Essam Abouda

Veteran hotelier with over 40 years of global hospitality experience, including a distinguished 37-year tenure with Hilton Worldwide. Oversaw the operations of more than 40 hotels and led a development pipeline of 50 additional properties across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Indian Ocean.

Held full leadership responsibility for key regions, including Africa, France, Geneva, Saudi Arabia, the Arabian Peninsula, Eastern Europe, Russia, and Turkey. Based in major international hubs such as South Africa, Paris, Dubai, and Vienna.

Following Hilton, he served as senior vice president of hospitality at DAMAC Properties in Dubai, leading the group's hospitality expansion. Pivotal in launching and managing iconic luxury properties such as Waldorf Astoria Dubai, Conrad Istanbul, Hilton Paris, and Hilton Seychelles.

Holds a bachelor's degree in hotel management from Cairo and completed executive education at IMD Lausanne. Bilingual in Arabic and English; holds dual Egyptian-Italian nationality.