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Alcazar Capital

Team

Our Team

Charbel Abou-Jaoude

Chief Executive Officer

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Samer Al Saifi

Vice Chairman

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Nabil Mahraoui

Partner

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Mara D’Urso

Principal

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Michael Penniman

Chief Risk Officer

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Vinoy Varghese

Chief Financial Officer

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Nawfal El Hayani

Senior Analyst

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Shourong Wang

Operating Partner - Logistics

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Albert Yang

Operating Partner - Logistics

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Industry Partners

Sean Ewing

Industry Partner

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Samuel Sidiqi

Industry Partner

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Bachir V Boustani

Industry Advisor

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Charbel Abou-Jaoude

Chief Executive Officer

  • Charbel is the CEO, with over 30 years of experience in private equity and logistics
  • Prior to Alcazar, Charbel was the COO of Agility Logistics, where he served in a number of roles, including CEO of Agility’s Investments. Prior to Agility, Charbel held senior management positions at EXE Technologies and at ABB
  • Charbel holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from AUB and a Master’s degree from University of Michigan

Samer Al Saifi

Vice Chairman

  • Samer is Vice Chairman, with over 30 years of experience in banking, across the USA and the Middle East
  • Prior to Alcazar, Samer was an executive director of wealth management at Morgan Stanley and also served as the CEO of Dubai International Capital’s Asset Management division

Nabil Mahraoui

Partner

  • Nabil Mahraoui is a Partner with 20 years of experience in private equity and investment banking.
  • He worked at J.P. Morgan Investment Banking with the M&A team in London, focusing on diversified industrials and infrastructure in French and MENA markets. He also covered direct investments, particularly telecom & media, at Fipar-Holding (CDG Group), the Sovereign Wealth Fund of Morocco.
  • Nabil holds an MSc from EMLyon Business School (France) and studied at the Stockholm School of Economics (Sweden).

Mara D'Urso

Principal

  • Mara is a Principal with 14 years of experience in private equity and M&A advisory, with a focus on digital infrastructure, including telecom towers and data centres. Prior to Alcazar, Mara worked at Arcadia, an M&A boutique in Milan.
  • Mara holds a Bachelor's degree and an MSc in Corporate Finance, cum laude, from Bocconi University (Italy).

Michael Penniman

Chief Risk Officer

  • Michael Penniman is the Chief Risk Officer, with 35 years of experience in banking. He previously held senior positions at JPMorgan and Merrill Lynch
  • Michael holds an MBA from Wharton

Vinoy Varghese

Chief Financial Officer

  • Vinoy Varghese is the Chief Financial Officer of Alcazar Capital, with over 13 years of experience in finance, private equity and logistics.
  • He joined Alcazar Capital in 2017 and has held various finance roles within the firm. He oversees financial reporting, budgeting and forecasting, treasury and tax.
  • A Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA), he holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Madras

Nawfal El Hayani

Senior Analyst

  • Nawfal is a Senior analyst with experience in M&A and Debt Advisory
  • Before joining Alcazar, Nawfal was part of Societe Generale’s M&A Large Cap team in Paris
  • Nawfal holds a Master’s in Finance degree from ESCP Business School, Paris – France

Shourong Wang

Operating Partner - Logistics

  • Shourong was recently Senior Manager at DP World, responsible for post-merger integration and oversaw the integration of multiple acquired logistics companies across different regions
  • Prior to that, Shourong was the founder of Bridge Advisors Co, a company specialized in M&A, post-merger integrations and divestments
  • Before that, he served as M&A Director at Stora Enso, a global leader of packaging, biomaterials, wooden and paper, focusing on acquisitions for growth; divestments for transformation; integration after acquisition; managing stake-holders’ relationships
  • From 2005 till 2009, Shourong served as senior manager for Agility, leading M&A initiatives to support the company's strategic growth in the Middle East and Asia. Major roles included investment opportunity sourcing in China and Asia; due diligence over target companies; 180-day integration of acquired companies
  • Shourong worked also for China State Administration of Foreign Experts and Asian Development Bank Office in China
  • Shourong holds a Master of Business Administration from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a BA in Economics from Beijing International Studies University

Albert Yang

Operating Partner - Logistics

  • Albert Yang is a global senior executive with over 20 years of experience in value creation across private equity portfolios, industrial conglomerates, and strategic advisory roles. He has deep expertise in business transformation, operational excellence, and digital innovation across various industrial sectors
  • Albert was recently Senior Manager at DP World, responsible for post-merger integration and oversaw the integration of multiple acquired logistics companies across different regions
  • As Chief Transformation Officer at TK Elevator (APAC), Albert led strategic initiatives to enhance growth and efficiency for a $3B PE-backed business, focusing on expansion, portfolio diversification, and digital innovation
  • Prior to TK Elevator, he held key leadership roles at Honeywell, Mercedes-Benz, Shell, and Toyota, where he drove business transformation, strategic development, and operational improvements across APAC, Europe, and the U.S. He has extensive experience in corporate strategy, digitalization, and global market expansion
  • Albert also has a strong advisory background, having served as Associate Partner at McKinsey and Project Leader at Booz, where he advised investors and executives on value creation, restructuring, and business scaling across private equity, energy, infrastructure, and real estate sectors
  • He holds an MBA from INSEAD and a Bachelor of Engineering from South China University of Technology

Sean Ewing

Industry Partner

  • Sean has over 30 years of experience in fund management, stockbroking, online banking, investment banking, hedge fund management, and private equity around the world
  • Prior to Alcazar, he used to be the Chairman and CEO of a London quoted Stockbroking and Fund Management business and founded UK’s first online fund supermarket and a European Hedge Fund Group with a global presence
  • In 2014, Sean founded and established Salma Pediatric hospital in Abu Dhabi, which was the first Children’s Critical Care hospital in the Middle East. Salma was sold to Abu Dhabi Government Health Services (SEHA) in 2021.
  • Sean is active in various industries including superyachts, Real Estate, Hospitals, Oil and Gas, Finance and Technology
  • He has a BA in Finance and an MBA from the University of Ulster in Ireland

Samuel Sidiqi

Industry Partner

  • Samuel has over 25 years of experience in real estate, banking and management consulting. He is currently an independent director with Afghanistan International Bank and founder and Chairman of Silk Road Mining
  • Prior to Alcazar, he is the CEO of RAK Properties and National Real Estate Company, and also worked in Agility and Bain
  • Samuel received his MBA from Wharton and his MA from the University of Pennsylvania. He holds degrees in economics and political science from MIT

Bachir V Boustani

Industry Advisor

  • Bachir has 40 years of experience in the Energy industry, spanning all continents.
  • A graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology, he started his career at Schlumberger in 1975. He served in several Managerial, Marketing and Human Resources positions throughout the world, including Managing Director of Schlumberger Middle East. As Vice President for the Integrated Project Management in the Middle East and Asia, he was a key contributor to the success and evolution of the IPM concept in the energy service industry.
  • Bachir is well connected at all levels of the oil exploration and production divisions of the regional oil ministries and national oil companies.