Mr. Karim A. Souaid

Mr. Souaid is the Founder and Managing Partner of Growthgate Equity Partners, an alternative-assets management company that invests, on behalf of Growtgate Capital, in privately held businesses in the GCC and the MENA region. Under his watch, Growthgate Capital invested some $250m in 8 platform companies, advised on 20 bolt-on acquisitions, and underwent 4 exit transactions.

Prior to forming Growthgate Partners in late 2006, Mr. Souaid was MD of Global Investment Banking at HSBC Bank (Middle East) from May 2000 to May 2006. At HSBC, Mr. Souaid and his team successfully led several landmark transactions in the Middle East including, inter alia, the privatisations of Arab Potash in Jordan (2003), Industries of Qatar “IQ” (2003), Agthia in Abu Dhabi (2005), Omantel (2005), of Arkan in Abu Dhabi (2006), and of Jordan Phosphate (2006). At HSBC, Mr. Souaid also led with his team International Public Offerings of Dana Gas and of Investcom Holding in 2005.

Mr. Souaid holds an LLB from the Jesuit School of Law at St. Joseph University (Lebanon), an LLM from Harvard Law School (HLS) and a Diploma Certificate from the Executive Program at Harvard Business School (HBS) in corporate valuation and restructurings.

Mr. Souaid is a member of the New York State Bar Association. Between 2010 and 2014, Mr. Souaid contributed to five white papers on PE in the Middle East with Prof. Josh Lerner and HBS faculty members; and is an active contributor to the International Negotiation Program of Harvard University led by Prof. Dan Shapiro.