Citadel business model features at Dubai private equity forum

"The challenging times our industry is now going through has thrust a unique business model into the spotlight — one based on specialized funds, regional platforms, control investing and being a principal investor alongside one's LPs,"

says Hisham El-Khazindar, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Cairo-based Citadel Capital, the leading MENA private equity firm, whose 14 opportunity-specific funds control investments worth more than $8.3bn in industries ranging from energy and food to transportation and specialty retail. "This has been Citadel Capital's business model since day one."

El-Khazindar is in Dubai March 10-11, 2009, for the PEI Middle East Forum, where he will anchor a panel discussion on which industries will "catch the eye" of regional private equity investors over the coming decade. Along with other top regional players, El-Khazindar will also discuss generalist vs. specialist approaches and whether regional or country-specific funds work best in the MENA environment.

"There are ample opportunities in agriculture and agrifoods, as we have underscored with Gozour, our regional play in that industry," says El-Khazindar. "Also interesting are healthcare, financial services and education. That said, we need to be very clear about what the role of private equity should be as these sectors open to private investment. Regulatory frameworks matter, and our role as private equity investors is not to replace that of government.

"Either way," he continues, "Citadel Capital is a firm believer in the idea that you create value with regional platforms. And at a time when investors want to know where their money is going and the investments to which it is being committed, there's never been a better time to have control of specialized funds."

Also in Dubai for PEI Middle East is Citadel Capital Managing Director Abdalla ElEbiary, who will feature in an interactive debate headlined "Built It and MENA Will Thrive: Why a step change in infrastructure investment is essential for economic growth in the region." The debate will center around the region's infrastructure needs, the role of the public-private partnership model and wrap with a discussion of dealflow now in the pipeline.