File Photo: Former cabinet minister Hala El-Said. Photo courtesy of Hala El-Said Instagram.
El-Said, who currently serves as economic advisor to Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, will take on the role as part of AUC’s senior leadership team, focusing on strengthening the University’s ties with national universities, the Supreme Council of Universities, and the Egyptian government.
AUC President Ahmad Dallal welcomed the appointment, noting that El-Said’s experience in public service and academia positions her to play “a key role in advancing AUC’s relationships with government and national institutions.”
He also thanked Tarek Shawki, a former minister of education, for his service since May 2023, highlighting his efforts to expand the University’s collaborations during his tenure.
Shawki will return to his academic post as a professor in AUC’s Department of Mechanical Engineering at the School of Sciences and Engineering.
El-Said has held several prominent positions, including Minister of Planning and Economic Development (2019–2024) and Minister of Planning, Monitoring and Administrative Reform (2017–2019). She played a central role in updating Egypt’s Vision 2030 strategy and chaired the Sovereign Fund of Egypt.
She was also the first elected Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Political Science at Cairo University and previously served on the board of the Central Bank of Egypt.
Earlier in her career, she led the Egyptian Banking Institute, transforming it into the region’s first internationally accredited financial training body.
She holds a PhD in Economics from Cairo University and has published extensively on financial reform and development.
Commenting on her new role, El-Said said she was “deeply honoured” to join AUC, adding that the University has long stood as “a beacon of intellectual rigour and innovation.”
She emphasized the importance of universities in shaping leaders capable of navigating technological and societal shifts, fostering cross-cultural understanding, and driving sustainable development.
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