Board of Directors
Alaa Arafa
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of Luxury wear Segment
Dr. Alaa Arafa is the son of founder and the major shareholder of Arafa Holding. Dr. Alaa served as the Chairman of the Ready Made Garments Export Council (RMGEC) and as a Board Member of Citadel Capital – the largest private equity firm in the Middle East and Africa. He also co-founded and served as a Board member of CIIC – one of the first and largest private investment banks in Egypt in the early 90’s. Dr. Arafa served as a Co-Chairman of the Egyptian Italian Business Council (EIBC) and is currently serving as the Chairman of the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies (ECEC) – one of the most sophisticated non-for profit think tanks and research houses in Egypt. Dr. Alaa is also a Board Member of the British Business Council. Dr. Arafa was born on 21st of November 1958 in Alexandria, Egypt and received his education at the Faculty of Medicine at Ain Shams University in Cairo.
Hala Hashem
Chairman of Formal Wear Segment
Ms. Hala Hashem joined Swiss Garments Company in 1994 as assistant to the CEO, Dr. Alaa Arafa, and held a number of positions in sales and export management before being appointed deputy General Manager in 2007. Ms. Hala was appointed CEO of the Apparel & Tailoring Segment and joined the Board in 2006. Today she is Chairman of the Formal Wear segment. She has a degree from the Faculty of Economics and & Political Science at Cairo University and an MBA from the Maastricht School of Management, the Netherlands.
Maha Hashem
Vice Chairman of Luxury Wear Segment
Ms. Maha Hashem joined Swiss Garments as a National Commercial Manager in 1998 and was appointed General Manager of Concrete in 1999, leading the turnaround and restructuring of the Company and introducing the successful children’s collection. She became CEO of the Retail Segment in 2006 and was appointed to the Board in the same year. Today she is Vice Chairman of the Luxury Wear segment and Chief Executive Officer of Concrete. Ms. Maha has a degree in Electronics & Communications from Cairo University.
Maria Luisa Cicognani
Non Executive Board Member
Maria Luisa Cicognani is a member of the Board of Azimut International Holding and Azimut Global Counselling, two subsidiaries of the Italian Azimut Group, the largest independent wealth manager in Italy. Her current responsibilities are focused on business development for the Azimut Group but also she continues to follow some selected clients on strategic transactions. She has worked for different investment banks including Merrily Lynch, Renaissance Capital and Mediobanca. During her 25-year banking and finance career she has covered private equity roles as well as advisory and business development positions.
She graduated from the International University of Japan (Niigata) with an MA in Japanese Economy and has an undergraduate degree in business administration from Bocconi University in Milano (Italy).
Mohamed Daoud
Non-Executive Board Member
Mr. Mohamed Daoud sits on the Board of Arafa Holding. He is also Chairman and Member of the Board of Mohamed Ahmed Daoud and Partners for Trading; Mohamed Ahmed Daoud and Partners for Engineering and Industrial Investments and Mohamed Ahmed Daoud for Electrical and Mechanical Industries “Madeco.” He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree.
Shereen Arafa
Non-Executive Board Member
Ms. Shereen Arafa joined the Board in 1997. She is involved in some of the Company’s charitable work, such as the Arafa Charity Foundation. Ms. Shereen has a degree in Accounting from Ain Shams University. She is the daughter of Mr. Ahmed Arafa, founder of the original Arafa business.
Samaa Ragab
Non-Executive Board Member
Ms. Samaa Ragab is involved in some of the Company’s charitable work, such as the Arafa Charity Foundation, and joined the Board in 1998. She is the mother of Dr. Alaa Arafa, Eng. Ashraf Arafa and Ms. Shereen Arafa.
Karim Radwan
Non-Executive Board Member
Karim Radwan joined Rimco Investments in 2014 as Director overlooking MENA. At Rimco, Karim is overseeing investments across different asset classes; including listed equities, investments in funds, co-investments and direct investments. Formerly, he was Investment Banking Director with Beltone Financial, whereby he was actively involved in M&A and Capital market transactions across various sectors. Before his shift into investment banking, Karim was in corporate banking for 5 years with Commercial International Bank “CIB” and HSBC. Karim holds an MBA (with distinction) from London Business School and a BA (with honors) in Economics from the American University in Cairo.