OUR CORE PURPOSE

OUR CORE PURPOSE
Creatively creating and bridging investments within the MENA region

CORE VALUES & PRINCIPLES

CORE VALUES & PRINCIPLES
LONGEVITY

Nurture Longevity for people and the built environment.

ENTREPRENEURIAL AGILE

Disruptive, Curious

VALUE-DRIVEN

Holistic Profitability. Committed to Longevity.

CONSCIENTIOUS

Inclusive. Prioritizing People, Trust, and Well-being.

HUMAN-CENTERED COMMUNITY

Longevity-Focused and Wellbeing-Centric Designed Communities

INNOVATIVE AND INQUISITIVE

Ahead of the Curve.
Pioneering.

LONGEVITY

Nurture Longevity for people and the built environment.

ENTREPRE-
NEURIAL AGILE

Disruptive. Curious.

VALUE-DRIVEN

Holistic Profitability. Committed to Longevity.

CONSCIENTIOUS

Inclusive. Prioritizing People, Trust, and Well-being.

HUMAN-CENTERED COMMUNITY

Longevity-Focused and Wellbeing-Centric Designed Communities

INNOVATIVE AND INQUISITIVE

Ahead of the Curve.
Pioneering.

THE PARTNERS

THE PARTNERS
WALID EL HINDI
Partner
A Senior Executive with over 26 years of experience, Walid is a founding partner in Bluegate and leads the Real Estate consultancy and advisory business. Prior to Bluegate, he held the positions of Group CEO for Northacre and CEO of Real Estate at Shuaa Capital, where he managed USD 14 billion of Real Estate Assets in the UK, UAE, and Saudi Arabia. In his experience, Walid established IMKAN Properties from inception to one of the leading developers in the region. With a portfolio of 30 million sqm of land, 26 projects globally valued at over AED 100 billion, and offices in the UAE, Egypt, and Morocco, he has established IMKAN Properties as one of the leading developers in the region. In addition to his roles as CEO, Walid held the positions of a board member with Northacre London, Astrea Asset Management, IMKAN Misr, and HHRM, an international hotel management company. In his previous role with Emaar Misr as the Chief Development Officer, Walid led an international large-scale portfolio of developments valued at more than $15 billion, where he led its IPO process until its listing in 2015. His previous experience included working for AECOM and Ellness Swenson Graham Architects. Walid also taught Architecture for six years as an Adjunct faculty member at the University of Minnesota, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture degree.
KARIM EL GUANAINI
Partner
Karim has over 22 years of experience in hospitality, marketing, and business development. As a founding partner in Bluegate, Karim leads the creation and execution of Sales, marketing, and communication strategies, as well as brand strategies and activations. Before founding Bluegate, Karim led the Business Development and Commercialization Vertical for Miral Asset Management, where he developed and executed the strategic plans for Destination Yas Island’s local and global sponsorships and local/international partnership programs. Karim’s experience also included working for Aldar, one of the leading real estate companies in the UAE and the region, where he was responsible for overseeing Marketing activities for Yas Island, Aldar Academies, Aldar Marinas, and Ferrari World, Abu Dhabi. His experience included working in the hospitality industry and leading the food and beverage verticals for reputable hospitality hotels such as the Four Seasons, Hilton, and Le Meridien, to name a few. Karim attended the University of Les Roches, Switzerland, where he studied Hotel Management. He holds an MBA in International Hospitality from the Glion Institute of Higher Education, specializing in Marketing and Innovation. He speaks three languages: English, French, and Arabic.
ANDREW DULL
Executive Director, Design
Andrew is the Executive Director of Design and Research at Bluegate, bringing over two decades of design leadership to the company. He employs a research-driven process to develop projects, challenging his team and consultants to create principled work. Andrew has worked on ambitious commercial and residential projects in the Middle East, MENA, and Europe as Design Director at IMKAN and SHUAA Capital. Before working in the Middle East, Andrew was a designer at in the United State for VJAA and HGA architecture firms and Design Director at Snow Kreilich Architects, winner of the 2018 AIA Firm of the Year award. He has worked on a wide range of project types, including concert halls, baseball stadiums, higher education facilities, private and multi-family residences, many of which have won Local and/or National AIA awards. Additionally, Andrew was an Adjunct Faculty at the University of Minnesota’s College of Design. He holds a degree in Art from Luther College and a Master’s Degree in Architecture from the University of Minnesota’s College of Architecture.