Board of Directors
Gulf Capital is governed by a seasoned Board of Directors with eight members, and is comprised of some of the GCC region's most prominent industry and investment executives.
The Board of Directors, as a representative of the Firm's shareholders, has general responsibility for the strategic planning and development of Gulf Capital.
(Mouse over the names to view the profile.)
Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board
Mr. Hareb Al Darmaki, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board
Mr. Hareb Al Darmaki,
Executive Director - Abu Dhabi Investment Authority
Director - Qatar Telecommunications
In addition to his roles at ADIA and Gulf Capital, Hareb Al-Darmaki is also a Supervisory Board Member of IPEF Limited and a member of the Board of Directors of Q-Tel as well as Arab Banking Corporation (ABC) in Bahrain.
Mr. Al-Darmaki received a BS in Economics and Politics from Bristol University, UK in 1974, and obtained an MA in International Studies from the Johns Hopkins University, USA in 1976.
Executive Director - Abu Dhabi Investment Authority
Director - Qatar Telecommunications
Vice-Chairman of the Board
Mr. Waleed Zahid, Vice-Chairman of the Board
Mr. Waleed Zahid,
CEO, Zahid Group
Waleed Zahid is the Vice-Chairman of Gulf Capital and has served on its Board since incorporation. Mr. Zahid is also the President and CEO of the Zahid Group a large, family-owned conglomerate based in Saudi Arabia, with construction, automotive, power generation, desalination, logistics, financial services, travel, manufacturing and real estate related businesses. Mr. Zahid is also the Chairman of the AJIL Financial Services Company and the Global Gypsum Group. In addition, he serves as a non-executive director of Deutsche Bank (Suisse) S.A.’s Advisory Board and Oryx Capital International LLC. Mr. Zahid is a graduate of the Menlo School of Business Administration, USA.
CEO, Zahid Group
Dr. Karim El Solh, Dr. Karim El Solh, Co-Founder
Chief Executive Officer, Gulf Capital
Dr. El Solh has over 20 years experience in private equity, investment banking and real estate. Dr. El Solh is the Founder and CEO of Gulf Capital, one of the largest and most active Middle Eastern private equity firms. Incorporated in Abu Dhabi in 2006 as a Private Joint Stock Company, Gulf Capital was established with a capital base of AED 1.225 billion (USD 330 million) from 300 of the most prestigious institutional and individual investors in the Gulf. As a leading Middle Eastern buy-out firm, Gulf Capital is focused on acquiring sizeable and controlling stakes in highly profitable and rapidly growing companies within a select number of emerging industries. Gulf Capital is also actively involved in real estate development through Gulf Related, its joint venture with the Related Companies, the largest private U.S. real estate developer.
Prior to founding Gulf Capital, Dr El Solh was CEO of the National Investor (TNI), one of the most active UAE investment banks which was ranked, under his tenure, as the “Best Private Equity House in the Middle East” by Banker Middle East and the “Best Equity House in the UAE” by Euromoney. Prior to joining TNI as CEO, he was responsible for European Leveraged Buy-Outs/High Yield Capital Markets at Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette (now part of CSFB) where he was in charge of structuring, marketing, syndicating and executing European leveraged buy-outs and high yield issues. Dr. El Solh has been involved in over $20 billion worth of LBOs and debt financings in both Europe and the US. Prior to joining DLJ, Dr. El Solh worked as a senior banker at Citigroup where he was in charge of originating, structuring and executing new equity and equity-linked issues from the Middle East, Eastern Europe, the Indian Subcontinent and Africa.
Dr. El Solh also worked for five years at Price Waterhouse where he was a senior advisor to emerging countries on a number of major privatization, restructuring and project finance transactions. He has worked on numerous transactions in Southeast Asia, Russia, Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America in over fifteen different industries.
Dr. El Solh has a B.S. in civil engineering from Cornell University, an MBA from Georgetown University, a Ph.D. (Summa Cum Laude) in economics (privatization) from the Institute D’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Science Po) and a Certified Management Accountant diploma. Dr. El Solh is a member of the Young Presidents Organization and was voted Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and one of the top 100 CEOs in the Middle East in 2007.Co-Founder
Chief Executive Officer, Gulf Capital
Mr. Rashed Al Suwaidi Mr. Rashed Al Suwaidi
Chairman - The Horizon Group; Chairman - Gulf Marine Services;
Chairman - Control & Applications Group and Alsa Engineering.
Mr. Rashed Saif Jaber Al Suwaidi is a petroleum engineer, graduated from the Tulsa University, U.S.A with over 30 years experience in the Middle Eastern petroleum industry. Mr Rashed has held several senior posts in the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), including the position of Chairman of National Drilling Company and Director of Exploration and Production (E&P) activities. He was concurrently a Board member of most of the ADNOC subsidiaries, including ADMA, ADCO, ZADCO, ADGAS, NDC (Chairman), ADDCAP (Chairman), ADPPOC and others. He left ADNOC in 1999 and went on to acquire Essar Drilling in 2002, which was transformed into Dalma Energy. Dalma Energy was sold through the IPO of Aabar Petroleum in 2005 in one of the most successful floatations in UAE history.
Mr Rashed Saif Jaber Al Suwaidi is presently Chairman of the Horizon Group (a leading investor in Oil, Gas & Natural Resources), Gulf Marine Services (GMS), Control & Applications Emirates (Leading E&I EPC contractor to the Oil & Gas Industry) and Alsa Holding (a major Abu Dhabi based oil and gas fabrication and engineering company), Al Maha Petroleum – Oman (Largest petrol-station owner in Oman) and Colombo Dockyard PLC in Sri Lanka.
Chairman - The Horizon Group; Chairman - Gulf Marine Services; Chairman - Control & Applications Group and Alsa Engineering.
Mr. Riad Kamal, Mr. Riad Kamal, Co-Founder
Director and Chairman, Arabtec Holding
Riad Kamal has achieved the qualifications of M.Sc., C. Eng. Struc. Eng., D I C, M I C E from the Imperial College, London University in 1965. His current position is with the Arabtec Construction LLC where he is the Founder & Managing Director since 1974. He is also Founder and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of Depa Interiors. DEPA is the largest Hotel Interior Decoration and Fit-out company in the Middle East with operations in the U.A.E., Qatar, Egypt, Morocco. Co-Founder
Director and Chairman, Arabtec Holding
Mr. Ahmed Al Badi Mr. Ahmed Al Badi
Chairman, Belbadi Group
Ahmed Al Badi was born 1956 in the United Arab Emirates. He holds a B.A. in International Relations received at the Lewis and Clark College, Portland, Oregon, United States of America in 1981.
Ahmed Al Badi is Chairman and CEO of the Belbadi Enterprises, a UAE-based institution focused on the needs of the Gulf and UAE markets. In 1996, he received the Outstanding Young Alumni award from the Lewis & Clark Alumni Association.
Chairman, Belbadi Group
Mr. Kevin Taylor Mr. Kevin Taylor
Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank’s Group Treasurer and Head of Investments
Kevin Taylor is an experienced executive combining a broad spectrum of product, risk management and policy issues with advanced expertise in global finance, risk and asset/liability management.
Kevin joined ADCB in February 2009 as the Head of Treasury and Investments. Kevin has worked on five continents and has held significant Treasury and Risk positions in global organizations such as ALICO, Citigroup, Westpac Bank and Merrill Lynch. Kevin holds an MBA from Macquarie University of Australia.
Among the key roles that Kevin has performed,
Head of Enterprise Risk Management American Life Insurance Co. (ALICO), New York, USA
Citigroup International Retail Bank Treasurer London, UK
Citigroup Regional Treasurer Europe Middle East & Africa (EMEA)
Citigroup Treasurer Consumer Finance North American and International
Country Treasurer Citibank South Africa
Director Fixed Income Trading Westpac London
Commodities executive Merrill Lynch Australia
Kevin has served on the Boards of ALICO and Citicorp North America and is at present a member of the Board of Trustees of the American Community School of Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank’s Group Treasurer and Head of Investments
Mr. Khalifa Al Kindi Mr. Khalifa Al Kindi
Managing Director, Abu Dhabi Investment Council
Khalifa Al Kindi holds a B.S. in Economics from the Eastern Michigan University, USA. His professional career began at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and since January 2007 moved to the Abu Dhabi Investment Council where he holds the position of Managing Director. He currently holds a number of directorships in various corporations in Abu Dhabi.
Managing Director, Abu Dhabi Investment Council
Mr. Mishal Kanoo Mr. Mishal Kanoo
Deputy Chairman, Kanoo Group UAE & Oman
Mishal Hamed Kanoo is Deputy Chairman of The Kanoo Group, one of the largest independent, family owned, group of companies in the Gulf region. Before his 1997 appointment to vice-chairman of the Group, he worked in various divisions of the Kanoo Group including shipping, commercial, travel and cargo services. Kanoo is also CEO and board director of each of the following companies: Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo Group; AXA Gulf; and Bahrain International Cargo Services. Mishal is a UAE national, born in Dubai in 1969. He finished his schooling in Dubai and holds a Bachelor in Economics and Business Administration in 1990 and an MBA in 1994 in Finance from the University of St Thomas, Houston, Texas.
Mishal started his professional experience with Arthur Andersen in Dubai as an Auditor before taking up his current position in 1997.
Deputy Chairman, Kanoo Group UAE & Oman
Other Gulf Capital Co-Founders
His Excellency Nasser Ahmed Khalifa Alsowaidi