Bahrain
Feryal Nass, Founder & Chairwoman, Bahrain Entrepreneurship Organisation (BEO), has been appointed as Senator at the Grand Assembly of the World Business Angels Investment Forum. Senator Nass will represent Bahrain in the Global Woman Leaders Committee of the Grand Assembly.
Feryal.Nass@wbaforum.org
Bachelor Degree in Business Administration, Bahrain University - Master Degree in Political Economics, Stanford University - Founder & Chairwoman, Bahrain Entrepreneurship Organization (BEO) - Founder & Chairwoman, Bizgrow Incubators and Accelerators - Vice Chairman of ASEAN Bahrain Council - Board Member of Bahrain Khaireya Charity Society - Board Member of Entrepreneurs Organization (EO), Bahrain Chapter - Former President, Bahrain Businesswomen Society, Term 2016-2018 - Masterclass Social Entrepreneur of the Year Awardee, 8th Middle East Business Leaders Awards - International Women’s Entrepreneurial Challenge (IWEC) Foundation Awardee - Executive Director, Nass The Group (for past 27 years-present) - Founder & CEO of Design District Trading W.L.L. - Founder & CEO of Ma Maison Interiors - Founder & Owner of Smart Creative Factory - Head of Thailand Committee, ASEAN Council - Head of Women’s Committee, Khaireya Charity Society - Member of Equal Opportunities between Supreme Council for Women and Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry Joint Committee - Head of Advisory Council for the Interior Design Curriculum – Applied Science University, Kingdom of Bahrain - Advisory Board Member for Retail Sector, Tamkeen - Member of Organizing Committee in Bahrain International Garden Show, 2006-2010 - Member in the National Initiative for Agriculture Development Planning Committee, 2010-2011 - Former Member of National Committee for International Commerce - Participated in international law business conferences - Worked for several BCCI committees and other joint committees - Activist in voluntary work and charity societies.
Bahrain
Osama Al Khajah, Founder and Executive Chairman at Global Innovative Solutions WLL, has been appointed as High Commissioner for Bahrain. High Commissioner Al Khajah represents Bahrain in the Global Consultants Committee of the Grand Assembly of the World Business Angels Investment Forum.
Osama.Alkhajah@wbaforum.org
Osama Al Khajah is a forward thinker, proactive, self-made, business oriented, professional with high leadership skills. He is dynamic, active member in local and regional business societies and maintains a wide network of local and international highly influential contacts in various sectors. He holds positions in several international committees, NGOs, and professional bodies and institutions in both public and private sectors. He initiated / founded/ developed / managed several initiatives, companies, megaprojects, international forums, and NGOs. Osama became a CPA in 1994 and was the youngest Bahraini CPA at that time. Today, he has leadership and professional experience of over 27 years in Islamic banking, project finance, corporate finance, investment banking, development banking, real-estate development, energy, petrochemicals, international events management, SMEs, entrepreneurship development, science and technology parks, industrial parks, and innovation development. He started his self-made career in 1986, just after finishing high school, by working for GPIC for 10 years, where his final position was Treasurer, and then he joined Gulf Powerbeat Co. as Financial Controller for 2 years. Subsequently, he diversified his career by joining the Bahrain Development Bank, where he worked 5 years as Head of Business Development and Project Finance. In 2002, Osama joined the Kuwait Finance House (Bahrain) as Head of Corporate Finance, and in 2004 he became Head of Project Development, where he was actively involved in initiating, conceptualizing, and developing new businesses and projects worth billions of USD in energy, petrochemicals, infrastructure, and master-plan development until March 2017, when he decided to resign and start his own business. He founded a new company called Global Innovative Solutions WLL, which is led by Osama as ExecuTive Chairman.
Bahrain
Sebahat Isik, Managing Director and Partner of YSM Consultancy, has been appointed as Senator to the Grand Assembly of the World Business Angels Investment Forum. Senator Isik represents Bahrain in the Global Consultants Committee of the Grand Assembly.
Sebahat.Isik@wbaforum.org
Sebahat Isik holds a BSc degree in Chemistry from Hacettepe University and a post-graduate degree from Gazi University; both universities are in Ankara, Turkey. She followed up with a banking diploma from the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance. Her career in the financial sector spans over 17 years as Head of Treasury, Credit and Director at the Fortis Bank A.S. Bahrain Branch, where he was involved in Credit and Trade Finance transactions. She is currently the Managing Director and Partner at YSM Consultancy, a financial and management consultancy, which basically specializes in setting up and temporarily managing contractors and joint-venture businesses in the Kingdom of Bah- rain. She holds a UNIDO certificate from the Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion programme and works closely with entrepreneurs. She also coaches university students in the INJAZ Bahrain Youth Development programme. Her company extends services to fintech companies who are planning to establish themselves in Bahrain Fintech Bay. She has been a Rotarian since 2001 and a member of the Bahrain Businesswomen’s Society and the Bahrain Photography Society. She was also a member of the Bahrain-Turkey Joint Business Council from 2016 to 2018.
Bahrain
Sonya Janahi, Board Member, Bahrain Chamber of Commerce & Industry, has been appointed as Senator at the Grand Assembly of the World Business Angels Investment Forum. Senator Janahi will represent Bahrain in the Global Woman Leaders Committee of the Grand Assembly.
Sonya.Janahi@wbaforum.org
Board Member of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce & Industry Board Member of the Social Insurance Organization Founder & CEO, Maya La Chocolaterie & The Living Concepts Sonya Janahi is the Founder & CEO for Maya La Chocolaterie and its parent company, ‘The Living Concepts’; a hospitality and F&B consultancy mandated to inspire home-grown innovative concepts with vast potential to turn them into international franchise names. Sonya founded Maya La Chocolaterie over 10 years ago as the first artisan chocolate brand in Bahrain and has since evolved it into a successful GCC-wide franchise synonymous with some of the best chocolatiers in the world. Her love for chocolate inspired her to pursue a qualification in Ecole Chocolate and she is a Certified Professional Chocolatier and a mentor and guide to the Chefs of Maya. Boasting a distinguished career that spans over two decades working in the banking and telecom industries, and with specialised know-how in the areas of retail, investment, oil & gas and real estate, Sonya has applied her expertise to strategically diversify and evolve the family business, carving its growth path beyond Bahrain, to international territories, through best in class partnerships and Mergers & Acquisitions. In addition to her integral role in expanding the reach and breadth of the Maya brand, Sonya is actively involved in the rest of the Group’s subsidiaries which extend to investment and financial, administration, HR and IT consultancies; architecture and interior design; and construction, where she also holds senior advisory positions as a member of the Board. Sonya is widely commended for her entrepreneurial spirit; she has sought to make a difference as an enabler of change, advocating for the region’s SME sector and using her own story of achievements to stimulate progress in the realm of entrepreneurship as well as to empower women. In March 2018, Sonya won a board seat at the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce & Industry and her role is focused on supporting the F&B and hospitality sector of Bahrain. In August 2018, His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of Bahrain issued an official decree appointing Sonya as a board member of the Social Insurance Organization (pension fund). Staying humble and grounded, Sonya is dedicated to giving back to the community and works closely with charities close to her heart to improve the quality of life so the community can thrive. Sonya holds a Master’s Degree in Strategic Marketing from Hull University, in the United Kingdom. Sonya has two daughters. Over and above her passion for chocolate, she enjoys exploring new countries and cultures, mentoring and the art of cooking.
Bahrain
Ali Hasan Mahmood Lari, CEO of the Digital Asset Management (BDAM)
Ali.Hasan.Mahmood.Lari@wbaforum.org
Jaian is a United States Presidential Appointee and CEO of Veltrust, a global advisory and investment firm operating in Washington DC. The company focuses on working with clients from a diverse range of industries to utilize opportunities in the government and private sectors. Veltrust also participates in global import and export operations as well as commercial diplomacy, spanning five continents and over twenty five countries. Currently, Veltrust is at the forefront of utilizing state of the art Blockchain technology to meet the needs of the global markets of various industries pertaining to Government, Real-estate, Agri-Business, Health Care, Energy and Hospitality. Apart from his tenure in international trade and investment, Jaian served as Head of investment along side industry leaders such as Ex-Apple Executive Chuck Goldman and Hilton™ Chairman Rick Hilton, in the creation of Hilton™ backed, Aqua Intelligence (Aquaintel.io). Named Top 5 softwares for the hospitality industry, Aqua Intelligence is the hospitality industry’s first comprehensive data solution using AI and blockchain technology. Jaian is also the CEO of British Digital Asset Management, a global financial service provider through various development and implementation of innovative Fintech solutions to provide the most comprehensive financial services world wide. BDAM has a massive focus on providing financial services to the underserved demographic in the numerous emerging markets. Jaian also Co-founded Kroleo, a United States Government contracting firm working with various agencies such as NASA. .