Karim is the Co-Founder and Former CEO of Digital Republic linked by Isobar, and was responsible for one of the region’s fastest growing, full service digital agency networks in MENA.
Karim has a multi-functional and multinational success footprint in both the corporate and entrepreneurial business landscapes – a seasoned executive in the former and a successful business owner in the latter.
With 20+ years’ technology, marketing, telco and advertising experience, Karim’s expertise lies in all that is digital. Karim founded Digital Republic in 2009, pioneering the digital ad industry in Egypt and launching offices in Cairo, Dubai and Jeddah. One year later, Digital Republic was partially acquired by a major institutional investor, before Dentsu acquired a majority stake in 2016 and Digital Republic became Isobar MENA.
Career highlights include pioneering the mobile internet since its inception with Vodafone Group in 2000 in the UK, delivering the first Egyptian 3G network in 2007 with Vodafone Egypt and launching an innovative mobile ad portfolio in the Middle East in 2008. Karim has been an elected member of the EMEA Board of the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) and a regular contributor to industry thought leadership, publications and events.
From the start-up ecosystem’s earliest days in Egypt, Karim has served as a prominent participant in the entrepreneurial and tech start-up community as an Angel Investor, mentor and advisory board member for several start-ups, accelerators and VC firms, and is a member of the Cairo Angels and Alex Angels networks.
Karim is a board member and shareholder in a number or start-ups including Moneyfellows, The Solar Company, Kashat, Zammit and Fatura among others.
More recently Karim helped seed a Creative Economy & Fashion VC and founded Working Wonders, a boutique strategic consulting capability serving clients in the areas of Digital Transformation and Digital Marketing. Finally, Karim is now CMO at Evolve Holding, helping build a gold and precious metals alternative investment ecosystem.
Prior to establishing Digital Republic, Karim held senior positions across the globe at Vodafone London, AP Moeller Maersk in Copenhagen, Hilton Group in UK, Filtronic/Lucent UK and SODIC Real Estate Cairo. Karim is a UK Chartered Electronic & Electrical Engineer (CENG), a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), a Member of the IEE (MIEE), and has an MSc.(ENG) from the University of Leeds.
