Title: CEO, CIRA
Mohamed El-Kalla is the Chief Executive Officer of Cairo for Investment and Real Estate Development (CIRA), An EGX30 Company and winner of Africa's top IPO in 2018. CIRA was founded 1993 and currently CIRA is Egypt’s largest investor in the area of private education. It holds more than 17 affiliate companies and brands, including Futures Educational Systems, Rising Stars, Mavericks, British Columbia Canadian International School (BCCIS) and Badr University in Cairo (BUC). CIRA has invested in 26 campuses, serving more than 40,000 students around Egypt, and has plans to expand regionally. Following a 10-year career in the United Nations that focused on development and corporate sustainability, El-Kalla founded Ahead of the Curve (ATC) consultancy, offering technical assistance to the private sector on corporate social responsibility issues. In 2011, Ahead of the Curve restructured into a leading regional sustainability management think tank focused around inclusive economies, as El-Kalla believed that the region was in dire need of developing a locally sensitized think tank that works on supporting the realization of a MENA-based model for sustainability. El-Kalla is a specialist in private sector sustainable development, educational and BOP investments, and corporate governance and corporate social responsibility. A graduate of the American University in Cairo, he majored in political science with a specialization in international law and a minor in development studies. He started his career in UNHCR, moving on to UNV, UNRC and UNDP, where he supported the foundation of the Global Compact Network in Egypt, and other countries around the MENA region. El-Kalla is responsible for the creation and management of more than 100 developmental projects and partnerships involving the private sector, including the setup of the Egyptian Responsibility Center and the Center for Transparency at the Ministry of Investment.