advisory board

We believe in leveraging relationships to ensure business success and we continuously invest in building lasting, mutual relations. We rely on our advisory board for a wide variety of support, mentorship and industry expertise. The advisory board consists of prominent individuals that have a successful track record and reputation as investors, entrepreneurs and experts locally, and in the region.

dany farha

Dany Farha is the co-founder and COO of Bayt.com, responsible for managing revenue generation. After graduating from University College London with a BSc in SCORE (Statistics, Operations, Research and Economics), Dany worked at Lehman Brothers in London in the Fixed Income Sales division. Dany subsequently returned home to Dubai where he helped found and build Butlers – the leading dry-cleaning and laundry company in the UAE (www.butlers.ae) and Intercat – one of the largest catering and restaurant management companies in Dubai (www.intercat.ae) with his brother.

jamil brair

Jamil Brair joined SHUAA Partners in 2004 and has since been engaged in all stages of the Private Equity investment cycle from acquisitions to divestures, including leading due diligences for transactions, and directing the screening process for investment opportunities. During this period Mr. Brair executed deals such as Damas, Rotana, Air Arabia, and Drake & Scull. Mr. Brair possesses 14 years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to SHUAA Partners, he served in the Private Equity Department of the National Investor, where he assisted in the structuring and establishment of an Islamic real estate fund also leading the execution of its first investment. Earlier in his career, Mr. Brair served as a Manager in the Corporate Finance department of Arthur Andersen in Montreal, Canada, where he was in charge of leading due diligence and business valuation mandates for Private Equity and M&A transactions. Mr. Brair holds a Graduate Diploma in Public Accounting and a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University. He earned the designation of Chartered Business Valuator in addition to the Chartered Accountant title.

chadi f. hourani

Chadi F. Hourani is an attorney and principal with Hourani & Associates, a boutique law firm with offices in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. Chadi represents a balance of large and well-reputed Saudi families, private equity houses, investment banks and global conglomerates in relation to their corporate, M&A, capital markets, securities and real estate activities. Prior to joining Hourani & Associates, Chadi practiced as a corporate and securities attorney with the international law firms of Dewey & LeBoeuf and Akin Gump. Chadi was also instrumental in establishing and seeding Marj Investments, an early stage family investment firm based in Dubai. Marj’s investments are primarily focused on the Middle East and particularly on innovative and unique ideas and start-ups. Chadi earned his Juris Doctor (J.D.) and Masters in Law (LL.M.) in Securities and Financial Regulation from Georgetown University Law School and is admitted to the New York State Bar.