Tuesday March 19th, 2024
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6 Egyptians Named Among '50 Most Influential Women in Middle East Finance'

From acclaimed lawyers, indsutry experts, to CEOs, Financial News names the top 6 women in Egypt's financial sector.

Staff Writer

Women across the region have been stepping up their career game across each and every sector, including the traditionally male-dominated world of finance. But out with rusty traditions, and in with Financial News' (FN) powerlist of the Middle East's most influential women in finance, which in its 2019 edition features six Egyptian women as leaders of finance and powerhouses in their respective institutions and fields.

From Qalaa Holdings, one of Africa's largest energy and infrastructure firms, Management Committee member and accomplished lawyer Yasmin Al Gharabwie made it on FN's list in recognition of her successful career at her current firm, which was preceded by years of experience as Head of Legal Affairs at Microsoft and Heineken.

Al Gharabwie spent the first decade of her career at the prestigious Shalakany Law Firm, where she was mentored by acclaimed lawyer Mona Zulficar, who is another Egyptian featured on the list. Chairwoman of EFG Hermes and founding partner at Zulficar & Partners , Zulficar is an exceptionally renowned lawyer, activist, and economist, having led a four-decade career in legal practice in banking, finance, capital markets and mergers and acquisitions.

As one of the big players in investment banking in Egypt, Pharos Holding for Financial Investments is the only major investment banks in Egypt to be run by a woman, namely Noha El Ghazaly, who's been featured on the list and hailed as a fierce and accomplished figure in the industry. She's also a qualified neurolinguistics programming practitioner and holds an MBA from Edinburg Business School.

Head of Strategy & Development at Banque Misr, the fourth Egyptian on the list, Maha Heba EnayetAlla is the most senior woman at the state-run bank. After a long career in corporate banking and retail development at a subsidiary of Chase Manhattan Bank, EnayetAlla joined Banque Misr back in 2010, and now sits on its Assets Management board, runs the bank's sustainability program, and heavily involved in most major strategic decision-making at the bank.

Doubling net profit of Export Development Bank of Egypt, as well as its client base, in mere three years, Chairwoman and CEO Mervat Zohdy Soltan is a respected and sought after figure in Egypt's financial sector, with 35 years of banking experience under her belt at the likes of HSBC and Deutsche Bank.

Last, but most certainly not least, is Egypt's JP Morgan Chase Country Head Soha Ali, who's credited for growing the bank's operations five fold in the Egyptian market since she assumed her position in 2010. Previously head of cash management for Deutsche Bank, Ali is fluent in four languages and has recently been featured as board at the American Chamber in Cairo.