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Personal Profiles

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1. Mohamed Farid Khamis

(General)

Mohamed Farid Khamis (1939-…..) is an

entrepreneur and world pioneer in the

manufacturing of carpets and rugs. His

passion for this industry grew while

working in Kuwait as a manager of a

trading company that imported carpets and rugs to be distributed in the Gulf area. His dream was

to become the main producer in the field. In addition to his Masters degree in cost accounting, he

went on to acquire a diploma in carpet manufacturer to refine his skills. Taking advantage of the

low competition in Egypt, he opened the first private factory of rugs and Carpets in the country,

Oriental Weavers. Thanks to his innovative designs, creative techniques and attention to detail,

he is now considered the largest producer of machinery made rugs, carpets and printed rugs in

the world, exporting his products to over 110 countries in the world.

• He is the founder of Oriental Weavers.

• Thanks to his innovative designs, creative techniques and attention to detail, he is now

considered the largest producer of machinery made carpets.

• He is one of the famous members at National Democratic Party in Egypt.

• Home: Cairo

• Education: Post graduate- MBA

• Profile: Founder of Oriental Weavers

• Power: A great sense of responsibility, discipline and generosity (translated by his

significant

• charity work)

• Vision: to remain the leading manufacturer and exporter of machine-woven carpets in the

world.

• Success: Became the largest producer of machinery-made rugs, carpets and printed rugs

in the world. He is also expanding his presence in the field of petrochemicals, property

and real estate development.

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2. Ahmed Badr

(IT industry)

In 1995, entrepreneur Ahmed Badr co-founded, within a

team of six, an offshore outsourcing firm serving North

America and Canada. The team managed to win an

offshore outsourcing project with a Canadian software

firm (Corel Corporation) and this was the spark for

growth after which ITWorx managed to land several new accounts and started our journey of growth. The

operations in ITWorx faced several challenges given the time zone differences, the internet connectivity

and demanding customers in North America. However, the founders realized an opportunity in

geographical diversification and created a strategy to enter the Middle Eastern markets. The founders

created a unique methodology that guarantees the on-time and on-budget delivery of projects while

ensuring customers satisfaction. Innovation, Integrity, Quality, Agility and Team Play are the five core

values that distinguish ITWorx from competitors. As the co-founder of ITWorx, Ahmed Badr believes

that “ITWorx will always be a part of me whatever happens. I have been in so many roles, travelled to so

many countries and worked on all levels in ITWorx. The future of my career is built on the solid base of a

great organization called ITWorx.”

• Founded by 3 young entrepreneurs, this company is now one of the leading firms that provides

world-class professional software services in Egypt and serves customers in North America,

Europe and the Middle East.

• This company started with a team of six only but has now more than 700 employees in global

locations.

• It was not the first firm of its kind. However, the founders of this company introduced a unique

culture that defines five core values on which the company performs: Innovation, Integrity,

Quality, Agility and Team Play.

• You can say about this company that IT just Worx!

• Hometown: Cairo, Egypt

• Education: MSc in Computer Science.

• Profile: Co-founder and Vice President of ITWorx, a leading global software

professional services organization headquartered in Egypt.

• Power: Dedication and commitment to turn situations to success while focusing on the

resolution and ensuring it happens no matter what.

• Vision: Create a world-class professional services firm that delivers outstanding solutions

with high agility, innovation, integrity and team play.

• Success: Co-founded a leading firm that now provides software services to a list of

Fortune 500 customers.

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3. Amr Khaled:

(Media)

Amr Khaled was born in 1967 and he is married and

has two children. He is one of the most famous

Islamic advocates in the Middle East. He started his

first program on ART channel in 2001. He has done

about 15 successful Islamic programs during the last

9 years. He is one of the main social entrepreneurs as he is the founder of the global project “Life

Makers” aiming to instigate young men and girls into the direction of development projects

leading to a revival under the banner of “Development with Faith”. Also, he founded the

international project “Guardians of the Future” to increase awareness against the hazards of

drugs and smoking. In addition, Founder and chairman of the board of trustees of Right Start

Foundation (based in the UK). His website is classified as the most famous Arabic website, the

first individual website worldwide and ranked as number 425 among all other websites all over

the world.

• He is one of the most successful and famous Islamic advocates in the Middle East

• He has many valuable programs like Life Makers, a Call for Coexistence, and Mujadidun

(The Renovators)

• He was chosen among the world's top 100 most influential people the survey that was held by the

Time Magazine (2007).

• Hometown: Alexandria, Egypt

• Education: PhD of Islamic Sharia (law) with high honors from Wales University (UK).

Thesis title: Islam and Co-existing with others. 2010

• Profile: The most famous Islamic advocate in the Middle East and the founder of “Life

Makers”

• Power: Charismatic character that enables him to persuade the audience with his views

and development plans.

• Vision: Use faith to develop the society “Development with Faith”

• Success: Made young boys and girls aware of the teachings of Islam and guided them

towards developing their societies.

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4. Emad Adeeb:

(Media)

He is chairman and chief executive officer of Good News

Group, a group of holding companies specialized in media

publishing, content and entertainment Industry. GN4ME

employs over 500 people in several offices spread in the Arab

region. His career started at Al Ahram Newspaper and he held

several management editorial positions in famous Arabic Newspapers and Magazines such as, Al

Sharq Al Awsat, Sayedaty Magazine and others. In 1991, Adeeb founded the first daily Business

& financial newspaper in Egypt EL ALLAM EL YOM. He is a partner in Egypt’s first privately

owned FM Radio Station. He has conducted more than 2000 hrs of interviewing on air,

interviewing the most prominent International and Arab Leaders, such as President Mubarak,

President Yasser Arafat, Queen Rania, and others.

• The founder of Good News Group (GN4ME)

• He has two other famous brothers: Amr Adeeb and Adel Adeeb.

• He is one of the few Egyptian announcers who interviewed President Mubarak

• Hometown: Cairo, Egypt

• Education: Master degree in Business Administration, from London school of

Economics. Graduated from Cairo University with a degree in Journalism

• Profile: Chairman and chief executive officer of Good News Group, a group of holding

companies specialized in media publishing, content and entertainment Industry.

• Power: Dedication and commitment to accomplish this professionalism in media

• Vision: to encompass film production and distribution, television production and

broadcasting, advertising, newspaper and magazine publishing, book publishing,

multimedia, information technology and music publishing

• Success: He is a prominent Television host and he was named “Super Star

Extraordinaire” for the Orbit television talk show. He co-founded one of the leading

companies in the media field with over 500 employees in several offices spread in the

Arab region.

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5. Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish:

(Food Industry)

Ibrahim Abouleish was born in 1937 in Egypt and he did his

doctorate in 1969 in the field of pharmacology and then worked in

leading positions within pharmaceutical research. In 1977 he returned

to Egypt and founded the comprehensive development

initiative SEKEM. It is currently the market leader for organic

products and crop remedies. The organizations' innovative

development has led to a widespread use of biodynamic methods in pest control and to the

improvement of yields. In 2003, Dr. Abouleish and SEKEM received the Right Livelihood

Award (also known as the Alternative Nobel Prize) for integrating the business success with

development of the social and cultural aspects of society. In addition, he was selected as an

"Outstanding Social Entrepreneur" by the Schwab Foundation in 2004. Also, in 2006 he was

appointed as a councilor at the World Future Council. “It was my wish for this initiative to

embody itself as a community in which people from all walks of life, from all nations and

cultures, from all vocations and age groups, could work together, learning from one another and

helping each other, sounding as one in a symphony of harmony and peace.” (Dr. Ibrahim

Abouleish)

• The founder of the famous company SEKEM

• He was selected as an "Outstanding Social Entrepreneur" by the Schwab Foundation in

2004.

• He doesn’t only care about business success but also about the development of society.

• Hometown: Cairo, Egypt

• Education: PhD in the field of pharmacology in 1969

• Profile: Founded one of the most successful companies in business and developing the

community.

• Power: Insistence and commitment to achieve his dream

• Vision: SEKEM to embody itself as a community in which people from all walks of life,

from all nations and cultures, from all vocations and age groups, could work together,

learning from one another and helping each other, sounding as one in a symphony of

harmony and peace

• Success: Integrating the commercial success with promotion of the social and cultural

development of society

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6. Khaled Bichara:

(IT Industry)

He was born in 1971 and the chairman and cofounder of the largest

private ISP (Internet Service Provider) in the Middle East which is

LINKdotNET (LDN). His effective leadership has led the company

towards achieving significant breakthroughs in Information

Technology in the region. The company had a partnership with

Microsoft that resulted in the creation of MSN Arabia, the very first web portal in the region. He

has been a board member of different companies including, Orascom Telecom Holdings (OTH),

Tellas S.A, ARPU+ and that of MOBI mltd ltd. Also, he is a founding member of the Egyptian

Software Association as well as the Internet Society of Egypt. He is currently the CEO of

Orascom Telecom, one of the biggest operators of GSM services in Africa and the Middle East.

• The current CEO of Orascom Telecom

• The co-founder of LINKdotNET

• In 2003, Khaled Bichara was named by Business Today Egypt as the “Young Executive

of the Year”.

• Hometown: Cairo, Egypt

• Education: MSc in Computer Science at the American University in Cairo

• Profile: The chairman and cofounder of the largest private ISP (Internet Service

Provider) in the Middle East.

• Power: He is considered as one of the major contributors to the development of

telecommunication and information technology in the region, especially with his strong

management and entrepreneurial experience.

• Vision: To continuously participate in the developing of telecommunication and IT

sector in the region.

• Success: To be the CEO of Orascom Telecom at this young age

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7. Omar Fathy:

(Food Industry)

In 2002, his passion for cooking led him to sell his car and

invest in his first restaurant in Sharm El Sheikh. Since then,

Divine Worx, a food services company, has become the first home-grown, multi-branded

restaurant chain in Egypt. The company now owns four successful brands, operates more than 10

restaurants in four major cities, and employs more than 350 Egyptians. The brands are: Makany,

Burger Joint, Zo, and El Sit Hosneay. He plans to open at least four more restaurant outlets in

2010, bringing the total to 16, and hopes that over the next two years, the franchise will grow to

24 locations Omar and Divine Worx are providing differentiated concepts targeted specifically at

the Egyptian consumer. In fact, Omar is considered as a role model in Egypt with a proven

record of execution. Also, Endeavor's International Selection Panel chose Divine Worx to

receive its support. Omar believes that for entrepreneurship in Egypt to flourish, the culture will

have to change. "I like to feed people, to pamper them. If you're on a diet I do my best to make

you eat. I create my own recipes, I believe in having an orgasmic food experience." Omar Fathy.

• He is the founder of Divine Worx that includes the famous restaurant “Makany”

• He is so passionate for cooking

• Dedication and commitment made him face all challenges till he has 18 restaurants in 4

major cities in Egypt.

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8. Mahmoud Ibrahim El-Araby

(Electronics)

He and his two brothers, Mohamed Ibrahim El-Araby

and Abd Algayed Ibrahim El-Araby started the

company in 1964 in the industry of hardware and

children’s toys. He is currently the chairman of the Board of Directors. Actually, the main

turning point of Al-Araby group was conducting a partnership with Toshiba Corporation in 1974.

Also, the second partnership was with the Japanese Sharp Corporation in 2002. The number of

employees in El-Araby Group is about 16000, who produce and market electrical and domestic

appliances. His aim for the company is to be the best Arab and African Egyptian company in the

industry by the end of 2014. “Perhaps the secret of our success is the relationship within El-

Araby Group between man and God Almighty, manifested in abiding by the rules of noble human

relationships that our faith dictates, as well as maintaining a good relationship with partners,

suppliers and distributors, Hence, we are able to preserve the leading role of El-Araby Group

community in Egypt”. Mahmoud El-Araby

• He is a co-founder of one of the major companies in manufacturing electrical and

domestic appliances.

• His family name is also the name of the company

• The group cares not only about the business success but also about consideration, needs

and aspiration of the community.

• He built the new mosque “Al-Rahman Al-Rahim”

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9. Dr. Ahmed Hindawi

(Electronics)

The main idea of his business started in the mid 1990s when he was

doing his PhD in High Energy Physics. He was depending mainly

on arXiv to get scientific books and articles. This contributed to my

then growing interest in the publishing industry both from the

design and typography side as well as the technology and business

sides. In 1997, Ahmed Hindawi and his wife co-founded Hindawi

Publishing Corporation. They started to convert some of their journals to the open access

business model until they became a fully open access publisher in February 2007. They currently

publish over 200 journals in many academic areas. The main first project outside scholarly

publishing is uFollow which a service that allows its users to follow their individual favorite

bloggers and columnists. It enables its users to disaggregate the newspapers, magazines, and the

multi-author blogs to construct their own personalized channels. “Open access is an excellent

business model. Open access publishers don't need the copyright law to protect them because

they are not content providers but rather service providers. They are in the business of making

their articles as widely read as possible with no registration or subscription barriers because

that is what their authors want them to do” Ahmed Hindawi.

• He co-founded Hindawi Publishing Corporation

• He has a PhD in High Energy physics

• He is one of the main entrepreneurs in publishing scientific articles and books.

• Hometown: Cairo, Egypt

• Education: University of Pennsylvania, Ph.D., High Energy Physics, 1992 — 1997. Ain

Shams University, M.Sc., Physics, 1989 — 1992

• Profile: Dr. Ahmed is a high-energy physicist turned High-Impact Entrepreneur. He

founded Hindawi Publishing Corporation.

• Power: His dedication and ambition towards achieving a competitive edge for his

publishing corporation through its early adoption of the Open Access distribution

platform

• Vision: To shift market towards Open Access, create hundreds of jobs and prove that

change agents for traditional industries can come from Egypt.

• Success: Dr. Hindawi has succeeded in delivering the scientific content faster and

cheaper than other competitors. As a result, the Hindawi Corporation is one of the three

largest Open Access publishers worldwid

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10. Raghda El Ebrashi

(General)

Raghda was born in 1983 and she graduated from AUC in 2004. When

she was 12, she went in her first school trip to visit a home for the

elderly in Sharkiya. “I was not yet inexperienced, and I was still

involved in my luxurious “Cairo” life and pretty much unaware of the

real face of poverty.” Raghda El Ebrashi. She started volunteering in various NGOs since the age of 12,

with the encouragement of her parents. She has travelled inside Egypt and learnt about every village

and city. “I saw poverty – the real one – but those people whom we call ‘illiterate’ are those who

shaped my life forever” Raghda. All this encouraged Raghda to establish her organization “Alashanek

ya Balady” in 2002. The board of members formally registered the organization in 2005 with 100

volunteer and1 staff member. Now, they have over 10,000 volunteers and increasing with at least 2,000

volunteers every year. Also, they have 40 staff members, with a budget more than 6 million L.E per

year. They are working in Greater Cairo, Fayoum, El Menya, Beny Suif, and Qena. One of her main

goals is to instill the sense of volunteerism in community development rather than charity among

students from a young age through opening AYB-SD (Alahanek ya Balady Association for Sustainable

Development) franchises in public and private universities in Egypt. Currently, the organization has 7

franchises in AUC, the German University in Cairo (GUC), Cairo University, Ain shams University,

Alexandria University, Suez Canal University, and Arab Academy for Science and Technology.

• She founded Alashanek ya Balady in 2002.

• Selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and the Schwab

Foundation in 2010.

• Selected as being one of the most 65 influential social entrepreneurs and future

leaders in Egypt by Al Ahram Newspaper in 2007.

• Hometown: Cairo, Egypt

• Education: PhD in Social Entrepreneurship (GUC), MA in Professional Development

(AUC), and BA in Business Administration (AUC).

• Profile: She founded “Alashanek ya Balady”

• Power: She is very committed, dedicated, ambitious, highly educated, and experienced

in her field

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• Vision: Train and coach poor youth on the skills and job knowledge needed for them to

join the labor market. Coaching and training is based on market demand, and thus poor

youth are trained and coached on employers' needs. Act as an employment office for

poor youth, who graduated from AYB-SD (Alahanek ya Balady Association for

Sustainable Development) training and coaching programs. Graduates of the programs

either receive formal employment opportunities in companies/factories, or receive

small loans to start their own projects.

• Success: She was selected as the youngest fellow in the Arab World – 2010. Also, she

was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and the Schwab

Foundation.

11. Abdel Moneim Seoudi

• Home: Cairo

• Education: PHD graduate

• Profile: He was the first to introduce Japanese cars

(Suzuki motors and Nissan Motors) in the Egyptian market

(1972)

• Power: Highly contributed in the establishment of a

strong business relation between Egypt and Japan.

• Vision: To provide the highest quality products, as well as to always ensure customer

satisfaction, while actively contributing to the development of the Egyptian economy

• Success: Seoudi Group has expanded significantly and diversified its activities to include

over forty leading subsidiaries and affiliates in the fields of Manufacturing, Contracting,

Rea Estate, Services, Environment, International Trading as well as Financial Institutions

and Portfolio Management

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12. Azza Fahmy

• Home: Cairo

• Education: College Graduate

• Profile: Founder of Azza Fahmy Jewelry

• Power: Her ability to create modern designs incorporating

elements inspired by the Egyptian and Islamic culture.

• Vision: To further expand her business in additional continents.

• Success: The Company currently sells its products outside Egypt in twelve outlets

located in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and the

United Kingdom