Hikma Ventures

Salma Al‑Zu'bi is a principal who bridges corporate venture and corporate development within Hikma Pharmaceuticals, combining EY MENA transaction/audit rigor with Fund‑of‑Funds investing and healthcare‑focused ecosystem development.

Ahmad Fayyad focuses on digital health in emerging markets, combining rigorous financial audit experience at EY with hands-on founder support from Endeavor Jordan to offer a unique, founder-oriented analytical perspective.

A director of Hikma Pharmaceuticals and founder/board member of Capital Bank of Jordan, where he was Chairman and CEO from 1995 to 2007. He served as Chairman of Alcazar Energy, is an active angel investor and philanthropist, spearheaded the founding of DASH Ventures as Executive Director, and launched Endeavor in Jordan in 2008. He holds a mechanical engineering degree from USC and an MBA from INSEAD.

Bassam Kanaan joined Hikma as Chief Financial Officer in 2001 and helped prepare the company for its 2005 IPO and later M&A activity. He currently oversees Hikma's Global Business Development, M&A, Alliance Management, and API Manufacturing and Development. He is a US Certified Public Accountant and Chartered Financial Analyst, holds a BA from Claremont McKenna College, and an International Executive MBA from the Kellogg/Recanati Schools of Management.

Cynthia Flowers has experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, along with a background as a healthcare practitioner. She previously served as President and CEO of the North American divisions of Ipsen and Eisai, and held leadership roles at Amgen and Johnson & Johnson. She holds a BSN from the University of Delaware and an Executive MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Deneen Vojta is a healthcare executive with a background in clinical medicine, scientific research, and care delivery. She served as Executive Vice President for Research and Development at UnitedHealth Group and was Founder and CEO of MYnetico, which UnitedHealth Group later acquired, and previously held Chief Medical Officer roles at ARIA Health Care System and Health Partners of Philadelphia. She holds an MD from Temple University School of Medicine and a BS in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Laith Khoury is a board-certified neurosurgeon in private practice at Raleigh Neurosurgical Clinic, which he joined in 2017. He treats conditions including brain and skull base tumors, epilepsy, traumatic brain injuries, and spinal diseases, and his neurosurgical oncology research has accumulated over 200 citations. He earned his medical degree from Jordan University, completed a neurosurgical residency at the University of Kentucky Medical Center where he served as Chief Resident, and did a neurosurgical oncology fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Dr. Ramy Abou Ghayda is an Assistant Professor of Urology and Associate Program Director of the Urology residency program at the Urology Institute, University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University, with clinical and research work focused on men's health, health system sciences, and healthcare disparities. He also serves as Chief Medical Officer at GiveLegacy, a venture capital-funded startup based in New York, and has co-authored around 60 peer-reviewed publications. He earned a B.S. in Biology and an MD from the American University of Beirut, master's degrees from EHESP and the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, and an MBA from Northwestern University.

Haya Khoury joined Hikma Ventures in 2025 as an Analyst. She earned a Master's in Pharmacy from the University of Reading, where her dissertation examined Visually Evoked Potentials as an early diagnostic tool for secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. She previously trained as a functional pharmacist before moving into the innovation ecosystem.

Mazen Darwazah is Hikma's Executive Vice Chairman and President of MENA, overseeing strategy and operations across the MENA region. Over 35 years at Hikma he has held a range of roles, including Chairman and Chief Executive of Hikma Pharmaceuticals Limited, and began his career as a medical representative. He holds a BA in Business Administration from the Lebanese American University and an AMP from INSEAD, and previously served as a Senator in Jordan's Senate.

Omar Sati is Managing Director of DASH Ventures, a MENA-focused venture capital firm he helped establish in 2011. He has supported Jordan's startup ecosystem and previously served as Venture Principal at AcceleratorTech, an Arab venture capital firm. He currently mentors and advises early-stage startups and holds several company board seats. He earned an MBA from Cass Business School and a bachelor's degree in Finance and Management from Tulane University.

Richard Girling is a healthcare investment banker with over 25 years of experience advising on healthcare transactions in Europe, the US, and Asia. He established the European business of Centerview Partners in London in 2009, and previously built Merrill Lynch's European healthcare practice, serving as Global Co-Head of Healthcare investment banking, before joining from Salomon Brothers where he headed the European Pharmaceutical and Healthcare team. He advises Hikma Ventures in a personal capacity and holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in Biochemistry from Oxford University.

Managing Partner overseeing DASH's diversified technology portfolio across stages and geographies, with over 22 years of international investment experience. He serves as a board director in several scale-ups, advises Hikma Ventures, and sits on the board of the Middle East Venture Capital Association. He holds an MBA from Bayes Business School and a finance degree from Tulane University.