Firas Ahmad 2023 Speaker

Group CEO

Sarafu

Biography

“Firas Ahmad is a fintech, energy, and technology executive with over 20 years of leadership and commercial experience in startups and high-growth companies in emerging markets. He has a cross-functional background in business operations, strategy, development, and implementation, with a focus on financial services, media, and distributed energy. He is the group CEO of AzamPay and Sarafu and the co-Founder and Director of AzamPesa.

Firas has extensive international experience in East Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East, where I have led and supported the expansion and operations of various ventures in fintech, telecommunications, media, and content, and captive power. He also developed and managed strategic partnerships and alliances with key stakeholders, investors, and regulators, raising over $20 million in capital and securing multiple large contracts and deals.

Firas is a graduate of Harvard Kennedy School of Government, with a focus on political and economic development, and Georgetown University. He writes about fintech, innovation, and emerging markets on his blog, firasahmad.substack.com.”