Professionals

Tarek Salah El-Din Atteya
Managing Director for Greenfield Projects Mr. Atteya joined Citadel Capital in 2007. Mr. Atteya worked with Arab Consulting Engineers in the Project Management Department, where he managed projects including the US$ 750 million CityStars multi-purpose real estate development and a US$ 107 million float glass factory in Tenth of Ramadan City. He holds a BSc in Engineering from Cairo University and an MBA from the Arab Academy for Technology and Maritime Transport in Cairo. Mr. Atteya is presently on secondement to ARESCO, a platform company of ASEC Holding, where he is serving as managing director and chief executive officer.

Abdalla ElEbiary
Managing Director Before joining Citadel Capital in February 2006, Mr. ElEbiary was a banker with the Investment Banking Division at Merrill Lynch & Co., where he participated in merger and acquisition transactions in addition to public and private financing, including the comprehensive financing of telecom and media companies such as Clearwire and Valor Communications Group. Previously, he was Business Analysis Manager in the Corporate Finance Department of the MeadWestvaco Corporation. He sits on the boards of Citadel Capital platform companies including Nile River Transportation Company (NRTC), ASEC Cement and Gozour. Mr. ElEbiary holds a BA in Economics from the American University in Cairo and an MBA from Columbia University in New York.

Stephen A. Murphy
Managing Director of Citadel Capital Institutional Fundraising Mr. Murphy joined Citadel Capital in 2008. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Murphy was head of private placements at Citigroup Global Markets. With more than 20 years of experience in private equity fundraising and investment banking, Mr. Murphy held a range of positions with Salomon Brothers / Salomon Smith Barney in New York, Tokyo and London starting in 1985. Originally a mergers and acquisitions specialist who headed Salomon’s European M&A practice in the early 1990s, Mr. Murphy’s career has covered a wide range of advisory as well as public and private fundraising activities. He executed Salomon’s first lead-managed IPO in Europe and has handled yankee and convertible bond funding and private placements for both general partners and private companies. Before re-joining Citigroup in 2001, he held the post of Managing Director of E*Trade International Capital, where he was, among other things, responsible for setting up the company’s online distribution of equity offerings via its web portal.

Alaa El-Afifi
Managing Director

Prior to joining Citadel Capital in 2006, Mr. El-Afifi was part of the UK Mergers and Acquisitions and the Industrials and Natural Resources teams at Goldman Sachs & Co in London. There, he worked on a number of high-profile investment banking deals and advised clients including Mittal Steel, Petroplus, Saint-Gobain, BP, Shell, BG, InterGen, MOL, SAS, ICI and Odeon Cinemas on mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt market strategies and raid-defense activities. He started his career as an investment banker at EFG Hermes, the leading investment bank in the region. Mr. El-Afifi is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) who holds a BA in Economics and Business Administration from the American University in Cairo and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business, with a concentration in Finance, Strategic and Entrepreneurial Management.

Shereef El Prince
Managing Director Prior to joining Citadel Capital in 2006, Mr. El Prince served as Senior Manager of Strategic Planning and Investor Relations at Vodafone Egypt, where he helped grow market capitalization to US$ 4 billion from US$ 1.5 billion. Previously, he was Vice President of Investment Banking at EFG Hermes, where he managed and coordinated a number of merger & acquisition transactions including the valuation analysis for Heineken’s US$ 287 million acquisition of a strategic share in Al-Ahram Beverages. He also led the US$ 1.6 billion listing of Vodafone Egypt on the Cairo and Alexandria Stock Exchange and helped coordinate a US$ 368 million listing of Orascom Telecom Global Depository Receipts on the London Stock Exchange. Mr. El Prince holds a BA in Economics from the American University in Cairo.

Bassem Azab
Managing Director Bassem Azab joined Citadel Capital in 2009 as a Managing Director and today manages equity placements across the Arab world. Azab was formerly Managing Director at Beltone Financial’s brokerage group, where he led Gulf Cooperation Council and MENA coverage. He previously served as Head of High Net Worth and Arab Institutions at EFG Hermes, the Arab world’s leading investment bank. He began his career in finance with the former Egyptian American Bank (today Crédit Agricole Egypt) and Citibank-Egypt, where he worked in corporate finance.

Amr El-Barbary
Managing Director Amr El-Barbary joined Citadel Capital as a Managing Director in 2009 after a career that spanned principal finance, corporate finance, and derivatives trading and structuring at Deutsche Bank and Citigroup. Prior to Citadel Capital, Mr. El-Barbary was part of the Emerging Markets Trading and Special Situations division at Deutsche Bank focusing on opportunities in MENA and Africa. Born in Egypt, he completed his Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering at the American University in Cairo with a stint at Pennsylvania State University.

Ahmed El Sharkawy
Principal Before joining Citadel Capital in 2008, Mr. El Sharkawy served as a Principal at Booz Allen Hamilton based in Abu Dhabi, where he advised leading regional private and public corporations in the telecommunications and media sectors. There, he counseled companies on investment strategy, valuation, financial planning, portfolio and growth strategy, organizational design, business development and regulatory and public policy. Previously, he was a Brand Manager at Henkel, Egypt. Mr. El Sharkawy holds a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the American University in Cairo, an MSc in Engineering Management from the University of Michigan, and an MBA from INSEAD.

Karim Badr
Principal Prior to joining Citadel Capital, Mr. Badr was Associate Director of Investment Banking at Barclays Bank, Egypt. He advised, arranged and executed Egypt’s first securitization transaction and over EGP 4 billion (US$ 727 million) in financing and acquisition transactions for a number of companies including Citadel Capital’s acquisitions of the Egyptian Fertilizers Company and a majority in stake in ASEC group. Mr. Badr also in a range of investment banking positions at Sigma Capital. He holds a BSc in Construction Engineering from the American university in Cairo.

Mohamed Abdellah
Principal Before joining Citadel Capital in 2005, Mr. Abdellah was with the high net worth desk at EFG-Hermes’ Brokerage arm. Earlier, at the Commercial International Bank (CIB)’s Credit Department, he handled the textiles and paper sector with a utilized portfolio of LE 500 million. Mr. Abdellah holds a BA in Accounting from Cairo University’s Faculty of Commerce.

Mostafa Sowelem
Principal Mr. Sowelem joined Citadel Capital in 2006, after serving as Strategic Planning Projects Manager with CEMEX Egypt. His diverse expertise spans various fields including strategic analysis, results based management, assessment, feasibility and acquisition in the cement and downstream oil and gas industries. Mr. Sowelem holds a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the American University in Cairo.

Raouf Tawfik
Principal Prior to joining Citadel Capital in 2005, Mr. Tawfik was Finance Specialist with Environment Quality International, where he worked in numerous areas including microlending and private equity. He was previously a Strategist and Equity Analyst with EFG-Hermes’ Brokerage arm. He holds a BSc in Construction Engineering from the American University in Cairo and an MSc in Finance from Imperial College Management School in London.

Tarek Hayaly
Principal Prior to joining Citadel Capital in 2008, Mr. Hayaly worked with Barclays Bank’s Structured Product / Investment Banking Group rising to the level of Associate Director of Investment Banking. Before his tenure at Barclays, Mr. Hayaly was a Senior Staff Officer in HSBC Egypt’s Corporate Banking Division. Mr. Hayaly graduated with a BA from the American University in Cairo (AUC) and later earned an MBA at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he interned with UBS Investment Bank’s M&A team.

Amr M. El-Kadi
Head of Investor Relations and Risk Management Mr. El-Kadi spent more than 20 years in Commercial Banking, Investment Banking and Investor Relations before joining Citadel Capital as Head of Investor Relations and Risk Management. Previously, Mr. El-Kadi helped establish and lead EFG Hermes’ Research practice, and later he headed the regional investment bank’s Risk Management operations. Before his work at EFG Hermes, Mr. El-Kadi worked with credit groups at leading local and international banks across Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United States. Mr. El-Kadi sat on the Board of Al-Watany Bank of Egypt, is a founding member of the Egyptian Capital Markets Association and sits on the Egyptian Exchange’s EGX 30 Committee. He has previously served on the Boards of a number of spinning, weaving, ready-made garments and media production companies, and lectures on financial analysis and credit related topics at several of Cairo’s universities and institutions. Mr. El-Kadi earned a BA with High Honors and an MA from the American University in Cairo (AUC), both in Economics.

Ghada Hammouda
Head of Corporate Communications Prior to joining Citadel Capital in 2008, Ms. Hammouda served as a senior executive and consultant to top New York and Cairo firms including Reciprocal, Inc.; Nabli Business Consulting Group (NBCG); Ogilvy & Mather; N.W. Ayer & Partners, Backer, Spielvogel, Bates and AT&T International in categories ranging from FMCG to IT. Ms. Hammouda was also a board member for the New York-based Sunhawk.com Corporation, a leading digital rights management company. The winner of the first International Advertising Research Foundation’s Award for marketing research and insight excellence, Ms. Hammouda brings to Citadel Capital over 18 years diverse experience in strategic business planning and problem solving, project management and marketing consultancy, with particular emphasis on globalizing brands. Ms. Hammouda graduated summa cum laude from the American University in Cairo with a BA in Business Administration and Mass Communications and holds a law degree from Cairo University.

Hazem Dakroury
Head of Government Relations Prior to joining Citadel Capital at the end of 2007, Mr. Dakroury was a senior official in Egyptian government service. Mr. Dakroury joined government service in 1983 and was seconded to the United Arab Emirates in 1988 for a six-year stint in Abu Dhabi, where he worked in the risk analysis and foreign affairs portfolios. Mr. Dakroury is also an advisor and shareholder representative to several companies. He holds a law degree from Ain Shams University, a Diploma in International Negotiation from the University of London and a Diploma in Risk Analysis from the University of New Mexico.

Ihab Rizk
Head of Human Resources Prior to joining Citadel Capital in 2006, Mr. Rizk served as Commercial Manager and Human Resources Manager for Fayrouz International (FI). During his tenure as Human Resources Manager at FI, he performed various tasks including setting up the divisional and regional HR organizational infrastructure, global recruitment, in addition to manpower and headcount planning. As Commercial Manager, he was responsible for the launch of a number of products from development through the implementation of market strategies, distribution methodologies and relationship building. He has previously worked for both LinkdotNet Holding and Shell Marketing Egypt. Mr. Rizk holds a BA in Economics and an MBA, both from the American University in Cairo.

Rania R. Bata
General Counsel Prior to joining Citadel Capital in 2007, Ms. Bata was a partner at Sarwat A. Shahid Law Firm, where her practice areas included banking, acquisitions, joint ventures, securities offerings, privatization and legal due diligence. Ms. Bata has advised, represented and negotiated on significant transactions including the consortium led by Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat) in its successful bid for the third Egyptian mobile telecom license; a bid by a leading Egyptian bank for the Bank of Alexandria; and several acquisitions of Egyptian companies by foreign investors. She has conducted legal due diligence reviews of over 60 companies and advised on the establishment of the first internet financial portal in Egypt. Ms. Bata holds a BA in International Relations from West Virginia University and a JD from West Virginia University’s College of Law. She is admitted to the West Virginia bar.

Salam Hammad
Head of Administration Prior to joining Citadel Capital in 2006, Ms. Hammad managed human resources, administrative and financial efforts for companies and NGOs operating in a number of industries. A founder and manager of two successful advertising agencies, she was later elected a Member of the Board of Directors and Secretary-General at the British International Schools (BISC). Ms. Hammad’s service with the NGO sector includes a term as Deputy Executive Director at the British Egyptian Business Association (BEBA) and later as Executive Director of the Egyptian Society of Association Executives (EgSAE). She holds a BA in Economics from Cairo University and diplomas in International Finance, Psychology and Marketing.

Tarek Hassan
Head of Legal Department Mr. Hassan spent over 20 years in corporate law before joining Citadel Capital as head of its legal department. Mr. Hassan began his career at the Law Office of Dr. Saeed El Halafawy, where he gained extensive experience establishing joint-stock companies in several national jurisdictions and acted as a lead advisor on M&A transactions throughout the Middle East and Africa. After establishing and building a private practice from 1994-1999, Mr. Hassan moved to the Funoun Group to head its Legal Department. Mr. Hassan holds a law degree from Cairo University.

Ali Yousef
Associate Prior to joining Citadel Capital, Mr. Yousef started his career with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in London, England, where he joined as a graduate trainee in the Corporate Risk Assurance Services practice. Mr. Yousef built a wealth of experience in financial assurance, internal control, risk management and Sarbanes Oxley compliance. His client portfolio included leading FTSE 100 companies in London, Europe and New York. Mr. Yousef joined Citadel Capital as an associate in May 2007. He holds a BSc (with Honors) in Accounting and Financial Management from Loughborough Business School and a Diploma in Industrial Services.

Christos Argyriou
Associate Mr. Argyriou joined Citadel Capital in June 2006. After completing the firm’s standard three-month training course, he joined the team working on the establishment of the Egyptian Refining Company (ERC) as his first assignment. He is a graduate of the American University in Cairo.

Dena Sarrouf
Associate Prior to joining Citadel Capital in 2006, Dena Sarrouf worked as a Logistics & Raw Materials Buyer with Master Foods North Africa, Levant and East Mediterranean – Mars Incorporated, where she worked in shipping, procurement and supplier development on both global and local levels. As an Analyst and currently an Associate at Citadel Capital, she has worked on the financing of upstream oil and gas transactions including the US$ 868 million acquisition of Calgary-based Rally Energy in 2007. She holds a BA in Finance from the American University in Cairo.

Hassan Massoud
Associate and General Manager for Ethiopia and South Sudan Prior to joining Citadel Capital in 2009, Mr. Massoud was a Senior Analyst at A.T. Kearney based out of Chicago. Mr. Massoud advised clients in the energy, mining and process industries on a variety of strategic issues including acquisitions, growth and supply-chain strategy. He previously served as an investment analyst at the Burridge Group, a Chicago-based investment management firm. Mr. Massoud spearheads Citadel Capital’s operations in Ethiopia, Uganda and South Sudan, in addition future expansion into East Africa. He holds a BA in Economics from Knox College.

Omar El Alfy
Associate Prior to joining Citadel Capital in 2007, Mr. El Alfy was with the Business Development department of Prime Investments, where he worked mainly in maritime logistics and the downstream oil industries. He was also the Finance Adviser and Business Sales Manager of Direct Auto Finance in the United Kingdom. Mr. El Alfy holds a BA in Business Administration from De Montfort University in Leicester, United Kingdom.

Sandra Mohamed Rashed
Associate Ms. Rashed joined Citadel Capital in 2006, where she has a worked on the firm’s investments in the food and agriculture and transportation and logistics sectors. She holds a BA in Finance and Management Information Systems from the American University in Cairo.

Youssef Allam
Associate Before joining Citadel Capital in 2008, Mr. Allam was Investment Manager and Business Development Manager at Youssef Allam & Co. Previously, he served as Sales Manager at Heidelberg North East Africa. He holds a BSc degree in Industrial Engineering from the October University for Modern Science and Arts, an MBA from EADA in Barcelona, and an MSc in Finance from EDHEC Business School in Nice.

Nazim Meziane
Associate Prior to joining Citadel Capital, Mr. Meziane was an auditor at KPMG Algeria, the largest audit firm in Algeria. There, he reviewed some of the largest companies in the country and performed due diligence analysis on behalf of major investors considering investments in Algeria. Mr. Meziane is a certified public accountant (CPA) and legal auditor. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management and Accounting from the University of Algiers.

Ingy El Khoraibie
Financial Analyst Ms. El Khoraibie joined Citadel Capital in 2008 and has since worked on investments across the firm’s energy distribution, finance, specialty real estate and river transportation platforms. Ms. Khoraibie holds a BA in Business Administration with a specialization in Finance from the American University in Cairo.

Laila Hassan
Financial Analyst Ms. Hassan joined Citadel Capital in 2008 and has since worked on the firm’s glass, upstream oil and gas, and mid-cap investment projects. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Hassan was a trainee with EFG-Hermes’ Investment Banking division and was a corporate law intern at the Shalakany Law Office. She graduated with dual degrees in 2008: a BA in Business Administration from the American University in Cairo and a Bachelor of Law from Cairo University.

Rana Abdel Latif
Associate Prior to joining Citadel Capital in 2009, Ms. Abdel Latif worked as a financial analyst for Beltone Financial’s Asset Management Team, where she was responsible for developing investment recommendations for the fund manager, presenting new products to clients as well as assisting in portfolio management. Ms. Abdel Latif was also an analyst for ABN AMRO Rothschild in London before she joined Orascom Telecom’s business development group, where she worked on M&A deals and the perpetration of bids for new mobile licenses. Ms. Abdel Latif holds a BSc in Management Information Systems from the University of Modern Sciences and Arts in Cairo.

Omar El Imam
Financial Analyst Mr. El Imam joined Citadel Capital in 2007, after working with the Central Bank of Egypt. He has worked with Citadel Capital on a number of projects in the upstream oil and gas sector, including projects in Pakistan, as well as the firm’s investments in fast-moving consumer goods. His principal brief is work on the firm’s first permanent fund and the establishment of Citadel Capital’s Dubai office. Mr. El Imam graduated summa cum laude from the American University in Cairo with a BA in Business Administration and a concentration in Finance.

Salma Mansour
Financial Analyst Ms. Mansour joined Citadel Capital in 2009 and presently works on cement and refining transactions, in addition to institutional fundraising. Prior to joining Citadel Capital, she interned with MEO Associates on energy and infrastructure project finance and with the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association in Washington, DC. Ms. Mansour completed an Economics and Public Policy program at Georgetown University and graduated summa cum laude from the American University in Cairo with a BA in Economics.

Ahmed Salah El Din Mohamed
Legal Relations Executive Mr. Salah joined Citadel Capital in 2005 with six years of broad experience as a corporate attorney with a local practice. His background provides him with particular familiarity with Egyptian commercial law and the legal procedures on governing, establishing and amending local business entities. Mr. Salah graduated from Zagazig University’s Faculty of Law.

Heba El-Tawil
Investor Relations Officer A veteran research analyst and business consultant with more than a decade of experience covering regional equities, Heba El-Tawil joined Citadel Capital as investor relations officer in 2009. Ms. El-Tawil began her career in finance with EFG Hermes, the leading investment bank in the Arab world, as a broker with primary responsibility for the Egyptian market before joining EFG Hermes’ award-winning research team. As a Senior Analyst, she helped lead the intialization of coverage of MENA markets including Morocco, Kuwait and Dubai. Ms. El-Tawil also led the team that produced research documents for the IPOs of Al-Ezz Steel Rebars (ESR) and GEMMA and was on the two-person team that produced the research document for the highly successful IPO of Orascom Construction Industries (OCI). She earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in Business Administration (minor in Economics) High Honors from the American University in Cairo.

May Ezz El Din
Corporate Communications Executive Prior to joining Citadel Capital in 2008, May Ezz El Din was Media Relations Manager at TRACCS Arabia, where she was responsible for planning and executing media relations programs, issue management and event management on key Egyptian and international accounts. Ms. Ezz El Din’s past key accounts include Visa International, Bristol Myers Squibb, the Egyptian Tourism Authority, the Suzanne Mubarak Peace Movement and Citadel Capital. She studied accounting at the English Section of Cairo University’s Faculty of Commerce.

Mohamed Abdel Aziz
Chief Accountant Mr. Abdel Aziz joined Citadel Capital in 2008 and is today responsible for assisting in the firm’s internal finance, accounting and reporting operations. He had previously served at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where was an Associate Auditor on the Assurance Team. There, he was responsible for assessing financial controls and the integrity of reporting across a number of leading multinational firms. Mr. Abdel Aziz holds a Bachelor’s of Commerce in Accounting with Honors from the English section of Cairo University and is currently a holder of the ACCA’s International Financial and Reporting Standards certificate.

Ramy Barsoum
Information Technology Manager Mr. Barsoum joined Citadel Capital in 2007 and brings to the firm a broad technical background and experience across a number of roles and functions. He began his career at MEMScAP Ltd, a leading international provider of micro-electromechanical systems, as a systems engineer. Mr. Barsoum worked with Al-Ahram Beverages in a number of technical and business functions and with Schlumberger Logelco as a systems engineer, project manager and digital infrastructure sales engineer. He holds a degree in Engineering with concentration in Computer Science with honors from Ain Shams University.

Reem Kadry
Paralegal Ms. Kadry joined Citadel Capital in 2008 and has worked on legal and compliance projects related to the firm’s Special Purpose Vehicles. Ms. Kadry holds a BA in Political Science and Theater from the American University in Cairo. She also studied at the University of Washington in the United States (Seattle).