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Honorees

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Global Impact Award

Abdallah S. Jum’ah '65
Former President and CEO Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco)

​Abdallah S. Jum’ah served as President and CEO of the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco), the world’s largest oil-producing company, from 1995 to 2008. The first non-engineer to run the company, Jum’ah led the far-reaching expansion of its oil, gas and refining businesses, as well as its entry into the petrochemical market. Under his leadership, the company refocused its strategic direction, further raising its global profile. Jum’ah also served on Saudi Aramco’s board of directors and on the Saudi Arabian Supreme Council for Petroleum and Minerals. He was a member of AUC’s Board of Trustees from 1998 to 2013. From 2007 to 2009, he was vice chair of the International Advisory Board of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. His worldwide business affiliations include his former membership of the Halliburton board of directors, JPMorgan Chase International Council, Schlumberger Business Consulting advisory board and the Reliance International Advisory Board. Jum’ah is also a former member of the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum and was patron of the IFP School in Paris for the 2008 - 2009 academic year. He is a board member of Zamil Industrial Investment Company, Economic Cities Authority, Hassana Investment Company and Saudi Arabian Airlines, and is a former member of the Supreme Economic Council’s advisory committee. In 2009, Jum’ah became a member of the Saudi Investment Bank’s board of directors and was appointed board chair in February 2013. He also became co-chair of the U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council in March 2015. Jum’ah studied political science at AUC as well as at the American University of Beirut, where he earned his bachelor’s in political science in 1968. He completed the Harvard Business School’s Management Development Program while working for Saudi Aramco. Jum’ah is known for his innovative approach to business and has a strong interest in developing leaders.

 

Distinguished Alumni Awards

Ahmed Zahran ‘02 and Yumna Madi ’04
Co-founders, KarmSolar (AUC Venture Lab Startup)

Founded by AUC alumni in 2011, KarmSolar is a solar technology and integration company that delivers innovative solar solutions to the agricultural, industrial, tourism and business sectors. With more than seven years of experience in energy, research analysis and international development, Yumna Madi ’04 serves as the company’s chief strategy officer. Chief Executive Officer Ahmed Zahran ’02 previously worked in renewable energy and carbon trading with Shell and the Egypt Kuwait Holding Company. Starting as a team of four, KarmSolar now has more than 40 employees and is Egypt’s largest private off-grid solar energy integrator. Together, the team has developed award-winning high-capacity solar pumping stations, including the region’s largest off-grid hybrid pumping and irrigation system (147 kW). Committed to research, development and innovation, KarmSolar aims to commercialize sustainability by enabling businesses to profit from increased productivity as they benefit from and protect the environment. In the last year, KarmSolar was awarded a contract for a $2.5 million solar power station and concluded a cooperation agreement to fund a 1.5 million-acre irrigation project.  

 

Heba Bahgat
Co-founder, Madad (AUC Venture Lab Startup)

Growing up in Canada and the United States, Heba Bahgat returned to her native Egypt to study at AUC and started a career in media and communications planning. After the revolution in 2011, Bahgat and a team of experts founded Madad, an online funding platform that connects civil society to Egyptian NGO projects tackling issues related to education, poverty, women, children, health and the environment. Incubated at the AUC Venture Lab in 2014, Madad aims to reform the traditional approach of short-term charitable giving, focusing on sustainable development projects that provide a long-term means of empowering citizens in impoverished communities. Users are able to donate online, track a project’s progress and see firsthand the impact of their contributions through pictures and videos. Madad works to improve transparency and accountability within the entire civil society sector, helping to achieve a brighter future for under resourced Egyptian communities. Recent fully funded projects include multiple operations for child burn victims and alternative energy installations for rural communities. To date, Madad has raised more than LE 200,000 for NGO projects in Egypt.