Management

Ahmed Galal Ismail is Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors at Majid Al Futtaim - Holding.

He has been a long-standing leader at Majid Al Futtaim, having held several executive positions across the company’s portfolio of businesses during his tenure, and has played an instrumental role in the growth and development of the Group.

Having joined Majid Al Futtaim in 2007 as the group's VP of Strategy, he then oversaw seven business verticals including Leisure and Entertainment, Cinemas, Lifestyle, Facilities Management, and Consumer Finance in his role as CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Ventures. Prior to his most recent appointment as CEO of Holding, Mr. Ismail served for 5 years as CEO of our Properties business, leading the company’s portfolio of shopping malls, hotels, and mixed-use communities. 

Mr. Ismail started his career with Procter and Gamble in Egypt and Germany, before joining Booz Allen Hamilton where he was named Principal, advising organisations in the retail, media, tourism, and transportation sectors.

Mr. Ismail serves on the Board of Endeavor UAE, a global non-profit dedicated to high-impact entrepreneurship, and the Arab Investment Bank. He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s CEO Alliance for Climate Change and is a Trustee of the American University in Cairo.

 

Ziad Chalhoub is Chief Financial Officer of Majid Al Futtaim - Holding.

In his role, he is responsible for the financial health and control of the organisation, overseeing all financial activities, including financial risk management, financial planning, financial reporting and analysis of data in support of delivering against the company's strategic objectives. In addition, he is responsible for the company-wide Investment and M&A functions.

Ziad has over 20 years of experience, 14 of which he spent in New York as a finance leader at IBM. In 2011, he served as CFO for IBM's Central & Eastern Europe-based businesses and in 2013 was appointed CFO for the company's Middle East and Africa interests. In his most recent role as CFO for IBM's Global Technology Services (GTS) business, he was accountable for a portfolio of USD28 billion P&L of GTS' portfolio of business, owning all financial planning, pricing, business development, audit, controls and business operations.

He holds an MBA in Finance & Strategy from the University of Rochester, New York, and a bachelor's degree in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick.

Elham Al Qasim is Chief Strategy & Technology Officer for Majid Al Futtaim – Holding, responsible for developing our long-term strategy and operating model with a focus on driving sustainable value creation and growth. Her team operate as the strategic advisory function, offering market intelligence, analysis, diagnostic and execution services to support the business with its ongoing transformation, investment, growth, and efficiency plans. She also leads the creation and delivery of our technology strategy and roadmap to support company-wide digital aspirations to pivot existing business or enter new tech-enabled sectors.

Before joining Majid Al Futtaim, Elham spent 12 years in Abu Dhabi working with Mubadala Investment Company, the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, and Digital14 amongst others. Prior to that, she was based in the UK, where she started her career in Investment Banking at JPMorgan.


Elham holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business from the American University in Dubai and a Masters degree from the School of Social Policy at The London School of Economics & Political Science.

Ali Hamdan was appointed Chief Audit Officer for Majid Al Futtaim Holding in April 2023, and is responsible for Internal Audit across all Majid Al Futtaim businesses. Prior to this, he lead the Audit & Advisory Services function for our Retail business for almost 4 years, contributing to the design and implementation of internal audit processes and methodology, as well as ongoing process improvements. 

Ali has over 20 years experience of audit, governance, risk and compliance in several multi-functional sectors across Middle East, North Africa & Turkey, Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Europe. Previously, he was the Chief Risk Officer with Bupa Arabia. He also held the role of Chief Audit Executive – MENAT at General Electric, amongst other positions with multinational and regional companies.

As well as being a Certified Internal Auditor, Ali holds an MBA from the London Business School, and an Advanced Certificate for Executives in Management, Innovation and Technology from MIT – Sloan School of Management.

Peter Davison is the Company Secretary of Majid Al Futtaim - Holding and Majid Al Futtaim – Capital. He also acts as Company Secretary for Majid Al Futtaim - Trust, Retail, Properties, LEC and Lifestyle. He is responsible for managing the systems and processes that uphold the group’s corporate governance standard and acting as liaison for the operating companies and their Boards of Directors. 

Peter brings over 30 years of legal and secretarial experience across Europe, the United States, the Middle East and North Africa region, and the Far East. Most recently he served as Company Secretary, Group General Counsel and Head of Compliance at Arriva, adding to the 17-years he was with British American Tobacco where he held roles including Assistant Group General Counsel, Regional General Counsel Europe and Head of Commercial Legal.

Peter is admitted as a solicitor in the UK and Hong Kong, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography from Durham University, England, and has completed the Law Society’s Final Examination (LSF) and Common Professional Examination/Graduate Diploma in Law (CPE/GDL) from Northumbria University, Newcastle, England.

Ahmed El Shamy was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Majid Al Futtaim - Properties in January 2023.

 In his previous role as Chief Financial Officer of Majid Al Futtaim - Properties, Ahmed was responsible for the evolution of the finance function and oversaw the financial health, risk, and compliance practices. He helped deliver on business targets despite challenging market conditions, mitigated the impact of the COVD-19 pandemic and successfully executed programmes such as War on Waste and the C1500 plan. 

Prior to joining Majid Al Futtaim, Ahmed was Partner and Group CFO of Qalaa Holdings, one of the Arab world's largest private equity firms. He has also worked with Procter & Gamble, Citadel Capital, and Al Ahram Beverages and Orascom Development Holding.

Khalifa Bin Braik is the Chief Executive Officer of Majid Al Futtaim Asset Management Business, where he leads a portfolio of 29 shopping malls and 13 Hotels across the Middle East and North Africa.
 
Khalifa has extensive real estate and hospitality leadership experience in various organisations. After starting his career with Dubai Holding, he joined Sharjah Holding, a joint venture between Majid Al Futtaim - Properties and the Government of Sharjah; and moved to Majid Al Futtaim - Properties in 2014. He served as a director in the Shopping Malls business unit and Managing Director, Hotels Business Unit. In that role, Khalifa was responsible for optimizing the operating and financial performance of the entire portfolio of Majid Al Futtaim - Hotels, as well as building robust relationships with our international hotel partners.
 
Khalifa holds a master's degree in financial economics from Boston University and a B.Sc. in Economics from Northeastern University.

Waddah El Solh is Country Head of Levant for Majid Al Futtaim Properties. In his role, Waddah represents Majid Al Futtaim Properties in the Levant in areas concerning financial, government and regulatory affairs.

Prior to joining Majid Al Futtaim Properties in 1999, Waddah founded the Projective Development Group Inc. and managed the company’s construction activities and legal obligations for both private and public sector projects. He also worked as construction manager for the Broadway Plaza Apartment at Chaarani-Khan Construction Division in USA.

Waddah holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from California State University, and was awarded the engineer-in-training certification from the California state licensing examination board.

Khaled Al Ajmi is the country head for Majid Al Futtaim Properties for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait. He is the company's leading representative in these countries, identifying potential business opportunities, ensuring that projects proceed smoothly through a constantly evolving network of the authorities and local contacts. He also serves as chairman of Aswaq Al Emarat (Mall of Saudi), chairman of Majid Al Futtaim Proprieties Bahrain B.S.C, chairman of AYA Project in Bahrain and chairman of KSA Sustainability Committee.

Khaled joined Majid Al Futtaim in 2007. Prior to joining Majid Al Futtaim, he held several executive positions in diplomatic organizations and international foundations. He also serves as board member and advisor in several charity organisations and government committees.

Dr. Günther Helm is the Chief Executive Officer of Majid Al Futtaim – Retail, tasked with delivering the company’s growth aspirations for its grocery retail business. This includes the expansion of its discount retail operations, identifying new opportunities for growth, strengthening and expanding its private brand offering, accelerating its omnichannel prowess and investing in development areas that support the long-term sustainable growth of the business.

Günther brings more than two decades of retail sector experience, underpinned by a consistent drive to innovate and evolve both customer and employee experiences across the organisations he had led. He had led large-scale revitalisation programmes that have fostered industry-first innovations, created high performance cultures, and transformed mature organisations to become more efficient and customer focused.

Prior to a stint as CEO of Cenomi Retail in Saudi Arabia, Günther was CEO of Müller Holding, Germany’s largest multicategory retailer, where he oversaw operations in 850 stores across 7 countries and led a workforce of more than 35,000 colleagues. Under his leadership, Müller Holding underwent a transformation journey resulting in a notable increase in revenues exceeding EUR 5 billion and doubling EBIT within two years. Prior, he held leadership positions in Hofer KG and ALDI South for 16 years, including CEO of ALDI South Group.

Günther is a recipient of a Grand Golden Cross of Merit of the Republic of Austria for Sustainability and was deputy chairman of the supervisory board of the Austrian state-owned investment portfolio company, ÖBAG.

Günther holds both a Doctorate and a Degree in Law from the Johannes Kepler University Linz in Austria.

Rahul Raj Bhandari is the Chief Financial Officer at Majid Al Futtaim - Retail, the operator of Carrefour stores in 15 countries across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. 

In his role, he oversees the finance functions across all markets, provides strategic input in all M&A opportunities, and develops streamlined business operations to maximise efficiency and growth prospects. 

Since his appointment, he has led a cost, process, and tax optimisation exercise that has saved the company over AED 200 million.

Rahul joined Majid Al Futtaim - Retail in 2006 as a General Manager responsible for accounting control, consolidation, and taxation, before being promoted to Vice President of Finance in 2014, eventually taking up the CFO role in 2017.

He brings over 20 years of finance experience, predominantly in retail, including six years with KPMG UAE, and multiple roles with advisory and management consultancies in India. 

Rahul is a rank holder and a certified Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and has completed multiple executive leadership programmes.

Samar Elmnhrawy is the Senior-Vice President of Human Capital at Majid Al Futtaim - Retail. She is responsible for leading the Human Capital function, ensuring effective development and implementation of human capital and talent strategies, policies and procedures across markets. She is also driving the culture transformation journey within Majid Al Futtaim - Retail, building a fit-for-purpose, values-led, high-performance organisation.

Samar possesses over 20 years of experience in Human Resources across geographies and industries. Before joining Majid Al Futtaim, she held the role of VP – HR, Health and Safety and General Affairs for Africa, the Middle East, India, Europe, and Oceania at Nissan Motor Corporation. Before that, she spent 15 years with Baker Hughes, a General Electric Company based in Houston, Texas, where she held various senior HR roles. 

Samar holds an MBA from the American University of Sharjah, UAE, and a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering degree from Cairo University, Egypt.

Younis Al Mulla is the Senior Vice President - Business Development at Majid Al Futtaim - Retail. In his role, he is responsible for setting and driving the company's expansion strategy across existing and new markets, building relationships with relevant government officials, and leading asset development and delivery. 

He joined Majid Al Futtaim in 2001 as the Deputy General Manager - City Centre Deira. Over the past 18 years, he has held several senior-level positions, including Vice President - Mall of the Emirates, and Senior Vice President - Business Development and Special Projects at Majid Al Futtaim - Shopping Malls, before eventually taking up his current role at Majid Al Futtaim - Retail.

Younis is the current Chairman of the Middle East Council of Shopping Centres and Retail (MECS+R), and sits on the boards of both the UAE Food Bank and the Emirates Down Syndrome Association.

Younis holds a bachelor's degree in business management from Ain Shams University in Egypt,  an MBA from Northampton University in the UK, and a Doctrate in Business Administration from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.

Jean Luc Graziato is the Chief Commercial Officer at Majid Al Futtaim - Retail. He is responsible for leading the store format development, ensuring consistency across countries, and building category management and a strong private-label proposition to drive differentiation. 

Jean Luc began his career at Majid Al Futtaim in 1999, when he joined the first Carrefour store in Abu Dhabi as Textile Department Head. Since then, he has held various senior roles across store operations, sourcing, marketing, and merchandising. As Vice President - Sourcing and Marketing for the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait, Jean Luc established the international Merchandise team and launched the MyCLUB loyalty programme. As Country Manager - Egypt, he led the opening of 33 stores, pioneered the hyper-box format, and launched e-commerce in the country. 

Jean Luc holds a bachelor's degree in business from the ESSCA School of Management in Angers, France.

Thierry Joulin is the Chief Operating Officer - International, overseeing the company's operations in Pakistan, Georgia, Armenia, the Levant, and East Africa at Majid Al Futtaim - Retail. He is responsible for driving the company's strategic agenda, providing guidance and oversight as the company continues to expand its footprint across these countries. 

With over 35 years of experience in the retail industry, Thierry has held senior roles globally in the US, Taiwan, South Korea, France, and Germany. Before joining Majid Al Futtaim, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of Hyperstar Retail Middle East. 

He holds an MBA from ISTEC in Portugal.

Ignace Lahoud is Chief Executive Officer of Majid Al Futtaim - Entertainment.

In his role, he leads the company's Entertainment business in line with Majid Al Futtaim's long-term strategic direction and growth agenda.

Ignace has 30 years of experience, having spent most of his career leading transformational changes across three continents and multi-billion-dollar businesses within the Walt Disney Company. He joined Majid Al Futtaim from Valence Media/MRC Entertainment, a Beverly Hills-based privately owned company that produces quality content for both TV and film, in addition to live events; where he was Chief Financial Officer. In this role, he was responsible for the integration of the functional areas across all brands, optimising capital structure and developing the framework for long-term strategic plans. Prior to that, he enjoyed a very successful 26-year career with the Walt Disney Company where he held several senior roles.  

He holds an MBA from the Madrid Business School and University of Houston and a B.Sc. from the American University of Beirut.

Dana Nahas is Vice President for Human Capital at Majid Al Futtaim - Entertainment. In this role, she leads the HC function across the MENA region, ensuring Majid Al Futtaim's focus on employee-oriented culture that prioritises empowerment, quality, productivity, goal attainment and continuing development.

She has more than 18 years experience with regional and multinational organisations. She was previously director of human resources on the LEC team, and has extensive experience in strategic human capital management as well as developing, implementing and managing an agile and efficient operation across the various HC functions.

Fahed Ghanim is the Chief Executive Officer of Majid Al Futtaim – Lifestyle. In his role, Mr. Ghanim manages world renowned brands across Home, Fashion, Specialty Retail, and Multiband Concepts covering retail stores across the GCC, while developing expansion strategies for high growth markets and new concepts. Fahed joined Majid Al Futtaim Fashion in February 2018 as Chief Operating Officer for Majid Al Futtaim – Fashion.

Prior to joining Majid Al Futtaim, Fahed was General Manager Retail for L’azurde PLC, a Saudi based jewellery company. This was the third business turn around for Fahed after Bvlgari.

His journey in the real estate industry included the management of various high-profile projects, such as negotiations on a partnership deal with The Trump Organization for a $1.5 billion development.

Fahed has led acquisitions, successful IPO, business transformation, new brand launches, development and growth of globally acclaimed fashion, home and jewellery brands including: Bvlgari, Boucheron, Pomellato, Gucci, Harvey Nichols Dubai, L’azurde, LEGO, Lululemon to name a few.

Fahed is a board member of multiple organisations and holds an MBA degree with distinction from ESCP Europe Business School.

Abdul Ahad Arain is Chief Financial Officer of Majid Al Futtaim – Lifestyle.

In his role, he is responsible for the financial health and control of the organisation, and delivering against the company's strategic goals. Abdul Ahad oversees the finance functions, internal control, risk management, compliance, IT development and M&A, and has been instrumental in Majid’s Al Futtaim – Lifestyle’s turnaround growth success.  

He is a Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA) with over 18 years of experience in financial management and strategy development, of which 14 years has been within Majid Al Futtaim, including roles within the Entertainment and Lifestyle businesses. Abdul Ahad was previously with KPMG UAE prior to joining Majid Al Futtaim in 2008. 

Victoria Swanson is the Vice President - Human Capital at Majid Al Futtaim – Lifestyle. She is responsible for leading the Human Capital function for the business, defining and implementing talent strategies, policies and procedures across all markets while ensuring the growth and performance of the business and its people.

Victoria joined Majid Al Futtaim – Lifestyle in 2010 and brings 18 years’ experience in the human capital sector, setting strategies to optimise and retain top talent and ensure consistent high performance business delivery. She previously held senior positions for a number of internationally renowned brands across the MENA region, including Oscar de la Renta, Hamleys and House of Fraser. She also served in human capital roles for Hilton Group, London City Airport and UK Government prior to relocating to the UAE.

Victoria holds a Masters in Human Resource Management from the University of East London.

Nahed Soueid Atallah is the Vice President – Digital for Majid Al Futtaim – Lifestyle. She is responsible for setting the strategy and leading the omnichannel business for all divisions, while driving the expansion across digital trade, digital delivery, technology and customer care across the MENA region.

Nahed brings over 20 years' experience in retail, finance and e-commerce, having held several leadership roles across planning, merchandising and digital transformation. Prior to joining Majid Al Futtaim in 2020, she was the Vice President Merchandise Planning for Al Tayer Group Department Stores, including Harvey Nichols and Bloomingdales, where she spearheaded the design, development and delivery of the merchandise strategy across Home and Jewellery categories and was instrumental in launching and managing digital pure players Ounass and Nisnass.

Nahed holds a Bachelor in Business Administration from the American University of Beirut.

Alaaeddin Haroun is the Managing Director – Fashion for Majid Al Futtaim – Lifestyle. In this role, he is responsible for leading the strategy and expansion of the fashion division, spearheading the regional growth for brands and driving innovation through sales and business development initiatives.

Alaaeddin brings over 20 years' experience in luxury retail and has held several roles spanning the entire spectrum of the industry, including Buying and Merchandising, Logistics, Planning, OTB management, Operations, and P&L management. 

Since joining Majid Al Futtaim in 2010, he has served in a number key positions, including Head of Buying and Merchandising, GM of Operations for Lifestyle and as Brand Director for the Entertainment business. Prior to joining the Company, he was the Division Manager for Armani Group, a globally renowned luxury brand, under Al Tayer Insignia. 

Alaaeddin holds a BA in Business Administration from the University of Jordan.

Rania Mushtaha is the Vice President – Strategy & Growth for Majid Al Futtaim – Lifestyle. She is responsible for leading business development strategies, which fuel the company's growth and competitive edge, while facilitating new brand acquisitions and identifying opportunities for expansion.

Rania brings over 20 years' experience in the retail sector, starting with KPMG Advisory in Dubai in 1998 and later joining Majid Al Futtaim Shopping Malls from 2001-2011. During her earlier tenure with the Company, she was responsible for revenue generation from media and specialty leasing. Rania then joined Meraas as Retail Director in 2013, where she managed the company’s lifestyle destinations before returning to Majid Al Futtaim in 2017. She was instrumental in the development and launch of THAT Concept Store, Majid Al Futtaim’s innovative and curated retail experience at Mall of the Emirates and has introduced several globally renowned brands to the business portfolio including Shiseido, Poltrona Frau, Alessi and Psycho Bunny. 

Rania holds a BA in Management from the University of Kent at Canterbury and is a certified coach (CPCC and ACC).   

Amir Zweil is the Vice President – Marketing & Innovation at Majid Al Futtaim – Lifestyle. Amir is responsible for leading marketing strategies, customer experience programs, digital marketing, CRM, data and analytics, digital content and optimisation, plus communications across all business categories in six markets, while spearheading innovation initiatives for all brands.

Amir brings more than 20 years’ experience in marketing, having worked with some of the world’s leading FMCG, retail and service brands across the Middle East, Levant, North and Central Africa and Turkey. He joined Majid Al Futtaim in 2019 as the Marketing and Communications Director for Majid Al Futtaim – Fashion and quickly advanced to the position of Senior Director and, finally, Vice President of the Marketing function for Majid Al Futtaim – Lifestyle, leading a team of more than 50 professionals. Amir has been instrumental in driving the digital transformation of all brands, shifting from brick and mortar to omni-driven marketing and has introduced brand strategies focused on customer-centricity, leveraging data and advanced analytics to gain a deeper understanding of consumers, improve targeting, and enhance customer loyalty. He has also led the launch of all new Majid Al Futtaim – Lifestyle brands and stores across the region.

Prior to joining the Company, Amir held positions for Unilever, NFPC, Bupa Arabia and most recently serving as the Group Chief Marketing Officer for L’azurde PLC. 

Amir holds a BA in Business Administration with a Major in Marketing and Finance from AAST, Egypt.