Basil Hovakeemian

Basil Hovakeemian was promoted to Chief Executive Officer of Hala, the joint venture between Dubai's Road and Transport Authority and Careem, in 2021. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from IE Business School and a Chemical Engineering degree from The University of Washington. Prior to his CEO appointment, he spent three years as a strategy consultant at Roland Berger, advising on strategy, market entry, and digital transformation.

Hovakeemian joined Hala in August 2019 as Director of Strategy & Expansion, playing a key role in the growth of the business. During his tenure in that role, he was responsible for the company's strategic direction, helping bring affordable app booking to the city and playing a key role in the company's growth. Prior to Roland Berger, he worked seven years for Procter & Gamble, where he was a senior manager focused on product & packaging development.

Career History

• CEO of CAFU Petroleum (2022–2024)
• CEO of Hala (2021–2022)
• Director of Strategy & Expansion at Hala (2019–2021)
• Project Manager at Roland Berger (2016–2019)
• Senior Manager, Hair Care (Pantene) at Procter & Gamble (2010–2014)

What Hovakeemian could bring to Hala: With 15 years of progressive leadership across transportation, technology, and consumer goods, Hovakeemian demonstrated strategic acumen in scaling Hala into Dubai's largest ride-hailing platform. His background navigating product innovation at P&G, digital transformation as a strategy consultant, and operational scaling through CAFU suggests he could drive customer experience, market expansion, and operational excellence—core priorities for a mobility platform competing in the rapidly evolving MENA region.