Team

Joseph Azrack is Safanad’s Chief Investment Officer in addition to being a Board and Investment Committee Member. He brings over 30 years of real estate investment experience to the Safanad team.

Previously, Mr. Azrack was the Chairman and Managing Partner of Apollo Global Real Estate. Prior to joining Apollo, he was Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Citi Property Investors (“CPI”) where he chaired the firm’s Management and Investment Committees and directed investment policy and strategy. Prior to that, Mr. Azrack was Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of AEW Capital Management, L.P., Founder and President of the AEW Partners Funds, Founder and Chairman of the Board of IXIS AEW Europe and a Member of the Board of Curzon Global Partners.

Mr. Azrack is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business where he has taught Real Estate Entrepreneurship since 2014 and is a member of the Real Estate Program Advisory Board. Mr. Azrack holds an M.B.A. from Columbia University and a B.Sc. degree from Villanova University.

Kamal Abdullah Bahamdan is an entrepreneur and investor with a 25-year career establishing and growing businesses around the world. Simultaneous to his business career, Kamal is a competitive athlete. He is a five-time Olympic equestrian and bronze medal winner in the London 2012 Olympic Games. Across his professional and sporting endeavors, Kamal is driven by a relentless focus on lifelong learning, excellence, and a determination to push beyond boundaries. His success has been complemented by his ability to attract the very best talent and build industry-leading teams that support him in executing his vision be it in business, sport, or philanthropy.

Currently, Kamal is the Vice Chairman of the Bahamdan Group and Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Safanad, a New-York based, global principal-led investment house established in 2009. Throughout his career, Kamal has created numerous world-class platforms across education, healthcare, financial services, technology, telecommunications, and digital infrastructure, among others. He has a rigorous approach to investing that starts with assessing unfolding macro trends and their resulting micro dislocations. He then identifies opportunities to address business and social challenges that have emerged. With an owner-operator mindset, he brings the ecosystems, networks, and key talent to bear to build scalable platforms. Kamal has leveraged this approach to launch greenfield and start-up ventures, assemble and scale businesses through a buy and build approach, and manage challenging and complex turnaround and restructuring situations across the US, Europe, Asia, and Middle East. He has replicated this success time and again including during some of the most turbulent market events of the past three decades.

Most recently, under his leadership, Safanad has executed over $10 billion in transactions and established multiple market-leading platforms. These include a fast growing K-12 education company with over 50,000 students worldwide, which was established to capture opportunities from increasing demand for high-quality private education globally, the UK’s largest care home operator, which was acquired as part of a restructuring process, turned around and scaled, and a leading US-based datacenter operator that was built after identifying the need for co-location datacenter operators and then executing additional bolt-on acquisitions to grow the business. He has also led sizable investments that have created multiple operationally-intensive real estate platforms across the US.

Prior to Safanad, Kamal was the CEO of the Bahamdan Group, a family-owned global investment group with a 70-year history of investing in the Middle East and global markets, and previously co-founded the Washington, DC-based private equity firm BV Group. 

At the Bahamdan Group, Kamal led a major turnaround of an industrial and consumer goods portfolio which included a water bottling company, repositioning the business from significant distress into a market leader, acquired, turned around, and significantly expanded a petrol station chain by increasing the sophistication in its real estate strategy and adding quality adjacent services and retail before exiting to one of the world’s largest energy companies, and created a telecommunications company in the first wave of the industry’s liberalization, before leading a complex nine-way merger and exiting to Saudi Arabia’s leading mobile operator. He also built one of the largest private school operators in the Kingdom and.  served as an early investor in the world’s largest online education company supporting the company’s expansion into MENA  through the launch of the  region’s first online school.

Similarly, at the BV Group, Kamal led the early identification of numerous greenfield and buy-and-build opportunities across real estate, technology, education and other areas in the US, Europe, and Asia. Key among these include the 2002 launch of a $1.0B property-focused real estate fund to acquire US government real estate and capitalize on the rapid growth in the size and scale of the federal government, investment in a credit research firm that was transformed into a market leader, seizing on the emergence of the tech industry and impact of increasing data on society, and investing early in a higher education company that has served millions of students in response to a growing need for high-quality and affordable university education globally.

Beyond making investments across his businesses into social-impact sectors for more than 20 years, Kamal is an education philanthropist. With an aim to giving children the best chance to succeed, he is dedicated to supporting early childhood development through his contributions to numerous initiatives and related organizations in the Middle East and globally. In 2022, he endowed the Bahamdan Professorship for Early Childhood Well-Being at Boston University, his alma matter, supporting greater research and innovation in the field, and serves on the Wheelock College of Education’s Dean’s Advisory Board.

He is also an active participant in global forums focused on enhancing quality and access to education including serving as a member of the B20 Taskforce on Education and Employment for both the 2020 G20 meeting in Saudi Arabia and 2021 meeting in Italy. Kamal is also a member of the Swedish-Saudi Business Council’s Education Committee.

In 2006, Kamal was recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and holds a BSc in Manufacturing Engineering from Boston University.

Richard Cleaver is Safanad’s Chief Financial Officer and a member of the firm’s Management Committee, based in New York. He is responsible for Safanad’s global finance, treasury, technology and operations functions.

Previously, Mr. Cleaver was CFO and an Investment Committee Member at Waypoint Residential, where he built out and led the Finance and IT teams.  Previously, Mr. Cleaver worked as Co-Founder of Verasite LLC, a data analytics platform for real estate investment vehicles.  He also worked at Ellington Management Group as the Controller of their REIT and commenced his career at Ernst & Young in Audit, focused on private equity funds, hedge funds, and fund of funds.

Mr. Cleaver holds a B.A. degree in Accounting from Western Connecticut State University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Sean Dailey is Safanad’s Chief Legal Officer & Chief Compliance Officer and a member of the firm’s Management Committee, based in New York.

Prior to joining Safanad, he was Associate General Counsel, Vice President of Legal Affairs at a credit-focused asset manager in New York. He also worked in investment management groups at international law firms, primarily Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.

Mr. Dailey has advised funds and their managers and sponsors on an array of legal issues relating to their formation and operation, including compliance with the U.S. Investment Advisers Act, the U.S. Investment Company Act, and the rules and regulations of FINRA.

Mr. Dailey holds a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, an M.A. from Dartmouth College, and a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley. He is admitted to the New York and Massachusetts bars and is qualified as a solicitor in England & Wales.

Ziad Dannaoui is Safanad’s President and a member of the firm’s Investment and Management Committees. He is responsible for day-to-day oversight of all of Safanad’s key operating units.

Prior to assuming his current role in 2016, Mr. Dannaoui served as the Head of Investments for Safanad and was responsible for overseeing all investment activities.. Prior to joining Safanad, Mr. Dannaoui was the Head of Investments at Bahamdan Group and was previously a Managing Partner of a Middle East Law Firm.

Mr. Dannaoui holds an LL.M. degree from the James E. Rogers School of Law and an LL.B. degree from the Holy Spirit University School of Law.

Dr. John Rutledge is Safanad’s Chief Investment Strategist and a member of the Investment Committee.

Dr. Rutledge was one of the principal architects of the Reagan Economic Plan in 1980-81 and an adviser to the Bush White House on tax policy and Iraq. He has advised government leaders in China, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait on economic, financial and investment issues. Currently, he is Senior Research Professor at Claremont Graduate University, focusing on monetary and financial economics and the causes of financial crises. He is also an Honorary Professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chief Advisor for Finance to the Governor of the Haidian district of Beijing.

Dr. Rutledge was granted the Beijing’s Great Wall Friendship Award in recognition of his role as a trusted advisor to China’s top officials. He is the author of three books and currently is the Economics Contributor to CNBC. He holds a B.A. degree from Lake Forest College and a PhD in economics from the University of Virginia.

Andrew Trickett is Safanad’s Partner, Head of Investments and a Member of the firm’s Management Committee, based in New York. Mr. Trickett is responsible for leading and managing the Investment Management Team in all aspects of deal execution, deal origination, due diligence, negotiation, execution, and portfolio management.

Prior to joining Safanad, Mr. Trickett held the position of Senior Managing Director, Investments, at Oxford Properties Group, where he was responsible for acquisitions, dispositions and global new business development. Prior to joining Oxford, Mr. Trickett was a Senior Vice President with the Redbourne Group and also held several senior positions at Deutsche Bank and the Toronto Dominion Bank. He has been involved in significant international real estate transactions and has a track record in excess of US $20 billion.

Mr. Trickett holds a BCom. degree from Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada and has completed various executive education programs at Harvard Business School.

Hannah Bradley is Safanad’s Director of Human Resources, based in Dubai. She is responsible for talent acquisition, talent management and HR strategy across the US and UAE.

Prior to joining Safanad, Ms. Bradley was the Head of HR/Talent Management for a GCC-based private equity firm covering the Middle East, US, UK, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Ms. Bradley previously held senior HR positions with Zurich and Deloitte in the Middle East and worked for Deloitte in the UK before transferring to Dubai in 2008.

Ms. Bradley holds a postgraduate diploma in Human Resource Management and is a graduate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

Trisha Creta is a Vice President, Compliance, based in New York.  She helps oversee the compliance program in line with the Investment Advisors Act of 1940 and other state and federal regulations applicable to registered investment advisors and private equity funds.

Prior to joining Safanad, Ms. Creta was Chief Compliance Officer at Amulet Capital Partners, LP in CT, a middle-market private equity firm focused exclusively on the healthcare sector. Previously, she has also worked with private equity firms JMI Equity in San Diego, CA and JLL Partners in NYC.

Ms. Creta holds a B.S. in Business Management from SUNY Empire State College in Old Westbury, NY with an expected MBA in Business Administration from the University of Connecticut.

Jessica Crossfield is a Vice President, Strategy, based in Dubai, and part of the CEO Office. She supports the development and execution of Safanad’s strategy.

Prior to joining Safanad, Ms. Crossfield was a Consultant at Bain & Company in Dubai, in the firm’s education and energy practices, working on growth strategies for both private and public entities. Ms. Crossfield also has 4 years of experience with Chevron in Houston where she managed cross-functional teams to execute environmental projects across the US and APAC.

Ms. Crossfield holds a Master of Business Administration from London Business School in London, United Kingdom and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Kristopher Fong is a Vice President, Finance, based in New York. He is responsible for leading the firm’s internal valuation process as well as involved in the various finance initiatives.

Previously he was a Vice President at Cerberus Capital Management, in their Corporate Valuations Team. He was responsible for the preparation and maintenance of valuations, across the firm’s private equity, direct lending, real estate and non-performing loans, corporate credit / distressed debt, and emerging market platforms.

Prior to Cerberus, Mr. Fong worked at RSM US, New York in their Consulting, Valuation Services Team, focused on the middle market, delivering valuations for private equity clients.

Mr. Fong holds a B.Sc. in Business Administration (concentration in Accountancy, Finance and Economics) from The College of New Jersey, and is a Certified Public Accountant and Chartered Global Managerial Accountant.

Michael Fournie is a Director, Investor Partners Group, based in Dubai. He is responsible for developing and managing relationships with key investment partners in the MENA region, including institutions, family offices and UHNW individuals.

Prior to joining Safanad, Mr. Fournie was part of Barclays Wealth and Investment Management based in Dubai, where he was responsible for delivering banking, investment solutions and wealth structuring advice to clients in the region.

Mr. Fournie holds a M.A. degree in Arab Studies from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and a B.A. degree from Middlebury College in International Politics and Economics and French.

Adam Giansiracusa is Safanad’s Chief of Staff, based in Dubai, reporting to the CEO. He helps lead strategic initiatives across the firm.

Prior to joining Safanad, Mr. Giansiracusa was a Consultant at the Boston Consulting Group, in the firm’s real estate and private equity practices, focused on developing investment strategies for sovereign-linked entities, primarily in Saudi Arabia.  Mr. Giansiracusa also has 3 years of experience with Monitor Deloitte in Chicago and Dubai, where he led small teams focusing on economic development, real estate, and industrials across the Middle East and the US.

Mr. Giansiracusa holds a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School in Boston, Massachusetts, and a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service (magna cum laude) from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington DC.

Jacob Grohoski is an Associate, Investments, based in New York. He is responsible for executing and asset managing portfolio investments while supporting Safanad’s fundraising processes.

Prior to joining Safanad, Mr. Grohoski worked as an Investment Banking Associate in the Real Estate, Gaming and Lodging group at Citigroup in New York. He was also an Investment Banking Analyst at Citigroup and a Real Estate Acquisitions Analyst at Key International, a Miami based real estate investment and development firm.

Mr. Grohoski holds a BBA with Honors, majoring in Finance from Florida International University.

Talha Hashmi is Safanad’s Chief Accounting Officer, based in Dubai. He is responsible for corporate accounting, financial management, investment operations and investor reporting at Safanad.

Prior to joining Safanad, Mr. Hashmi spent 7 years as an Audit Manager at Ernst & Young, Dubai in Assurance and Advisory Business Services where he managed a portfolio of clients within the financial services and real estate sectors.

Mr. Hashmi holds a B.Sc. in Accounting from Oxford Brookes University, is a Fellow Member of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA), a Chartered Professional Accountant of British Columbia (CPA) and a Member of the Institute of Internal Auditors.

Danny Jumblatt is a Managing Director, Investments, based in New York. He is responsible for sourcing and executing investments across the US.

Prior to joining Safanad, Mr. Jumblatt was on the Real Estate team at York Capital Management in New York where he was involved in evaluating and executing opportunistic real estate investments. He led diligence processes and managed relationships with general partners. Prior to York Capital Management, he was a Summer Associate within the Real Estate team at Fir Tree Partners in New York, and prior to this was an Investment Analyst at LEM Capital and an Associate at RCLCO.

Mr. Jumblatt holds an M.B.A. degree in Real Estate and Finance from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania in addition to a B.Sc. degree in Finance.

Taylor Keeler is a Vice President, Finance, based in New York. She is responsible for managing projects related to process improvement and various technology initiatives, as well as is involved in the finance function.

Prior to joining Safanad, Ms. Keeler was an Assistant Controller at Centerbridge Partners, L.P New York where she spent 6 years. She is experienced in financial reporting, fund creation and administration, and investor reporting, in addition to complex carried interest modelling. Ms. Keeler commenced her career in 2014 as a Financial Services Auditor at Ernst & Young, New York where she audited multiple private equity funds.

Ms. Keeler holds a M.Sc. in Accountancy from Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NYC and is a Certified Public Account and Chartered Financial Analyst.

Conor Kelly is an Associate, Investments, based in New York. He is responsible for executing and asset managing portfolio investments while supporting Safanad’s fundraising processes.

Previously, Mr. Kelly was an Associate at L.E.K. Consulting. While at L.E.K., he worked on several private equity due diligence and corporate strategy engagements across a range of industries. Prior to L.E.K., he was a Consultant at Simon-Kucher & Partners where he worked on growth strategy and price optimization for corporate clients.

Mr. Kelly holds a BSc in Management with concentrations in Finance and Computer Science from the Boston College Carroll School of Management.

Kathy Kim is a Senior Associate, Investments, based in New York. She is responsible for executing and asset managing portfolio investments while supporting Safanad’s fundraising processes.

Prior to joining Safanad, Ms. Kim was an Investment Banking Analyst in the Healthcare Team at Jefferies LLC, New York.  Previously, she was an Investment Banking Analyst (Mergers and Acquisitions) at PricewaterhouseCoopers Corporate Finance, New York, and an Investment Banking Credit Risk Analyst at J.P. Morgan, New York.

Ms. Kim holds a B.Sc. in Applied Economics & Management and Information Science from the Charles H. Dyson School at Cornell University, New York.

Faraaz Narsighani is Safanad’s Vice President, Financial Reporting, based in Dubai. He is responsible for corporate and SPV accounting, treasury operations and financial reporting and control at Safanad.

Prior to joining Safanad, Mr. Narsighani was a Senior Auditor at Ernst & Young, Dubai in the Assurance and Advisory Business Services where he managed audits for large and complex multinational clients primarily within the banking and capital markets, financial services, and asset management sectors.

Mr. Narsighani holds a BCom (Honours) Degree from Queen’s University (Canada), is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) with the Institute of Management Accountants (USA), is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensed by the State of New Hampshire (USA) and is a CFA® charterholder.

Mitchell Oh is a Director, Investments, based in New York. He is responsible for sourcing and executing investments across the US and the UK.

Prior to joining Safanad, Mr. Oh was an Associate at Thomas H. Lee Partners in Boston, where he focused on investments in the Information Services, Media, and Technology sectors. Prior to that, Mr. Oh worked at Goldman, Sachs & Co in the Private Equity Group and the Merchant Banking Division.

Mr. Oh holds a B.A. degree, cum laude, in Mathematics from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Mr. Packard is one of Safanad’s Industry Partners. He is the CEO and Founder of Pansophic Learning, a global technology-based education company. Mr. Packard is a well-known educator, entrepreneur and visionary as well as the author of the highly regarded and reviewed book Education Transformation. Mr. Packard was previously the long time CEO and Founder of K12 Inc. He oversaw the growth of K12 from just an idea to almost one billion in revenue, making it one of the largest education companies in the world. During his tenure, revenue compounded at near 80%.

Before K12, Mr. Packard was the Vice President of Knowledge Universe and CEO of Knowledge Schools, one of the nation’s largest early childhood education companies. He was also instrumental in the successful investments in Learn Now, Children’s School USA, Leapfrog, TEC, and Children’s Discovery Center. Mr. Packard also worked for McKinsey & Company and for Goldman Sachs in mergers and acquisitions.

Mr. Packard has received the Education Industry Association’s James P. Boyle Entrepreneurial Leadership Award, as well as the Ernest & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the IT Services & Solutions category in Greater Washington. The University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business named him a Distinguished Alumni, and he also received an Outstanding Leadership Award from the United States Distance Learning Association. He sits on the Digital Learning Council. Mr. Packard previously served on the Department of Defense’s Education Advisory Committee. He holds a B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, both with honors.

Phillip Pennell is a Vice President, Investments, based in New York. He is responsible for executing and asset managing portfolio investments.

Prior to joining Safanad, Mr. Pennell was an Investment Banking Analyst in the Aerospace, Defence & Industrials Group at Cowen and Company, New York, where he worked on a variety of transactions including both buy-side and sell-side M&A as well as financings.

Mr. Pennell holds a B.A. degree in Economics and Mathematics from Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine.

Vincent Pica is a Senior Advisor, based in New York. Since joining Safanad in 2009, Mr. Pica has held various senior positions within the firm focused on its transaction efforts. He currently advises senior management with regards to several key firm initiatives.

Prior to Safanad, Mr. Pica was Managing Partner and President of ARC Global. Mr. Pica joined ARC Global through ARC’s acquisition of Neuwing Real Estate Ventures LLC, the successor firm to Longwing, a US $250 million real estate fund. Mr. Pica managed Longwing from late 2002 to May 2006 as its Chief Executive Officer. Previously, Mr. Pica was  Group President at Prudential Securities Inc. and a member of its Board of Directors.

Mr. Pica obtained his B.B.A. degree from Iona College and was awarded his M.Sc. degree in Business Policy from Columbia University Graduate School of Business.

Tirdad Shahbazi is a Senior Associate, Investments, based in New York. He is responsible for executing and asset managing portfolio investments while supporting Safanad’s fundraising processes.

Prior to joining Safanad, Mr. Shahbazi worked on the Real Estate Private Equity team at Fortress Investment Group. Prior to joining Fortress, he was an Investment Banking Analyst in the Real Estate, Gaming, Lodging, and Leisure Group at Deutsche Bank.

Mr. Shahbazi holds a B.A. from Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy, where he graduated with Cum Laude honors.

Riley Solter is a Senior Associate, Investments, based in New York. He is responsible for executing and asset managing portfolio investments while supporting Safanad’s fundraising processes.

Prior to joining Safanad, Mr. Solter worked as an Investment Banking Analyst in the Real Estate, Lodging and Leisure Group at UBS in New York.  He also completed an internship with The World Bank Group, working on urban planning and financing initiatives in the MENA region, and spent a summer as a Transfer Pricing Analyst with Deloitte.

Mr. Solter holds a B.Sc. from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, with a major in Global Business, where he graduated with Cum Laude honors.

Fouad Tabbara is a Director, Investor Partners Group, based in Dubai. He is responsible for developing and maintaining the firm’s key relationships in the MENA region.

Prior to joining Safanad, Mr. Tabbara was a Senior Vice President at Shuaa Capital where he focused on transactions in the logistics, hospitality, and real estate sectors. Prior to this, he accumulated significant capital market experience as Senior Investment Advisor at the Arab Finance Corporation. He has more than 18 years of investment management experience in the MENA region. Prior to joining Safanad,

Mr. Tabbara holds a B.A. degree in Economics from the American University of Beirut.

Swadha is a Vice President, Legal and Compliance, based in Dubai. She provides legal and strategic advice to Safanad’s business stakeholders and oversees the compliance and AML programmes in line with the UAE and DFSA standards.

Prior to joining Safanad, Ms. Vaid was a Senior legal and Compliance Officer at Ras Al Khaimah International Corporate Centre, an offshore registry in the UAE. Previously, she has also worked with investment management firms in the Dubai International Financial Centre.

Ms. Vaid has provided legal and strategic advice to internal and external stakeholders on a wide range of matters, including general corporate, regulatory, strategic and fund management. She also has experience in establishing and implementing standards and procedures to ensure the effectiveness of compliance programs within organisations.

Ms. Vaid is an Indian qualified lawyer and is admitted to New Delhi Bar. She is also a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist.

David Wall is a Director, Investments, based in New York. He is responsible for asset managing portfolio investments.

Previously, Mr. Wall was a Managing Director at the BV Group, where for 14 years he was engaged in the development of the BV Group’s private equity, real estate and hedge fund activities. Mr. Wall was responsible for due diligence, structuring and monitoring of both direct and fund investments. He also managed a number of strategic joint-venture relationships on behalf of the firm, and served in various operating roles in a number of the portfolio companies.

Mr. Wall holds a B.Sc. degree in Business Administration from the Boston University School of Management.

Mr. Zeile is one of Safanad’s Industry Partners.  He is the President and Chief Executive Officer of DHI and also serves as a Director. He is Element Critical’s non-executive Chairman. Element Critical delivers hybrid colocation solutions that allow businesses to maintain a data center presence and move certain workloads to the cloud through a cost-effective model.

Prior to this, Mr. Zeile  co-founded HOSTING, a cloud computing services company, and served as its Chief Executive Officer from 2008 until 2016. At HOSTING, Mr. Zeile formulated a strategy for a rollup of cloud services companies in the U.S. and focused on managing security and compliance for mission critical web applications. Earlier in his career, Mr. Zeile served as CEO of QTC Management Inc, a healthcare technology company, from 2006 to 2007.

Prior to joining QTC Management, Mr. Zeile co-founded Inflow Inc., a public data center company, and Link-VTC, one of the first companies to deliver videoconferencing services.

Mr. Zeile earned a bachelor’s degree in Astronautical Engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy and served in the United States Air Force from 1988 until 1993. Art also received a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University.