Team

Bassam Yammine

Founder & CEO

Bassam Yammine previously worked for Credit Suisse, building the investment banking and asset management divisions of the firm in the Middle East and North Africa.Prior to founding Excelsa, he was Co-CEO of the Investment Bank the region. Bassam has been investing in residential real estate since the 1980s and set up Excelsa as a family office focused on real estate. He has a BA in Business from Loyola Marymount and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Fadi Majdalani

Managing Partner

Fadi joined Excelsa in 2018 and currently focuses on post-acquisition management of assets. Prior to joining Excelsa, Fadi was a Senior Partner and Board Member with Strategy& (formerly Booz & Company) where he led the Investment and Real Estate practice. He serves on several corporate boards and is currently the Chairman of Endeavor Lebanon. He has a B. Eng. from the American University of Beirut, an M.S. in Civil Engineering from MIT and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Khalil Hibri

Director, Head of Business Development

Khalil heads group-level business development activities, early stage operations, and investor relations for Excelsa. He established the group’s real estate development operations in Europe and MENA and the expansion of real estate investment operations in the US. Prior to Excelsa, Khalil was the founder of an emerging markets-focused investment consultancy. He is a graduate of the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.

Lilas Maghnie

Associate, Investments

Lilas joined Excelsa in 2018 as an analyst focused on US acquisitions and deal analysis. She played a key role in developing Excelsa’s underwriting model. Lilas has underwritten 500+ deals and participated in the due diligence of all of Excelsa’s acquisitions, asset management and dispositions to date. Currently, she leads the acquisition and asset management team, while also managing fund and corporate finance for the Excelsa Group. Initially trained as an industrial engineer, Lilas holds a master’s degree in engineering management with a concentration in financial and industrial engineering from the American University of Beirut. Lilas successfully completed the Wall Street Prep Certification in Financial & Valuation Modeling, and passed the CFA Level 1 and 2 in the 90th percentile.

Razane Hakim

Associate, Corporate Development

Razane joined Excelsa in 2019 as an analyst, supporting business development, investor relations and fund administration. She played a key role in completing five rounds of fundraising and fund closings, and successfully on boarded 100+ investors. Razane also supports the management of investment and tax structures, as well as all legal and regulatory requirements for the Excelsa group. Prior to joining Excelsa, she worked in private banking, with a focus on advisory and multi-family office strategies. Razane holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the American University of Beirut (AUB), with a concentration in finance. She also completed her master’s degree in finance at AUB.

Ziad Abou Ltaif

Analyst, Investments

As an analyst, Ziad specializes in US acquisitions, deal analysis and asset management. He has underwritten 150+ deals and participated in multiple due diligence exercises, asset management and dispositions at Excelsa. Ziad holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the American University of Beirut, with a double concentration in finance and business analytics, graduating with distinction and placing in the top 10% of his class. He also completed certifications in Financial Markets, Python and Statistics for Financial Analysis, and Private Equity and Venture Capital through Coursera.

Dana Yaman

Analyst, Corporate Development

Dana is an analyst within the Corporate Development team, supporting business development, investor relations and fund administration. Dana earned a bachelor’s degree in applied economics from the American University of Beirut, where she graduated with distinction and a full merit scholarship. She also holds certifications in Financial Analysis and Analyzing & Visualizing Data with Microsoft Excel through Udemy and Coursera, respectively.

Ali Ghandoura

Analyst, Investments

Ali is an analyst with Excelsa. He supports US acquisitions, deal analysis and asset management. He has underwritten 50+ deals and participated in the asset management of Excelsa’s current portfolio. Prior to joining Excelsa, Ali was a banking supervisor at the Central Bank of Lebanon. He graduated with high distinction and an honors scholarship from the Lebanese American University with a bachelor’s degree in banking and finance, and a minor in actuarial studies. Ali passed the CFA Level 1 in the 90th percentile.

Sami Al Mahmassani

Analyst, Investments

Sami is an analyst working on US acquisitions, deal analysis and asset management. He has underwritten 50+ deals and participated in the asset management of Excelsa's current portfolio. Previously, Sami was an audit associate at a big four accounting firm. Sami graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the Lebanese American University, with distinction. He completed his master’s degree in finance at the American University of Beirut, with a Scholarship and a perfect GPA. Sami passed the CFA Level 1 in the 90th percentile.

Emmanuelle Aftimos

Analyst, Investments

Emmanuelle is an analyst with Excelsa. She works on US acquisitions, deal analysis and asset management. She has underwritten 50+ deals and participated in the asset management of Excelsa’s current portfolio. Prior to joining Excelsa, Emmanuelle was an investment analyst at a real estate development company. She holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Notre Dame University and a master’s in finance from the American University of Beirut. Emmanuelle passed the Corporate Finance Institute's certifications in Financial Modeling & Valuation Analyst and Capital Markets & Securities Analyst. She is also a CFA Level 1 candidate.

Jonathan Woods

Chief Operating Officer of Excelsa Properties

Jonathan joined Excelsa in 2015 and manages most aspects of the firm's US real estate activities including transaction sourcing, financing, fund structuring and management. After a career on Wall Street with UBS, Jon started his career in real estate in 2003 by establishing one the of the first ground-up development funds in the Middle East. Jonathan earned his MBA at Columbia University in New York and has a BA in history and economics from Brown University.

David Fletcher

Managing Director, Head of Acquisitions

David has 17 years of experience as a principal investor in commercial real estate equity and real estate finance instruments, throughout his career with Prospect Capital Management, ORIX Capital Markets LLC, and NorthStar Realty Finance. He has underwritten and acquired approximately 8,000 units of multifamily and $3BN in debt and debt-linked instruments. 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

Prior to joining Excelsa in 2019, Curtis was Head of Asset Management for a $2 BN privately held REIT. He has over 15 year’s experience acquiring and managing commercial real estate across the USA. He has investment banking experience with Wachovia Securities and private equity experience with Peak Capital Partners, JDH Capital and Grubb Properties. Cutris has a BA in Finance from Brigham Young University.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Tarek Ramadan

Group Accountant

Tarek joined Excelsa in 2022 as a group accountant. He has over five years of accounting experience in finance, retail and manufacturing. He holds a bachelor's degree in Banking and Finance and a master’s degree in Accounting, both from the Beirut Arab University.