Dr. Karim El Solh is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Capital. Dr. El Solh is also the co-Managing Partner of Gulf Related, a leading real estate development company launched in partnership with the Related Companies. Dr. El Solh is a board member of the Global Private Capital Association (formerly EMPEA) and the Chairman of the GPCA Middle East Council. Dr. El Solh is serving or has served as the Chairman of Geidea, ART Fertility, Metito Holdings and Maritime Industrial Services, and as the Director of Emirates Auction, Gulf Marine Services, Middle East Glass, Ma’arif for Education & Training, Reach Group, Depa Group, Metamed, the Galleria Mall Al Maryah Island, Antara Residential Project, NAS TPA and Aramex. Dr Karim El Solh recently joined some of the world’s leading CEOs in supporting HRH The Prince of Wales’ Terra Carta, which provides a roadmap for businesses to move towards a sustainable future by 2030. The charter’s vision to help build an inspiring, inclusive, equitable, prosperous, and sustainable future. He is also a member of the Sustainable Markets Initiative and the Private Equity Taskforce on Sustainability.
Prior to founding Gulf Capital, Dr El Solh was the CEO of the leading UAE investment bank, The National Investor. Under his leadership, the Firm was involved in a number of groundbreaking private equity transactions and was ranked as the number one IPO underwriter in the Gulf. Dr El Solh was also a Co-Founder of the European High Yield Capital Markets/Leveraged Buy-Outs division at Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette (DLJ – now part of Credit Suisse) and a senior investment banker in charge of equity offerings at Citigroup.
Dr. El Solh has a B.S. in civil engineering from Cornell University, an MBA from Georgetown University and a doctorate in economics from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po). He is also a Chartered Management Accountant and a Professional Civil Engineer. He is on the Board of Advisors of Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, a Board member of Georgetown’s Center for Financial Markets and Policy, a member of the Future of Work Initiative Advisory Group and on the Board of Trustees of the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (ADMAF). Dr. El Solh has been named as one of the Top 100 CEOs in the Gulf by CEO Magazine, one of the 500 Most Influential Arabs by Arabian Business Magazine and a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.
Dr. Karim El Solh is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Capital. Dr. El Solh is also the co-Managing Partner of Gulf Related, a leading real estate development company launched in partnership with the Related Companies. Dr. El Solh is a board member of the Global Private Capital Association (formerly EMPEA) and the Chairman of the GPCA Middle East Council. Dr. El Solh is serving or has served as the Chairman of Geidea, ART Fertility, Metito Holdings and Maritime Industrial Services, and as the Director of Emirates Auction, Gulf Marine Services, Middle East Glass, Ma’arif for Education & Training, Reach Group, Depa Group, Metamed, the Galleria Mall Al Maryah Island, Antara Residential Project, NAS TPA and Aramex. Dr Karim El Solh recently joined some of the world’s leading CEOs in supporting HRH The Prince of Wales’ Terra Carta, which provides a roadmap for businesses to move towards a sustainable future by 2030. The charter’s vision to help build an inspiring, inclusive, equitable, prosperous, and sustainable future. He is also a member of the Sustainable Markets Initiative and the Private Equity Taskforce on Sustainability.
Prior to founding Gulf Capital, Dr El Solh was the CEO of the leading UAE investment bank, The National Investor. Under his leadership, the Firm was involved in a number of groundbreaking private equity transactions and was ranked as the number one IPO underwriter in the Gulf. Dr El Solh was also a Co-Founder of the European High Yield Capital Markets/Leveraged Buy-Outs division at Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette (DLJ – now part of Credit Suisse) and a senior investment banker in charge of equity offerings at Citigroup.
Dr. El Solh has a B.S. in civil engineering from Cornell University, an MBA from Georgetown University and a doctorate in economics from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po). He is also a Chartered Management Accountant and a Professional Civil Engineer. He is on the Board of Advisors of Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, a Board member of Georgetown’s Center for Financial Markets and Policy, a member of the Future of Work Initiative Advisory Group and on the Board of Trustees of the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (ADMAF). Dr. El Solh has been named as one of the Top 100 CEOs in the Gulf by CEO Magazine, one of the 500 Most Influential Arabs by Arabian Business Magazine and a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.
Mr. Richard Dallas is a Senior Advisor based between Dubai and Singapore. Mr. Dallas joined Gulf Capital as a Managing Director in the Private Equity Team in 2007 where he led investment execution and post-acquisition monitoring and was also involved in investment screening. Immediately prior to joining Gulf Capital, Mr. Dallas was the Managing Director of Oryx Capital International, a multi-family investment group in Chicago composed of families from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait that specialized in small to mid-cap investments in the US. Prior to that, Mr. Dallas was a Partner for 13 years at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, one of the world’s largest law firms, where he established and managed the firm’s offices in London and Saudi Arabia.
Mr. Dallas received an A.B. degree from Stanford University, and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Southern California.
Mr. Richard Dallas is a Senior Advisor based between Dubai and Singapore. Mr. Dallas joined Gulf Capital as a Managing Director in the Private Equity Team in 2007 where he led investment execution and post-acquisition monitoring and was also involved in investment screening. Immediately prior to joining Gulf Capital, Mr. Dallas was the Managing Director of Oryx Capital International, a multi-family investment group in Chicago composed of families from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait that specialized in small to mid-cap investments in the US. Prior to that, Mr. Dallas was a Partner for 13 years at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, one of the world’s largest law firms, where he established and managed the firm’s offices in London and Saudi Arabia.
Mr. Dallas received an A.B. degree from Stanford University, and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Southern California.
Mr. Christopher Foll joined Gulf Capital in 2010 as Chief Financial Officer. He currently heads the Growth Equity business and overseas the management of the portfolio and team. Mr. Foll joined Gulf Capital from Hong Kong based New York listed Hutchison Telecommunications International, where he was Chief Financial Officer, and sits on the Private Debt Investment Committee across both funds since inception. Mr. Foll has more than thirty years of experience and has held a number of senior management positions in public companies across Southern Africa, Australia, India, Vietnam, Indonesia and Hong Kong. This spanned the agricultural, building materials, mining and latterly, the telecommunications sectors. In Australia, Mr. Foll was Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and then Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of QNI Ltd, a listed specialist nickel and cobalt producer.
Mr. Foll has held leadership positions in the telecoms sector, first as CFO and then COO of Hutchison Essar based in Mumbai, India and responsible for overall finance and strategic business development. The business revenues grew from approximately $200 million to $3 billion during his six year tenure. He was appointed COO of Hutchison Telecom Vietnam on the sale of the India business to the UK based Vodafone Group, and then moved to Hong Kong as CFO of Hutchison Telecommunications International, a business listed on the New York and Hong Kong stock exchanges, where he oversaw the spin-off and subsequent listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange of the Hong Kong operations, and the restructure of the other operations in the emerging market group. Mr. Foll holds a Bcompt from the University of South Africa and is a Fellow of the Australia and New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Mr. Christopher Foll joined Gulf Capital in 2010 as Chief Financial Officer. He currently heads the Growth Equity business and overseas the management of the portfolio and team. Mr. Foll joined Gulf Capital from Hong Kong based New York listed Hutchison Telecommunications International, where he was Chief Financial Officer, and sits on the Private Debt Investment Committee across both funds since inception. Mr. Foll has more than thirty years of experience and has held a number of senior management positions in public companies across Southern Africa, Australia, India, Vietnam, Indonesia and Hong Kong. This spanned the agricultural, building materials, mining and latterly, the telecommunications sectors. In Australia, Mr. Foll was Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and then Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of QNI Ltd, a listed specialist nickel and cobalt producer.
Mr. Foll has held leadership positions in the telecoms sector, first as CFO and then COO of Hutchison Essar based in Mumbai, India and responsible for overall finance and strategic business development. The business revenues grew from approximately $200 million to $3 billion during his six year tenure. He was appointed COO of Hutchison Telecom Vietnam on the sale of the India business to the UK based Vodafone Group, and then moved to Hong Kong as CFO of Hutchison Telecommunications International, a business listed on the New York and Hong Kong stock exchanges, where he oversaw the spin-off and subsequent listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange of the Hong Kong operations, and the restructure of the other operations in the emerging market group. Mr. Foll holds a Bcompt from the University of South Africa and is a Fellow of the Australia and New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Mr. Salhab joined Gulf Capital in 2014 and leads the Transformational Growth team. Mr. Salhab holds more than 30 years of experience in the fast-moving consumer goods industry working for companies such as Procter & Gamble, where he held several executive positions, led the integration of three acquisitions, and managed 12 manufacturing sites in 10 countries in Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He focuses on the operating performance of portfolio companies and is also a certified mentor and trainer.
Mr. Salhab holds a degree in engineering from the American University of Beirut.
Mr. Salhab joined Gulf Capital in 2014 and leads the Transformational Growth team. Mr. Salhab holds more than 30 years of experience in the fast-moving consumer goods industry working for companies such as Procter & Gamble, where he held several executive positions, led the integration of three acquisitions, and managed 12 manufacturing sites in 10 countries in Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He focuses on the operating performance of portfolio companies and is also a certified mentor and trainer.
Mr. Salhab holds a degree in engineering from the American University of Beirut.
Mr. Mohammad Madani joined Gulf Capital in 2012 and holds the position of Managing Director. Mohammad started his career at EFG Hermes in the UAE where he worked in both the equity research and private equity division and has an established track record of 15 years’ experience in financial services of which 13 years are in the private equity industry.
Mr. Madani’s financial services and investment experience in the MENA region has seen him execute transactions in the UAE, KSA, Egypt, Pakistan, Morocco, and Jordan. His investment experience spans origination, deal structuring, execution, portfolio management, and exit. Mr. Madani has led a number of the unique buy-and-build platforms at Gulf Capital including Metamed, Middle East Glass, Accumed, and CWB. Mr. Madani received a B.S. in Business Administration from the American University of Sharjah (UAE), with a minor in Economics.
Mr. Mohammad Madani joined Gulf Capital in 2012 and holds the position of Managing Director. Mohammad started his career at EFG Hermes in the UAE where he worked in both the equity research and private equity division and has an established track record of 15 years’ experience in financial services of which 13 years are in the private equity industry.
Mr. Madani’s financial services and investment experience in the MENA region has seen him execute transactions in the UAE, KSA, Egypt, Pakistan, Morocco, and Jordan. His investment experience spans origination, deal structuring, execution, portfolio management, and exit. Mr. Madani has led a number of the unique buy-and-build platforms at Gulf Capital including Metamed, Middle East Glass, Accumed, and CWB. Mr. Madani received a B.S. in Business Administration from the American University of Sharjah (UAE), with a minor in Economics.
Mr. Hazem Al Khalaf joined Gulf Capital in October 2018. Before joining Gulf Capital, Mr. Khalaf was a Director with The Abraaj Group where he worked on the group’s Healthcare and Education efforts across Emerging Markets. In his 15+ years in private equity, Mr. Khalaf has been involved in transactions with a total value of c.$ 3 billion across MENA, US, Europe, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Mr. Khalaf’s investment experience spans origination, deal structuring, execution, portfolio management, and exit. Since joining Gulf Capital, Mr. Khalaf led the largest investment in Gulf Capital’s corporate history, acquiring a majority stake in ART Fertility, one of the region’s leading specialty fertility clinics.
Mr. Khalaf has a track record of delivering robust returns with total exit proceeds of c.$ 410 million, generating a c. 40%+ Gross IRR. Examples include the acquisition and subsequent sale of Middlesex University Dubai (3.5x MOC) and an investment into Laureate Education Inc., which later went public on the NASDAQ stock exchange (2.0x MOC). Mr. Khalaf received a B.S. in Business Administration focused on Finance and Accounting from the American University of Sharjah and is a CFA Charterholder.
Mr. Hazem Al Khalaf joined Gulf Capital in October 2018. Before joining Gulf Capital, Mr. Khalaf was a Director with The Abraaj Group where he worked on the group’s Healthcare and Education efforts across Emerging Markets. In his 15+ years in private equity, Mr. Khalaf has been involved in transactions with a total value of c.$ 3 billion across MENA, US, Europe, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Mr. Khalaf’s investment experience spans origination, deal structuring, execution, portfolio management, and exit. Since joining Gulf Capital, Mr. Khalaf led the largest investment in Gulf Capital’s corporate history, acquiring a majority stake in ART Fertility, one of the region’s leading specialty fertility clinics.
Mr. Khalaf has a track record of delivering robust returns with total exit proceeds of c.$ 410 million, generating a c. 40%+ Gross IRR. Examples include the acquisition and subsequent sale of Middlesex University Dubai (3.5x MOC) and an investment into Laureate Education Inc., which later went public on the NASDAQ stock exchange (2.0x MOC). Mr. Khalaf received a B.S. in Business Administration focused on Finance and Accounting from the American University of Sharjah and is a CFA Charterholder.
Mr. Alvaro Abella is a Managing Director in the Private Equity Team. With over twenty years of experience across Europe, the Americas and the MENA region and with a strong focus on tech-related investments, Mr. Abella has worked across transaction execution, post-acquisition management and advisory roles.
Prior to Gulf Capital, he co-founded BECO Holdings, a Dubai-based early-stage investment firm focused on digital businesses in the MENA region, where he led local investments into regional leaders such as Careem, Vezeeta and SellAnyCar. The investment into Careem delivered the largest tech-related exit in the MENA region when Uber, the US-listed competitor, bought the business for $3.1 billion, generating a +10x return for BECO, which returned the whole capital of the fund from that single investment. Additionally, Mr. Abella led several co-investment programs alongside existing investors as well as international growth investors (mainly US). Prior to BECO, Mr. Abella held positions with Diamond Cluster International, Dubai, Value Partners SpA., Italy and Booz Allen & Hamilton, Europe. Mr. Abella received an M.B.A. from MIT Sloan School of Management, and a dual degree (German & Spanish) in Business Administration from ICADE in Spain and FH-Reutlingen in Germany.
Mr. Alvaro Abella is a Managing Director in the Private Equity Team. With over twenty years of experience across Europe, the Americas and the MENA region and with a strong focus on tech-related investments, Mr. Abella has worked across transaction execution, post-acquisition management and advisory roles.
Prior to Gulf Capital, he co-founded BECO Holdings, a Dubai-based early-stage investment firm focused on digital businesses in the MENA region, where he led local investments into regional leaders such as Careem, Vezeeta and SellAnyCar. The investment into Careem delivered the largest tech-related exit in the MENA region when Uber, the US-listed competitor, bought the business for $3.1 billion, generating a +10x return for BECO, which returned the whole capital of the fund from that single investment. Additionally, Mr. Abella led several co-investment programs alongside existing investors as well as international growth investors (mainly US). Prior to BECO, Mr. Abella held positions with Diamond Cluster International, Dubai, Value Partners SpA., Italy and Booz Allen & Hamilton, Europe. Mr. Abella received an M.B.A. from MIT Sloan School of Management, and a dual degree (German & Spanish) in Business Administration from ICADE in Spain and FH-Reutlingen in Germany.
Mr. Shantanu Mukerji recently joined the Firm as Managing Director based out of Singapore. Mr. Mukerji will lead the firm’s activities in Asia, looking at private equity investments and portfolio growth opportunities. Mr. Mukerji brings more than 20 years’ experience covering the Southeast Asia region, with leadership roles in private equity with a focus on consumer and luxury industries.
Prior to joining Gulf Capital, Mr. Mukerji spent 10 years at L Catterton, the world’s largest consumer-focused private equity group, where he worked on origination, transaction execution, financing, syndication, consortium formation, post investment value creation, restructuring and divestment of private equity investments. He was also involved in the establishment of a number of SPACs in the US and Singapore. His operational experience includes senior leadership roles in the consumer industry at prestigious brands such as LVMH, Ermenegildo Zegna, and Nike. Mr. Mukerji received a B.Tech degree in Manufacturing Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, and an M.B.A. from the Indian Institute of Management.
Mr. Shantanu Mukerji recently joined the Firm as Managing Director based out of Singapore. Mr. Mukerji will lead the firm’s activities in Asia, looking at private equity investments and portfolio growth opportunities. Mr. Mukerji brings more than 20 years’ experience covering the Southeast Asia region, with leadership roles in private equity with a focus on consumer and luxury industries.
Prior to joining Gulf Capital, Mr. Mukerji spent 10 years at L Catterton, the world’s largest consumer-focused private equity group, where he worked on origination, transaction execution, financing, syndication, consortium formation, post investment value creation, restructuring and divestment of private equity investments. He was also involved in the establishment of a number of SPACs in the US and Singapore. His operational experience includes senior leadership roles in the consumer industry at prestigious brands such as LVMH, Ermenegildo Zegna, and Nike. Mr. Mukerji received a B.Tech degree in Manufacturing Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, and an M.B.A. from the Indian Institute of Management.
Mr. Kaiser Jasrai leads the Investor Relations and Fundraising function at Gulf Capital as a Managing Director. He joined Gulf Capital from global placement firm Eaton Partners in 2020 where he spent seven years as Managing Director, covering global institutional investors and where he was celebrated as a top performing distribution professional in the firm’s EMEA operations. During his career, Mr. Jasrai has personally raised well over $1 billion in institutional capital from Limited Partners including pension funds, endowments, family offices and sovereign wealth funds across Europe and the Middle East for private markets strategies.
Throughout his career, which saw him work for UBS Investment Bank in London and Standard Chartered Bank in the Middle East, Mr. Jasrai has worked across a broad spectrum of alternative investments strategies including buyout, growth capital, venture capital, credit and real estate with top-tier managers in Asia, Europe and the United States of America. Mr. Jasrai is a graduate of Oxford University (B.A. Hons.), and the London School of Economics (MSc.)
Mr. Kaiser Jasrai leads the Investor Relations and Fundraising function at Gulf Capital as a Managing Director. He joined Gulf Capital from global placement firm Eaton Partners in 2020 where he spent seven years as Managing Director, covering global institutional investors and where he was celebrated as a top performing distribution professional in the firm’s EMEA operations. During his career, Mr. Jasrai has personally raised well over $1 billion in institutional capital from Limited Partners including pension funds, endowments, family offices and sovereign wealth funds across Europe and the Middle East for private markets strategies.
Throughout his career, which saw him work for UBS Investment Bank in London and Standard Chartered Bank in the Middle East, Mr. Jasrai has worked across a broad spectrum of alternative investments strategies including buyout, growth capital, venture capital, credit and real estate with top-tier managers in Asia, Europe and the United States of America. Mr. Jasrai is a graduate of Oxford University (B.A. Hons.), and the London School of Economics (MSc.)
Mr. Daoud joined Gulf Capital in July 2006 and is the Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Gulf Capital, Mr. Daoud was the Director of Finance at The Landmark- Real Estate Owners and Developers- based in Lebanon, where he oversaw all activities in the finance and support functions. He was also the Group Financial Manager of Bemco International Offshore (Affiliate of the Saudi Bin Laden Group) in Lebanon for almost 3 years.
Mr. Daoud has over 25 years of progressive experience in financial management, treasury administration, fund administration, risk management and corporate governance. Mr. Daoud has raised multiple credit facilities, with local and international banks for Gulf Capital and its managed funds. He also assists portfolio companies in securing bank facilities and serves on various audit committees to leverage on his experience on governance and internal controls. Mr. Daoud led the final earn out negotiations and exit proceeds of DOTW resulting in a positive outcome for the firm. He also plays an active role in managing Gulf Capital’s balance sheet investments, liquidity risk and profile, and heads the support functions at Gulf Capital. Mr. Daoud holds a B.S. in Business Finance and Banking from the Lebanese American University.
Mr. Daoud joined Gulf Capital in July 2006 and is the Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Gulf Capital, Mr. Daoud was the Director of Finance at The Landmark- Real Estate Owners and Developers- based in Lebanon, where he oversaw all activities in the finance and support functions. He was also the Group Financial Manager of Bemco International Offshore (Affiliate of the Saudi Bin Laden Group) in Lebanon for almost 3 years.
Mr. Daoud has over 25 years of progressive experience in financial management, treasury administration, fund administration, risk management and corporate governance. Mr. Daoud has raised multiple credit facilities, with local and international banks for Gulf Capital and its managed funds. He also assists portfolio companies in securing bank facilities and serves on various audit committees to leverage on his experience on governance and internal controls. Mr. Daoud led the final earn out negotiations and exit proceeds of DOTW resulting in a positive outcome for the firm. He also plays an active role in managing Gulf Capital’s balance sheet investments, liquidity risk and profile, and heads the support functions at Gulf Capital. Mr. Daoud holds a B.S. in Business Finance and Banking from the Lebanese American University.
Natalie Kirk is Head of Legal and Compliance at Gulf Capital and oversees all legal, compliance and governance matters for the firm. Ms. Kirk has over 17 years of legal experience and has advised on the full range of cross-border M&A and private equity transactions, joint ventures, corporate restructurings and general portfolio company advisory work. Prior to joining Gulf Capital, Ms. Kirk was a senior in-house lawyer with one of MENA’s largest institutional investment groups and prior to that, spent 12 years in private practice with international law firms Ashurst LLP and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP where she worked on a broad range of complex and high value corporate transactions for global and regional private equity firms, corporates and publicly listed companies.
Ms. Kirk, who has been admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales since 2007, is licensed to practice as a solicitor by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Glasgow, a Bachelor of Law from the University of Strathclyde and a Diploma in Legal Practice from the Glasgow Graduate School of Law.
Natalie Kirk is Head of Legal and Compliance at Gulf Capital and oversees all legal, compliance and governance matters for the firm. Ms. Kirk has over 17 years of legal experience and has advised on the full range of cross-border M&A and private equity transactions, joint ventures, corporate restructurings and general portfolio company advisory work. Prior to joining Gulf Capital, Ms. Kirk was a senior in-house lawyer with one of MENA’s largest institutional investment groups and prior to that, spent 12 years in private practice with international law firms Ashurst LLP and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP where she worked on a broad range of complex and high value corporate transactions for global and regional private equity firms, corporates and publicly listed companies.
Ms. Kirk, who has been admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales since 2007, is licensed to practice as a solicitor by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Glasgow, a Bachelor of Law from the University of Strathclyde and a Diploma in Legal Practice from the Glasgow Graduate School of Law.
