News

Vision

The vision of the Alexandria Trust is for an Arab region once again home to world class standards of education, recapturing the ancient traditions of Alexandria as a centre of learning, where teachers and students engage in vibrant debate and first-rate tuition and scholarship.

The Alexandria Trust is the vision of its founder, Egyptian businessman and philanthropist Salah Khalil. Salah formed the Trust in response to the unprecedented opportunities that now exist to improve life chances across the Arab world, to facilitate the development of a new generation of citizens across the region equipped to become active members of their societies.

The Trust is led by a board of trustees who share the belief that the key to any nation’s development – economically, culturally and politically – lies in an open and accessible education system.

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Shady Arafa

Shady Arafa is Operations Manager of the Alexandria Trust. From 2002 to 2011, Shady was Special Aide to the Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA), Dr Ismail Serageldin, with whom he worked from the opening of the institution through its development as a major Egyptian and international facility. In 2008, he left the BA for one year to acquire some exposure to professional private sector PR work in the Gulf, but returned to the BA to work with its Director for another stretch of three years. He subsequently came to London as a Chevening scholar to earn a master’s degree in journalism at the University of Westminster, completed in September 2012. Shady is a UK resident and lives in London.

Benjamin Plackett

Benjamin Plackett is Senior Writer at Al-Fanar Media. Previously, Benjamin was the editor of an online technology news magazine, The Connectivist. As editor, Benjamin executed an editorial strategy, which grew readership, established a name within the tech world and ensured quality was maintained. His work has been published by Wired Magazine, CNN Health and Scientific American. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Journalism from New York University with an advanced certificate in Science, Health and Environmental Reporting and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Imperial College, London.

Rasha Faek

Rasha Faek is Managing Editor of Al-Fanar Media. Prior to joining Al-Fanar Media, Rasha was a business reporter at Syria Today magazine. Her professional experience includes freelancing as a journalist from 2006 to 2008 and serving as managing editor for a Syrian real estate news site from 2009 and 2011. Rasha was also communications officer at the Syrian Enterprise and Business Centre, where she liaised with media and public affairs representatives, researched issues of relevance to the developing business sector in Syria, and provided reports on topical issues as well as content website management. Rasha holds three bachelor’s degrees in: English Literature from Damascus University, Dramatic Arts from the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Damascus, and Journalism from Damascus Open University. She participated in a number of trainings, some of which were hosted by Thomson Reuters Foundation, the BBC and the United Nations University-International Leadership Institute.

Jihane Abou Chabke

Jihane Abou Chabke is Communications Associate for the Alexandria Trust. Her responsibilities include translation, editing and management of the Trust's website and social media platforms. She has worked for a Middle East focused news website as Assigning Editor, and for the Northern Virginia Area Health Education Center (NV AHEC) as Communications and Special Projects Manager. Jihane holds a master’s degree in journalism from the American University in Washington, DC, and a bachelor’s degree in translation and living languages from the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) in Lebanon. She lives with her family in Alexandria, Virginia.

Wail Benjelloun

Wail Benjelloun is President of the Mediterranean Universities Union (UNIMED). He is former President of Mohammed V University (MVU) in Rabat and President of the Conference of Moroccan University Presidents. He was Vice President of Al Akhawayn University and Dean of the MVU Faculty of Science. He holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience from State University of New York (SUNY-Binghamton) and is a widely published researcher in the field. He has also served on several national and international committees concerned with higher education reform. He is President of the International Society of Pathophysiology and member of the Boards of Trustees of Ecole Centrale Casablanca. He is also member and past president of the Moroccan-American Fulbright Commission.

Hazem Galal

Hazem Galal is a PwC Partner and Global Leader for PwC’s Cities and Local Government Sector. With 25 years of consulting experience, he has expertise in strategy formulation and implementation for cities and local government entities. He is currently the co-chair for the World Business Council for Sustainable Development group that contributes to the ISO standard for cities and smart infrastructure. Since 2007, Hazem has been leading PwC’s global Thought Leadership for cities and local government. He is a frequent speaker at conferences and panels organised by various international bodies as well as local and national governments in developed and developing countries, and a frequent guest expert on leading media channels.

Haifa Jamal Allail

Haifa Jamal Allail is President of Effat University, a leading institution of higher education for women in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. She has taught undergraduate and graduate courses on public administration and public policy at Effat University, and has published a number of articles on a variety of topics including women empowerment and privatisation. Prior to joining Effat University, Jamal Allail was the first Dean of the Girls’ Campus in King Abdulaziz University and a visiting scholar at John F. Kennedy School of Government. She has been involved in education reform in Saudi Arabia since 1991. Her work was recognized in 2005 when she was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize as part of the 1,000 PeaceWomen campaign, a global movement to recognise women's involvement in peace and social justice work. She received a PhD in public policy from the University of Southern California.

Salah Khalil (Founding Trustee)

Salah Khalil is Founder of the Alexandria Trust. He is also Founding Executive Chairman of Macat International, a company that develops academic content in the social sciences and humanities. The Alexandria Trust and Macat, which operate independently of each other, share a commitment to catalytic philanthropy. Salah has had long-standing business achievements in Egypt and the Middle East, and was Strategy Consultant at the Westminster Foundation for Democracy in London. He holds a master’s degree in political sociology from the London School of Economics and a bachelor's degree from the University of South Carolina. Salah serves on the advisory board of the Business School at the American University in Cairo. He lives in London with his family.