Anghami, the MENA-focused streaming platform, appointed Meshal Abdullah Mohammad Ali as chairman on 27 January 2026, replacing Sheikha Adana Nasser Sabah Al-Sabah in a strategic board restructuring aimed at tightening governance as the company scales. Ali, who has served as an Anghami director since April 2024, currently holds the position of interim chief executive at parent company OSN Group. The reshuffle also introduced two new board members from Kuwait Projects Company Holdings (KIPCO), OSN Group's parent, signalling deeper institutional control over the Nasdaq-listed platform.
The board changes follow Anghami's integration with OSN+ last year and the company's recently announced transformative partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery, which grants exclusive rights to HBO and Max Originals across the MENA region. Sheikha Adana stepped down to rebalance her board responsibilities but remains chair of OSN Streaming Limited, Anghami's parent company, underscoring the continuity within the shareholder structure. Ali described the transition as a natural progression, stating the updated board brings "seasoned leaders from diverse sectors" positioned to "unlock value for all stakeholders" and expand into new markets. No search firm was involved in the appointment process, which appears to have been conducted internally within the OSN Group orbit.
Ali carries significant regional credentials spanning multiple sectors. He chairs AlRayan Holding Company, serves as vice chair of United Education Company, and holds chief executive positions at both the National Offset Company and National Offset Computer Company in Kuwait. His appointment reflects the institutional depth sought in overseeing a streaming platform now boasting over 120 million registered users and 3.5 million paying subscribers. The new directors appointed alongside Ali bring complementary expertise. Moustapha Chami, deputy group chief financial officer at KIPCO, holds a finance degree and MBA from the University of Saint Joseph in Lebanon and carries triple professional certifications (CFA, CPA, CMA). He sits on boards across Iraq, Tunisia, Jordan and Turkey, specialising in financial operations and taxation. Eman Al Awadhi, group senior vice president for corporate communications and investor relations at KIPCO, brings over 22 years of experience across journalism, public relations and media relations, serving as vice chair of Gulfsat Communications in Kuwait.
Anghami, launched in 2012, established itself as the Arab world's first legal music streaming platform before OSN Group acquired a 55.45 per cent stake in April 2024. The combined entity created a regional entertainment powerhouse merging Anghami's catalogue of over 100 million songs and podcasts with OSN+ 's 18,000 hours of premium video content. The Nasdaq-listed company operates across 26 markets with partnerships spanning 47 telecom operators. Financial results published in late 2025 showed 97 per cent year-on-year revenue growth to USD $48.4 million for the first half of 2025, driven largely by the OSN+ integration and expanding subscription revenue. The TikTok partnership, integrating Anghami into the social platform's music discovery features, represented a strategic win in user acquisition.
The board restructuring reflects the intensifying consolidation typical of MENA's competitive streaming landscape. By placing KIPCO executives in core governance roles alongside OSN's operational chief, the reshuffle appears designed to establish tighter financial oversight and amplify shareholder influence at a pivotal growth moment. Chami's appointment notably signals emphasis on capital efficiency and risk management, while Al Awadhi's communications expertise addresses the transparency demands of a publicly traded entity. The move effectively deepens institutional links between Anghami and its stakeholders rather than widening the board's external perspectives. For investors, this suggests management expects accelerated integration of streaming assets across the OSN portfolio and prioritises financial discipline over diversified independent counsel. Whether the board composition adequately balances shareholder control with the independent judgment needed to navigate an increasingly fragmented regional streaming market remains an open question as competition from global players intensifies across MENA.
