FAJR CAPITAL - Key Persons
Abdulaziz Alsubeaei serves on the Fajr Capital Board of Directors as a representative of Mohammed Alsubeaei & Sons Investment Company ("MASIC"). He played a pivotal role in the creation of MASIC and is currently a board member of the company. He is also the Chairman of Jabal Omar Development Company, and a founder and member of the Board of Directors of Jadwa Investment. Mr. Alsubeaei also serves on the Founder's Committee and the Executive Committee of Bank Al Bilad in Saudi Arabia and on the Board of Directors of four other companies.
Abdur-Rafay Naeem works in the Finance & Risk function at Fajr Capital. He joined Fajr Capital from A.F. Ferguson & Co. (a member firm of the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) network), where he was an Assistant Manager in the Assurance and Business Advisory (ABAS) group. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant (under The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP)) and holds a Bachelors of Commerce (First Class Division) from the Karachi University, Pakistan.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the Management Team
Arsalan Mustafa is a Director at Fajr Capital and focuses on principal investments. He joined Fajr Capital from Goldman Sachs, where he was an Associate, Research. He has more than a decade of experience in equity research and direct investment in the Middle East, including previous roles at HSBC and SAIB BNP Paribas. Mr Mustafa holds a bachelor's degree from McGill University and an Executive MBA from Cass Business School. He is also a qualified Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Member of the Management Team
Atif Mahmood is a Managing Director at Fajr Capital and covers principal investments. He has led Fajr Capital's investments in the oil and gas (including the successful acquisition and subsequent exit of National Petroleum Services), industrial manufacturing, and infrastructure sectors, and serves on the board and executive committees of various portfolio companies. Prior to joining Fajr Capital, he worked at PwC in Dubai and Karachi. He is a qualified Chartered Accountant, Chartered Management Accountant and Chartered Financial Analyst, with a record-setting nine gold medals at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Pakistan and a joint third highest in the world in Financial Accounting at the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants in the United Kingdom.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Audit and Risk Committee of the Board
M. Atila Kurama is an independent director on the Fajr Capital Board of Directors. He is currently the Chairman of BRK Bereke Construction Mining and Investment Inc. and has served as the Board Member of Godiva Chocolatier since its acquisition by Yıldız Holding in 2007. He was previously the CEO of Gozde Private Equity Investment Co., the largest publicly listed Private Equity business in Turkey, and also held several senior positions at the Ulker Group, including Chief Financial Officer of the Group and the General Manager and Executive Board Member of Yıldız Holding until his retirement in January 2014. In addition to strong insight and connectivity into Turkey and other OIC markets, Mr Kurama brings deep expertise in the financial services sector, having played a pivotal role in the 60% sale of Türkiye Finans to Saudi Arabia's National Commercial Bank (NCB) in 2008. He graduated from Bogaziçi University in Turkey with a Bachelor's degree in management and received his MBA degree from Cardiff Business School.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Member of the Management Team
- Managing Director, Legal and Investments
Ben Sautelle-Smith is a Managing Director, Legal and Investments at Fajr Capital. Mr. Sautelle-Smith has a broad remit at Fajr Capital, including the structuring, negotiation and implementation of investments and exits, portfolio management activities and internal corporate governance, operational and investor matters. Mr. Sautelle-Smith has represented Fajr Capital at the board and committee level of its portfolio companies. Mr. Sautelle-Smith is a dual-qualified English and New York lawyer and previously worked in the London office of leading US law firm Covington & Burling LLP. Mr. Sautelle-Smith holds a First Class LLB (Hon.) degree from Exeter University with commendation for graduating top of year.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Investment Committee
- Independent Director
Chris Masterson is an independent director on the Fajr Capital Board of Directors and is also Chairman of Fajr Capital's Investment Committee. He is currently the Chairman of Montagu Private Equity, a leading private equity firm in the European market. He has over three decades of principal investment experience at Montagu and elsewhere. Mr. Masterson read Psychology at University College London and holds an MBA from Manchester Business School.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director
- Member of the Management Team
Cyril Samin is an Associate Director at Fajr Capital and focuses on principal investments. He joined Fajr Capital from Citi, where he was an Associate in the Middle East Investment Banking Team based in Dubai. Prior to that, he was based in London and was part of Citi's Transportation & Infrastructure Investment Banking Team, which he joined in 2010. Mr Samin holds a master's degree in International & Corporate Finance from ISC Paris Business School and an undergraduate degree in Business Management from Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines in France.
Dr. Khalid Alsweilem is an independent director on the Fajr Capital Board of Directors, and currently serves as a nonresident fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He was previously Chief Counselor and Director General of Investment at the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, where he held several senior positions since 1991. He holds degrees from the University of Arizona (BS Industrial Engineering), Boston University (MA Economics) and University of Colorado at Boulder (PhD Economics), and was a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University (Economics & Finance).
Hani Halawani serves on the Fajr Capital Board of Directors as a representative of Mohammed Alsubeaei & Sons Investment Company ("MASIC"), where he is the Chief Executive Officer. Before joining MASIC, Mr Halawani was the Chief Investment Officer at Sanabil Investments. From 2005 to 2008, he worked at the World Bank Group in Washington, DC initially as an Infrastructure Finance Specialist and later as an Investment Officer in the International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group. His tenure at the World Bank Group included assignments in Vietnam, Indonesia, and China. Mr Halawani began his career as an Instrumentation Engineer at Saudi Aramco in 1998. He holds a bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering from Boston University and an MBA from Yale University. He also serves as a director on the board of National Aquaculture Group, Thakher Development Company, Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company, and MASIC Logistics.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Team
- Head of Human Capital Management and the CEO 's Office
Hasli Hasan is currently responsible for human capital management and administration, and is Head of the CEO's Office at Fajr Capital. He joined Fajr Capital from Khazanah Nasional (the Government of Malaysia's strategic investment fund), where he was Special Officer to the Managing Director / Chief Executive Officer. Prior to that, he spent a few years in equity research and project management roles in Malaysia. He holds an Executive MBA from Imperial College London, a Master of Philosophy (in Engineering) from University of Cambridge, and a Bachelor of Science (in Electrical Engineering) from Purdue University.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Management Team
Iqbal Ahmad Khan is the Chief Executive Officer of Fajr Capital. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Cravia Group, Jadwa Investment and MENA Infrastructure. Prior to Fajr Capital, he was the founding CEO of HSBC Amanah, where he built the business and team over eight years into one of the fastest growing and most successful emerging businesses in the HSBC Group. He is a long-time advocate of the Islamic financial services industry, serving as an advisor to government initiatives in Brunei, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. He holds a Master's degree in Political Science and International Relations and a B.Sc. (Hons) in Physics and Chemistry, both from Aligarh Muslim University. He is the recipient of several industry and global accolades, including the Royal Award for Islamic Finance, a biannual prize presented by HM the King of Malaysia, and a Lifetime Achievement Award presented by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the UAE.
Junaidi Hj Masri serves on the Fajr Capital Board of Directors as a representative of the Government of Brunei Darussalam. He is currently Managing Director of Strategic Development Capital Fund, under the Ministry of Finance and Economy, Brunei Darussalam. He was previously Managing Director of the Brunei Investment Agency (BIA). He joined the BIA in 1991, and was Director and Head of Venture Capital and Strategic Investments, managing BIA's investments globally. Mr. Masri holds a B.Sc Degree in Computer and Management Sciences from Keele University, United Kingdom.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the Management Team
Manglam Jain is a Director at Fajr Capital and focuses on principal investments. He joined Fajr Capital in 2011 and has over a decade of Investment Banking experience. He has an MBA (Finance) from the International Management Institute, Belgium, and has completed the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) programme.
Mansoor Shakil is an Advisor at Fajr Capital and previously served as Managing Director. Prior to Fajr Capital, Mr. Shakil was Director, Asset Management Group at the Doha-based Al Rayan Investment. Before Al Rayan, he was a Director with HSBC Amanah. Mr. Shakil has over sixteen years of experience; first as a corporate attorney before transitioning into product development, sell-side private placement advisory, listed equities and private equity. He holds LL.M. degrees from Harvard Law School and Cambridge University, as well as LL.B (Hon.) degree in Shariah & Law from International Islamic University, Islamabad.
Maya Shaar works in the Legal & Corporate Affairs function at Fajr Capital. She has been working in the legal sector in Dubai for several years, including a secondment to a magic circle law firm. Maya is an English qualified lawyer and speaks English, Arabic and German. She holds a LLB (Hon.) Degree from the University of Exeter and a LLM Degree in International Development Law and Human Rights with Distinction from the University of Warwick.
Mike Powell is an independent director on the Fajr Capital Board of Directors. He is a Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Thematic Capital Partners LLP and Senior Partner of GCS Capital LLP. He was formerly Global Head of Markets for HSBC and a member of the HSBC Group Executive Committee, and is well-known as a seasoned global macro investor with extensive strategic management experience. Mr. Powell is a non-executive director of Jadwa Investment, and serves on the board of a number of technology companies. Mr. Powell has an MBA from Henley Business School.
Job Titles:
- Director, Investments and Head of Khazanah Turkey Representative Office
Mr. Halil Ucarer is currently Director, Investments and Head of Khazanah Turkey Representative Office. He also sits on the Board of the Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport and a Board Observer at Fine Hygienic Holding in Jordan (as a Khazanah nominee). Prior to Khazanah, he was an Investment Officer at the International Financial Corporation (IFC) in Istanbul, Turkey. Prior to this role, he was attached to various institutions in Turkey. He holds a BA in Economics from Koc University (Turkey) and an MBA from SDA Bocconi (Italy).
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Member of the Management Team
Mubashar Khokhar is a Managing Director at Fajr Capital and covers investments. Between 2015 and 2021, he served as the CEO / Managing Director and Board member of BIBD (on full-time secondment from Fajr Capital). He is a seasoned financial services professional with more than 30 years' experience across fifteen developed and emerging markets, including the USA, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Prior to Fajr Capital, Mr Khokhar was the CEO of Ajman Bank, a publicly listed Shari'a compliant bank in UAE, and also served as the CEO of Badr Al-Islami/Mashreq Al-Islami, a wholly owned subsidiary of MashreqBank. During his reign, Ajman Bank received widespread industry recognition, including the coveted ‘Best Domestic Bank' award in 2011. Mr Khokhar has previously served on the Board of Directors of Badr Al-Islami and SAMBA Pakistan Ltd, and held senior positions in American Express Bank and Bank of America. He has an MBA and BBA (Hon.) from Ohio University, USA.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Team
- Head of Business Development and Communications
Noman Tahir oversees business development and communications at Fajr Capital. He is involved in various aspects of Fajr Capital's investment activities and is also responsible for spearheading the development and management of Fajr Capital's key industry and institutional relationships. Mr Tahir has a decade of experience in developed and emerging markets. He started his career at Weber Shandwick, advising multinational financial services institutions on public affairs and policy in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. He holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Glasgow and an MBA from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Managing Director
- Member of the Management Team
Rizwan Kherati focuses on corporate and investment operations and is the Chief Financial Officer at Fajr Capital. Mr Kherati also represents Fajr Capital on the Board of Directors of Biogen, a leading UK-based renewable energy firm. He has led a variety of functions at leading international firms, including financial control, financial analysis, audit, risk management, compliance and operations. Prior to Fajr Capital, Mr Kherati was the Global Head of Finance and Risk at HSBC Amanah. In earlier roles, he worked at HSBC Financial Services (Middle East), Orix Leasing and PwC. He is a qualified chartered accountant, cost and management accountant, corporate secretary and internal auditor.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Member of the Management Team
Zahid Kamal is a Managing Director at Fajr Capital. He is actively involved in various aspects of Fajr Capital's transactions (including origination, execution and portfolio management) and strategic initiatives. He is also a board and executive committee member of several Fajr Capital portfolio companies, including Cravia Group, and is a member of Emerging Markets Private Equity Association's Middle East Council. Prior to Fajr Capital, Zahid was a senior lawyer at Ashurst LLP in London and Dubai, where he advised Fajr Capital and other corporate clients. He has over fourteen years' experience in UK and MENA public and private company transactions, including private equity, M&A, public takeovers, IPOs, investment funds, secondary offerings, restructurings and joint ventures.