Team

Bassam Yammine

CEO

Bassam Yammine is the founder and CEO of Excelsa Development Holding, a diversified investment holding company. Excelsa invests in operating companies active in the real estate, oil & gas, and manufacturing sectors in the Middle East and North America. Prior to founding Excelsa in 2013, Bassam led the growth and development of Credit Suisse in the MENA region over six years as Co-CEO of Middle East & North Africa and head of investment banking. Before that, Bassam was the founder and CEO of Audi Saudi Arabia and managed the regional investment banking business for Audi Saradar Group. He also worked with Lebanon Invest SAL, the first investment bank in Lebanon where he held the role of General Manager and Member of the Board. Bassam was Deputy Chairman of Li Venture (Holding) SAL, the first venture capital firm in Lebanon. In 2005, Bassam served in the Government of the Republic of Lebanon as Minister of Energy and Water. Mr. Yammine holds an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Chicago and M.S. in Computer Science and B.A in Business from Loyola Marymount University.

Fadi Majdalani

Managing Partner

Fadi Majdalani joined Excelsa in July 2018 as a Managing Partner. Previously, Fadi was a Senior Partner and Board Member with Strategy& (formerly Booz & Company). In 1993, he joined the team that launched the business of this global consulting firm in the Middle East and, over more than 22 years, had several management and leadership roles that helped the business grow to more than 500 team members. Fadi focused on advising clients primarily in the transportation and logistics, real estate, construction, and engineering services industries as well as to family conglomerates. His earlier experience included starting up and managing Delta Capital, a sister company to Lebanon Invest that focused on private equity investments in the Levant region. He also was a founding member of Oracle Corporation in the Middle East business, a business that went on to have phenomenal growth and market leadership. Fadi has served on a number of corporate and not-for-profit boards. He is currently the Chairman of Endeavor Lebanon an NGO that supports entrepreneurs in accelerating the growth of their businesses. Fadi has an MBA from the Harvard Business School, a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from MIT and a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Civil Engineering from the American University of Beirut where he also earned the Penrose Award.

Khalil Hibri

Director, Corporate Development

Khalil manages group-level business development activities, new investments, partnerships, and early-stage operations. He is currently leading the company's growth in Europe and its private equity operations. He was Excelsa's first employee and he helped launch its business in Algeria. He currently sits on the boards of Excelsa Real Estate and Olbapack SPA. Prior to joining Excelsa, Khalil was the founder of an Africa-focused consultancy active in Algeria, Libya, and Nigeria. He has worked with public and private sector clients such as the ECOWAS Commission, the National Transitional Council in Libya, the Nigerian Ministry of Finance, state governments, and multinational FMCG and real estate companies. Khalil is a graduate of the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University

Vahan Kalayjian

Associate, Investments

Vahan joined Excelsa in 2016 as a financial analyst. He builds and audits numerous underwriting models for Excelsa’s real estate businesses. Vahan is passionate about analyzing challenging investment opportunities. Before joining Excelsa, he worked in risk management at a leading Lebanese bank. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from Haigazian University and passed the CFA Level II.

Lilas Maghnie

Analyst, Investments

Lilas Maghnie joined Excelsa in 2018 as a Financial Analyst. Lilas works on US acquisitions and deal analysis. Lilas holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the American University of the Middle East and a Master’s degree in Engineering Management with a concentration in Financial and Industrial Engineering from the American University of Beirut. Lilas also passed the CFA Level II.

Razane Hakim

Analyst, Business Development

Razane joined Excelsa in 2019 as a Business Development Analyst. Prior to joining Excelsa, she worked in Private Banking at a leading investment bank in Lebanon. Razane holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a master’s degree in Finance, both from the American University of Beirut, where she also worked as a research assistant.

Jonathan Woods

Managing Director, Head of US Real Estate

Jon manages the company’s commercial real estate portfolio in the United States, which includes residential, office, and student-housing properties. Previously, he worked as Managing Director for Optimum Invest, a financial firm raising capital and investing in private equity corporate and real estate opportunities. He also served as the Managing Director for Standard Chartered MENA Corporate Finance Group in Dubai, focusing on M&A and leveraged finance, financial sponsor coverage of sovereign wealth funds, private equity groups, and family offices in the UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar markets. Prior to working in the region, Jon worked in investment banking on Wall Street for a number of years, primarily with UBS, in the emerging markets and natural resources advisory divisions. Jon earned his MBA at Columbia University in New York and has a BA in history and economics from Brown University.

David Fletcher

Managing Director, Acquisitions

David Fletcher is the Managing Director of Acquisitions at Excelsa US Real Estate. David has fifteen years of experience as a principal investing in commercial real estate equity and real estate finance instruments such as CMBS bonds and subordinated debt. He has underwritten and acquired approximately 8,000 units of multifamily and $3BN in debt and debt linked instruments. Prior to joining Excelsa, David was a Principal and a leader of the real estate investment business at Prospect Capital Management where he was responsible for origination, execution, and management of equity and debt investments in the real estate sector. David holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA from New York University. He graduated from both institutions with honors.

Curtis Holder

Director, Asset Management

Curtis Holder is the Director of Asset Management at Excelsa US Real Estate. Previously, he was head of asset management for a $2 Billion privately held REIT managing over 25,000 units of multifamily, self-storage and student housing. He has over 15 years of experience acquiring and managing commercial real estate across the United States. He has investment banking experience with Wachovia Securities and private equity experience with Peak Capital Partners, JDH Capital and Grubb Properties.

Tarek Aboudib

Managing Director, Head of Real Estate Development

Tarek presently oversees the company’s multiple projects in Algeria. He also manages the “Le Patio” mixed-use development currently under construction. With experience that spans Europe and the Middle East, Tarek’s previous experience includes Group Financial Director for Optimum Holding where he managed finances for companies and projects in Morocco, the UK, Lebanon, France, Switzerland, Ukraine, Egypt, Libya, Oman, and Poland. Tarek has a Master’s Degree in Financial Services Management from the University of Surrey in the UK and a Bachelor of Science in Business Studies from the Lebanese American University.

Hikmat Abou Reslan

Project Director

Hikmat is the Project Director for Excelsa’s development projects. Before joining the team, he acted as a Construction Project Manager for the building of the headquarters of a leading regional bank. Hikmat’s previous experience includes over 30 years of project management in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Lebanon, and Algeria. He a Civil Engineering graduate from the University of Southern California.

Seifeddine El Hassan

Technical Manager

Sayf is a Technical Manager with Excelsa’s development arm. He focuses on Electrical and Mechanical works. He previously worked for a leading contractor in Saudi Arabia. His experience includes procurement, cost estimation, and project management. Sayf holds a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Lebanese University.

Hamid Kichou

Director, Head of Sales

Hamid is Director, Head of Sales for Excelsa in Algeria. He manages the sales team and oversees the implementation of Excelsa’s marketing and sales strategies. Hamid has been active in the Algerian real estate market since 2005 and has participated in several real estate-focused sales and marketing workshops.

Loubna Alane

Manager, Sales Administration

Loubna is a Manager in the Sales division as Excelsa Algeria where she oversees strategic planning, regulatory compliance, and collections. She has eleven years of experience in real estate development. Loubna holds a degree in International Business Engineer from the Algerian Chamber of Commerce, and also holds a degree in International Trade.

Mustafa Hadibel

Chief Accountant, Algeria

Mustapha serves as Chief Accountant in Algeria. He manages and coordinates compliance, accounting, and finance for Excelsa’s subsidiaries in Algeria. Mustapha has twelve years of accounting experience and holds a Bachelor's degree in accounting management. He is also a certified auditor.

Ghassan Daher

Group Accounting Manager

Ghassan Daher joined Excelsa in May 2016 as Accounting Manager. His responsibilities extend to Excelsa’s projects in the US, Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Prior to joining Excelsa, Ghassan worked at a leading auditing firm. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Business and additional degrees in accounting an audit. He is a Certified Internal Auditor.

Hayfa Dagher

Executive Assistant

Hayfa Dagher joined Excelsa in April 2014 as a Personal Assistant to the CEO and Office Manager. She studied Business Administration at the Lebanese American University.

Marc Antoun

Accounting Analyst

Marc Antoun joined Excelsa in March 2019 as a Senior Accountant. Marc is an MBA holder from the American University of Science and Technology.