Ahmed Ezz is the founder and president of Al Ezz Group Holding Company for Industries and Investment (Ezz Industries), which owns Ezz Steel.

After spending several years in the 1980s managing an international trading company focused on construction materials, Mr. Ezz established Ezz Steel in 1991. Over nearly 35 years, he has guided Ezz Steel to become the largest steel producer in both the Arab World and Africa, marking it as the first private-sector company to achieve this distinction. In 2024, the World Steel Association ranked Ezz Steel as the 62nd largest steel company globally based on production volumes, among a list of 760 companies worldwide. Additionally, Ezz Steel is the largest industrial group in Egypt, employing approximately 10,000 workers, with a production capacity of 7 million tons of finished steel and total exports exceeding US$ 1.5 billion annually in 2023 and 2024.

Mr. Ezz’s contributions to the industry have garnered recognition both nationally and internationally. He served as the vice president of the Egyptian Federation of Industries from 1996 to 2000. In 2008, he became the first chairman from the private sector of the Arab Iron & Steel Union. He received the Willy Korf/Ken Iverson Steel Vision Award in 2010 for his significant contributions to developing a local steel industry and transforming it into a global player. In 2017, based on recommendations from fellow steel producers in the Arab World, Mr. Ezz was honored as ‘The Arab Iron & Steel Man of the Year’.

In May 2025, Ahmed Ezz was elected Chairman of the Board of the Arab Iron & Steel Union by leading steel producers in the Arab World.

Abdulqader Al-Mubarak is the Chief Executive Officer of Hadeed, the leading steel producer in the region. Appointed in June 2024, he assumed leadership at a pivotal stage in the company’s transformation journey, with over 25 years of accumulated experience across diverse segments of the steel manufacturing and trading sectors.

His career spans a broad spectrum of leadership roles ranging from marketing, sales, and logistics to full enterprise management, including key positions at Solb Steel and Sulb Company. He later served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Al Rajhi Steel before being appointed as the company’s Chief Executive Officer, where he led major strategic and operational transformations.

In addition to his role at Hadeed, Al-Mubarak serves as Chairman of Takamul and is a Board Member of AMTPJ. He also holds the position of Vice Chairman of the Arab Iron and Steel Union, underscoring his broader influence in regional industrial collaboration and policy development.

Dr. Mohieldin, is an economist with more than 30 years of experience in international finance and development. He is the United Nations Special Envoy on Financing the 2030 Agenda.

He was the former Minister of Investment of Egypt from 2004-2010, and most recently, served as the World Bank Group Senior Vice President for the 2030 Development Agenda, United Nations Relations and Partnerships. His roles at the World Bank also included Managing Director, responsible for Human Development, Sustainable Development, Poverty Reduction and Economic Management, Finance and Private Sector Development, and the World Bank Institute; World Bank President’s Special Envoy on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Post-2015 Development Agenda (later, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)), and Financing for Development; and Corporate Secretary and Executive Secretary to the Development Committee of the World Bank Group’s Board of Governors.

Mr. Mohieldin also served on several Boards of Directors in the Central Bank of Egypt and the corporate sector. He was a member of the Commission on Growth and Development and selected a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum in 2005. His professional experience extends into the academic arena as a Professor of Economics and Finance at the Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University and as a Visiting Professor at several renowned Universities in Egypt, Korea, the UAE, the UK and the USA. He is a member of the International Advisory Board of Durham University Business School. He also holds leading positions in national, regional and international research centers and economic associations.

Mr. Mohieldin holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom; a Master’s in Economics and Social Policy Analysis from the University of York, United Kingdom; a Diploma of Development Economics from the University of Warwick; and a B.Sc. in Economics from Cairo University. He also participated in high-level certification programmes at Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania and Georgetown University. In 2018, the American University in Cairo conferred upon him the honorary degree of doctor of Humane Letters “in recognition of renowned attainments and achievements”.

He has authored numerous publications and articles in leading journals in the fields of economics, finance and development in English and Arabic.

“Hatim Senhaji is a highly accomplished business executive who currently serves as the CEO of Maghreb Steel. With a proven track record in the industry, he has held various key positions throughout his career.

Hatim Senhaji joined Maghreb Steel in 2014 to setup the Business Steering department as part of a new independent management team with a mission to realize a massive turnaround of the company. His responsibilities included integrated and optimized planning of the operations and raw material procurement. He was then promoted to deputy CEO in charge of operations and sales, before being appointed as CEO of the company in 2019.

Prior to this, Hatim worked for OCP, the largest phosphate producer worldwide, both within the corporate strategy team and the business steering department that he led in 2013.

In Morocco, Mr. Senhaji also worked as Project Manager in Strategy for CDG Capital, the investment bank of CDG.

Earlier, he held several positions in the financial markets industry, namely Société Générale, Reuters and BNP Paribas, where he was mainly involved in quantitative analysis and software development for financial risk calculation.    

Hatim Senhaji holds a Master’s degree in Information Technology and Strategy-Marketing-Finance from Ecole Centrale Paris, as well as additional qualifications such as an MIT Sloan School of Management certification, Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation from the CFA Institute, and Risk Management certification from the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP). Furthermore, he also holds a Master’s degree in Probability and Finance from Université Paris 6.”

Chairman of the National Committee for Steel Industry – KSA and a member of the Raw Materials Unit, he currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Arab Refractories Factory Company since 2015. Prior to that, he held the position of General Manager of the company from 2013 to 2015, and earlier served as Head of the Development and Public Relations Department from 2011 to 2013. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Business School at Anglia University in England. He has also completed several technical and managerial training courses in Europe and the Gulf countries. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Arab Refractories Factory Company and also serves as its Managing Director.

Mohammed Muteb Al Ameri is an accomplished industrial leader with more than 18 years of experience in the steel and energy sectors. As Vice President of Manufacturing Excellence at Emirates Steel, part of EMSTEEL Group, he leads strategic initiatives that enhance production efficiency, operational reliability, and sustainability across the Group’s advanced facilities.

Since joining EMSTEEL in 2012, Mohammed has progressed through a series of leadership roles spanning manufacturing, operations, project sales, and safety transformation—playing a key role in driving performance excellence and technical innovation across the company.

In addition to his responsibilities at EMSTEEL, Mohammed serves as Chairman of the Technical Committee at the Arab Iron & Steel Union, where he contributes to advancing regional cooperation, innovation, and knowledge exchange in the steel industry.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from The Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi and has completed executive programmes at the London Business School, focusing on resilience, agility, and productivity management.

Mohammed is widely respected for his technical expertise, people leadership, and commitment to advancing manufacturing excellence in alignment with the UAE’s industrial vision.

Head of the Trade Remedies Sector – Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade, Egypt
Mrs. Yomna El Shabrawy began her professional career in 1996 at the Trade Remedies Sector, the national authority responsible for conducting anti-dumping, subsidy, and safeguard investigations, where she took part in numerous investigations conducted by the Egyptian authority, as well as in cases targeting Egyptian exports before foreign investigating authorities.
She has also regularly represented Egypt in World Trade Organization (WTO) meetings, contributing to the defense of national interests before technical committees and relevant bodies. She eventually assumed leadership of the Sector, becoming the first woman to hold this position in Egypt, and the first Egyptian investigating authority head to be selected as a member of a WTO dispute settlement panel in a trade remedies dispute.
Mrs. El Shabrawy holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from ESLSCA University, France, along with other specialized qualifications in international trade and trade remedies.

Edward James is a well-known and respected thought leader in MENA affairs. Ed has been with MEED for more than 20 years, working as a researcher, consultant, and content director. Until September 2008 he was MEED’s Gulf Bureau Chief, after which he moved over to head up the consulting arm of the business.

From 2015-2021 he was responsible for content and research at MEED Projects, the region’s leading projects tracking service. Today he heads up all content and research produced by the MEED group. His specific areas of expertise are construction, hydrocarbons, power and water, and the petrochemical market, and is considered one of the world’s foremost experts on the MENA projects market.

He is a regular guest commentator on Middle East on radio and television and is a regular speaker at events in the region. He has an honours degree in Arabic and Middle East Politics.

Mr. George Matta has served as the Chief Marketing Officer of Ezz Steel since 1997, playing a key role since the company’s inception in driving its growth. His responsibilities include developing strategies for marketing communications, customer relationship, and market research. Mr. Matta also chairs the Economic Committee of the Arab Iron & Steel Union (AISU), serves on the Economic Committee of the World Steel Association, and is a former board member of the Egyptian Iron and Steel Association. 

Before joining Ezz Steel, he worked as the Middle East Regional Manager for Polaroid U.K. for seven years and spent six years at Kodak Near East in Dubai as Director of Market Development for Gulf markets. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and a postgraduate Diploma in Integrated Marketing Communications from the American University in Cairo, as well as a Diploma in Senior Management from Harvard Business School.

• Elsayed Ibrahim is a mechanical (industrial) engineer from Alexandria University, Egypt with 35 years of experience in the iron and steel industry.
• Holds M.S.c degree in advanced engineering with management from Sheffield University, UK
• Elsayed began his career in the steel industry at ANSDK (now EZDK) in 1991. He worked in various engineering and management positions, including operational and projects management.
• Since 2024 he has the role Deputy General Manager for Technical Affairs at EZDK, Alexandria
• Elsayed has published 5 technical papers in iron making and a filed patent on lignite injection in gas based direct reduction process.

Abdelkadir Khellaf is the Market Intelligence & R&D Manager at Algerian Qatari Steel, specializing in global steel market analysis, strategic research, and innovation. With extensive experience in market intelligence, business development, and client relations, he provides insights that support decision-making, market expansion, and competitiveness in the steel sector. Abdelkadir plays a key role in securing major deals and driving research initiatives that bridge market trends with sustainable business growth strategies. His expertise lies in combining data-driven analysis with industry knowledge to support strategic development across global markets