Ghada Hamouda

Biography

Egypt’s 50 Most Influential Women in Business 

FRA’s Women Leadership Award in the Non-Banking Financial Sector 

Forbes Top 50 Most Impactful Marketing & Communications Professionals in Middle East 

IFC Corporate Directors Certified, ESG for Private Equity Certificate (FMO)

Climate Reality Certified – Leadership Corps 

Arab Federation of Exchanges Sustainability-ESG Committee – Egypt Representative

EGX Sustainability Committee – Independent Member 

UN Global Compact Local Network – Founding Board Member

Sustainability Committee Member – Qalaa Holdings Board

Takreem Selection Board Member 

Mentor – Egyptian Banking Institute & Endeavor SME 

 

 

Ms. Hammouda has 30-plus years of experience in market development, strategic planning, sustainable development and reputation management. Ms. Hammouda is an advocate and frequent speaker on issues related to responsible investing, sustainability, crisis communication, gender equality, youth empowerment and education, and is very active in community development. 

After a short stint in capacity building with the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) and the IMC in Egypt, Ms. Hammouda joined Qalaa Holdings, an African leader in energy and infrastructure, in 2008 where she led their public listing, business transformation and entry to African markets in pioneering sectors like solid waste management, renewable energy and river transportation, and developed their corporate responsibility programs.

In her role heading the sustainability and marketing function at Qalaa Holdings, Ms. Hammouda has been driving the group sustainability strategy to support business goals and creation of strategies that institutionalize sustainability into Qalaa’s governance and business practices, driving global standards and guidelines regarding corporate citizenship, environmental and social responsibility across the group,  leading the development of positive relationships with key external stakeholders, including NGOs and government agencies, ensuring maximum value is achieved with key group partnerships.

During her 20+ years career journey in the US, Ms. Hammouda served as a senior executive and strategic consultant to top New York and European blue chip and start-up firms including IBM, AT&T International, Mars, Philip Morris, Procter & Gamble, Reciprocal, Inc., WPP’s Ogilvy & Mather, N.W. Ayer & Partners, and Backer Spielvogel Bates; in categories ranging from FMCG to private equity and IT, and gained wide experience in creating value and shared prosperity in both mature and emerging markets.  

Ms. Hammouda served as Co-Chair of the African Venture Capital Association’s Advocacy Committee, the Women in Business Committee at the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt; and was a board member for the New York-based Sunhawk.com Corporation, a leading digital rights management company in Buffalo, New York. She was also a member of the board of trustees at Cairo American College (2013-2018) and chaired several committees including governance, branding and advocacy committees and was member of the CAC foundation board.  

Most recently, she was named one of Forbes Top 50 Impactful Narrators, Marketing and Communications Professionals and Storytellers in the Middle East and among Egypt’s Top 50 most influential women in business. Hammouda is a founding board member of the UN Global Compact Local Network in Egypt. Additionally, she was chosen in 2018 to be a member of the TAKREEM Selection Board, a regional initiative that honors Arab accomplishments on the global stage.  Her track record and talent in sustainable development and managing change were recognized locally and regionally over the years but closest to her heart is her first accolade as the winner of the first David Ogilvy Advertising Research Foundation’s (ARF) Award for Excellence in New York. 

 

She has completed an environmental, social and governance ESG certificate for private equity funds conducted by FMO & DEG in Kenya, and recently completed an intensive Leadership for Directors program by UK’s Institute of Directors and IFC and EIOD’s Corporate Directors Certification Program (CDCP) and is Climate Reality certified. 

 

Ms. Hammouda graduated in 1984 summa cum laude from the American University in Cairo with a BA in Business Administration and Mass Communications and obtained a licence de droit in 2009 from Cairo University’s School of Law.

 

An American-Egyptian expat, Ms. Hammouda is the mother of Nadine who holds a Master of Arts with distinction from SOAS University, London, Suzanne who holds a Bachelor of Science from Syracuse University, USA and Adam who is pursuing his masters at ECES, Berlin in Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Innovation. 

 

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Qalaa Holdings (CCAP.CA on the Egyptian Stock Exchange) is an African leader in energy and infrastructure. Qalaa Holdings builds businesses sustainably and responsibly in strategic sectors that will be the engines of economic growth and development including Energy, Cement, Agrifoods, Transportation & Logistics, Printing & Packaging and Mining. To learn more, please visit qalaaholdings.com.