Merak Capital

Abdulrahman Bin Mutrib is co-founder and Chairman of Merak Capital, and serves as CTO of both Qiddiya Investment Company and Saudi Entertainment Ventures (SEVEN). He previously held the EVP and CTO role at Seera Group (formerly Altayyar Group) and was part of the founding team at Etihad Atheeb Telecom Co. (GO Telecom), where he was an Executive Board Member. He holds a BA in Computer Information Systems from the American University in Washington, DC.

Othman Alhokail is the Founder and Managing Partner of Merak Capital, with 18 years of experience in investment and operations. He is also founder and director of KCC, a holding group focused on technology contracting and trading for government and semi-government clients in Saudi Arabia. He holds a BA in Finance from King Saud University and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin, along with CME 1 and CME 4 (ICWIM) certifications.

AlJallal is a Partner and Board Member at Merak Capital with over 20 years of experience in banking, investments, and leadership. He currently serves as Managing Director and CEO of Namara, the family office of Dr. Sulaiman AlHabib, and has previously held leadership roles at Jadwa Investment, Saudi Fransi Capital, and the Capital Market Authority. He earned an MBA from Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Business and a BS in Management Information Systems from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals.

Mohannad Alfayez is a Partner at Merak Capital, a CMA-licensed investment firm focused on Saudi Arabia's innovation economy, where he leads capital formation and fund development and builds institutional partnerships. He has over 15 years of experience in finance, investment, and strategic growth. Prior to Merak, he co-founded FJR Mediterranean HealthCare Investment Group and served as Chief Sales Officer at Elite Insurance Brokerage. He holds a BA in Business Administration from the Lebanese American University and holds CME 1, CME 4, CME 5, and IFCE certifications.

Abdlaziz Alsaid is a Principal at Merak Capital, where he leads the Private Equity team and contributes to the firm's investment strategy. Before Merak Capital, he worked as a consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers and KPMG Middle East, focusing on financial advisory services. He holds a BSBA in Finance & Accounting from High Point University and has completed CME 1, CME 4 (ICWIM), and CME 5 certifications.

Abdulelah Alshareef is a Principal at Merak Capital, where he leads the venture capital team and contributes to the firm's investment strategy. He focuses on technology companies, including emerging technologies, platform businesses, and frontier innovation. He holds a B.S. in Electrical & Electronics Engineering from King Saud University and has earned CME 1, CME 4 (ICWIM), and CME5 certifications.

Omar Alireza is a finance professional working in private debt, fund management, and corporate finance. At Merak Capital he serves as Vice President of Private Credit, focusing on transaction execution, investment strategy, and portfolio management. Before Merak, he led investment strategy and transaction execution at Ejada Capital in Riyadh and was a Fund Advisor at Alteia Fund Management. He holds degrees from the University of Exeter, BPP University, and the University of Law, and is an FCCA.

Vignesh Shanker is Principal, Real Assets at Merak Capital, where he handles origination, evaluation, and execution of real assets transactions across Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC. He has over sixteen years of investment experience spanning real assets, private equity, fixed income, and corporate finance across the GCC, India, and the UK. He previously served as Head of Global Real Estate and earlier as Fund Manager at Bank Muscat, and held investment roles at TVS Capital Funds and Aditya Birla Private Equity in India. He holds an MBA in Finance and Strategy from XLRI Jamshedpur, is a Chartered Accountant (ICAI), and earned a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Madras.

Abdulrahman Althaydi is Vice President of Capital Formation at Merak Capital, where he leads fundraising, investor relations, and product development across private equity, venture capital, and private credit. Before joining Merak, he worked as a Private Allocator at The Saudi National Bank (SNB), managing a proprietary portfolio spanning private equity, private credit, real assets, and co-investments. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Finance from Rowan University and a Diploma in Financing and Banking Management from the Institute of Banking in Riyadh, and is certified under the CME-1 and CME-4 (IWIM) programs.

Akram Hashem is the Marketing Director at Merak Capital, with over 20 years of experience in marketing, brand transformation, and customer experience spanning financial services, tourism, government, and consulting. He holds a B.S. in Finance & Information Systems from Fairleigh Dickinson University and completed executive education at INSEAD and the Disney Institute. He wrote the book "The Customer Experience Journey – From Insight to Impact."

Basel Alfraihi serves as an Independent Board Member and Audit Committee Chairman at Merak Capital. He is a Senior VP in the Tax department within the Finance Division of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), where he oversees the Tax and Zakat function for portfolio companies and manages the relationship with ZATCA. At PIF he contributed to establishing the Companies Governance Department.

Faisal Sedrani is CEO of Exel, where he leads programs supporting startups entering the Saudi Arabian market. He co-founded Smart Deer Co., a robotics company addressing desertification, and founded Jewelern, a digital-first jewelry brand, and previously held a senior role at AstroLabs helping founders scale in the Kingdom. He holds an MBA in Marketing Intelligence & Big Data from the University of Gloucestershire and a Bachelor of Architecture from King Saud University, and is a certified PMP and Certified Manager (CMI).

Rema Alyahya is Vice President of VC Portfolio Management at Merak Capital, where she leads post-investment strategy and execution across the firm's venture funds, overseeing portfolio performance, reporting, and follow-on investments for more than 30 portfolio companies. She previously served as Strategy Lead at SRMG before moving to SRMG Ventures to help launch and operate the fund, and earlier worked at technology startups Wise Systems and SmartBear Software in Boston. She holds a BS in Business Administration from Northeastern University and has completed executive programs at Oxford Saïd Business School and JPMorgan Chase.

Sara Ghazal is the Chief Operating Officer of Merak Capital, where she oversees the firm's operating model and investment operations and works with the leadership team on its investment platform. She has over 18 years of experience in investment management and financial services, having previously held senior roles at BlackRock in London and worked at J.P. Morgan, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Deloitte LLP. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Finance from the American University of Beirut.

Saud Alarifi is Director of Governance, Risk, and Compliance at Merak Capital, a position he took up in December 2024, where he leads firm-wide compliance, enterprise risk management, and governance frameworks with a focus on AML/CFT and regulatory engagement. He previously held Head of Compliance & AML roles at Ejada Capital and GFH Capital Saudi Arabia, and earlier worked as a Compliance Officer at Sulaiman Al Rajhi Holding Company as well as at Saudi Venture Capital, Middle East Financial Investment Company, BMG Financial Company, and Elm Company. He holds a Master of Arts in Organizational Communication from Bowie State University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from King Abdulaziz University, along with CME-1, CME-2, CCO, and GRCP certifications.

Siddique Khan is the Finance Director at Merak Capital. He previously founded and led Qubic Capital, a strategy consulting and private capital firm, and held roles in investment strategy, sell-side M&A, and business valuations at KPMG and Aon in the UK and US. He holds a BSc in Economics and Mathematics from Newcastle University, with a summer term at Stanford University.

Ahmed Al Salmi is a Senior Associate at Merak Capital with cross-border investment experience in Oman and Saudi Arabia. His background encompasses private investment execution, valuations, and transactions, supported by engineering training.