Senior Advisor, Providence Equity
Soha Nashaat has close to three decades of global financial services experience and is one of the most prominent businesswomen of her generation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Prior to joining Providence as a senior advisor, Ms. Nashaat most recently served as strategic advisor to the executive chairman of Shuaa Capital, a leading Middle East investment bank. She also served as a board member of Gateway Investment Management Services – a DFSA regulated entity as well as Shuaa Capital Saudi Arabia.
Previously, Ms. Nashaat built and expanded Barclays Wealth footprint in the Middle East bringing Barclays global capabilities to the region starting in 2006 as CEO for the MENA region. Until July 2016, Ms. Nashaat also served as a member of the Board of Directors of Barclays Bank Suisse S.A.
During this time, Ms. Nashaat received various accolades including being named Woman Banker of the Year and featuring prominently in the Financial Times list of Leading Business Women in the Arab World, as well in the Financial News Top 100 Women in Finance. She also ranked 23rd in Arabian Business Magazine’s listing of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Arab Women in 2011.
Prior to this Ms. Nashaat held a variety of roles at Merrill Lynch in starting in 1990 in New York followed by postings in Buenos Aires and London. Her roles included head of the offshore Middle East and non-resident Indian group – overseeing London, Geneva and Monte Carlo. During this time she also created the Institutional Client Group, covering small and mid-cap institutions in partnership with Institutional Sales. Prior to that she was relocated from New York to Buenos Aires where she served as deputy office manager for the ‘Southern Cone’, with bankers located in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. She started her career at Merrill Lynch in New York where she was responsible for both global sales and marketing for the Merrill Lynch Asset Management offshore funds.
In addition to sitting on the Board of the Foundation for Renewable Energy & Environment – a U.S. based non-profit, Ms. Nashaat also sits on the International Committee for Barnard College, Columbia University. Currently she also serves as a member of the advisory board for the Beirut Institute – a regional think tank.