About Us

Lord Philip Hammond is Chairman of the Board of Innovo. 

Philip has had a distinguished career in British politics as a Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2019. He held a range of senior cabinet posts, most recently serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2016 to 2019. Prior to that, he served as Foreign Secretary from 2014 to 2016, Defence Secretary from 2011 to 2014 and Transport Secretary from 2010 to 2011.  

As Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip focused on the long-term productivity challenges facing the UK economy and was a strong advocate for the Financial Services industry and the fast-growing Fintech sector. In particular, he championed the cause of SMEs and the need for greater access to long-term growth capital to allow successful British start-ups to scale up in the UK, rather than seeking capital overseas.  

Before entering Parliament, Philip had a wide-ranging business career, spanning the house-building and property, healthcare equipment, and oil and gas sectors.  

Philip studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at University College, Oxford, and was made a life peer by HM Queen Elizabeth II in July 2020.

Juergen is a non-executive director on the board of Innovo, bringing with him 33 years’ experience at industrial manufacturing conglomerate, Siemens.

Juergen’s last role at Siemens was CEO of Siemens UK, having joined the company in 1989, spending a number of years in Germany as well as the UK.

Juergen is a prominent figure within the UK’s industrial and manufacturing community. He is currently Chairman of Digital Catapult, Vice-Chairman of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership and is the co-founder of vocL, a platform which seeks to empower business leaders.

He also works closely with the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University as a visiting Professor and is an advocate for the digitalization of the UK manufacturing sector and the green re-industrialization of northern England.

Juergen’s other appointments include being an honorary professor of Engineering at the University of Manchester, a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the City & Guilds Institute.

Juergen has a BSc in Production Engineering from Nottingham Trent University.

Mei is an independent non-executive director on the board of Innovo.

Currently director and head of fashion and luxury at Alibaba Group, Mei joined the Chinese conglomerate in 2015 as an early employee in the globalisation team. During her time in this role, Mei led the company’s international expansion and defined the group's strategy in Europe.

More recently, Mei has been instrumental in the creation of Alibaba’s ecommerce luxury offering and ecosystem, partnering leading international luxury businesses and fashion houses.

Additionally, Mei leads international operations for Alibaba's annual flagship fashion and luxury events and conferences,  including the Tmall Collection and Taobao maker festival, among others.

Prior to Alibaba Group, Mei was a long-time Googler, having worked in the sales and marketing teams at Google’s Europe HQ, as well as on the global sales excellence strategy and mobile monetisation teams at Google’s Global HQ in Mountain View, USA.

Mei’s entrepreneurial journey started more than 18 years ago in Spain where she founded several startups in areas as diverse as education, construction and online marketing. In her spare time, Mei advises founders and CXOs on a variety of topics including online marketing strategies, monetisation and international expansion.

Bishoy has been with Innovo from its inception and is the driving force behind Innovo’s core principle of harnessing the smartest technology and innovative sustainability practices to create positive disruption across the traditional construction and real estate sectors.

Prior to Innovo, Bishoy worked for ASGC Group, spending close to 20 years there, the last ten of which as CEO.

Bishoy’s belief in the value of continuous education and the need to keep updating an organisation is demonstrated by his commitment to the ongoing improvement of employee safety and wellbeing, and his focus on having a positive impact on the communities Innovo operates in and the environment in general. All of which contributes to Innovo’s ability to continue to generate significant value for shareholders.

Bishoy sits on several boards, including serving as a member of the Board of Trustees for The American University in Cairo (AUC) and sitting on the board of one of the UK's leading infrastructure firms, Costain plc.

Bishoy holds a BSc in Construction Engineering from AUC, an MSc in International Construction Management from the University of Bath, an EMBA from London Business School and is a graduate of Harvard Business School.

Abdulaziz Mohamed Bin Shafar is a board director of Innovo.

Currently CEO of ASGC Group, Abdulaziz began his career at ASGC in 1998 as a site engineer, working his way through the business until 2004 when he joined the Dubai International Financial Centre as a client representative and construction manager.

In 2006, he returned to ASGC as vice president and executive director of the company, taking over the reins as CEO in 2021 and spearheading the expansion of operations into Abu Dhabi and the development of the group’s real estate arm.

Abdulaziz oversaw ASGC's participation in Dubai Expo 2020 and the completion of some of the event’s most innovative and visually stunning pavilions including the Sustainability Pavilion, the Opportunity Pavilion and the World Majlis. 

With 25 years’ experience in the construction industry both on the ground and in senior leadership roles, Abdulaziz brings strategic insight and deep knowledge of the sector to the Innovo board.

Abdulaziz has a BSc in Civil Engineering from the University of Southern California and has completed the Senior Executive Leadership Program at Harvard Business School. He is also on the Board of Trustees of the Dubai International Arbitration Centre.

Kate is Innovo Global’s General Counsel and an officer of the company.

As a senior member of Innovo’s executive team, she reports to the board and shareholders, and has overall responsibility for corporate governance, risk and compliance, and regulatory affairs.

With a background in property, construction, M&A, media, digital and data, and having lived and worked in Australia, China and Europe, Kate is a highly accomplished international multi-disciplinary lawyer.

Her experience includes establishing one of the earliest foreign law offices in Shanghai, advising the Russian government as it transitioned from communism to capitalism, advising SOCOG on the Sydney Olympics, acting on an intergovernmental collaboration on satellite technology (AsiaSat II) for mobile voice and data transmission, and tackling the commercial, operational and regulatory hurdles prevalent in the rapidly evolving digital and data markets across the UK and Europe.

Kate joined Innovo following 14 years at Telegraph Media Group where she was Group Legal Director and Data Protection Officer. During her tenure, she was pivotal to the transformation of the Telegraph’s traditional print business into a leading multimedia news and data driven business.

Kate holds a double major BA and Bachelor of Laws (BA/LLB) in Economics and Japanese from the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia, and speaks Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin and Hokkien.

Mariam brings to our board 20 years’ experience in human resources, employee development and business management in the construction industry, having been Chief People Officer at ASGC Group from 2004.

At ASGC, Mariam was instrumental in supporting employee performance programmes and spearheading value-added opportunities.

Mariam has a passion for learning.  She regularly participates in executive leadership programmes run by Harvard Business School and Cambridge Judge Business School, part of the University of Cambridge, among others. Mariam is also an active member of the Young Professionals Organisation and Entrepreneurial Organisation in the UAE.

Mariam holds a MA in International Human Resource Management from the University of Northampton, a post grad diploma in Human Resources Management, and a BA in Economics and Business Administration from the American University in Cairo.

As CEO of Innovo International, Raouf oversees the operations of our project management, infrastructure and civil works, and procurement and distribution teams.

With a track record of fostering enduring client, partner and supplier relationships, Raouf plays a pivotal role in supporting Innovo’s overall strategy, working closely with the senior leadership team to facilitate governance, finance and operations.

Prior to Innovo, Raouf joined ASGC Group in 2004 as a project engineer, subsequently working his way up through the business. His career highlights include being promoted to managing director and then Chairman of ASGC Egypt. Before joining ASGC, Raouf worked as a senior site engineer for a decade at Orascom, the publicly listed construction and engineering contractor.

Raouf has a BSc in civil engineering from Cairo University and is certified by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health. He is also a member of the UAE's Society of Engineers.

Sameh is the CEO of of Innovo Build, Innovo’s design and construction division, which provides sustainable and innovative construction services to clients globally. 

With more than 30 years’ construction industry experience, Sameh has led the completion of some of the most high-profile, iconic and complex projects in the Middle East, and has earned trust throughout the region and beyond.

Sameh has built a reputation as a talented and innovative leader with an unwavering focus on achieving profitable growth and driving effective strategic partnerships. He is renowned for his attention to detail and dedication to excellence through timely, high-quality project delivery.

Prior to Innovo, Sameh worked in senior roles at ASGC Group for over 17 years. Under his leadership, the organisation was recognised for its achievements in the sector with several accolades including Contractor of the Year and Sustainable Contractor of the Year.

Sameh holds a MSc in Construction Project Management from Heriot-Watt University in the UK, and a BSc in Architectural Engineering from Cairo University.

Based in Cairo, Moustafa is the managing director of Innovo’s design and construction division in Egypt.

Moustafa began his professional journey as a project engineer with ASGC Group working on the iconic Jumeirah Beach Residence development. Since then, he has gained over 20 years’ experience in every major aspect of the construction sector, working on several landmark developments in the Middle East region. 
 
In 2012, Moustafa returned to Egypt as operations director of ASGC Group’s Cairo-based construction business, with the responsibility for managing many prestigious developments and large-scale infrastructure projects. In 2018 he became general manager of the business, and soon after was promoted to managing director.
 
Through his invaluable contributions and leadership, Innovo’s presence in Egypt has become one of the country’s largest and most highly regarded construction businesses, delivering social and critical infrastructure projects for many notable private and public sector clients.

Moustafa holds a BSc in engineering from Egypt's Mansoura University. 

Justin is a Chartered Engineer, joining Innovo after more than 28 years at Siemens, one of the world’s most successful industrial and infrastructure technology companies.

Justin held a number of roles in engineering, project management, product management, and sales and marketing at Siemens, culminating in his elevation to Director of Communications and Business Development and a member of the Siemens UK executive board.

Among his many achievements at Siemens, Justin led the development of the company’s Smart Infrastructure business, as well as being responsible for the company’s roadmap to carbon net zero, committed for 2030.

Justin is an established spokesperson on sustainability and digitalisation across people, environmental and societal themes in industry, and as a member of the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership is an advocate for the importance of business’s positive role in society.

Justin has a BEng (Hons) from the University of Salford in Computers, Management and Electronics. 

Ahmed is managing director of Innovo’s investment and venture capital arm, with over 13 years' experience in investments, private equity and venture capital across emerging markets.

Before joining Innovo in 2021, Ahmed was an investment director at Elsewedy Capital, focusing on investments in Africa. Ahmed began his career at Egypt-based private equity firm BPE Partners, before moving to international investment group Olayan as part of the private equity and venture capital team covering the Middle East, Turkey and India.

Ahmed holds a BA in Finance from the American University in Cairo.

Ibrahim is the CEO of Maplelands, Innovo's Canadian real estate development business.

He has more than 20 years’ experience in the construction sector,  including extensive expertise in project management leading over £1.3 billion in developments across the Middle East and North Africa.

Ibrahim began his career in Egypt as a construction engineer at Orascom and later at Arab Contractors, before joining ASGC Group in the UAE in 2002. In the UAE, Ibrahim held several project management roles, overseeing a number of landmark developments in Dubai, including the Waldorf Astoria, Bluewaters Residences and the Golden Mile in Palm Jumeirah.

In 2014, Ibrahim was promoted to general manager of ASGC’s oil and gas division in Abu Dhabi, before relocating to Canada in 2019 to establish Innovo’s real estate development business under the Maplelands brand.

He has a BSc in Civil Engineering from Egypt’s Assuit University and a masters in Construction Project Management from Heriot-Watt University in the UK. He also has an Executive MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.

Kate is Innovo Global’s General Counsel and an officer of the company.

As a senior member of Innovo’s executive team, she reports to the board and shareholders, and has overall responsibility for corporate governance, risk and compliance, and regulatory affairs.

With a background in property, construction, M&A, media, digital and data, and having lived and worked in Australia, China and Europe, Kate is a highly accomplished international multi-disciplinary lawyer.

Her experience includes establishing one of the earliest foreign law offices in Shanghai, advising the Russian government as it transitioned from communism to capitalism, advising SOCOG on the Sydney Olympics, acting on an intergovernmental collaboration on satellite technology (AsiaSat II) for mobile voice and data transmission, and tackling the commercial, operational and regulatory hurdles prevalent in the rapidly evolving digital and data markets across the UK and Europe.

Kate joined Innovo following 14 years at Telegraph Media Group where she was Group Legal Director and Data Protection Officer. During her tenure, she was pivotal to the transformation of the Telegraph’s traditional print business into a leading multimedia news and data driven business.

Kate holds a double major BA and Bachelor of Laws (BA/LLB) in Economics and Japanese from the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia, and speaks Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin and Hokkien.

Arsany is the Managing Director of Innovo’s procurement and distribution division, which was established in 2021 to specialise in procurement and supply chain management initially in the UK and the Middle East.

Before Innovo, Arsany was an architect at ASGC Group before being promoted to a number of senior roles, including head of procurement and tendering, and latterly, commercial director.

Arsany has a BSc in Architectural Engineering from Ain Sham University and a masters in Construction Project Management from Heriot-Watt University in the UK. He is also certified by the Project Management Institute.  

Roger joined Innovo as group CIO in 2022 and is responsible for continuing to build our best-in-class technology and security disciplines, as well as driving Innovo’s wide-ranging digital transformation programme.

Roger is passionate about people and business transformation and has a particular interest in leveraging technology and data to drive environmental and social governance, as well as safety in the engineering and construction industry.

Roger comes to us with 30 years of tech leadership experience across continents, cultures and industries, both as a customer and service provider in both the public and private sector.

In his previous role, Roger led the digital transformation strategy for John Holland, a large Australian engineering and construction company, including core technology, data and analytics, process and automation, and emerging technology adoption.

Other prior roles include 20 years of progressive technology leadership in the United States Air Force, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt project delivery at GE, and building a technology function for Genpact, a global engineering and construction company.    

Roger has an MBA from Nova Southeastern University, Florida, USA.

Paul is managing director of Innovo’s capital projects business, which secures ECA-backed projects in developing markets, acting as a project aggregator, as well as an engineering, procurement, construction and financing contractor. 

Paul joined Innovo after several years as COO of the international business of ASGC Group, helping to establish ASGC UK as a specialist infrastructure financing division among other high-profile successes.

Prior to ASGC Group, Paul was managing director of Kier International, the overseas division of the UK’s Kier Group, where he oversaw the group’s operations in the Caribbean, Middle East and Hong Kong. 

During his 30-year career in the construction industry, Paul has organised export credit funding, supported by UK Export Finance (UKEF), for numerous construction contracts across Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Caribbean. In the Middle East and North Africa alone, Paul has been instrumental in arranging finance for over £3 billion of major building and infrastructure projects over the past decade. 

Paul has an MBA from Aston University in the UK and is an active member of the British Business Group in Dubai.