Mr. Saad has a broad-based private equity and investment experience of over 18 years (out of a total of 24 years). Until recently, he was the CEO and a Board Director of Paladin Capital (Middle East) Limited, in Dubai, UAE. He also serves on the Advisory Board of VOSS, the leading global artesian water supplier from Norway. He served as the CEO and MD of Allied Capital (Middle East) until the company’s recent merger with Ares Capital. Prior to re-joining Allied Capital in 2008 to head up the firm’s Middle East operations, Mr. Saad was the Founding CEO of AB Capital, the investment banking arm of the Arab Bank Group. Prior to that, he was the Co-founder, CEO and MD of SHUAA Partners, Dubai. Before moving to the Middle East, he was a Principal in the Buyout Group and Operating Partner at Allied Capital, a leading US middle-market private equity firm with a diversified portfolio exceeding USD 6.5 billion. Previously, he held senior management positions at The Carlyle Group, one of the world's largest private equity firms with more than USD 176 billion under management, and Capital Guidance Corporation, an international private equity firm with significant investments in North America, Europe and the Middle East. He also worked as a management consultant with Booz | Allen | Hamilton. Mr. Saad was recently an Advisory Board member of ACON Investments, the US-based middle market arm of Texas Pacific Group. He was also a Board Member of SARAYA Islands, a USD 1.2 billion real estate development in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE and served as SHUAA Partners’ representative on the boards of DAMAS Jewelry and ROTANA Hotels & Resorts. Previously, he served on the Board of Directors of multiple Allied Capital and Capital Guidance portfolio companies and was an advisor to the senior management team of Hyperion Solutions, a USD 3.2 billion software company which was acquired by Oracle Corporation). He holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management, with a concentration in Finance and Applied Economics, and a Master's and Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT.