Unwavering belief in the power of hope

Hisham Alrayes is the Chairman of GFH Foundation and the Group CEO and Board Member of GFH Financial Group. With vast experience in delivering regional developments and projects that enrich and serve the communities they are present in, Al Rayes will provide guidance and direction to Nuwah’s initiatives that aim to foster the growth of societies across the region.

In his role as Group CEO and Board Member of GFH, Hisham brings extensive expertise and banking knowledge to the Group and was instrumental in driving the creation and execution of the Group’s regional and international investment strategy. Hisham Alrayes is leading the Group forward towards its vision of becoming the region’s most prominent, diversified financial Group, and one that provides a remarkable platform for delivering superior Wealth Management, Commercial Banking and Asset Management services. Hisham currently chairs and holds a number of directorships in financial, industrial, and real estate companies including Esterad Investment Company, Khaleeji Bank B.S.C., GFH Capital, GBCORP and Infracorp.

Princess of the AlSabah family of Kuwait, Her Highness Sheikha Intisar AlSabah is an internationally recognized philanthropist, entrepreneur, author, film producer, and columnist.

HH Sheikha Intisar has also on lists of Most Influential Women in The Arab World by leading magazines in the MENA region.

For her active devotion to fostering Peace in the Arab world by supporting women’s self-empowerment, positive psychology education, and Peacebuilding, HH Sheikha Intisar has received multiple honours and recognitions including the insignia of the Knight in the Order of the Crown from His Majesty King Philippe of Belgium, as well as the insignia of the Knight of the French National Order of the Legion of Honour from H.E. Former French President François Hollande.

HH Sheikha Intisar is the founder of non-profit organisation Alnowair that promotes socio-emotional skills based on positive psychology. To date, Alnowair has engaged 2,5 million people across four programmes and 220 campaigns, and its youth-oriented program which uses applied theatre to address bullying has positively impacted 15,100 students, 264 real life victims, bullies, and by-standers across 33 private schools. Its sister organisation Bareec has conducted +20 trainings while being implemented in 47 high schools and reaching more than 500 teachers and 11,600 students.

HH Sheikha Intisar’s UK-registered charitable organisation Intisar Foundation has introduced an innovative and culturally acceptable approach to sustainable Peacebuilding in the Arab world based on enabling the psychological recovery and self-empowerment of women traumatised by war and violence through the use of drama therapy. Intisar Foundation has conducted over 5,395 hours of field work and implemented over 405 virtual and field drama therapy sessions, reaching over 405 women in Lebanon and Jordan and close to 3,588 indirect beneficiaries.

HH Sheikha Intisar is a member of the Women and Business Committee by the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development of Kuwait, Board of Governors of the Pearl Initiative, a Co-Chair of The Global Diwan, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Public Authority for Youth’s Volunteer Academy, a Vice Chair of the Kuwait-French friendship association and an elected member of the Board of Trustees of the Lebanese American University.

HH Sheikha Intisar’s vision of fostering Peace in the Arab world and beyond is being regularly advocated during her many international and regional board engagements, advisory roles, media appearances, and UN General Assembly keynotes.

Her Highness Shaikha Minwa is a versatile professional currently serving as the Vice Chairman of Global Express. She is also the founder of Saynario, a dynamic community-driven hub dedicated to fostering and promoting the appreciation of film as an art form in Bahrain and the wider region.

In addition to her leadership roles, Shaikha Minwa is an accomplished content creator and podcaster, focusing on contemporary media and culture. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from the University of Westminster, which underscores her strong academic foundation in the field.

A key player in the strategic management of the Group’s core operational functions, Salah Sharif, Chief Operating Officer of GFH, is also responsible for ensuring the highest standards of operational excellence across the Group and its Special Purpose Vehicles and Project Companies. He has more than 31 years of regional and international exposure to conventional and Islamic banking and finance, with experience across commercial and wholesale banking and in industrial and infrastructure advisory sectors. In addition to his executive role at the Group, Salah also serves on a number of investee company boards. He is the Chairman of Falcon Cement Company, Vice Chairman of Infracorp and Vice Chairman of Gulf Holding Company, and a Board Member of Khaleeji Bank, GBCorp and CapCorp.

Prior to his current role in GFH, Salah was seconded as the CEO of Cemena Holding Company (CHC), an industrial subsidiary of the Group, one of the largest cement holding companies in the MENA region. Previously, he held a number of senior roles in leading, global financial institutions, including American Express and Standard Chartered Bank where he held key executive positions.

Salah holds an MBA from the University of South Wales, UK. And most recently, he completed the Senior Executive Leadership Program offered by Harvard Business School, Boston, USA.

Sheikh Khalid bin Hassan Al Gahtani is an entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist. A graduate of Northampton University, UK, with advanced studies from Harvard Business School and Wharton Universities. He is the Chairman of HAKA Group Holding, RIKAZ Properties, Radian Oil & Gas, Adeem Capital and Natixis Bank Saudi Arabia.

He held various positions in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Chamber of Commerce including Chairman of the National Real Estate Committee, Eastern Chamber representative in the Council of Chambers. He was a board member in various councils at the Chamber of Commerce & Industry in the Eastern Province including the Saudi-Chinese Friendship Council, the Arabian-American National Chamber Council, the Saudi-Irish Business Council, the Saudi-Japan Business Council and the Saudi-Russian Business Council and a member of the G20 Saudi trade taskforce.

Sheikh Khalid bin Hassan Al Gahtani is a strong advocate of corporate social responsibility and is actively involved in many charitable and social activities. As the president of Arabian Salayel Group for Horse Riding, he co-founded Asharqiya International Arabian Horse Festival. He is the chairman of HAKA Charitable Foundation, a founding member of Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Baz Charity Foundation and the Saudi Association for Cancer Fighting. Among many, he received the Prince Mohammed bin Fahd Award for Philanthropy, the International Knight Golden Order, the 3rd Middle East CEO of the Year Award and was honored as the Ambassador for Saudi Companies at the International Leadership Conference in Dubai.

She is a graduate of the Ecole Supérieure de Journalisme de Paris and a Master’s degree in sociology from Paris III Sorbonne Nouvelle and is trilingual in Arabic, French and English.

Souad El Tayeb had been Director of the Middle East department of the Associated Press Television News agency since 1998.

She began her career in the written press for the pan-Arab magazine Addawliya in the 1990s, then worked as an editorialist and editor for the magazine Saudi Ashark.

Souad El Tayeb also regularly collaborated with Voice of America from 1994 to 1998 and with Radio Sawa from 1998 to 2007.

At the same time, she was a Bahrain television correspondent in Paris and presented a cultural program on the Saudi channel Al Ikhbariya.

Mohamad Agha is a senior business and philanthropic leader whose career has been dedicated to advancing impact at the intersection of technology, government strategy, and global development. Over more than 25 years, he has led high-impact initiatives that translate innovation into measurable social, economic, and reputational outcomes. His work consistently advances the empowerment of Arab youth, women’s participation, and financial literacy and inclusion at scale.

Mohamad currently serves within Mastercard’s EEMEA Market Leadership Team, where he leads innovation-driven growth across the financial and digital economy ecosystem. His mandate includes the design and execution of national-scale strategies spanning advanced payment infrastructure, AI-powered data intelligence, and cybersecurity services.

At Mastercard, Agha led three landmark global initiatives: the company’s first Global Digital City Partnership with the Government of Dubai; the establishment of Mastercard’s Global AI Center of Excellence in partnership with the UAE Prime Minister’s Office—both widely recognized as global benchmarks for public–private collaboration; and Mastercard’s re-entry into Syria, enabling the restoration of critical payment infrastructure in a post-sanctions environment.

Beyond his professional roles, Agha serves as an official signatory to the Lions Club (Knights of the Blind) Mediterranean Cooperation Agreement, supporting initiatives focused on inclusion and community impact.

His philanthropic journey spans across global platforms. He led the United Nations Global Compact Network, working closely with public- and private-sector leaders to advance the Sustainable Development Goals. He also led the private-sector portfolio for Dubai Humanitarian at the Mohammed bin Rashid Global Initiatives, where he played a central role in establishing the Humanitarian 10 Council, chaired by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai.

His work has delivered measurable impact, including initiatives that contributed to saving lives through the deployment of UPS logistics capabilities, Airbus aviation technologies, and Mastercard payment solutions—enabling faster, more transparent, and more inclusive delivery of growth across multiple regions.

Mohamad is a contributor to global philanthropic initiatives in collaboration with Royal Courts, the Giving Pledge, major family offices, the Gates Foundation, and the Clinton Global Initiative. He was instrumental in the establishment and launch of the NYU Center for Strategic Philanthropy and the Cambridge University Center for Strategic Philanthropy, and has contributed to global policy dialogue through the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Councils and the Australia B20 Digital Economy Committee.

His alma mater include Davenport University and Georgetown University.

He is married and the father of twins, Abdulkader and Ayla Agha.