Fernando Fanton; Source: LinkedIn

Dubai-based real estate marketplace Property Finder has announced the appointment of Fernando Fanton as CPTO. He joined the company in June, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Fanton joins Property Finder from Munzo Bank, where he was chief product officer. Earlier in his career, he was CPTO at both Latin America-based ‘super app’ Rappi and delivery app Just Eat.

He is also a founding partner in Brazil-based Karvi, an auto marketplace for used cars in Latin America.

Fanton has a bachelor of applied science degree in engineering and computer science from the Technical Institute of Buenos Aires and an MBA in finance and marketing from the Wharton School. He was also a finalist at the Math Olympics XXI in 2001.

Fanton’s responsibilities at Property Finder will include designing and executing a long-term product and technology strategy and creating, launching and managing new products and services.

Earlier this month, the company revealed that it had raised $250 million in debt financing.

Samhaa El-Beltagy; Source: LinkedIn

Egypt-based real estate marketplace Nawy has announced the appointment of Samhaa El-Beltagy as its first chief AI officer. 

She will be responsible for designing and implementing the company’s AI strategy and ensuring that its use of AI remains ethical and responsible.

El-Beltagy steps into the position after a long and varied career in tech. In 2018, she co-founded AIM Technologies, an AI company founded in 2018 to provide businesses with software to help process and respond to customer feedback.

In addition, she has held the role of head of research and development at Optamatica, been a professor at Cairo University and was the founding dean of the school of information technology at Newgiza University.

Nawy was founded in 2019 by CMO Abdel-Aziz Osman, CBDO Ahmed Rafea, COO Mohamed Abou Ghanima, CCO Aly Rafea and CEO Mostafa El-Beltagy.

It raised $75 million in funding — $52 million in Series A equity and $23 million in debt — in May of this year. 

In July, the company entered the Gulf Market through its acquisition of a majority stake in Dubai-based SmartCrowd, a fractional real estate investment company.

Haidy Elmasry; Source: LinkedIn

Egypt-based Contact Financial Holding, the parent company of auto marketplace ContactCars.com, has promoted Haidy Elmasry to chief HR officer. 

Elmasry will be responsible for aligning HR strategy with business objectives and overseeing recruitment, talent management and employee relations, among other functions. She joined the company in February 2022.

Elmasry has more than 20 years of experience across a number of industries, including financial services and oil and gas. She has PhDs in HR and business administration and diplomas in financial technology and psychological job engineering. 

Contact Financial Holding has seen major c-suite changes this year, appointing a new CEO, group director of transformation and chief credit officer.

Its operating income rose by 30% year on year to EPG475 million ($9.5 million) in Q1 2025, while net income soared by 306% to EGPT59 million according to the company’s financial reporting. 

Working closely with Dubai-based auto marketplace DubiCars, AutoData reported a 42% year-on-year increase in listings during H1 2024. 

The number of listings for electric vehicles rose by 25%, with EV demand up 10%. During the same period, demand for hybrid vehicles increased by 22%.

AutoData also revealed that used cars took an average of 25 days to sell in Saudi Arabia in January. In the UAE, this figure stood at 40 days. 

In April, these figures dipped to 14 days in the UAE and 13 in Saudi Arabia, likely driven by Ramadan and Eid promotion deals, AutoData said. By the end of H1, the average number of days in the UAE had rebounded above 40 in the UAE and to 30 in Saudi Arabia.

Source: AutoData

The CFC is a prominent mixed-use commercial, shopping and entertainment complex located in the New Cairo area. 

Dubizzle was initially launched in Egypt in 2013 before rebranding as OLX in 2015 when OLX Group and Emerging Markets Property Group (EMPG) combined in the region. The brand’s name was changed back to Dubizzle Egypt in 2023. 

Dubizzle Egypt’s verticals include jobs, property, automotive and general goods, as well as such services as maintenance, cleaning and tutoring.

Dubizzle Egypt is part of Dubizzle Group, which operates in the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia.