EMERGE GROUP - Key Persons
Ahlam BENNANI enjoys more than 20 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions for both businesses and investment funds. She has acquired a sharp expertise of M&A transactions, risk-management and performance improvement. After starting her career at Arthur Andersen and Ernst & Young in Transaction Services and Business Advisory, Ahlam BENNANI joined Saham Finances in 2011 as M&A Director. She helped Saham Finances grow in Africa and the Middle-East, as well as with the entry and exit of Saham Group's various partners. She graduated from Rouen Business School.
Before joining Emerge Invest, Amadou Barry had several experiences in Transaction Advisory Services in Moroccan and French M&A boutiques. He has advised African and French companies on several capital transactions covering the mid and small cap segments. Through his experiences, he has developed a multi-sector expertise as well as a good knowledge of M&A, fund raising and LBO issues. Amadou Barry is a graduate of the École Nationale de Commerce et de Gestion Agadir.
Job Titles:
- Angola Correspondent
- Expert
Charbel Matar joined the Emerge team in 2020 as an expert on the Angolan market.
After his schooling in Lebanon, Charbel Matar continued his university studies in Bordeaux, France. He started his career in the hospital sector in Bordeaux and then, in 1987, he took over the management of the Arpeche company in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, a position he held until 2004. From that date, Charbel Matar moved to Luanda in Angola where he founded the construction company B&S. He then joined the Saham Assurances Group, where he was Development Manager for seven years. In parallel, Charbel Matar was a director of Saham Assurances Luanda from 2013 to 2016.
Fatima Ezzahraa holds a degree from École Nationale de Commerce et de Gestion of Tangier in financial management and accounting. Before joining Emerge Invest, she had an experience in the sales department in the car insurance sector in France. She also worked as a commercial attaché for Cdiscount Energie.
Through her experiences, Fatima Ezzahraa was able to develop an increased knowledge of commercial techniques in different sectors.
Fatima Ezzahraa Ait Allal spent a year studying in Gabon (in Port Gentil). This experience enabled her to have a field experience in Central Africa.
After graduating from HEC and École Polytechnique, Ghalia BENABDELJELIL started her career at the Boston Consulting Group in Paris and Tokyo. She then joined the Kering Group, supporting the CEO in the strategic management of its Couture & Leather Goods division. Ghalia later joined Saham with 3 responsabilities : Director of Strategic Projects, Chairman Chief of Staff and General Manager of the Saham Foundation. Her track-record includes participation in numerous large scale capital operations. Ghalia BENABDELJELIL has a strong strategic and financial expertise.
Hajar BENAMAR joined the Emerge team in 2021 after fifteen years of experience in the field of finance and management. She has developed expertise in corporate finance, financial structuring, performance monitoring and improvement, and post-transaction integration. After starting her career at Grant Thornton in audit and financial advisory, Hajar joined the Saham Group in 2011. Upon the acquisition of the division by Sanlam Group in October 2018, Hajar was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Sanlam Pan Africa General Insurance. She is a member of the Exco in charge of Finance, Actuarial Science, Legal Affairs, and Regulatory Compliance. Hajar is a Chartered Accountant graduated from the École Supérieure de Commerce et d'Administration des Entreprises of Casablanca.
Henrique was the Head of the Investment Banking Division of Banco Prestígio S.A. in Angola, responsible for the coverage of activities related to corporate finance, project finance, structured finance and capital markets. Prior to joining Banco Prestígio, he acquired a strong background in Investment Banking, having worked in the Investment Banking division of Standard Bank. Among his many roles, he was actively involved in large-scale projects in different sectors. He was responsible for the development of complex financial models used to support M&A and debt transactions. Within Banco Millennium Atlantico as a senior investment banking specialist, he completed several successful originations and transactions.
In addition to a Master's degree in Finance from the Lisbon School of Economics and Management in Portugal, Henrique holds the CEFA (Certified European Financial Analyst) certificate.
A graduate of the ISCAE Group, Omayma began her career as a Strategic Project Manager with the SAHAM Group where she developed her know-how in Strategic and Financial Management. During her career, she participated in the elaboration and monitoring of the strategic plans of different subsidiaries and in the study of investment opportunities. Omayma also contributed to the realization of several M&A projects of the group.
Raymond FARHAT has 35 years of financial industry experience in Africa and the Middle-East. As CEO of Saham Finances and then Advisor to the Chairman from 2017, he played an essential part in the expansion and development of Saham Group. Thanks to his African expertise, he helped Saham Finances build a unique network in 27 countries across Africa. Raymond FARHAT further directed the sale of Saham Group's shares in Saham Finances to Sanlam.
Job Titles:
- Business Development Manager
After two years of HEC preparatory classes and a diploma from the European Business School of Lyon, Rémy Cazavet started his career in Côte d'Ivoire. Specialized in Market Penetration, especially in the Agro-Industrial sector in Africa, Rémy accumulates professional experience in Startups, SMEs, and Multinational Companies. With a solid experience in more than 24 African countries as Sales Director, Rémy Cazavet has accompanied among others SIDEL (World Leader in Line Engineering and Packaging) and Barry Callebaut (World Leader in Cocoa Products) in their African development strategies.