EGYPT: NOMINEES FOR THE PRESIDENTIAL SUMMIT ON

UNCLAS CAIRO 002214 DEPT FOR NEA/ELA STATE PASS TO S/P GREG BEHRMAN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON EAID PREL SOCI EG SUBJECT: EGYPT: NOMINEES FOR THE PRESIDENTIAL SUMMIT ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP REF: STATE 112468 ¶1. In response to reftel, Post offers the following twelve names to attend the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship in Washington: -- Basil El Baz, Founder and Chairman, Egypt Basic Industries Corporation. The first Egyptian company created solely from international finance, EBIC received support from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency as well as the U.S. Export-Import Bank. It has become a leading regional company in the downstream natural gas industry. -- Hassan El-Khatib, Managing Director of the Carlyle Group Egypt. He also serves as the president of the Egyptian Junior Business Association (EJB),one of the country's most prominent organizations dedicated to educating and supporting young entrepreneurs. Under El-Khatib's leadership, the EJB designed the first nationwide business plan competition to target existing and potential small and medium entrepreneurs. -- Amr Gohar CEO and Managing Director, National Telecom Cards (NTC). Gohar directs NTC, Egypt's fastest growing prepaid telephony Service Provider, with nationwide operations across Egypt. He is also the president of the Middle East Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, which promotes entrepreneurship and small businesses in Egypt and the Middle East. -- Laila Kamel Iskandar, Chairperson of CID Consulting, works with rural and urban communities on garbage recycling projects designed to create jobs and support the start-up of small industries. She was named the Egyptian social entrepreneur of the year in 2006 by Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif. -- Neveen El Tahri, Chairwoman, Delta Securities Egypt. El Tahri directs one of Egypt's leading brokerage, auditing, and research companies. She became the first woman to serve on the boards of the Cairo and Alexandria stock exchanges. She was recognized as the "Enterprising Woman of the Year" at a global women's summit in Mexico City in 2005. -- Mohamed El Sawy, Chairman, El Sawy Center. A well-known and respected social entrepreneur, El Sawy has established cultural venues that support young artists in the performing and fine arts. He also provides meeting places for disadvantaged Cairo youth and is working to build a network of cultural centers throughout Egypt. -- Helmy Abouleish, Founder, the Egyptian National Competitiveness Council and co-owner of SEKEM. One of Egypt's most dynamic businessmen, Abouleish directs SEKEM which produces agriculture items, pharmaceuticals, organic textiles and foodstuffs. Under his leadership, SEKEM won the Schwab Foundation's "Right Livelihood Award" in 2003. -- Hala El Said, Executive Director of the Egyptian Banking Institute. El Said leads the Egyptian Central Bank's training organization, which is dedicated to building the human resource capability of the country's banking sector and works with banking professionals all across Egypt. -- Ibrahim Abouleish, President, Sekem Development Foundation. Dr. Abouleish directs this multi-functional company that includes the world's largest bio-dynamic farm, medical center, produce and processed food trading companies, a vocational technical center, and a school. In the 30 years since SEKEM was established, Dr. Abouleish has created a corporation based on innovative agricultural products and a responsibility towards society and environmental sustainability. -- Amany Asfour, President of Cairo Scientific Corporation (CSC) and President of the Egyptian Business Women Association (EBWA). Dr. Asfour founded CSC in 1998 to provide medical equipment and supplies to hospitals, health care facilities, and universities in Egypt and the region. Dr. Asfour also started the EBWA in the mid-1990s to promote young female entrepreneurs and to give guidance to small and medium enterprises; the organization has more than 100 members, all of whom are women. -- Karim Fanous, Executive Director, The Lead Foundation. Under Fanous, the foundation has focused on providing poor and low-income entrepreneurs with sustainable access to quality microfinance services. In the past 5 years, the Lead Foundation has made over USD 1 million in loans to over 425,000 entrepreneurs and has become the fastest growing microfinance institution in Egypt - 90 percent classified as poor and 84 percent women. -- Azza Fahmy, CEO of Azza Fahmy Jewelry. An internationally recognized jewelry designer who has exhibited her products globally, Fahmy built her company from scratch and has succeeded in a traditional Egyptian male-dominated industry. Her US clientele includes museums, department stores. ¶2. Post designed this list of business and social entrepreneurs to represent a group of dynamic and pioneering Egyptian leaders. The candidates nominated in the above list possess the financial means to travel to the U.S. if selected to participate in the summit. Post will submit biographies and detailed justifications separately by email. Scobey