Bassem Youssef, dubbed the Jon Stewart of the Arab World, is a world renowned Egyptian American comedian.
Being the host of popular TV show AlBernameg – which was the first of its kind political satire show in the Middle East he has changed media landscape in the Arab World.
AlBernameg became the first online to TV conversion in the Middle East and the most watched show across the region with 40 million viewers every week..
Bassem’s show received wide acclaim around the world with coverage in some of the biggest media outlets, topping it off with Youssef’s appearance on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Colbert, Larry King, Trevor Noah and more.
Throughout its three seasons AlBernameg remained controversial through its humorous yet bold criticism of the ruling powers. In recognition of his success, Youssef was named among the Time Magazine most influential list for 2013 – under the “Pioneers” category, was awarded the
International Press Freedom Award by the CPJ, and was chosen by Foreign Policy magazine as one of the global thinkers during the same year. As Bassem’s show continued with its growing success, Jon Stewart appeared as a guest on the show in June 2013.
Youssef left Egypt in November 2014 after mounting pressures that led to his show being cancelled many times. Since then he has been quite visible in various media and academic circles in the US.
During October 2023, Bassem drew media attention after engaging in a virtual interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored, in which he spoke satirically about the October 2023 War on Palestine and as well as the broader Israeli–Palestinian conflict. He also drew comparisons with
the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and criticized the Israeli military’s tactics in the Gaza Strip. The video garnered millions of views becoming the channel’s most viewed video ever to the extent that Piers Morgan visited Bassem in Los Angeles for a more serious discussion for a second in-person interview 2 weeks later.
Bassem has been touring the United States with his one man show doing stand up comedy performances in English, his second language and Arabic. He has also written a children’s book, “The Magical Reality of Nadia”, an autobiography “Revolution for Dummies” and was the subject of the widely acclaimed documentary “Tickling Giants”. Youssef currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and two kids.
Under Hussein’s leadership, IMRelief is planning to expand its humanitarian relief and development efforts to respond to humanitarian crises and meet the needs of vulnerable, refugees, IDPs, marginalized communities and people affected by wars, conflict, and disaster. The organization’s ambitious strategy is to tackle the challenges not only from an immediate relief angle, but also through approaching relief as a pathway to resilience, by finding solutions in the local community and addressing the regulatory barriers. Additionally, the strategy of the organization is working toward introducing small but innovative interventions that can lead to multiplied benefits through economic and social impacts
Mohamed founded IMRelief in 2023, building on a long track record of self-initiative. He is currently serving as CFO to a private White House contractor (government contractor), and is a fractional CFO to a multi-billion logistics company, where he is responsible for corporate overall finance, strategy, negotiations, and banks and investor relations. Prior, Mohamed served as a Controller at the National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Federal branch of USA, NBAD N.A. He also served as a COO in the relief and development sector from 2015 to 2021. He served as a senior financial analyst for Freedom House, an international NGO from 2010 to 2014.
Earlier in his career, Mohamed worked as a senior tax and audit in the public accounting sector.
Mohamed is certified in AML (Anti-Money Laundry) and BSA (Business Standard Act), and he holds a BA degree in Finance from Tanta University in Egypt.
Mohamed’s first novel in Arabic, The High Street, was published in December 2018.
Sawsan Gad is a Geospatial Data Scientist. She serves as Secretary of the Board and Head of the Program Development Committee. She brings in international development experience from the World Bank, United Nations, and the Egyptian Ministry of State for Administrative Development; specifically in areas of Development Data, Disaster Risk Management (DRM), and Monitoring and Supervision for Fragile and Post-conflict Countries.
She is also a co-founder of HarassMap.org, an online platform for combatting sexual harassment. Her project was featured in the UNESCO 2020 Best Apps Created by Women for Women. Sawsan holds an M.A. in Demographic and Social Analysis from the University of California, Irvine (2008), and is a current Ph.D. student of Earth Systems and Geoinformation Science at George Mason University.
In her free time, she is an outrigger canoe paddler.
Hisham is a results-driven executive with a passion for creating value by focusing on the end-user and adopting a customer-centric mindset. He comes with over 25 years of cross-functional experience in the consumer goods and technology industries across the MENA region with particular focus on Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. Throughout his career, he has held leadership positions with The Gillette Company, Mars Incorporated and Google.
Hisham brings a variety of breadth and depth experiences with a focus on General Management and a functional background in Marketing & Sales. He has a track record of delivering consistent results in various business challenges ranging from accelerated growth to strategic realignment and turnaround.
In his current capacity as Country Director for Google in Egypt, his main responsibilities include partnering with customers and government stakeholders to unlock the full potential of the internet to drive user and business growth and building a high performing team. He also leads Google’s efforts in developing the startups ecosystem and expansion strategy into new markets in MENA.
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Abdallah Abuirshaid has more than 10 years’ experience in Finance and Accounting in NGOs and the private sector.
Mr. Abuirshaid has taken great strides to help better his employers implementation of new accounting systems and internal control systems, while also maintaining the budget, and ensuring that they operate according to the Generally Accepted Accounting Principle (GAAP) and IFRS.
Mr. Abuirshaid holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Yarmouk University in Jordan, and a Master’s degree in Accounting/Controllership from Strayer University.
Sawsan Gad is a Geospatial Data Scientist. At IMR, she is responsible for everything technology, monitoring and evaluation, and business development. She brings in international development experience from the World Bank, United Nations, and the Egyptian Ministry of State for Administrative Development; specifically in areas of Development Data, Disaster Risk Management (DRM), and Monitoring and Supervision for Fragile and Post-conflict Countries.
She is also a co-founder of HarassMap.org, an online platform for combatting sexual harassment. Her project was featured in the UNESCO 2020 Best Apps Created by Women for Women. Sawsan holds an M.A. in Demographic and Social Analysis from the University of California, Irvine (2008), and is a current Ph.D. student of Earth Systems and Geoinformation Science at George Mason University.
Kyrillos has joined IMRelief to lead digital marketing. Kyrillos is a digital marketing expert with 9 years of experience, specializing in content creation, digital strategy, and media buying. He has managed marketing for over 60 clients across various industries, developing a solid track record of driving growth and engagement.
Prior to joining IMR, he has worked as Senior Digital Strategist at BrandHub Agency, where his responsibilities include leading innovative strategies and managing media buying efforts to improve brand visibility and performance.
His primary responsibility in digital marketing is to use an integrated and analytics-focused approach, ensuring that every campaign is optimized for performance and aligned with the overarching IMR’s business strategy objectives.
Heba is an Egyptian journalist, researcher, and human rights advocate with a diverse background in investigative journalism, audio storytelling, and advocacy. She has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to addressing critical issues related to human rights, with a particular focus on the Arab region and women’s rights. She brings to IMRelief the power of narrative and storytelling to create effective project design.
Ahmed Elprince has joined IMRelief as Controller, with thirteen years of varied experience in accounting, audit, treasury, corporate finance and non-profit organizations finance.
Prior to joining IMR , Ahmed served as an international financial controller at APVI, Inc. He also served as chief accountant at ADCO group, and Accounting Supervisor at Speed Group.
Earlier in his career, Ahmed worked as an accountant and senior accountant for Cell Pharma. Ahmed holds a BA degree in Finance from Tanta University in Egypt and now he is CMA.
With more than 10 years of experience in donor relations management, Nausheen is a results-driven professional dedicated to driving successful projects and leading high-performing teams. Prior to joining IMR, Nausheen managed donors’ communication and relationship for 10 years in international and humanitarian organizations.
Her main role was in Fundraising management with the great skills of personal solicitation, and development management at international nonprofit organizations.
Nausheen holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and certifications in fundraising for small nonprofits from Indiana University, and Women’s Health and Human Rights from Stanford University.
Her leadership style emphasizes supporting and fostering collaboration and innovation within the team. Outside her professional endeavors, she enjoys soft music, movies, socializing with family and friends, and outdoor activities.
Basem is an experienced program manager with long experience in managing local and international projects and programs. His experience included working with the Royal Institute of International Affairs, a leading think tank on international relations based in London; the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation, an intergovernmental entity for intercultural relations in the Euro-Mediterranean region; in addition to Washington DC office of Freedom House, Cairo office of Friedrich Naumann Foundation, and many other local civil society organizations across the region.
Basem holds an MA in conflict, security, and development from the University of Bradford, United Kingdom and a B.Sc. in Chemistry and Biology from Cairo University
Shady has joined IMRelief as a public policy analyst, mainly in the health and economics sector. He graduated from Harvard Kennedy School in 2023 with a Master’s in Public Administration. The New York Times, Washington Post, BBC, and numerous other international publications have covered his analyses.
Concurrently, he is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Cairo University, an appointment that he has held since 2017. He was trained in liver surgery and transplantation at King’s College Hospital, London.