ABANA (abana.co)

This is a friendly reminder that ABANA invites members and non-members to share in a traditional, family-style Iftar dinner. This is a great opportunity to network with the broader ABANA community in a social setting. *Capacity is limited; therefore, please reserve your spots as soon as possible! Members are only allowed one guest. For registration questions/matters, please email [email protected].

The 2025 John Mack ABANA Fellowship Program application cycle is now open! Last year, ABANA welcomed its inaugural fellows cohort - a next generation of leaders with exceptional potential to strengthen business, finance, and policy ties between the U.S. and the MENA region. This Poets & Quants feature highlights the first cohort’s experience, the program’s impact, and how it is building meaningful cross-regional connections. https://lnkd.in/e-i3cB8e

In honor of Ramadan, ABANA is delighted to invite members and non-members to share in a traditional, family-style Iftar dinner. This is a great opportunity to network with the broader ABANA community in a social setting. *Capacity is limited; therefore, please reserve your spots as soon as possible! Members are only allowed one guest. For registration questions/matters, please email [email protected].

Join us for another ABANA in the Boardroom, with our former ABANA Director, Thana Al-Mufarrej, Managing Director for Wafra. This will be an afternoon session at the Wafra offices; food will be served and there will be an opportunity for networking after the session. *This is a free limited-capacity event available only to 30 ABANA members with priority given to young professionals (35 or under). This series is tailored to young professionals as it offers the chance to gain career insights through informal and exclusive conversations with executive professionals, during which they discuss their career journeys, including the challenges, opportunities, and milestones. **Event registration closes 48 hours prior to the event. If the event registration is closed before this time, this means the event has reached capacity. To be added to the waitlist, please email [email protected].

PRESS RELEASE, February 10th, 2025 ABANA and the ABANA Foundation Announce Lotfi Karoui, Partner at Goldman Sachs, as its 2025 Chairman Following ABANA’s Annual Meeting ABANA and the ABANA Foundation is pleased to announce Lotfi Karoui as its new Chairman.?Karoui is a long-standing member of ABANA, first joining in 2020 as an institutional member with Goldman Sachs, then as a board member and as Vice Chairman.?He has also been a frequent speaker and moderator at ABANA’s program events and is an active and engaging mentor to many young professionals.?He was also instrumental in the creation of the ABANA Foundation as a public charity in 2023. Lotfi is the Chief Credit Strategist of Goldman Sachs. He is responsible for research and views on global credit markets.?He joined Goldman Sachs in 2007 and was named partner in 2024 and managing director in 2015. He publishes regularly on the state of fixed-income markets and asset allocation. Prior to joining the firm, Lotfi taught undergraduate and graduate-level courses in finance and operations research at McGill University and HEC Montreal. Upon Karoui's?selection as the ABANA Chairman, he stated, "I am very?excited to become the next?ABANA Chairman.?This organization has had an impact for over 40 years and represents first-class business intelligence?as it pertains?to the Middle East and North Africa region.?ABANA also has a proud history as a bridge builder for business and financial leaders from both sides of the Atlantic.??I look forward to building on the success of past ABANA Chairs." Born and raised in Tunisia, Lotfi graduated from the Institut des Hautes études Commerciales in Carthage, Tunisia with a bachelor’s degree in finance in 2000. He earned a master’s degree in financial engineering from HEC Montréal in 2002 and a PhD in Financial Economics from McGill University in 2007. He is fluent in Arabic and French. ABANA is a 501-c-6, not-for-profit business association focused on business excellence for those with an interest in the Middle East and North Africa region.?We are an inclusive organization that hosts, curates, and shares with its members first-class business intelligence, through forums and events centered on networking, community building, and economic innovation. The ABANA Foundation is a 501-c-3, not-for-profit public charity dedicated to education through nurturing, mentoring, and investing in the next generation of business professionals with an interest in the Middle East and North Africa region.

This is a friendly reminder that ABANA invites you to the 2025 ABANA Annual Meeting on February 10th, 2025, from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM at the Harvard Club of New York City. This event is open to all, though only ABANA members will be eligible to vote in the election. The meeting will provide year-end reports and announce ABANA's newly-elected board members. The meeting will be followed by a reception at 6:30 pm. Board Elections - Members Only Elections for the ABANA Board of Directors opened two weeks before the Annual Meeting, and electronic ballots have been sent to all members*. Members are voting on a slate of eight candidates to fill open seats on the board, with the option for a write-in candidate. Those elected will each serve a three-year term. The voting deadline is set for February 10th, 2025, at 5:00 PM EST, and the results will be announced during the meeting. Please see the nominated board members for 2025, here. https://lnkd.in/eWRf3sc9 *Per ABANA’s By-Laws, only members in good standing as of January 22, 2025, are eligible to vote. If you are a member, please note that the ballot email will be sent?from [email protected].?Therefore, please make sure to check your junk mail folder for that email address or send us an email at [email protected] for assistance. ** If you are already registered and no longer able to make it, please let us know by emailing [email protected].

ABANA invites you to the 2025 ABANA Annual Meeting on February 10th, 2025, from 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM at the Harvard Club of New York City. This event is open to all, though only ABANA members will be eligible to vote in the election. The meeting will provide year-end reports and announce ABANA's newly-elected board members. The meeting will be followed by a reception at 6:30 pm. Board Elections - Members Only Elections for the ABANA Board of Directors open two weeks before the Annual Meeting, and electronic ballots will be sent to all members*. Members are voting on a slate of eight candidates to fill open seats on the board, with the option for a write-in candidate. Those elected will each serve a three-year term. The voting deadline is set for February 10th, 2025, at 5:00 PM EST, and the results will be announced during the meeting. Please see the nominated board members for 2025, here. https://lnkd.in/eWRf3sc9 *Per ABANA’s By-Laws, only members in good standing as of January 22, 2025, are eligible to vote. If you are a member, please note that the ballot email will be sent?from [email protected].?Therefore, please make sure to check your junk mail folder for that email address or send us an email at [email protected] for assistance.

Thank you to all those who attended our Holiday Reception last week! We are incredibly grateful for a successful year and always delighted to see so many new and familiar faces. Wishing you all an amazing end of the year 2024 and we look forward to an even better 2025!

Dear ABANA Members and Friends, Following a successful 2024, we are delighted to share this year-end letter from ABANA President, Khalid Azim. We wish you all happy holidays and a lovely end of the year! Sincerely, ABANA.

ABANA is delighted to have partnered with ADFW (Abu Dhabi Finance Week) to?host its first event in the MENA Region, a panel discussion titled “How Can AI Help Socio-Economic Development?”. The event?featured prominent industry panelists and?was moderated by ABANA Director Marwan Elaraby, who is also a partner at Gibson Dunn's Dubai office. The discussion focused on how AI can be a catalyst for economic growth and serve as a facilitator of important socio-economic betterment in areas such as health, inequality, and workforce development. ABANA is thrilled to continue expanding its programming and providing best-in-class business intelligence for finance professionals with?interest in the Middle east and North Africa region.?To join us as a member, go to www.abana.co! #ADFW #Finance #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Panel #MENA #AbuDhabi #UAE