Kuwait, August 24, 2016 — Mezzan Holding KSC, one of the largest manufacturers and distributors of food, beverage, FMCG and pharmaceutical products in the Gulf, today announced former NBK Capital Director of Investment Banking Fares Hammami will join the company as its new Group CFO.
Hammami, who joins the company following a 13-year track record in investment banking, capital markets and mergers and acquisitions, the last 10 years of which with NBK Capital, the investment banking arm of National Bank of Kuwait. He will succeed Stephen Carty.
Mezzan Holding Vice Chairman, Mohammed Al Wazzan said, “I would like to welcome Fares to Mezzan’s executive management team, where he will add great value in the company’s next phase of growth and regional expansion.”
Mezzan Holding’s CEO Garry Walsh added, “Although Fares is a new member to the management team he is no stranger to Mezzan Holding. We’ve been working closely with Fares over the last five years in his capacity as a Director of Investment Banking at NBK Capital where he served as our advisor on several landmark transactions for Mezzan, including our acquisition of UAE-based Unitra Mets Group in 2014, and our company’s IPO in June 2015. I would also like to thank Stephen for his time and efforts at Mezzan Holding. He has served the company and shareholders well over the last year. He added value and helped navigate our first year as a public company. On behalf of the board, the management team, and everyone working at Mezzan Holding, I wish him a safe journey back home and the best in his future endeavors.”
Fares Hammami said, “Mezzan Holding is a company that I have both served and admired for several years and I am excited to join the company as Group CFO to help lead its next phase of growth and value creation both locally and regionally. I look forward to working with my former clients as part of their leadership team.”
Hammami is a seasoned investment banker and finance professional, and has spent the last ten years of his career with NBK Capital, the investment banking arm of National Bank of Kuwait . He has advised companies in Kuwait and the neighboring region on various investment banking, equity and debt capital market transactions exceeding US$11bn. Fares is a graduate of McGill University where he majored in Finance, and is a Chartered Financial Analyst and has previously serviced as Board Member of the CFA Institute’s Kuwait Chapter.
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About Mezzan Holding:
■ Operates in seven countries through 29 subsidiaries with 7,500 employees
■ Distributes over 25,000 Stock Keeping Units (SKU), making it one of the largest operators in terms of SKUs, unit sales, market share and in terms of share of revenues of total consumer spending in consumer categories served by the company
■ Active in various segments of the consumer staple industry supported by long-standing relationships with Johnson & Johnson, Olayan Kimberly-Clark, Reckitt Benckiser, General Mills, Arla Foods, Sara Lee and many other leading brands and manufacturers
■ Serves over 100,000 meals a day in Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE through its catering business
■ Has a total of 130,000 square meters in food, beverage and FMCG manufacturing facilities in Kuwait, Qatar, UAE and Afghanistan
■ Leverages long-standing relationships with private and cooperative supermarkets
■ Vertically integrated into complementary business operations, including packaging, catering, contract services and logistics
■ Food services customers include multinational fast food chains, airline catering services and large food services companies.
Mezzan Holding is a 70-year old company that was listed on Kuwait Stock Exchange in the second quarter of 2015 and has a current market capitalization exceeding US$1bn. The company headquartered in Kuwait with direct operational activities in Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, and Afghanistan.
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For more information, please contact:
Fawaz Al-Sirri | +965 66622448 | fawaz@bensirri.com