Akef El Maghraby

Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director

Akef El Maghraby, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director at Suez Canal Bank, is a highly accomplished leader with over two decades of experience in the banking and financial sectors. Known for his strategic foresight and innovative approach, he excels in integrating advanced technologies to drive economic growth through digital transformation. His expertise spans, where he has successfully led major transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, within diverse organizational frameworks across the Middle East and Africa. El Maghraby is dedicated to positioning his institutions at the forefront of the digital banking revolution while ensuring competitiveness in a dynamic financial environment.

El Maghraby holds an MBA and a Bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from the American University in Cairo (AUC) with High Honors. These academic accomplishments provided a strong foundation for his successful career in finance, highlighting his deep understanding of complex financial systems and strategic management in addition He completed Harvard Business School- Executive Leadership Program.

El Maghraby has a proven track record in leading digital transformation efforts. He was instrumental in establishing Egypt's first digital bank and led numerous digital initiatives and transformation processes, integrating AI technologies into banking operations to boost efficiency and optimize the customer experience.

Before joining Suez Canal Bank, El Maghraby held the position of Vice Chairman of Banque Misr for nearly eight years. where he played a key role in shaping the bank's strategic vision. He focused on expanding the bank's business volume through external growth, overseeing critical business areas including the Corporate Banking, Treasury, International Business, Retail, SMEs, Investments Islamic Financing, Global Transactions Business, Regions & Branches, and Financial Inclusion. Throughout his tenure, Banque Misr earned numerous prestigious global awards and recognitions, highlighted by his success in doubling the assets portfolio and achieving substantial revenue growth.

He also played a crucial role in several mergers and acquisitions, most notably Banque Misr's acquisition of a 94% stake in CI Capital, which stands out as one of the most significant deals in the financial sector in recent years.

Throughout El Maghraby's career at Citibank N.A. for 16 years, where he rapidly advanced in his career, ultimately becoming the Head of Corporate and Investment Banking - Egypt. During his time at Citibank, he managed and executed landmark transactions across multiple countries, including Egypt, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. Notable achievements include leading a $1.5 billion bonds for the Government of Egypt, which was recognized as the “Non-Investment Grade Bond / Sukuk Deal of the Year”.

His global perspective is further enriched by his experience covering major corporate relationships in Saudi Arabia, such as SABIC, Aramco and SAMA, and managing a portfolio of over $3 billion in facilities for public sector entities and large corporations in Bahrain leading Citibank to wining the” Best foreign investment bank award “for 2 consecutive years by EMEA finance.

El Maghraby is currently a board member in Africa 50 (Infrastructure Investment Platform focusing on Africa), Misr Insurance Holding Company (Largest Insurance Company in Egypt), EgyptAir Holding Company, Credit Guarantee Company (CGC), Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), Altera, Egypt Towers Company, the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), the British Egyptian Business Association (BEBA), and MIDOR Electricity Company (Midelec), Federation Of Egyptian Banks, National Training Academy. Recently, El Maghraby was appointed as a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Academy for Youth Training and Development (Headed by Egypt President).

El Maghraby was also the former chairman of Misr Digital Innovations company (The First digital bank in Egypt, awaiting final CBE license), and a former board member in Egyptian Banking Institute.