Africa’s economic ascent continues unabated, with six of the world’s ten fastest-growing economies now located on the continent.
As sectors like technology, consumer goods, and infrastructure drive unprecedented expansion, the custodians of this transformation sit in the executive suites of Africa’s stock exchanges.
These CEOs and Managing Directors, through a combination of expertise, opportunity, and strategic positioning, now help the institutions that power Africa’s economic infrastructure.
From the historic Johannesburg Stock Exchange to the rapidly growing Nigerian Exchange, these leaders represent diverse backgrounds but share the privilege of guiding markets that collectively surpassed $1.4 trillion in capitalization.
Their boardrooms make decisions affecting millions of investors, from local pension funds to international institutions seeking African exposure. This profile examines the select group of CEOs and MDs entrusted with steering these vital financial institutions.
From capturing the market capitalization of the exchanges, to the last three-month percentage growth so far in 2025. Let’s take a look.
- Market cap: $43 billion (Egypt 2.2 trillion)
- YtD: 6.27%
- Stocks listed: 247
Ahmed Abdel Rahman El-Sheikh was appointed Executive Chairman of the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) by Prime Ministerial Decree No. 3259 of 2023, in recognition of his three decades of comprehensive expertise across financial markets and regulatory affairs.
Prior to this appointment, Mr. El-Sheikh served as Deputy Chairman of the Egyptian Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) under Decree No. 2978 of 2022, and earlier as Deputy Chairman of the Egyptian Stock Exchange (2018–2022). His experience spans leadership positions at key financial institutions, including serving as Deputy Chairman of Egypt for Information Dissemination Company (EGID) and holding board memberships at EGX, FRA, MCDR (Misr for Central Clearing, Depository and Registry), EGID, the Egyptian Commodity Exchange, and the Investor Protection Fund.
El-Sheikh began his career at EGX in 1993, gaining hands-on experience in several technical departments before moving to MCDR (1996–1997). He then led the Surveillance Central Department at the FRA from 2005 to 2011 and later returned to EGX as Assistant to the Chairman for Market Technical Affairs. His trajectory within EGX also included heading the Membership Sector in 2014 and the Surveillance Sector in 2018.
He has played key roles at the Arab Federation of Capital Markets, where he chaired the Business Development Committee, and has actively contributed to committees within EGID, the Egyptian Commodity Exchange, and MCDR’s Settlement Guarantee Fund. He holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce and accounting from Ain Shams University (1992), and has pursued extensive postgraduate education, including:
- A Diploma in Investment and Finance (1998)
- A Diploma in Securities Portfolio Management from the American University in Cairo (1999)
- A Diploma in Capital Markets from the Arab Academy
- An MBA (2003) with specialization in Financial Markets
