Techne

2026 Speakers

Amr Gazea

Hospitality Interior Design Manager

Digital Health & Innovation Partner

Roche

Egypt

Ahmed Gheita

Co-Founder & Board Member of LearnKhana Business

LearnKhana Business

Egypt

Ahmed Gheita

Co-Founder & Board Member of LearnKhana Business

LearnKhana Business

Egypt

Ahmed Gheita is a certified talent development professional (CPTD) and an ATD-certified instructional designer, accredited by the Association for Talent Development (ATD), the world’s largest professional association dedicated to talent development professionals. With over 20 years of experience in the learning and development field since 2005, Ahmed has led and managed hundreds of learning projects across government entities, multinational corporations, and universities. His work spans several countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Qatar, Jordan, Iraq, and Zambia. Ahmed brings a rich professional track record through his contributions to learning and development initiatives across multiple industries. His portfolio includes collaborations with organizations such as the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), Saudi Telecom Company (STC), Kuwait Oil Company, the Judicial Training Center in Saudi Arabia, QatarGas, Landmark Group, Extra Electronics, Vodafone, B.TECH, Saudi German Hospitals, Tamer Group, Banque Misr, Mansour Group, National Bank of Egypt, Abu Dhabi Bank, Multiples Investment Group, the German University in Cairo, Cairo University, Ain Shams University, and Gulf of Suez Petroleum Company (GUPCO). Ahmed holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from Ain Shams University. He has also earned several professional certifications, including a Credential of Readiness (CORe) from Harvard Business School, a Certified Learning Experience Designer and Trainer credential from Sega Group, a Six Sigma Green Belt from Quality America Inc., and a Talent Management certification from the University of Michigan. For more than 13 years, Ahmed founded and led several charitable organisations in Cairo, serving thousands of Egyptian youth by supporting their skill development and preparing them to successfully enter the labor market. Currently, Ahmed continues to pursue his passion for learning and development as a Board Member at Learnkhana Business, where he supports digital transformation initiatives and helps organizations develop and upskill their talent.

Haitham Gheita

Sport Mental Coach and founder of HG Mental Academy.

HG Mental Academy.

Maged Ghoneima

Cofounder & Managing Partner

Managing partner & Head of Design

EL GHONEIMI International

Egypt

Malak Gomaa

Digital Creative Director

Tarek Nour Partners

Egypt

Emma‏ Greiche

Senior Learning Designer and Innovation Manager at Aspire Training Solutions

Aspire Community Transformation

Mahmoud Hamouda

Head of strategic initiatives

Group Director of eCommerce, Elsewedy Electric

Senior Learning Designer and Innovation Manager at Aspire Training Solutions

Aspire Community Transformation

Egypt

Emma Greiche

Senior Learning Designer and Innovation Manager at Aspire Training Solutions

Aspire Community Transformation

Egypt

Emma Greiche is a Senior Learning Designer and Innovation Manager at Aspire Community Transformation with over nine years of experience designing learning experiences for youth, adults, facilitators, NGOs, and corporate teams. She has designed programs across leadership and life skills, community development, sustainable development, safeguarding, gender-based violence prevention, capacity building, and inclusive learning design. Alongside her professional practice, Emma is currently pursuing a Master's in Education and Social Justice, continually deepening the connection between research and practice in the learning experiences she designs. Specializing in non-formal education and experiential learning, Emma designs learner-centered experiences that combine learning theory with the tools of non-formal education, including games, storytelling, activities, sports, and interactive facilitation, to create engaging learning experiences that inspire reflection, skill development, and meaningful action. She has developed curricula and training materials for organizations including UNICEF, UNFPA, Plan International, Save the Children, and local and international NGOs. Emma's approach is also shaped by her experience as a Scout Leader, published children's book author, and illustrator, where leadership development, storytelling, creativity, and character building continue to influence how she designs meaningful learning experiences.

Senior Data & Analytics Engineer @ Henkel

Chief Strategy Officer

Yassir

Egypt

Yasmine Abdel Karim

Chief Strategy Officer

Yassir

Egypt

Yasmine AbdelKarim is a trailblazing entrepreneur, Harvard Kennedy School graduate, and Founder of YFS, one of North Africa’s breakthrough on-demand logistics technology platforms. Known for transforming bold ideas into scalable ventures, Yasmine has become one of the region’s most influential voices in technology, innovation, and women’s leadership.Yasmine founded YFS with a clear mission: revolutionize last-mile logistics in Egypt through technology, operational excellence, and trust. Under her leadership, YFS quickly grew into a benchmark for reliability in the region, earning partnerships with major brands and attracting regional media attention for its economic impact and women-led governance. Her work has been featured in many global Tech publications, TechCrunch, Entrepreneur Europe (15 European leaders), AlMal, Zawya, and multiple editions of Forbes Middle East.Her outstanding achievements have earned her some of the region’s most prestigious recognitions & awards, including being named one of Forbes Middle East’s Top 3 Tech Entrepreneur Women (2022). She was also selected as a UNCTAD Global eTrade for Women Advocate a role given to exceptional female founders driving digital transformation in emerging economies. In addition, Yasmine serves as the World Bank MENA Representative for Women in Tech, amplifying the role of women in the digital economy across the Middle East and North Africa. She has also been honored with the EY MENA Women Entrepreneur Award, recognizing her as one of the region’s most impactful innovators.A graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School, Yasmine blends public-policy insight with entrepreneurial execution. She has been invited to speak globally on innovation, economic inclusion, and the future of tech in emerging markets, consistently championing scalable solutions that create real-world impact.Today, Yasmine is embarking on another transformative venture with Yassir: launching a cutting-edge Finetech platform & SuperApp for North Africa, France, & Senegal. This new initiative aims to solve one of the region’s most persistent challenges, fragmented financial access, by building a seamless, secure, and inclusive payments ecosystem for both businesses and consumers. Her move into fintech marks the next chapter of her mission to modernize and empower the region’s digital economy.With a career defined by vision, courage, and an unwavering commitment to unlocking opportunity, Yasmine AbdelKarim stands at the forefront of North Africa’s innovation landscape, shaping its logistics, digital financial systems, and the future of entrepreneurial leadership.

Mohamed Kassem

General Manager

Microsoft

Egypt

Mohamed Kassem is the General Manager of Microsoft Egypt, where he leads the company’s strategic efforts to accelerate the nation’s digital transformation and drive inclusive, sustainable economic growth. In his role, Kassem partners closely with government entities, enterprises, and organizations across sectors to unlock innovation and empower people, businesses, and communities with trusted technology solutions. With nearly 20 years of experience at Microsoft, Kassem brings deep industry expertise and a strong track record of leadership supporting customers to advance their digital capabilities across cloud, AI, cybersecurity, and other emerging technologies. Prior to his current role, he served as Public Sector Lead for Microsoft Egypt, where he guided national digital transformation efforts and supported public sector innovation through secure, AI-powered solutions. As General Manager of Microsoft Egypt, Kassem leads the company’s strategy and operations in the Egyptian market, strengthening Microsoft’s commitment to local leadership and lasting positive impact. He prioritizes building strategic partnerships, encouraging the responsible adoption of technology, and empowering organizations of all sizes to leverage digital tools that drive prosperity and enhance economic competitiveness. Kassem’s dedication to innovation, inclusive growth, and talent development continues to inform his work at Microsoft and support Egypt’s broader digital ambitions.

Omar Khalifa

Founder of Shaghalni

Shaghalni

Egypt

Omar Khalifa graduated from the American University in Cairo with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science / International Relations. After his graduation, Omar followed his dream to launch his own media company in which he called Omedia in 2009. Specialized in publishing services, Omedia had a very successful publishing portfolio that generated $150,000 in sales revenue in its first year. Following the January 2011 revolution, he faced a turning point in his company and was in debt for 3 consecutive years from 2011-2014. Egypt struggled with its stalling economy and Omedia lost its entire publishing portfolio. In an effort to get the company back up to pursue his dream, Omar rebuilt Omedia from scratch with an aim to diversify the company’s revenues; he expanded the company’s activities by managing the outdoor advertising sales of Tarek Nour Communications, and focused on thermal paper advertising to be the first company to use banks’ queuing tickets for advertising purposes - Omedia signed an exclusive agreement with the Commercial International Bank to use its tickets for advertising purposes. Late 2015, Omar launched Shaghalni, which was an idea he had back then while he was still studying. Inspired by the employment fairs that granted the best jobs to graduates at different universities, he wanted to create an online platform that serves all Egyptians, and the name was Shaghalni. Once the website was in beta version with only 500 users, he had a 5-minute meeting to pitch to Egyptian billionaire Eng. Naguib Sawiris the idea, which resulted in his decision to invest in the company to fight unemployment. Since Shaghalni’s launch in 2016, it has approximately 5000 registered companies and a database of over 1.7 million jobseekers. After several years of trial and error with the digital model, Omar decided to go brick and mortar with Shaghalni by building the first hiring center in Egypt, and he chose Sohag as a starting point to combat one of the highest unemployment rates in Egypt, where jobseekers get interviewed instantly and gain access to training programs and financial solutions. After the initial success of the first hiring center, Omar had the opportunity to pitch the idea in Shark Tank and managed to land investment from all five sharks, which led to establishing a central hiring center serving Greater Cairo. To date, Shaghalni contributed in employing approximately 10,000 jobseekers in decent jobs across Egypt. Omar is also a professional angler with 12 IGFA World Records and represented Egypt in several Big Game World Championships.

Cofounder and principal designer

Design Point studios Interiors & Architecture

Fabio Lorenzon

Founder & CEO // Managing Partner

SolutioAI // Lorenzon Srl

Italy

Osama Saleh

Chairman credit agricole & Former Egyptian Minister of Investment

credit agricole

Egypt

Osama Saleh

Chairman credit agricole & Former Egyptian Minister of Investment

credit agricole

Egypt

Current Position As A Chairman: • April 2022 – Present o Credit Agricole Bank - Egypt  (Non-Executive Chairman of the Board) • April 2019 – Present o SODIC (Sixth of October Development and Investment Company)  Vice Chairman (continuing) - April 2019 – Present  (Non-Executive Chairman of the Board) - April 2019 – January 2022 • January 2016 – Present o Abu Soma Touristic Development Company  (Non-Executive Chairman of the Board) • January 2015 – Present o Ayady Investment and Development  (Non-Executive Chairman of the Board)  And its affiliated companies:  Ayady for Urban Development  Papyrus Company  Ergo Company • December 2014 – December 2017 And from 2020 - Present o Egyptian Investment Company  (Non-Executive Chairman of the Board) As A Board Member: • March 2024 – Present o Cairo International Stadium Authority  Board Member • 2017 – Present o NI Capital Bank  Board Member • 2015 – Present o National Investment Bank  Board Member Previous Experiences • November 2014 – March 2015 o Arab Investment Company  (Non-Executive Chairman of the Board) • August 2005 – September 2009 o Delta International Bank  (Board Member)  Roles include:  Member of the General Assembly of the Holding Company for Insurance.  Member of the Board of Trustees at the Institute of Finance at the Arab Academy for Science and Technology.  Member of the Board of Trustees at the Institute of Finance at Ahram Canadian University. • May 1981 – 1982 o Arthur Young, Mohamed Abdullah Zarouk & Co.  Progressed from Auditor to Audit Team Leader. Key responsibilities included auditing banks such as the National Bank of Egypt and American Express Bank. • October 1982 – March 1991 o National Bank of Abu Dhabi - Egypt  Progressed over nine years from an Operations Employee (1 year) to Credit Administration and eventually promoted to Credit and Marketing Manager. • April 1991 – July 2005 o American Express Bank Limited, Egypt  Chief Executive Officer – Egypt  Advanced from General Manager and Deputy Regional Manager for the Middle East, with responsibilities covering marketing, credit, and investment, to becoming the CEO of the bank in June 2002. Other Roles • 2008 – 2020 o Visiting Professor of Finance  American University in Cairo

Vice President at Beltone Venture Capital & Private Equity

Sally El-Akkad

President

Abjjad

Meet Dr. Sally Elakkad, the dynamic president of Abjjad Ltd. She’s not just setting the strategic direction—she’s redefining it. With a laser focus on innovation and high performance, Sally oversees business operations, driving Abjjad towards its most ambitious goals yet. A Legacy of Excellence Before joining Abjjad, Dr. Sally Elakkad spent nearly two decades making waves in multinational corporations. Specializing in marketing and e-commerce, she consistently delivered results that were nothing short of transformative. Sally has a knack for enhancing online sales, optimizing customer experiences, and executing successful digital and integrated marketing campaigns. Her expertise has sparked significant growth and success across various industries, proving time and again that she’s a force to be reckoned with. The Architect of High-Performing Teams Sally is celebrated for her exceptional leadership skills. She’s a master at building 'A' teams and creating environments where individuals don’t just work—they thrive. Her deep understanding of people and her ability to foster collaboration are the cornerstones of her leadership style. Under her guidance, teams are not only high-performing but also deeply engaged and motivated. The Chronicles of a Thought Leader Sally is also the distinguished author of the acclaimed Chronicles business series, which includes "The Chronicles of Leadershit," "The Chronicles of Dysktopia," and "The Chronicles of Storyselling." Through her books, Sally shares her profound insights into leadership, organizational dynamics, and the power of storytelling in business. Each page invites readers to explore the depths of effective leadership and the art of inspiring teams. Dr. Sally Elakkad’s journey is a testament to what’s possible with visionary leadership and a relentless pursuit of excellence. She doesn’t just lead; she inspires, challenges, and transforms. Dive into her story and discover the secrets behind her remarkable success.

Senior Head of Product Design Centre – PhotonX R&D

Andrey Kostyuk

General Partner, CEO

AAlchemy Ventures

Cyprus

With 30+ years of experience in fintech, AIF management, entrepreneurship, angel investing, and mentoring, I established AAlchemy Ventures, a business angel network - member of EBAN, EIC Service Provider, facilitator of Growth Lab soft-landing scaleup program and AngelPath business angels' school. I lead Founder Institute Cyprus Core Accelerator which helps startups launch and scale in Europe and North America, as well as Cyprus chapters of VNTR and Expert Dojo. I embarked on my business and academic journeys back in 1990, as I balanced university studies with entrepreneurial ventures. After graduating as MSc in Accounting and Audit in 1996, in 1998 I pursued Ph.D. in Taxation and Fiscal Policies and defended my thesis in 2001. In the same 1998 I co-founded a "neobank". This journey spanned two attempts and 15 years, culminating in the successful exit in 2013. In 2014, with more flexibility in my schedule, I joined Global Executive MBA (GEMBA 7) program, facilitated by Georgetown University and ESADE Business School, where I was introduced to angel investing – a moment that sparked a lasting passion. Since then, I have been investing in startups directly and in syndicates. My ongoing work with startup founders naturally led to the next chapter of my academic journey. In November of 2021, I enrolled in Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program at Grenoble School of Management, and successfully defended my thesis on the impact of mentoring startup founders on their ventures' progress in April of 2025. In parallel, I started teaching entrepreneurship at bachelor and master levels at Harbour.Space (2020-2022), Grenoble School of Management (2025-2026), Universitat Pompeu Fabra (2026), and ESADE Business School (2026). In 2026 I was recognised as AdvanceHE Fellow. I am IMA-endorsed consultant and speaker and EMCC- and AC-credentialed mentor and coach, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) certified professional, and holder of multiple diplomas and certifications in negotiations, service design, and appraising. I have been serving as an expert for Research Executive Agency of the European Commission (2017-2022), as a mentor for EIC Women Leadership Program, Cassini, EU-LAC, and as a member of Endowment Board of Big Change, a charitable foundation supporting underprivileged youth (2008-2025).

Ahmed Abdelkhalek

Digital Natives, Startups & VCs - UAE, North Africa & Levant

Google

Egypt

Hassan Mansi

Chief Operating Officer

E3 Ventures

Egypt

Hassan Mansi

Chief Operating Officer

E3 Ventures

Egypt

Hassan Mansi is an entrepreneur and operations executive with more than 20 years of experience building consulting firms, venture programs, and startup-support platforms across the MENA region. With an engineering and business background, he has led organizational development, restructuring, and operational excellence engagements using Lean Six Sigma for financial institutions and companies across multiple sectors and markets. He previously chaired the Youth Committee at the Alexandria Business Association, where he supported young entrepreneurs through training and ecosystem initiatives. He also collaborated with international development programs, including USAID-supported initiatives, to strengthen entrepreneurship in Alexandria and improve local startups’ access to finance. Hassan earned his Master of Science in Technology Commercialization from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin and holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and Management from the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport. Throughout his career, he has designed and delivered acceleration and ecosystem-development programs in partnership with leading international institutions and private-sector organizations. These programs engaged more than 12,000 participants across 81 events in 14 cities, achieved an online reach exceeding 27 million users, received approximately 6,000 applications, and accelerated more than 200 startups. They also delivered over 3,400 hours of training, coaching, and mentorship, awarded 18 grants valued at approximately USD 440,000, and supported participating startups in securing around USD 40 million in follow-on funding while generating more than USD 32 million in revenues.

Karim Mansour

Product Lead, Dubizzle

Dubizzle