Global strategy consulting firm Bain & Company has added two female partners to its leadership team in the Middle East: Karen Khalaf and Elif Koc.
Karen Khalaf has been promoted to partner internally. She has been with Bain & Company since the start of her career, joining the firm in 2013 after obtaining degrees at Stanford University and Carnegie Mellon in the US.
“Working at Bain & Company over the last ten years has been incredibly rewarding,” said Khalaf. “I am honoured to take the next step in my career as a partner. I look forward to continuing to help our clients source and execute deals, generate superior value from their investments, and evolve their operating models.”
A member of the Private Equity and Sovereign Wealth Fund practice, Khalaf supports financial investors – sovereign wealth fund, private equity, and other institutional investor clients – with services including fund strategy formulation, new fund set-up, asset allocation, and operating model redesign. She also advises clients during mergers & acquisitions, providing due diligence and value creation expertise.
“I help clients across the investment lifecycle – from strategy and sourcing, to diligence, post-acquisition support and long-term value creation,” said Khalaf.
In addition to her client work, Khalaf has been passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout her career and champions Women@Bain in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Elif Koc has been hired externally. She brings close to fifteen years of experience to Bain & Company, most of which she gained in strategy and management consulting. After kicking off her career in investment banking, she worked for a boutique consultancy before growing the ranks at OC&C Strategy Consultants to become Associate Partner. Most recently, Koc was a partner at EY-Parthenon, the strategy consulting wing of EY.
Also a partner in the Private Equity and Sovereign Wealth Fund practice, Koc advises financial investors across the full transaction cycle with a particular focus on clients in the technology, consumer products, and retail sectors. Her main areas of expertise include buy-side and sell-side transaction strategy, post-merger integration, post-acquisition value creation, portfolio planning, investment and divestment strategies, and organic growth strategies.
“I am delighted to continue my career journey at a consultancy that fosters an inclusive and a supportive culture and is consistently recognised as one of the best places to work,” said Koc, “The financial and strategic investment sector is a vital one in the Middle East and I am excited to be driving long-term value creation for our clients.”
Koc holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Bilkent University and an MBA from London Business School.
Commenting on the double partner appointment, Tom De Waele, Managing Partner of Bain in the Middle East, said, “I am really proud to welcome these two exceptional female leaders to our partner team. In line with our global leadership position as the consultant of choice of private equity funds and financial investors, Karen and Elif will enable us to even better cater for the fast-evolving needs of our clients in the region.”
Sourced from Consultancy.me