First Class Of ABANA Fellows: Building Bridges Between The U.S. & MENA Region

Growing up in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Sara Tayara witnessed a city transforming before her eyes. The shift has been both cultural and economic. As a digital project manager at EY MENA, she managed teams that were designing and launching products literally shaping the city’s future – including products in smart cities, public transport, fintech, and more.

“There’s this energy here that really pushes you to think bigger and embrace new opportunities. That’s had a huge impact on my professional aspirations,” says Tayara, a Class of 2026 MBA candidate at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

“The scale and level of innovation here is a dream in the professional sense. There’s so much agency to create and shape the infrastructure of the future. It’s been incredibly motivating, and it’s made me want to be even more involved in the region’s growth and development.”

Now, as one of the inaugural John Mack ABANA Fellows, she’s joining a global network fostering growth and opportunity in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The fellowship is named after the former Chairman and CEO of Morgan Stanley who was the son of Lebanese immigrants. It is both a recognition of the MENA region’s vast potential and a call to invest in its future leaders.

ABANA is a U.S. association of finance professionals with backgrounds and interest in the Middle East and North Africa. Its fellowship program, which launched this year, offers a $15,000 grant for up to two years, mentorship, unique networking opportunities, and other support to full-time MBA students with Arab or MENA heritage or proven experience in the region.

“We’re creating a community of mutual support while embodying the ideals that ABANA’s founders articulated in 1983,” says ABANA President Khalid Azim, previously a senior administrator at Columbia Business School and global banker with Morgan Stanley.

“We want the fellowship to be substantial, impactful, and focused on nurturing the next generation of professionals.”

APPLICATIONS FOR 2025 FELLOWS OPEN SOON

Founded in 1983 as the Arab Bankers Association of North America, ABANA has connected finance professionals with interests in the MENA region for over four decades. Its focus has since expanded beyond banking to include members from private equity, technology, and other industries.

“Over time, we realized we weren’t just Arabs, we weren’t just bankers, and we weren’t just in North America. So, we rebranded as ABANA, and it is a very inclusive organization. For that matter, I’m not Arab – I’m originally of Indian descent. We have people from all different backgrounds, religions, and experiences as part of the organization.” Azim says.

“Part of the power of ABANA is our ability to convene first-rate intellects, ideas, and practitioners from both sides of the Atlantic.”

Today, ABANA’s 600 individual members and 80 institutional partners are united by a commitment to fostering economic opportunity in the MENA region and beyond.

The John Mack ABANA Fellowship builds on this legacy by nurturing future leaders. Named for Mack’s career of resilience and grit, the fellowship seeks candidates who embody these values while demonstrating a passion for the MENA region. It will soon open applications for its next round of fellows, which are awarded based both on need and merit.

“We want our fellows to embrace the kind of resilience and determination that John Mack represents,” Azim says.

MEET THE FELLOWS

The inaugural cohort of John Mack ABANA Fellows are MBA candidates at several of the world’s top business schools. They highlight the diversity and ambition of the program:

• Sara Tayara (Stanford GSB, MBA ‘26): From leading smart city innovations at EY MENA to mentoring in digital design, Tayara is driven to contribute to the MENA region’s growth. She has undergraduate degrees in Information Science and Urban Planning, with a minor in Business, from Cornell University.
• Ahmed Sallam (Harvard Business School, MBA ‘25): A former McKinsey consultant, Sallam has worked with startups and impact investing funds to scale innovation in emerging markets. He has a B.SC. in Mechanical Engineering with a Minor in Business Administration from the American University in Cairo.
• Nicole Mansour (Chicago Booth, MBA ‘25): With a background in health-tech and a passion for empowering female entrepreneurs, Mansour describes the fellowship as a unique platform to “uplift the MENA region.” She has a bachelor’s in Global Health and Economics from Georgetown University.
• Mohammed Babekar (Stanford GSB, MBA ‘25): Babekar blends experience in tech entrepreneurship with leadership as the president of the Stanford GSB Venture Capital Club. He previously worked as a product manager and strategy lead at Citigroup. Originally from Sudan, he attended boarding high school in India, and earned his undergraduate from Middlebury College.
• Rakan Aboneaaj (UPenn Wharton, MBA ‘26): From his work on economic development projects in Brazil to impact finance roles at the World Bank, Aboneaaj brings a global perspective to driving change. He previously worked as a consultant on the World Bank’s Private Capital Facilitation unit and a research associate on the Center for Global Development’s Sustainable Development Finance team. He has a BA in Economics and Middle East Studies from Brown University and was a Fulbright Research Fellow in São Paulo, Brazil.

“These young men and women embraced the criteria and values outlined in the fellowship,” Azim says. “They’re truly amazing.”

BRIDGING GLOBAL TALENT AND OPPORTUNITY

ABANA sees itself as a bridge connecting professionals from both sides of the Atlantic who share an interest in business and finance in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

“Part of the power of ABANA is our ability to convene first-rate intellects, ideas, and practitioners,” says Azim. “The common denominator is simply an interest in business and financial matters as they pertain to the MENA region. Beyond that shared interest, it’s open to a wide range of people and perspectives.”

The group celebrated its 40th anniversary last year. In reflecting on its history, it realized its continued growth and success hinged on two key factors: Evolving with the times and staying laser-focused on its mandate.

In that vein, its members are very interested in the economic trends shaping the region. First, is the demographics. The population of young people in college or early in their careers is spiking in both the Arab world and the U.S., Azim says. “That creates a situation where institutions like Abana matter more than ever before, as we’re positioned to support and connect this demographic in meaningful ways.”

The second trend is financial. In the last decade, countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council have accumulated immense financial capital. Global investment has followed.

For fellows like Mansour, the fellowship provides a unique platform to engage with these opportunities. “Organizations like ABANA are essential,” she says. “They create spaces where cultural identity and professional growth intersect, ensuring those connections remain meaningful for years to come.”

Read detailed profiles of several of the 2024-2025 John Mack ABANA Fellows by clicking through the following pages.

NEXT PAGE: ABANA Fellow Rakan Aboneaaj, The Wharton School