Islam Azzam is an associate professor and head of finance at the department of management at The American University in Cairo. He teaches in the areas of finance, corporate finance, investment analysis, international finance, and derivatives. Azzam previously worked as a full-time advisor for the chairman of the Capital Market Authority of Egypt. He also worked as financial advisor for the chairman of the Mortgage Finance Authority of Egypt. He is currently the financial advisor for the chairman of the General Authority of Free Zones and Investment and the CEO of the private equities for developing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) company. Azzam also owns a financial consultation firm. He sits on the boards of a number of different companies listed on the Egyptian Stock Exchange. He is a member of the American Economic Association (AEA) and the American Finance Association (AFA). Azzam received his bachelor degree from Cairo University, an MA from the American University in Cairo and another MA and PhD from University of California Irvine.