ESG Speakers

Dr. Mohamed Farid Saleh has been appointed as Chairman of the Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) in August 2022 as per Presidential Decree No. 353/2022. He is also a Board Member of the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) and a Member of the CBE’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). In September 2022, he was elected the Chairman of the Growth and Emerging Market Committee (GEMC) of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) and Vice Chairman of IOSCO. Farid served as the Executive Chairman of the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) since August 2017 as per the Prime Ministerial Decree No. 1759/2017 and his term was renewed in August 2021. During this period, Farid held many international positions, the Chairman of the Federation of Euro-Asian Stock Exchanges (FEAS) from 2017-2019 and from 2021 to August 2022; the Chairman of the Arab Federation of Capital Markets (AFCM) from 2019 to 2021; the Chairman of the Emerging Markets Working Group at the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) from 2017 till 2021; and a Board Member of the African Securities Exchanges Association (ASEA) throughout his Chairmanship of the EGX. Prior to his appointment as EGX Executive Chairman, Farid served as the Chairman and the CEO of Dcode EFC - a leading economic advisory firm in Egypt. Furthermore, between 2013 and 2016, Farid was an External Consultant on Venture Capital (VC) and Financial Leasing for the World Bank Group in Egypt and was a Member of the Capital Market Advisory Committee established by the Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA). Additionally, he served as the Vice Chairman of the EGX in 2010-2011. He also served as a part-time lecturer in Financial Markets, International Finance, and Financial Derivatives at the American University in Cairo (AUC) and at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport (AASTMT). Farid holds a Ph.D. in Financial Economics from Cardiff Metropolitan University, an MSc in Quantitative Finance from Bayes Business School City, University of London, an MSc in Economics, Finance & Investment from York University, and an MBA from the Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport (ASST). He also holds a certificate in Venture Capital from UC Berkley, the United States of America, a certificate in Time-Series Analysis from Timberlake, Cambridge University, and a BSc in Foreign Trade and Economics from Helwan University.

Ahmed Abou El Saad is the CEO of Azimut Egypt Asset Management and the Head of Asset Management in MENA & Turkey, managing a total AUM of EGP 10 billion across a range of institutional/HNW portfolios, as well as Public Equity and Money Market funds. Azimut Egypt is part of the Azimut Group, a global asset management firm with USD 87 billion in assets in over 18 countries worldwide. Prior to this, he held leadership roles in asset management and capital markets at Naeem Holding and MIBank, respectively. Mr. Abou El Saad is also a board member at the Egyptian Stock Exchange, President of CFA Society Egypt, Chairman of the Egyptian Investment Management Association, and a board member at the Egyptian Mercantile Exchange. He has a Bachelor of Arts from Alexandria University, an MBA from the Arab Academy for Science and Technology, and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). Additionally, he holds a professional certificate in project finance and investment appraisal from the Harvard Institute for International Development.

Ayman is an experienced entrepreneurial capitalist with over 9 years of experience in investment banking, private equity, hedge funds, and distress investing in various industries such as finance, technology, real estate, F&B, FMCG, and services. He is a co-founder and chief analytic officer at Advisable Wealth Engines, Inc, an American company that offers algorithmic trading, wealth management, and portfolio management to clients such as Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. Ayman is also a major shareholder of Wall Street Chamber, Inc, a fintech startup that provides financial institutions with various technologies. He started his career by creating a VC fund that invested in Middle Eastern startups, and collectively with his partner, they had three exits and two mergers with a total deal value exceeding $50 million. Ayman is a geeky person with a BSc in communication and electronics engineering, a CFA charter, and a GMAT score of 730.

Jeanette Tawk is Director – Partnerships and Clients Solutions covering nine markets in the Middle East and North African region at CFA Institute. She has experience in corporate law as she previously worked in law firms and as an in-house lawyer. She has a bachelor’s degree in law and a master’s degree in comparative law.

Antoine Shehadah is an investment professional with 15+ years of experience in Asset and Wealth Management, managing multi-asset class funds and discretionary portfolios across regional and global markets. Currently heading CFA Institute’s MENA region, responsible for fulfilling CFA Institute’s mission of influencing the financial industry to adopt the highest standards of ethics, education, and professional excellence for the ultimate benefit of society.