Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub FRS, OM
Founder and Honorary President
Sir Magdi Yacoub is the Founder and Honorary President of the Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation (MYF) and is most known for his notable contributions to the cardiovascular field. Being the first cardiologist to perform a heart transplant surgery, he has helped save the lives of thousands of patients worldwide
Dr. Magdi Yacoub was born on November 16, 1935 in Belbeis, Sharkia Governorate, Egypt. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in Cairo University in 1957 and moved to Britain in 1962, where he was appointed as Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the British Heart Foundation (BHF). By the year 1980, Dr. Magdi Yacoub performed the first ever heart transplant surgery on the patient Drake Morris, who successfully lived 25 years after the operation.
From the years of 1969 to 2001, he worked at Harefield Hospital and from 1986 to 2001 at Royal Brompton Hospital as a Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon specializing in hearts and lungs.
In 2008, he founded the Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation (MYF) in Egypt with the aim of providing high-quality, sustainable and accessible medical care for the underprivileged, completely free of charge. The Foundation’s Aswan Heart Centre (AHC) operates entirely on donations, and treats up to 4,000 inpatients and 40,000 outpatients annually. Currently, another medical center is set to be built in Cairo, Egypt to offer additional treatment to cater to the increasing need for cardiac care in the country. Being a long-time dream of Dr. Magdi Yacoub's, the Magdi Yacoub Global Heart Centre is set to open its doors by 2024.
Dr. Magdi Yacoub was recognized as a Guinness World Record Holder for his contributions in cardiac advancements, when he performed 100 cardiac surgeries in one year.
Following the success of his career, Dr. Magdi Yacoub was knighted in 1991 by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom due to his contributions in the cardiovascular field. Dr. Magdi Yacoub also received the Order of the Nile award in 2011, which is the highest decoration offered by the Arab Republic of Egypt. He was awarded the Order of Merit by Queen Elizabeth II in 2014.
Awards Received for Dr. Magdi Yacoub
- 1991: Knighted for services in cardiovascular field New Year Honors list
- 1998: Texas Heart Institute Ray C. Fish Award for Scientific Achievement in Cardiovascular Disease.
- 1998: Elected Fellow of the Royal Society.
- 1999: Lifetime outstanding achievement award in recognition of contribution to medicine, Secretary of State for Health (UK).
- 2003: Golden Hippocrates International Award for Excellence in Cardiac Surgery (Moscow).
- WHO Prize for Humanitarian Services.
- 2004: International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation Lifetime Achievement Award, at the 24th annual meeting in San Francisco.
- 2006: European Society of Cardiology Gold Medal.
- 2007: Pride of Britain Award.
- 2007: Honorary citizenships of the city of Bergamo, Italy.
- 2007: Medal of Merit, President, International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences.
- 2011: Order of the Nile for science and humanity.
- 2012: American College of Cardiology Legend of Cardiovascular Medicine.
- 2015: Lister Medal for contributions to surgical science, presented by Clare Marx, President of the Royal College of Surgeons.
- 2019: Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor Achievement Award (KAHAA).
Eng. Hani Azer
Board Member
Eng. Azer is a naturalized German civil engineer. Azer headed the construction of the tunnel beneath Berlin's Tiergarten in 1994. Subsequently, he became the chief engineer of the Berlin Hauptbahnhof, Germany's fourth-largest train station. Berliners voted Azer 13th in the top 50 Berliners of the year in 2006.
Azer was honored by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel on 26 May 2006 at the inauguration of the Berlin Hauptbahnhof. Azer received one of Berlin's most respected distinctions, Merit of the State of Berlin, for outstanding service to the state. Azer is also considered one of the top tunneling and bridge engineers at the global level today.
Azer is currently an advisor to the President.
Dr. Magdy Ishak, FRCS, CCIM, FRSM
Founder and Chairman of the Board
Professor Magdy Ishak was born in Egypt in 1947, and currently lives in London, UK. He graduated from Ain Shams Medical School in Egypt and was trained as an Orthopaedic and Spinal surgeon in the United Kingdom. During his Medical career, he pioneered the work on lower limb graded pressure stockings which reduce the risk of DVT and Pulmonary Embolism, currently these stockings are used worldwide in all type of surgeries.
Professor Ishak was instrumental in the adaptation of the ISO 9001 in healthcare accreditation, he was chosen by his peers as an Honorary Companion Charter Institute of Management, he also teaches Healthcare Economics to MBA students and was made Freeman of the City of Glasgow for his Civic work.
He is a senior judicator in disputes between government and private healthcare providers in the UK. Professor Ishak is one of the early participants in PPP and has three major projects with the British National health service including the Neuroscience Institute in Preston University.
Professor Ishak is the Chairman of the Egyptian Medical Society-UK, Vice Chairman of the British Egyptian Society, he is member of the IOD, and the Supervisory Board of London Middle East Institute London University. Professor Ishak is one of the leading entrepreneurs in UK healthcare, his entrepreneurship has created a wealth of GBP 800 Million. He is the former founder and CEO of Scotcare group, Crestacare PLC, and Covenant Healthcare Group, and currently he is the Executive Chairman of Optive Group.
DR. AHMED SHAWKI
Founder and Secretary General
Dr. Ahmed Moustafa Shawki has been a Managing Partner at Mostafa Shawki & Co. (MAZARS) since 1992. Dr. Shawki participated in the development of audit and accounting standards for Egypt. He has worked with the Capital Market Authority to rationalize policies for the evaluation and audit of unit trusts. He served as Office Managing Partner at Arthur Andersen Shawki & Co. from 1981 to 1992, Senior Auditor at Arthur Andersen (London, UK) from 1978 to 1981, EDP Director of Management Program, American University in Cairo from 1976 to 1978, Executive Consultant at Industrial Company or Extraction from 1975 to 1978 and Senior Process Engineer at National Research Centre from 1967 to 1975. He serves as Non-Executive Director of the Arab Contractors Osman Ahmed Osman & Co. He serves as a Director of the Egyptian Society of Accountants and Auditors and the Egyptian Taxation Society.
Dr. Shawki was a founding member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt and served as its President from 1997 to 1999. He also served as Executive Vice President, Treasurer and Vice President, Program at American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt. Dr. Shawki has spoken at several high-profile conferences on Egypt's privatization program both in Egypt and overseas in London; New York, Washington, DC and Stanford University in the United States; and in Bahrain. He received B. Sc. in Accounting from Ain Shams University, Cairo, 1978.
MR. MOHAMED A. EL-HAMAMSY
Founder and Treasurer
Mr. El-Hamamsy graduated from Cairo University with a degree in Electrical Engineering in 1967. He later earned an MBA and subsequently a master’s degree in Islamic Art and Architecture in 1992. Mr. El-Hamamsy has had a distinguished career with the IBM Company, where he was assigned as IBM Egypt’s General Manager responsible for Egypt and Sudan in 1979. In 1982, he was assigned to the IBM Europe Headquarters in Paris, later returning to Egypt to lead IBM Egypt’s rapid expansion in the growing market. In 1997, Mr. El-Hamamsy founded the MegaCom Company that specializes in Management and Business Consultancy services.
In 1999, Mr. El-Hamamsy assumed the position of Vodafone Egypt CEO. In May 2002, he became Deputy Chairman of the Board of Vodafone Egypt and is currently Managing Director of the MegaCom consulting firm. Mr. El-Hamamsy served as a board member of a number of organizations, including Bank Misr, Banque du Caire, Raya Holding and others, and serves on the board of trustees of a number of charity and development organizations, including VodafoneFoundation, Bank Misr Foundation and others.
Mr Samih Sawiris
Board Member
Born in Cairo on the 28th of January 1957. He received his Diploma in economic engineering from the Technical University of Berlin in 1980.
He is the founder and Chairman of Orascom Development Holding (ODH.SW), a Swiss- incorporated company listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange (SIX).
Samih is a founder and sits on the board of Sawiris Foundation for Social Development which was founded in April 2001, with an endowment from the Sawiris family, dedicated to social development.
Mrs. Esaad Yones
Board Member
Mrs Younes is the Co-Founder and CEO of Al Arabia Cinema, she is an Egyptian actress, film producer, TV host and script writer and author.
Dr. Yehia Zaki
Board Member
Chairman of Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE)
Y.Zaki is a lead consultant in the construction and development sectors, he managed the implementation of several national projects and executive programs especially the Master Plan of Suez Canal Special Development Zone and the New Administrative Capital near Cairo.
Through his extended experience, he has been involved in a broad spectrum of management applications ranging from business development to marketing and management of operations. Y. Zaki has had successful contributions to a wide range of real estate, housing & residential, hospitality, commercial, industrial and healthcare mega projects.
Currently Y.Zaki is the Chairman and Managing Director of Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) responsible for the management and operation of 460 km2 of industrial and logistic areas as well as 6 ports alongside the Suez Canal aiming to transform the area into a world-class global logistics hub and industrial processing centre to facilitate economic growth and create sustainable and high-quality jobs for the Egyptian people.
Previously, he was Director of Operations in Egypt, for Dar Group, a leading, privately-owned professional services group with a diverse history and a global presence. A world-class multi-Discipline Consultancy firm dedicated to achieving clients’ ambitions and supporting sustainable communities worldwide.
He was also Managing Director of Dar Al-Handasah Egypt (the Egyptian affiliate of Dar Group) and a leading Consultancy Firm in Egypt, Africa and the Arab World.
Mr Moahmed Zaki El Sewedy
Board Member
Mr Moahmed Zaki El Sewedy is the chairman of FEI (Federation of Egyptian Industries) as well as Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Zaki El Sewedy Group.
AMBASSADOR GEHAD MADI
Board Member
Ambassador Madi is currently a member of the United Nations Group of Experts on the Rights of the Child since 2011. The group is responsible for monitoring the fulfillment of states party to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child of their obligations under the convention, and issues recommendations to states, as well as receive and investigate complaints against violations of children's rights.
Throughout his diplomatic career, Ambassador Madi held different positions abroad and in the headquarter in Cairo, including as Ambassador to the Republic of India (2002 - 1998), and Ambassador to the United Kingdom (2008 - 2004), as well as representing Egypt in many international and regional conferences. Ambassador Madi holds a Bachelor's degree in German Language and Literature from Ain Shams University, and a Bachelor's degree in Law from Ain Shams University..
MR. TAWFIK S. DIAB
Board Member
Mr Diab is the Chief Executive Officer of PICO Energy Services – a leading Petroleum Services Company in Egypt. In January 2016, he moved to head PICO Energy Services, the Petroleum Services arm of PICO Group, as the Chief Executive Officer, running the Company activities in Egypt, Mexico and the United States. Prior to this job, he was the Managing Director of PICO International Petroleum (“PIP”) – the Exploration & Production arm of PICO Group - since 2003.
Under his leadership, the Company has expanded its operations onshore and offshore to increase its reserves and production by ten folds. As part of the Strategic Plan, he also redirected the company operations to position PIP to be an expert in the redevelopment of small to medium size oil & gas fields. Today PIP is the largest indigenous E&P Company in Egypt with daily production in excess of 40,000 bop, and is considered the country leader in the redevelopment of mature fields. Since then PIP expanded its operations to include fields in both Mexico and Romania. Mr Diab graduated in June 1998 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the American University in Cairo. Later that year, he joined PICO in Egypt.
Mr Diab is the Vice Chairman of the Egyptian Gas Association. He is also the Vice Chairman of the Board of Al Ahly for Development & Investments (“ADI”) - Private Equity Company with Investments in Egypt - and a Founding Member and Board Member of Cairo Financial Holding Co. (“CFH”) – a Financial Services Company. He is also a member of many economic Associations in Egypt including the Egyptian Businessmen Associations (“EBA”), the American Chamber of Commerce (“AmCham”), and the Young President Organization (“YPO”).
Lorem Ipsum
Lorem ipsum dolor
sit amet, consetetur
Lorem Ipsum
Lorem ipsum dolor
sit amet, consetetur
Lorem Ipsum
Lorem ipsum dolor
sit amet, consetetur
Lorem Ipsum
Lorem ipsum dolor
sit amet, consetetur
about magdi yacoub heart foundation
Brief
About Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation
The Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation (MYF) – an Egyptian registered charity NGO – was founded in 2008 by Sir Magdi Yacoub, the late Dr. Ahmed Zewail and Ambassador Mohamed Shaker. MYF is running one of the exceptional projects of enormous significance to the health and wellbeing of the Egyptian people that is entirely based on donations: the Aswan Heart Centre (AHC).
responsible for strategic management and administration of the Aswan Heart Centre and Aswan Heart Research Centre. MYF is managed by one of the most reputable Board of Trustees in Egypt.
The Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation (MYF) – an Egyptian registered charity NGO – was founded in 2008 by Sir Magdi Yacoub, the late Dr. Ahmed Zewail and Ambassador Mohamed Shaker. MYF is running one of the exceptional projects of enormous significance to the health and wellbeing of the Egyptian people that is entirely based on donations: the Aswan Heart Centre (AHC). The MYF is the body responsible for strategic management and administration of the Aswan Heart Centre and Aswan Heart Research Centre. MYF is managed by one of the most reputable Board of Trustees in Egypt.
Our
Mission
Offering Free of Charge state-of-the-art medical services to the Egyptian people, particularly the underprivileged and vulnerable age-groups.
Training a generation of young Egyptian doctors, nurses and scientists at the highest international standards.
Advancing basic science and applied research as an integral component of the program and promoting biomedical research in Egypt.
Our
vision
Since its establishment in 2008, MYF has committed to building and maintaining a state-of-the-art cardiac care facility in the city of Aswan, Egypt to provide high-quality treatment to the underprivileged. AHC aims primarily to provide free medical care services, as well as advanced training programs for personnel, including nurses, doctors and technicians. Moreover, AHC dedicates effort and resources to the Research Department, which touches on a wide variety of research opportunities, including Bio-Engineering and Life Sciences, to improve our medical care and ensure an advanced, well-rounded treatment experience for the patient.
The Aswan Heart Centre offers an exciting new development in cardiovascular surgery, treatment and research, and seeks to transfer knowledge, skills and experience to new generations and across the region. We also aim to help create a biomedical and innovation knowledge-base, which can be passed on and benefit the world at large.
In line with this vision, the Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation has recently embarked on an exceptionally big and ambitious project that is of dire significance to the health and well-being of the people in Egypt and the region. The Magdi Yacoub Global Heart Centre is set to advance cardiac care and treatment, as well as widen our scope for training and expand our capacity for research.
Our core objective with building the Magdi Yacoub Global Heart Centre in Cairo is establishing a centre of excellence and international standing, to provide high-quality cardiac treatment at absolutely no cost, thus improving the level of medical care presented to children, youth, and adults in the region, with hopes to save as many hearts and solve as many complex cases as possible, all while offering training and performing ground-breaking research that will benefit generations to come
A Message from
Prof Sir Magdi Yacoub
meet our
board of trustees
Magdi Yacoub
Heart Foundation Management
Ms. Zeina Tawakol
Executive Director
Ms. Dina El Gazzar
VP for Development and Fundraising
Ms. Reem Gadelrab
Director of Marketing and Communications
Mr. Marwan Afifi
Director of Administration
Mrs. Mary Iskander
Ambassador to MYF
.jpeg)
