CEO of NADIM Industries since 1999. With over 40 years in various capacities
managing NADIM Industries.
Started training at NADIM, at age 14. Receiving a degree in Islamic Art and Architecture, AUC
1986.
Worked on prestigious projects throughout the world. With a passion for traditional arts and
crafts Nadim participated in the six year restoration and conservation of Al Darb Al Asfar area
including the 16th century Bayt el Suhaymi.
Nadim is co-founder and board member of the NADIM Foundation. The foundation is
documenting historic woodwork and working on the Egyptian woodwork encyclopedia, 5000
years of industry.
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Dina Shaker is an interior architect turned fashion deconstructionist, reimagining classic
heritage codes for Neo-Egyptian cultural narratives. With a background in fine arts and
interior architecture, she is known for architectural forms expressed through deconstruction,
asymmetry, and hybridization. Her philosophy embraces timelessness, raw beauty, and
minimalism, redefining luxury beyond consumerism. She founded her first brand, SPICY, in
1999, and in 2013 launched her signature label, showcased at leading trade shows in London,
Paris, and Tokyo. In 2024, she became the first Egyptian brand on Portugal Fashion Week’s
main runway with 35 looks, gaining international acclaim and media recognition.
○ Main Base of Operations: Cairo, Egypt
○ Website: www.dinashaker.com
○ Social Media: Instagram @dinashaker
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Dr Aysar Ghassan has been a design educator for 20 years. He has worked at Coventry
University since 2013; in that time, he has taught on the university's prestigious
undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Automotive and Transport Design, leading the
latter for 6 years. Additionally, as well as writing on Automotive Design for a range of
publications, Aysar has written and narrated a programme on the subject for BBC Radio 3's
'The Essay'.
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Dr. Amr Abdel Kawi is Professor of Practice in Architecture at the American University in
Cairo,
and Director of NextARCH Lab, an interactive research and engagement platform that
empowers all stakeholders of the built environment. His tenure in education also includes
extensive periods at Ain Shams University and the Arab Academy. Dr. Abdel Kawi played a
role in the local and regional professional discourse in his capacity as publisher and editor in
chief of two of Egypt’s leading architecture and design magazines: “Medina” a nd “Magaz”.
This is in addition to over three decades of professional practice and consulting in
architecture
and interior design. Dr. Abdel Kawi is also one of the key experts in the field of technical
education and vocational training in Egypt.
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Hisham Ghorab is the co-founder and managing partner of Style Design, a multidisciplinary architecture and design firm established in Cairo in 1989.
With over 30 years of industry experience, he has earned a reputation for creating and executing timeless and inspiring designs across a wide range of notable projects, including Khufu’s Restaurant, King Khufu Center at the Great Pyramids of Giza, Silversands Hotel and Villas in Grenada, Tahrir Cultural Center and Cafeteria at the American University in Cairo, Consoleya Co-Working Space in downt own Cairo, and many more.
By following “invisible design” approach seamlessly blends each space into its surroundings, emphasising minimalism, sustainability, functionality, and the promotion of positive energy and well-being.
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Jack Watson is a multidisciplinary designer with experience across aviation, automotive, and
yacht industries. His work includes projects such as production vehicles for Rolls-Royce, CEER,
and FAW Group. As well as the 2017 Singapore Airlines business class seat and luxury yacht
collaborations. Jack is currently based in London, UK as Director of NER Design. With
expertise in exterior design, he focuses on refined sculptural forms, blending simplicity,
geometry, and human-centered principles as well as integrated sustainable thinking. Beyond
design, he is also an Artist and YouTuber, exploring creativity as a universal part of daily life.
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Jochen Braun is a German designer, educator, and consultant based in Cairo, Egypt. He is Director and Professor of the Graphic Design Program at the American University in Cairo (AUC), where he teaches UX/UI Design and Creative Coding. Trained in Software Engineering and Graphic Design, his practice explores generative typography, visual identity systems, and computational aesthetics through coded experimentation. He is the founder of the design studio BRDGE and co-founder of the 100/100 Hundred Best Arabic Posters competition, with over 20 yea rs of international professional experience.
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Kegham Djeghalian is a Paris and Cairo based creative director, fashion practitioner, visual
artist and educator whose work lie in the intersection of fashion practices, education, image
and the archive. He is Professor of Fashion Practices and Visual Culture at the German
International University (GIU) where he is the Artistic Director of the Fashion Department. In
2023, he launched an educational partnership with Christian Dior Paris and Egyptian fashion
design students at the GIU (Dior x GIU Lab), the first international design edu cation project of
Dior. He worked, consulted and collaborated with a diverse repertoire of local and
international fashion houses, agencies and publications the likes of Dior, Hermès and Kenzo;
his visual arts work and interventions were exhibited internationally in galleries, institutions
and museums the likes of the Centre Pompidou in Paris, The Sharjah Art Museum in the UAE
and the Photographers’ Gallery in London.
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Khaled ElAshry bridges architecture and computer science in his professional work. He is a Partner in the Applied Research and Development (Applied R+D) group at Foster + Partners and has previously taught at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London. He holds a master's degree in Adaptive Architecture and Computation from UCL. Khaled’s recent work focuses on applying advanced technologies to architectural design, with expertise in geometry optimisation, fabrication, robotics, virtual reality, and software development. Hi s contributions have been central to landmark projects such as the new KSIA airport in Riyadh, Mobility Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, 425 Park Avenue in New York and the Lusail World Cup Stadium in Doha. He has also collaborated with Boston Dynamics on research exploring the role of robotics in the construction industry.
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Lefteris is a designer, educator, and podcaster with extensive international experience
spanning multinational corporations, cultural organisations, and start-ups. As an educator, he
has taught visual communication across the UK, Spain, China, Turkey, Vietnam, and Latvia,
combining traditional and digital skills to equip students for today’s fast-changing design
world. He founded The New Art School to nurture designers through observation and hand
eye coordination, and established the Design Education Forum to connect global speciali sts
in art and design education. As host and producer of Design Education Talks, and through
mentoring worldwide, he promotes accessible, expert-driven mentorship in design.
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Mohamed Fares is a leading figure in Egypt’s creative scene and the Co-founder of Alchemy Group, alongside founding roles in MF & Associates, Alchemy Experience, Tamara Haus, and Alchemy Architecture. Representing Egypt at the IYDE Awards in London in 2008, Fares has built a career spanning architecture, hospitality, design, and the arts. His creative pursuits extend into eyewear, photography, music, and filmmaking, where he demonstrates a strong talent for storytelling and visuals. His ongoing iPhone Series, launched in 2017, has been showca sed internationally, highlighting his ability to capture beauty in everyday life. Based in Cairo, Fares’ projects span the globe, blending imagination, clarity, and narrative depth across disciplines.
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Monica Alberte is an interna/onally acclaimed Produc/on Designer and Set Decorator with
over 20 years of experience in film and television. Based between Paris, London, Madrid and
Budapest, she has worked across the US and Europe on produc/ons such as Yves Saint
Laurent, Edge of Tomorrow, Allied, The AJermath, Terminator: Dark Fate, and Alien:
Romulus. A graduate of ECAM Madrid Film School, with further studies in Los Angeles and
Paris, she is celebrated for her me/culous eye for historical detail and crea/ve storytelling.
Her accla imed work on The Great (“Wedding”) earned Emmy, ADG, and SDSA nomina/ons
for outstanding produc/on design and set decora/on. Monica Alberte blends authen/city
with ar/stry, shaping immersive visual worlds that elevate both blockbuster films and period
dramas.
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Paolo Cardini is a designer, educator, and cultural provocateur whose work playfully
challenges dominant narratives through critical and discursive design. A Full Professor and
Graduate Program Director at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), he blends design
practice, foresight research, and global engagement to explore how identities shape, and are
shaped by, design. With a background spanning three continents, he designs and consults
for various international firms and he is lecturing in conferences and design schools
worldw ide contributing actively to the field with papers and publications.
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Rami Riad is CEO of Giorgetti USA, managing the North and South American territories of an
Italian high-end furniture manufacturer. He studied business at Alexandria University,
furniture design in the Netherlands, and interior design at the Fashion Institute of
Technology in New York City, where he is currently based. He has over 20 years of experience
working at the intersection of art, design, and commerce across four continents. He
specializes in communicating design principles across commercial and artistic milieus and is
recog nized for his strategic leadership.
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