Eastnets leadership team

In my role as Eastnets’ CEO, I provide the overall direction and leadership for our company. Working closely with our expert leadership team, I focus on understanding our customers and their environment so we provide the very best technologies to ensure they participate safely and securely in the global financial economy.

Hazem has expansive and multi-layered experience, gained through a career spanning 40 years in international markets. After graduating with a Master’s degree in Electronics Engineering and Medical Electronics from Bulgaria, Hazem began his career working at Siemens in Kuwait in 1980 where he saw first-hand how computing was starting to transform the health industry.

As the digital revolution was just starting worldwide, Hazem moved to the US to get closer to the epicenter of innovation. In the US, Hazem honed his entrepreneurial vision and developed a deeper insight into emerging technologies and markets. In 1984, he moved to Jordan to establish what is now Eastnets.

Since 2018, Jochen has served as Managing Director of the World Alliance of International Financial Centres (WAIFC), an international non-profit association registered in Belgium, representing 30 leading international financial centres across five continents. WAIFC members are government agencies, associations, and similar institutions developing and promoting their financial centres. WAIFC facilitates cooperation between its members, exchanging best practices and communication with the general public. 

Jochen is the Managing Partner of FinTech Consult, a network of FinTech experts in Asia, Europe, and Africa supporting FinTechs in raising capital and expanding globally. 

Jochen is an expert at the Sino-German Centre for Finance and Economics in Frankfurt, backed by the central banks, government institutions, and leading universities in China and Germany. He is also a Fellow of the Think Tank of the Asian Financial Cooperation Association, based in Beijing. 

Jochen is a long-standing advisor at Frankfurt Main Finance, the Frankfurt Financial Centre initiative. He is a mentor at Cyberport in Hong Kong, OneEleven in Toronto, the Plug and Play Tech Center, the Accelerator Frankfurt, and 1000 Black Voices. Jochen is a board member of several FinTech companies. Jochen is also a working group member of Dubai's new DIFC Digital Economy Court.

Jochen has a master's degree in mathematics and computer science from the University of Goettingen, and a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Cottbus, Germany. For two decades, he has been a regular lecturer and external supervisor for the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management and has given guest lectures at leading universities and business schools in Europe, America, and Asia. 

Sophie has a unique background combining experience at top consultancies, senior management in banking, as well as a leading the task Force Financial Crisis at the European Commission in charge of the State support to the European Financial Sector during the financial crisis of 2008-2014. 

As an entrepreneur Sophie founded Serapy in 2020 with the aim of improving corporate compliance training through the combination of gamification, role play and online tools and offering a better learning experience. 

In 2016, prior to Serapy, Sophie set up her own consultancy (Parnima Consulting), where she works with top legal and regulatory firms, consultancy firms and financial clients on matters pertaining to EU Regulations in the area of Financial Services, Foreign Subsidies and State Aid. 

Before becoming an entrepreneur, Sophie was Group Head of Corporate Development and Managing Director of SIX Group (in Switzerland), in charge of strategy development, innovation and regulatory affairs. 

During the Financial Crisis, Sophie served as Head of Unit at the Directorate General for Competition within the European Commission. In this role, Sophie was responsible for the review and approval of the reorganisation, restructuring or resolution of the European banks during the financial crisis.

Prior to that, Sophie held senior positions within SWIFT, where she was in charge of Asset Servicing globally; with The Bank of New York Mellon; and worked with McKinsey and later with Bain. 

Sophie has an international background, being born in Bulgaria, raised in Morocco, and lived, studied and worked in France, Austria, Germany, Belgium, the UK and now Switzerland. She started her studies in Vienna, graduated from the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris. She holds an MBA from INSEAD and a post-graduate diploma in EU Competition Law from King's College. Sophie graduated in 2017 from the Swiss Board Institute. 

Sophie is an active member of the INSEAD Alumni organisation, and is also the founder and president of the global INSEAD Women in Business Club. 

Marwan’s career spans over 40 years in IT, professional services and executive management. After graduating from the USA with a degree in Computer and Information Science, Marwan witnessed and participated in the evolution of the IT industry at an early stage. 

Working with leading global IT firms including Boeing International, Atos Origin, and Hewlett-Packard has given Marwan exposure to a range of industries all over the world, especially the financial sector. This vast experience provided Marwan with deep knowledge and understanding of the forces behind the digital revolution that is still sweeping the globe. 

As the Chairman of the Amman Stock Exchange from 2013 to 2017, Marwan provided leadership and guidance to ensure the integrity of all activities of the exchange and protect the rights of all stakeholders, while adhering to regulatory compliance and sound corporate governance. During his tenure, Marwan developed the privatization strategy of the Amman Stock Exchange.

Marwan was Chief Technology and Information Officer at Nest Investments Holdings, whose operations include insurance, reinsurance, banking, and real estate across MENA, the GCC, Europe and the Far East. 

Marwan is a founding member of the Jordan Computer Society, and the author of the National Computer Policy for Jordan in 1992. 

Thomas leads the Eastnets Audit Committee, which entails liaising with the Statutory Auditor, Internal Audit, and the CFO on budget preparation.  What excites him about Eastnets is the professional excellence of colleagues, their ambitions, and the ever-changing payments subject matter.

Thomas brings varied experiences to the Boardroom. Recently, this included the policy aspects of capital markets risk management, and serving as advisor to the World Alliance of International Financial Centres on content and membership.

From 1997-2012, Thomas was secretary general of the World Federation of Exchanges, using the power of IT transformations and the algorithmic growth of derivatives and indexing to enable transformative growth. Many bourses transitioned to the for-profit, public listed companies’ business model. 

He maintained highest-level ties to IOSCO, OECD, and the FSB; and represented WFE to the International Audit and Assurances Standards Board and chaired the Advisory Board for XBRL International, the mark-up software language. 

Earlier experiences included financial services audit, institutional portfolio sales, and stockbroking in Paris, treasuries portfolio management at the BIS, and corporate banking at Chase in New York and Paris.

Thomas holds degrees from Berkeley, Harvard, and Oxford, and completed the French Directors’ Institute certification.

Abdulraouf joined the Eastnets Board in 2022. He is the founder of Lama Holding Company, headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Established in 2000, Lama Holding Company is a diversified family office with businesses that extend across the Middle East and North Africa.

Abdulraouf invests across a broad range of private and public asset classes, with a sectoral preference for food and beverage, industrial manufacturing, oil and gas, real estate, financial services. The holding company comprises more than 25 companies, several of which operate in partnership with leading multinational or regional firms mostly in the UAE, KSA and Jordan.

Abdulraouf’s diversification strategy and strong interest in innovation and technology has had a profound impact on the outstanding success of Lama Holding’s expansion through the years.

Abdulraouf holds a degree in Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Syracuse University, USA.

Javid is an Executive Director of Finance with over 20+ years of experience in the Financial Services and Investment sector. He has a strong background in Assurance Advisory and Business Services, gained during his tenure of six years at EY Kuwait. 
 
Currently, Javid serves as the Executive Director Finance at AREF Investment Group Kuwait, one of the leading investment institutions in the region. Along with its subsidiaries and associates, AREF forms a conglomerate of companies that are diversified in various sectors.

Javid’s expertise spans numerous sectors including Real Estate Development, Joint Ventures, BOT Projects, Banking and Finance, Energy, Logistic Services (including Aviation, Sea, and River Transportation), as well as the Public Services sector encompassing Health, Educational, and IT services.

Javid graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce Specialised in Financial Accounting and Auditing from Bombay University, and Financial Management from Prin. L.N.Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research, India.
 
Currently serves on the Board of Directors at Rubban Holding Company Kuwait.

In my role as Eastnets’ CEO, I provide the overall direction and leadership for our company. Working closely with our expert leadership team, I focus on understanding our customers and their environment so we provide the very best technologies to ensure they participate safely and securely in the global financial economy.

Hazem has expansive and multi-layered experience, gained through a career spanning 40 years in international markets. After graduating with a Master’s degree in Electronics Engineering and Medical Electronics from Bulgaria, Hazem began his career working at Siemens in Kuwait in 1980 where he saw first-hand how computing was starting to transform the health industry.

As the digital revolution was just starting worldwide, Hazem moved to the US to get closer to the epicenter of innovation. In the US, Hazem honed his entrepreneurial vision and developed a deeper insight into emerging technologies and markets. In 1984, he moved to Jordan to establish what is now Eastnets.

In 2007, Eastnets acquired SIDE International, a leader in AML solutions based in Belgium. This expansion strategy worked, and now Eastnets serves over 800 financial institutions worldwide. 

Hazem’s astute vision and industry insight has helped Eastnets secure multiple prestigious international awards, and achieve a leading position in the global compliance industry.

Hazem had also continued his academic growth, earning a Certificate of Advanced Management Program (AMP) from the prestigious Institute of INSEAD, France, and an OWP from IMD Lausanne, Switzerland.

As Deputy CEO, I work closely with the Chief Executive Officer to develop corporate strategy, business goals, effective policies and procedures, along with short and long-term objectives for consideration, adoption, and implementation by the Board of Directors. As the secondary spokesperson for Eastnets, I’m principally responsible for day-to-day management decisions, and for implementing our short and long-term strategic objectives.

Deya has been instrumental in developing Eastnets' global growth strategy in alignment with the company's corporate vision. Over her time with Eastnets, Deya has effectively translated this strategy into innovative solutions and products that meet the evolving needs and the dynamic nature of our industry. As a technical expert, Deya has led several development initiatives for Eastnets, to include the industry-leading ChainFeed™ solution — a secure real-time watchlist feed over the blockchain. 

Before joining Eastnets, Deya’s worked for several entrepreneurial tech firms, as well as serving global clients with the multinational professional services network, KPMG.

Deya is a graduate of the University of Jordan, where she gained a degree in computer science. In addition, Deya has attended a number of prestigious executive development programs including INSEAD’s flagship intensive Advanced Management Program in Fontainebleau France, and the Orchestrating Winning Performance management program at IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland. Deya is a certified board of directors by Jordan, Institute of Directors – IFC.

As Eastnets CTO, I’m responsible for overseeing the strategic direction of Eastnets’ technology organization, as well as upholding the company’s technology position at the forefront of the industry. 

As CTO, Luay is key to implementing Eastnets’ ambitious strategy of continuously adapting technologies in response to the significant shift in financial compliance, payments and anti-fraud technologies worldwide. As a strategic business partner at Eastnets, Luay defines a vision that aligns technology groups to deliver and maintain high quality solutions.

In his role, Luay builds partnerships with customers and business leaders to understand the current and future needs of customers and the industry. He also identifies key growth opportunities and new technologies for Eastnets’ suite of offerings. As CTO, he nurtures innovation among multicultural technology teams operating across five continents.

Luay brings more than 20 years of industry experience to Eastnets, with a focus on software development, quality engineering, security, operations and Risk Management.

Before Eastnets, Luay worked at Accuity, the payments and compliance division of RELX Group, where he directed technology teams across the US, Europe and India serving multiple business units. Here he was responsible for technology team formation, process optimization, technology financial planning, and enterprise software creation in support of business growth.

Luay has also established offshore partnerships with augmentation partners to flex technology capacity and capabilities. He participated in multiple mergers and acquisitions providing technology due diligence expertise, and was responsible for planning, staffing, budgeting and forecasts for multiple geographically dispersed technology groups.

As the commercial lead for Eastnets, I’m focussed on ensuring we meet our global growth ambitions by understanding the dynamics of our market, and making sure our customers’ needs are satisfied.

Fahed is a highly experienced sales executive, who joined Eastnets in the early 1990s. Since then, he has led the commercial team that has grown the company’s global client base to include 15 of the top 50 banks, and 22 of the world’s Central Banks.

Fahed has seen the industry mature and transform during his career. Supported by Eastnets’ innovative product technology, he has consistently worked toward building a customer-centric sales culture, which ultimately has led to impressive levels of client trust and loyalty.

In his time at Eastnets, Fahed has taken on different managerial and leadership roles, covering business development, sales, product conceptualization, management, and strategy. Through planning and managing direct and indirect sales operations, he has consistently grown the company’s sales projections.

Fahed earned BA in Commerce from Assiut University, Egypt, with a major in Accounting. He also attended the Orchestrating Winning Performance (OWP) management program at IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland.

As CFO I’m responsible for the effective planning and management of all financial actions at Eastnets, ensuring our resources are directed to the right areas to sustain efficient growth. 

Elie has more than 30 years’ experience in multinational corporate financial management, control and advisory service in Europe, Middle East and Africa. His past experience includes the post of VP of Finance, Admin and Corporate Affairs for ITWORX. Elie also managed finance departments in different industries such as FMCG, Information Technology Services, and Telecommunications.

Prior to ITWORX, Elie served as the CFO at MTN Group in Guinea Conakry. Elie played a leading role in setting up MTN business practice in Guinea, from introduction to overseeing the financial activities, planning, budget control, revenue assurance, and supply chain management.

Elie spent 11 years in France gaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Economy with specialization in Finance from the Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers, CNAM. He earned his MSF (Masters Specialized in Corporate Finance) in 2001, from the top-ranking international business school, Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris – Ecole Européenne des Affair.

In 2012, Elie took an international education program with INSEAD and in May 2014, took the Leadership for Senior Executives program in Harvard Business School.