Hassan El-Khatib Named Managing Director on New MENA Team; Industry Veteran Will Advise on Investments in Egypt and North Africa

Washington, DC – Global private equity firm The Carlyle Group today announced that Hassan El-Khatib will join the new Middle East and North Africa (MENA) team as a Managing Director advising on investments in Egypt and Northern Africa. Mr. El-Khatib, who comes to Carlyle from EFG-Hermes Private Equity, will be based in Cairo and begin his duties immediately.

Managing Director and Head of the MENA team Walid Musallam said, "Hassan will be a pillar of our new MENA team. He is a proven investor with a breadth of experience that will help us get quickly established in the region."

Mr. El-Khatib said, "Helping Carlyle establish a new investment operation is a great opportunity. Carlyle’s arrival here is recognition of the healthy growth of local and foreign investment in Egypt and the promise that the MENA region holds. Numerous companies here can benefit from Carlyle’s pool of capital, global network, management expertise and emphasis on operational excellence."

Carlyle’s MENA team will invest primarily in healthy, growing companies. From offices in Cairo, Dubai and Istanbul, the team will leverage Carlyle’s expertise in various sectors, including energy, financial services, healthcare, industrial, infrastructure, technology and transportation.

Mr. El-Khatib will advise on Carlyle’s investment activities in Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Libya and Tunisia. Investments are expected to include: leveraged buyouts, growth capital, majority and minority stakes in private companies and stakes in public companies.

Mr. El-Khatib joins Carlyle from his position as Managing Partner at EFG-Hermes Private Equity (EHPE), an investment bank in the Middle East with operations in Egypt, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. In this capacity he raised and managed several general and sector-focused funds with investments in Egypt, Jordan and Turkey. He most recently was Chairman of Wadi ElNil Cement Company, a new company he helped establish.

From 2001 to 2003, Mr. El-Khatib was a Partner at Commercial International Investment Company (CIIC), a private equity firm in Egypt that had an investment banking partnership with Fleming International. As a member of the investment committee, Mr. El-Khatib managed CIIC’s portfolio companies in numerous industries, including pharmaceutical, oil & gas, food & agro-industries, construction, automotive, textiles and real estate. Prior to CIIC, Mr. El-Khatib was Deputy General Manager at Al-Ahly for Development and Investment, a private equity firm with several specialized investment vehicles and funds.

With 12 years of private equity experience, Mr. El-Khatib has been through all stages in private equity: fundraising, investing, value creation and exit realization. Mr. El-Khatib has served on numerous boards representing a range of industries including insurance, industrial, pharmaceutical, real estate, oil & gas, telecommunication, food & agro-industries and textiles.

Mr. El-Khatib is a Board Member of the Egyptian Institute of Directors, a Board Member and Secretary General of the Egyptian Junior Business Association, a Board Member in the Arab Private Equity Association. Mr. El-Khatib also serves as an Independent Board Member in the Insurance Holding Company, the Executive Organization for Industrial and Mining Projects (IMC) and the Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines.

Mr. El-Khatib earned his M.B.A. from the California State University at Sacramento, his C.M.A. from Institute of Certified Management Accountants (ICMA), USA and his B.S. from Cairo University, Faculty of Engineering.