Who Leads Us

Born on August 19, 1962, Nasri Kassisieh is the third-generation leader of Finan Group, a family-owned business established in 1920. Under his leadership, the Group has evolved from a small local enterprise into a leading regional food ingredients organization, operating through nine offices and serving customers across 12 countries in the Middle East. His vision, dedication, and industry expertise have helped position Finan Group as a trusted partner and established him as a pioneer in the regional specialty food ingredients sector.

Before joining the family business, Nasri co-founded MMIS Management Consultancy, one of Jordan’s first prominent management consultancy firms. He holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and a master’s degree in engineering management.

He is based in Amman, home to Finan Group’s headquarters.

Amin Abdulrahim is an accomplished business leader with extensive experience in the telecommunications and consumer goods sectors. He currently serves as Chairman of Gulf Telecom Services in Jordan.

From 2013 to 2022, Amin served as Managing Director of Perfetti Van Melle Middle East and Africa, where he led the company’s operations and growth across the region. Earlier in his career, he was Regional General Manager at Chupa Chups SA and a member of its Executive Committee from 1999 to 2006.

Amin holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Finance from Texas State University.

Eric Nicolas is a global executive and board leader with more than 40 years of professional experience, including two decades in C-level positions. He currently serves as a Non-Executive Director at Institut Curie and as General Manager of WiseStratEdge. He is also Chairman of the Swiss Association for Cyber Security and an Executive in Residence at IMD Business School.

Eric previously spent nearly 13 years at Firmenich, serving as Group Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Vice President of Strategy and Global Services from 2011 to 2019, followed by his appointment as Chief Operating Officer from 2019 to 2023. Earlier in his career, he held senior finance and strategy positions at Renault Group and Nissan, among other international organizations.

Eric holds master’s degrees in econometrics from Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and finance from HEC Paris, as well as a doctorate in economics and organizational sciences. He also completed the International Directors Programme at INSEAD.

Maher Awartani is the CEO of APIC Capital, where he oversees a global and diversified portfolio of investments. In addition, he serves as Chief Strategy and Investment Officer for the APIC Group, where he oversees strategic transactions. Maher joined APIC in 2022 and helped establish APIC Capital.

Prior to joining APIC, Maher spent more than 10 years with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in New York and Booz & Company in Dubai. His work at BCG focused on strategy formulation, capital allocation, strategic transaction support, and value creation.

Maher holds a master’s degree in Finance and Economics from Columbia University.

Niels Hougaard is a senior international executive with more than 30 years of experience at Tetra Pak, where he has held leadership positions across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Since October 2024, he has served as President of Tetra Pak Japan and Korea.

From 2014 to 2024, Niels was Managing Director of Tetra Pak Arabia Area and Tetra Pak Export. He held managing director and regional sales leadership positions covering the Arabia Area and the Greater Middle East and Africa region. Earlier in his career, he was based in Saudi Arabia and later in Switzerland, leading strategic account management and sales functions after progressing through a range of commercial and business development roles within Tetra Pak.

Niels holds an MSc in dairy science from the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University of Copenhagen and an Executive MBA from Copenhagen Business School.