Walid Hayeck is a finance expert with over 27 years of experience in investment banking and investment management in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. He has held senior positions in both buy-side and sell-side equity research, fund management, and investment banking. Throughout his career, Walid has managed the expansion of several local firms, guided them through process and organizational changes to achieve their goals. His skillset includes origination, structuring, execution and placement of investment banking transactions, launching public and private equity funds, and providing his expertise to develop several initiatives at a regional level. Walid has also been recognized for his managerial skills and strategic leadership abilities, which have enabled him to develop new lines of business and drive his teams to achieve great perforamance.

Walid has led several pioneering initiatives in the MENA region. One of his major achievements was spearheading the first GCC equity research division covering all GCC countries in addition to Levant and North Africa. He also managed the first regional indices and launched the first MENA UCITS compliant fund owned by a regional financial institution. Walid has received multiple industry accolades for his contributions, including "50 Most Influential Figures" in 2011, 2012, and 2013 by MENA Fund Manager Magazine, "Best Asset Management House" by Banker Middle East for three consecutive years in 2006, 2007, and 2008, and "UAE Fund of the Year" by MENA Fund Manager magazine in 2009.

Walid Hayeck has a Masters's in Economics, Money, and Banking from Universite Saint Joseph and a Masters's in Management, Major Finance from ESCP Europe. Currently, he is the Chief Strategy Officer at MENA Research Partners.