Areije Al Shakar

Areije is a 'third culture person,' born in Bahrain and raised in Geneva, New York, and London. She holds a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London; a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance from the John Molson School of Business, Concordia University; and is a Certified Business Coach and Mentor from the Chartered Management Institute, UK. Areije is fluent in English, Arabic, and French. She enjoys reading, writing, long walks, and functional movement.

Areije Al Shakar has over 20 years of experience in banking and venture capital.  She is the CEO of BE Ventures ( Bapco energies ventures) the venture arm of the national oil and gas / energy company of Bahrain. Previously she was the fund manager and director of the Al Waha Venture Capital Fund of Funds (Al Waha Fund), with $100M in assets and Head of Innovation at Bahrain Development Bank. 

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Areije has worked in other organizations in Bahrain, including Investcorp, Citibank, and BNP Paribas, as well as at Lehman Brothers in London and Dubai, where she served on the treasury, investment management, and advisory side.

Areije is a member of Class 24, serving her fellowship at Al Waha Venture Capital Fund of Funds, under the mentorship of Fadi Ghandour (Mentor Class 15), Executive Chairman of Wamda Group, and Marc Benioff, Chairman and Co-CEO of Salesforce.