Mr. Ali Faramawy

Board Member, Valentino, Balmain, Beymen, eXtra, Central Bank of Egypt, The American University in Cairo
United Arab Emirates

Mr. Ali Faramawy is a seasoned technology executive, an independent board member, a strategic advisor and a social entrepreneur. With over 35 years of experience in corporate roles, 25 of which were spent at Microsoft, Faramawy is now focused on his independent board and advisory work primarily around the themes of digital transformation, financial inclusion and youth empowerment.

In his current portfolio, Faramawy serves on the boards of Valentino in Italy, Balmain in France, Beymen in Turkey, the Central Bank of Egypt, The American University in Cairo and eXtra in Saudi Arabia. He also provides strategic advice to organizations on topics such as digital transformation and organizational and business development.

As a corporate vice president at Microsoft, Faramawy was a key member of Microsoft's global sales, marketing and operations leadership team. His last executive assignment was to lead Microsoft’s Digital Transformation Partnerships Organization, which was established in 2017 to support Microsoft's strategic customers in transforming their businesses through digital and cloud technology. His organization's responsibilities included large digital transformation projects, data center expansion and innovative partnerships with unicorns and late-stage startups.

Prior to that, he had a 13-year tenure as the president of Microsoft’s Middle East and Africa and five years as the general manager of Egypt and the East Mediterranean region. Earlier in his career, Faramawy held technical and business development roles at NCR Corporation, Gulf Data International and Yokogawa Marex.

With a passion for digital technology and its ability to bring people together and transform organizations and nations, Faramawy is dedicated to empowering young people to shape the future. He is the founder and chairman of MasrdotBokra, a Cairo-based non-profit organization that focuses on skills development and holds an annual film festival for young filmmakers. He also held advisory roles helping governments use digital technology for human and economic development, including the presidential advisory councils for South Africa and Egypt.

Faramawy holds an MBA in strategic marketing, a BA in engineering and computer science, and a certificate in corporate governance from INSEAD. He is a dual citizen of Canada and Egypt and currently resides between the UAE and Turkey. He is the proud father of two young men who live in North America and have careers in business and the arts.