Wadi Poultry Group Board of Directors
8 members
Mr. Musa Freiji
Founding Shareholder & Director
Mr. Musa Suleiman Freiji, Founding Shareholder & Director. Lebanese national, born in 1937. Musa obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Engineering from the American University of Beirut in 1957. Musa is a life member of the World Poultry Science Association and co-founder of its branch in Lebanon. He has been a writer and lecturer of technical and poultry subjects since 1965. In the 1960s and 1970s, he played a major role in establishing export markets for Lebanese poultry production in the Arab World. His commercial experience in the poultry industry dates back to 1957 when he became the production manager at Greenleaf Poultry Company in Zahle, Lebanon until 1958. Thereafter, he established and managed thirteen poultry and poultry related operations in the Arab world of which seven are still operational. He has established projects in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Sudan. He is the founder, shareholder and director in Tanmia, Lebanon, a poultry meat processing Company established in 1996 by the Lebanese shareholders of Wadi.
Mr. Tony Freiji
Executive Chairman, Shareholder
Mr. Tony Suleiman Freiji, Wadi Group Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and Shareholder. Lebanese national, born in 1958. Tony S. Freiji is the younger brother of Mr. M. Freiji, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Engineering from the American University of Beirut in 1981 and a Master of Science in Poultry Nutrition from Iowa State University in 1983. He has been with Wadi since 1984 and managed all ongoing production and commercial related activities as well as expansion projects. Tony is also a shareholder and director in Tanmia, Lebanon, a poultry meat processing company established in 1996 by the Lebanese shareholders of Wadi.
Mr. Ramzi P. Nasrallah
Deputy Chairman & Managing Director, Shareholder
Mr. Ramzi Nasrallah, Vice-Chairman of Wadi Holdings, and Shareholder. Lebanese national, born in 1958. Ramzi is responsible for the general administrative direction and control of the corporate financial functions of the Company, and oversees all audit activities and budget plans. Ramzi joined Wadi in 1984, at the time of establishment of their poultry companies, which are now consolidated under Wadi. He graduated in 1980 with a Bachelor in Business Administration from the University of Prince Edward Island, Canada followed by a Master in Business Administration, with a focus on finance, from the University of Houston (Texas) in 1982. Ramzi is also a shareholder and director in Tanmia, Lebanon, a poultry meat processing Company established in 1996 by the Lebanese shareholders of Wadi.
Mrs. Rima Freiji
Director, Head of Governance Committee, Shareholder
Mrs. Rima Freiji, Director, Head of Governance Committee, and Shareholder. Lebanese national, born in 1969. Rima joined Wadi in 2008 as its Corporate Affairs Advisor and moved to the position of CCDO in January 2011. Rima is responsible for advancing new initiatives that support the business and strengthen its institutional development. Rima graduated in 1991 from Emory University, Atlanta USA with a BA in Business Administration, followed in 1994 with a MA in International Economics and Management from SDA Bocconi University in Milan. Rima is a shareholder and Chairman of the Board of Tanmia, Lebanon, a poultry meat processing Company established in 1996 by the Lebanese shareholders of Wadi. Rima was appointed in 2012 as head of the Nomination and Corporate Governance board sub-committee of Wadi Holdings.
Mr. Akram Malouf
Director
Mr. Akram Nazmi Maalouf, Board Member, Lebanese National, born in 1969. Representing Freiji Company interests in Wadi Group. Senior Lawyer and Managing Partner of Nasri Maalouf & Akram Maalouf Law Firm in Beirut, Lebanon. Akram is a member of the Lebanese Bar Association since 1993. He graduated with a French Master of Law from Lyon University (France) in 1993, followed by LLM in Criminal Law from Lebanese University (Beirut) in 1995, an MBA in Marketing & Management from École Supérieure des Affaires (Beirut) in 2002, and Enterprise & Investment Law Degree from IDLO (Rome) in 2004.
Mr. Masaaki Kawarai
Chief Strategy Officer, Director
Mr. Masaaki Kawarai, a Board Member and Chief Strategy Officer of Wadi Poultry S.A.E. Japanese national, born in 1968. A representative secondee at Wadi Poultry S.A.E. from Mitsui & Co., Ltd., which he joined in 1993. He has been primarily focusing on various developments of food businesses in terms of trading and investments of grain/oilseeds and animal protein in Asia, Canada, USA, Australia, Russia, Middle East and Africa. He holds a B.A. in Politics and Economics from Waseda University in Tokyo.
Mr. Hiroshi Furuya
Director
Mr.Hiroshi Furuya, a non-executive independent Board member of Wadi Poultry S.A.E. Japanese national born in 1973.
Currently serves as a General Manager of Food & Retail business department in Mitsui &Co.,Middle East ltd., located in Dubai, U.A.E.
He has joined Mitsui & Co Ltd., in 1997 and has been involved in a variety range of trading, investment and management in Food and Automotive business fields including U.S. and Thailand working experience for 10 years.
He has an undergraduate degree from Waseda University, second faculty of literature in 1997 and Master of Business Administration from IESE/Spain in 2017.
Mr. Yuhei Okada
Director
Mr. Yuhei Okada, a non-executive independent Board Member of Wadi Poultry S.A.E. Japanese national born in 1978.
Currently serves as a General Manager of Livestock Project Division at Mitsui and Co., Ltd., where he joined in 2001.
He has been involved in a wide range of trading and investment projects in healthcare and food businesses globally and has had assignments in Singapore and New York.
He has an undergraduate degree from Oxford University, where he earned a Master of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry.
Executive Committee
9 members
Mr. Ahmed Bayoumi
General Manager Animal Nutrition
Mr. Ahmad graduated from Ain Shams University and now holds an MBA degree in Marketing and Strategic Management Majors from the GUC, a Project Management Diploma from Cambridge University of London.
Mr. Ahmad has worked for several multinationals, and used to volunteer for several NGOs as a Marketing Team Head and ended up as a board member in a reputable NGO.
Believing in the importance of Human Wellbeing and its impact in enhancing the business performance, Mr. Ahmad founded Hive Coaching in 2015 with great passion to shift people's perception about the importance of self care and human wellness. And to help them think more about practices that flourish their life mentally, emotionally and energetically.
Mr. Ahmad is a Certified Positive Psychology & Career Coach, Parenting Educator, Student Activities Supporter, Marketer and Business Development Consultant. All these exist in One Civil Engineer who decided to devote his life to Business Management and Human Development.
Mrs. Engy Metwally
Chief Audit and Compliance Officer
Mrs. Engy joined Wadi in 2015, she is currently occupying the chief audit and compliance officer position. She is responsible for ensuring that established financial, operational and compliance practices, and the related controls, are designed and operating effectively. She is also responsible for examining and evaluating business activities and related risks for the purpose of ensuring regulatory compliance, safeguarding company assets and improving its systems of financial and operational controls. She has 16 years of experience in the fields of internal controls, risk management, process re-engineering, business development, and change management. 11 years of her corporate experience was in Exxon Mobil, where she held multiple local and international positions, acting as the zone controls advisor and providing consultation on all controls, process & business continuity related activities. Engy holds a Masters of Science degree in Business Administration and is a certified risk manager from London School of Business and Finance.
Mr. Hesham Kassem
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Hesham Kassem - Group Chief Financial Officer - holds a Bachelor Degree of Advanced Accounting from Cairo University, he also is a member of the Egyptian Society for Auditors & Accountants, and a member of the Egyptian Society of Taxation.
Hesham has over 35 years of experience in the finance and accounting field, in different categories and fields of business; ranging from fast moving consumer goods “FMCG”, Franchise food chains, media, information technology, Petrochemicals industry as well as auditing.
He assumed senior roles in many multinational and local companies such as Ethydco, Emethanex, Showtime International, Frito-Lay (Pepsi Food International), PepsiCo (A Pepsi Cola Company), Tropicana/ Amer Group (Franchisee of Chili’s) and Arthur Andersen & Co.
Mr. Khalil Nasrallah
Business Excellence VP, Shareholder
Mr. Khalil Philip Nasrallah, Board Member. Business Excellence VP, and Shareholder, Lebanese national, born in 1964.
Khalil joined Wadi Group in 1989 in the position of Agricultural Manager, and later appointed as Head of the Agro food Sector until Dec 2018. Today, Khalil is responsible for all branding and communication activities in the Wadi Group as the Chief Branding Officer. He graduated in 1986 with a BS in Agriculture from the American University in Beirut, followed in 1989 by an MS in Horticulture from University of Guelph, Canada. Khalil is also a shareholder and Board Member of Tanmia, Lebanon, a poultry meat processing Company established in 1996 by the Lebanese shareholders of Wadi. Khalil is a member of the internal audit and Nomination and Corporate Governance board sub-committees.
Mr. Mohamed ElKoshairy
Head of Administration & Governmental Affairs
Mohamed Elkoshairy graduated from the Police Academy with a Bachelor’s degree in Law and Police Sciences in 1998. After graduation, he joined the Ministry of Interior, where he held various positions until 2010.
In 2010, he was seconded to the Ministry of Investment, where he worked in the General Authority for Investment and the North West Gulf of Suez Development Authority. During this period, he was responsible for resolving investor issues in the Minister of Investment's office, gaining extensive experience in investment and relationship management.
In 2015, Mohamed joined Wadi Company as the manager of security and Government Relations. Under his leadership, the Government Relations and Security departments saw significant development. Additionally, he later assumed responsibilities for the Administrative Affairs, Vehicles, and Insurance ,Legal departments.
Mohamed Elkoshairy is recognized as a distinguished professional in his field, combining extensive experience in both the public and private sectors, making him a pivotal asset in achieving the company's growth.
Mr. Mohamed Farghally
Wadi Poultry Group CFO
Mohamed brings more than 21 years’ experience in Financial Management & Financial Planning as well as Mergers & Acquisitions. Previously, he held several roles in international and listed companies covering different industries including real estate, manufacturing, poultry and agriculture in Dubai, Egypt and KSA.
He joined Wadi Group in May 2020 as a Group Head of Finance & Investment, and he was the project leader for Mitsui & Wadi Poultry S.A.E. & subsidiaries transaction.
Before joining Wadi Group, he assumed several leadership positions including Head of Finance and CFO in Arab Poultry Breeders (KSA & UAE) and TADCO (Tadawul Listed Co.), where he led the acquisition of USD 100 million assets and raised and restructured USD 30 million bank debt. Mohamed’s career started in Dubai, he worked in Future Pipe industries as a Financial Analyst, a Senior Management Accountant in Dubai World and a Mergers & Acquisition Manager in Kingdom Hotel Investments, where he was involved in the divestment of USD 500 million assets in Africa & Asia.
He holds a BA in Business Administration from the American University in Cairo with a concentration in finance, and he is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) from IMA, USA NJ.
Mr. Mostafa Mehanna
Agri Food Division CEO
Mr. Mostafa Mehanna the Agri Food Division CEO. He joined the group in Nov. 2018
Mostafa has Graduated from the American University in Cairo where he got a bachelor degree in Economics. Mostafa has more than 15 years experience in FMCG companies where he managed local and regional roles in Procter & Gamble, Pepsico, and finally Americana as North Africa & Levant market director managing 12 countries
Mr. Puzant Dakessian
Poultry Division CEO
Mr. Puzant Dakessian was appointed Chief of the Poultry Division at Wadi Group in late 2016. Puzant is responsible for managing and establishing Wadi Poultry Operations and production throughout Africa. Mr. Dakessian has nearly 20 years of experience in the poultry industry, specializing poultry management, business development, and layer and broiler performance.
Prior to joining Wadi Group, Mr. Dakessian worked for Aviagen Limited, UK for nearly 15 year, reaching the position of International Commercial Manager for the Middle East and Africa for where he helped increase the market share of Aviagen through increased sales of AA GPs and PS, developed and created new markets, and worked with the technical team to provide customer support and coverage. During his tenure, he increased GP sales across Algeria, Egypt and Nigeria and launched sales in new markets including Tanzania and Kuwait.
Mr. Dakessian holds a Bachelor’s of Science in agriculture and a Diploma of Ingenieur Agricole, both from the American University in Beirut, as well as a masters (MSc) degree in Poultry Sciences (MSc) from the same university. He has successfully completed an extensive range of continuing education courses and seminars and published several practical articles about poultry management in regional magazines in both Arabic and English languages".
Mr. Wadih Nasrallah
Projects VP, Shareholder
Lebanese/ British National, (1964)
Mr. Wadih Nasrallah - Wadi Group Projects VP
Wadih holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Major Civil) from the American University of Beirut (1985). He also holds an MBA (hons) from the University of Warwick, (2000). He is also a certified Six Sigma BB.(2004)
Upon Graduation Wadih worked in the construction field on various projects in Lebanon and the Middle East. His work included Design, Execution, Supervision as well as Tendering and Project Managing different projects in the area, Residential, Commercial and Touristic.
Wadih later joined the Wadi Group in Egypt to set up and manage the Wadi Poultry Grandparent Project in KM 54 (1992).
In (1996), he was seconded to Lebanon to setup and run the Tanmia project, an integrated poultry project that entails, Parent Farms, Broiler (& Contract) Farms, Hatchery, Feedmill, a Slaughterhouse, Distribution, as well as Tanmia owned outlets.
In year (2000) Wadih left to the UK to pursue his MBA, but then joined Ford Motor Company and assumed different roles and ended up as an Area Manager (2005), running an engine plant in West Wales, that produced close to 1 million V4, SI6, and V8 engines for the Ford Group, including cars like, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo, Mazda and Aston Martin. During those years, Wadih enhanced his JIT, Lean Manufacturing, and Safety First skills
In (2010) Wadih returned to Tanmia in his capacity as a General Manager, to run the same business with different challenges. At the time, Wadih worked closely with Mr. Musa and Mrs. Rima Freiji.
Recently (2019) Wadih relocated to Egypt and rejoined the Wadi Group, responsible for New Projects, as well as Engineering, Maintenance, Construction and Procurement…
Wadih’s current biggest challenge is to setup the Integrated Broiler Project in the Egyptian market..
Wadih is blessed with 2 daughters, Bethany and Nicole, both living and studying in the UK.