contributions, which include a wide variety of action-research development studies, peer-reviewed articles, book chapters and the book Patronage Politics in Egypt, were quoted in world-class publications such as The Economist, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

I build agentic systems for multi-billion organizations.

Loay El-Shawarby is the principal of the law firm El-Shawarby, Attorneys-at-Law; his expertise revolves around the practice areas of start-up structuring, governance, pre-growth, and growth venture finance; venture capital funds; law and technology; corporate, and mergers and acquisitions; joint venture agreements; international business transactions, and many others.
Loay is also an entrepreneur himself, as he pioneered Egypt’s first legal-tech startup “Contrato” and is also an angel investor, Investing solo, as a member of Cairo Angels, and as the co-founder of both Alex Angels and Mediterranean Angels. Among his active angel investments are Abu Erdan, Nebras Technology, Jinni, Untap Compete, Eventtus, Barek, Ordera, the Doodle Factory, and Voo, among others. Loay has also served as Chairman of the Board at the Nahdet El-Mahrousa social entrepreneurship organization, 2009 – 2016; President, Foreign Lawyers at Georgetown (FLAG), 2003 – 2004.

Adel Heikal is a growth and marketing professional with over 9 years of experience in driving digital growth across diverse sectors including FMCG, Fintech, Technology, and Pharmaceuticals. Currently, he holds the position of Performance & Measurment Marketing Manager for Unilever North Africa, Levent, and Iraq, where he oversees the digital media campaigns for the company's brands, including E-commerce and brand campaigns. Prior to this role, he worked for Sympl building the company's digital marketing department and capabilities.

Dalia Said is passionate about creating memorable learning experiences for diverse communities and exploring the potential of effective networking. She pursued this passion further by obtaining a Master's in Education from Harvard, focusing on group learning and adult development. Since 2005, Dalia has gained experience in curriculum development and event design through her work with organizations such as AIESEC, Namaa for Sustainable Development, ElMashrou3, and currently with JRNY (formerly ElRehla) (www.jrny.me), where she leading as CEO. JRNY works to build collaborative communities by hosting networking events and experiences outside of urban areas that bring together industry leaders, corporate teams, and founders for connective, reflective, and habit-changing experiences. JRNY is an impact-driven organization dedicated to accelerating community and network building across various industries & ecosystems. Since 2013, JRNY has delivered over 190 retreats to over 80 stakeholders.

I am a researcher, consultant, and educator specializing in Islamic Finance, Zakat Accounting, and Shariah Audit. I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. at Al-Azhar University and hold two master's degrees in Islamic Finance and Accounting, in addition to several internationally recognized professional certifications from the General Council for Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions (CIBAFI). Over the years, I have worked in education, financial consulting, entrepreneurship, and investment across multiple sectors before dedicating my career to Zakat Accounting and Shariah Audit. I am the host of the TV program Zakaty, creator of the Shariah Audit podcast, and author of Zakat for Individuals and Companies and the Contemporary Financial Transactions book series. My work focuses on Zakat accounting, Shariah governance, Islamic financial systems, and helping organizations build Shariah-compliant business models. I am particularly passionate about advancing Islamic fintech, strengthening internal Shariah audit practices, and developing practical solutions that bridge Islamic principles with modern business and finance.

Nehal Helmy is the Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Flend, Egypt's first licensed digital NBFI dedicated to SME finance. An economist by training, she brings over a decade of experience spanning entrepreneurship, financial sector development, public policy, and international finance. Before co-founding Flend, Nehal served as Economic Advisor to Egypt's Minister of Investment and International Cooperation, where she led Egypt's engagement with leading international financial institutions, including the World Bank Group, the African Development Bank, EBRD, OECD, and AIIB. She played a central role in negotiating a US$4.5 billion budget support package, shaping investment and financial sector reforms, and advancing Egypt's sustainable development agenda. Earlier in her career at the World Bank Group, Nehal led financial sector development initiatives across the Middle East, focusing on expanding access to finance for MSMEs and affordable housing finance in Egypt, Jordan, and Yemen. Recognized as one of the region's leading female innovators, Nehal was selected for UNDP's Women Innovators Program and IFC's SheWins Arabia, which recognize high-potential technology entrepreneurs driving sustainable impact across the Arab world. She holds an MSc in Economics from the University of Barcelona and is passionate about building technology-driven financial solutions that unlock growth for underserved businesses.

Laila Helmy is the Egypt Director of Digital & IT Innovation at AstraZeneca. In her role, Laila orchestrates the Digital innovation agenda in Egypt, driving Digital Health innovations, business solutions and technologies and integrating it with the country’s strategy by fostering growth through innovation and partnering with all functions and therapy areas to drive impact. The Digital innovation function is instrumental in supporting patients, society, and the planet by deploying innovative solutions and fostering meaningful engagements with patients and healthcare professionals. Laila joined AstraZeneca in 2015 as an IT business partner and took on different Digital roles before heading the function in 2021 and becoming a member of the Egypt senior leadership team. With a focus on business analysis and driving digital transformation using Cloud technology, Laila has over 15 years of experience in business transformation through innovation fostering a culture that appreciates the transformative power of digital advancements in healthcare, academia and beyond.. Laila holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computers and Information Technology at Cairo University, year 2010 and holds multiple certifications including Digital marketing from Google and Udacity and certified OKR Coach

Dr. Maged Ghoneima is an angel investor, professor, and ecosystem builder. Through M Empire Angels, he has invested in more than 200 startups across over 30 countries. He is the Founder and General Partner of M Empire Angels, and Chairman of Startup Egypt, a community he founded to help entrepreneurs grow through access to networks, mentorship, programs, partnerships, and real ecosystem support. A scholar with a PhD from NorthwesternUniversity and industry experience at Intel and NVIDIA, Maged is also a Professor of Mechatronics at Ain Shams University. There, he founded the ASU Innovation Hub, creating a university-based platform to support students, researchers, and entrepreneurs in turning ideas, research, and technologies into real ventures and innovation-driven impact

Father of five, entrepreneur in the heart, scientist in the lab & BBQ master in every out trip. Dr. Omar Sakr is the founder and CEO of Nawah-Scientific, Middle East’s biggest private research center working as an outsourcing destination for research in the fields of natural and biomedical sciences. He is a pharmacist by education and holds a PhD in pharmaceutical technology from the University of Geneva, and an MBA from HULT business school in London. His career extends over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical field, both in academia and industry. Dr. Sakr was also an adjunct Lecturer of entrepreneurship at Zewail City of Science and Technology. To his name, Omar holds several scientific and business awards among which is the prestigious Jack Ma award, Africa Business Heroes (2019).