Roland Berger promotes 4 to Managing Director and welcomes 8 new leaders

Global strategy consulting firm Roland Berger has strengthened its top ranks in the Middle East with four new Managing Directors, and added eight to its broader leadership team.

The newly appointed Managing Directors have extensive expertise across key industries, including energy, sustainability, public sector, digital, and transportation, and will support the firm’s Middle East growth agenda.

Michael Caracache has been with Roland Berger since 2010. The Head of its Public Sector and KSA Country Senior Partner, he specializes in national transformation programs, economic growth strategies, real estate and infrastructure projects across the region.

Nizar Hneini is Head of the Digital and Services platform and Qatar Country Senior Partner. He has over two decades of experience in digital transformation, corporate venturing, and technology programs. Hneini has been with Roland Berger since early 2024.

Tobias Schoenberg is a longtime Roland Berger veteran, having been with the consultancy since 2001. He has a strong focus on strategic development and transformation engagements, with a focus on the mobility, logistics and aviation sectors. Schoenberg serves as Head of the Industrials Goods and Transportation practice.

Vatche Kourkejian has been Roland Berger in the Middle East since 2007, advising Gulf Cooperation Council governments and national champions in driving the energy and utilities sector transformation, while balancing the climate change, localization and economic development agendas. He is Head of the Energy & Sustainability practice.

“With nearly 60 years of combined experience at Roland Berger, our new Managing Director team brings deep, hands-on consulting experience,” said Santiago Castillo, member of the Middle East and EMEA Leadership teams.

“This strength reinforces our unwavering dedication to helping clients navigate, and lead, the region’s ambitious transformation journey. Their experience, drive and perspective will be instrumental as we continue to grow with our clients.”

Eight new leaders onboard

In a major recruitment drive to grow its leadership team, Roland Berger has also added eight senior professionals to its Middle East team:

Bilal Rammal (Partner) joins the Regulated and Infrastructure platform in Dubai. Rammal brings over 15 years of industry and consulting experience, with a strong focus on the government and public sector across the GCC. He has led socio-economic and spatial development initiatives, particularly in the KSA and the United Arab Emirates.

André Sleiman (Director) joins the Regulated and Infrastructure platform in Riyadh. He joins with 14 years of experience in waste and resource management, public sector reform, and governance advisory. He has led large-scale environmental and regulatory initiatives across the West Asia and North Africa region, most recently as Senior Governance Expert at Idom Consulting.

Aysha Alhashmi (Director) joins the Regulated and Infrastructure platform in Abu Dhabi. She brings over 20 years of experience across energy, defense, tourism, and strategy. At Masdar, she spearheaded the business support function for Masdar’s Clean Energy directorate and served on multiple boards. Most recently, she has played a pivotal role at ADNOC’s Executive Office, where she helped advance strategic initiatives.

Diane Harfouche (Principal) joins the Regulated & Infrastructure platform in Riyadh. She brings 15 years of experience across sustainability, ESG, and strategy consulting. Harfouche has advised sovereign wealth funds, mega projects, and government entities on ESG programs, circular economy, and reporting standards, contributing to national and sectoral sustainability agendas.

Feym Fliegner (Principal) joins the Digital and Services platform in Dubai. With a background of six years in strategy and growth consulting at McKinsey & Company, Fliegner has driven commercial and AI-enabled transformations across telecom, technology & media and consumer sectors. Most recently, at Żabka Group, he played a key role in launching their q-commerce and e-grocery platform and supporting their 2024 public offering.

Haytham Honjol (Director) joins the Regulated and Infrastructure platform in Riyadh. With more than 16 years of experience in consulting and industry, Haytham specializes in strategy, transformation, and enterprise risk. He was most recently Chief Strategy Officer at Ceer, Saudi Arabia’s first electrical vehicles brand, and previously held leadership roles at the Public Investment Fund (PIF).

Hugo Carreira (Principal) joins the Digital and Services platform in Qatar. He brings 18 years of experience in digital, innovation and technology advisory for public and private sector clients. As head of the regional AI Center of Excellence and AI Tech Lab, he accelerates AI adoption through use case validation, sovereign LLM integration, and cross-sector implementation across service, utilities, energy, and smart cities.

Kamil Kasprowicz (Principal) joins the Operations platform in Dubai. He brings 15 years of consulting and executive leadership, with deep expertise in transportation, logistics, and supply chain management. He rejoins Roland Berger following positions as CEO of Baur Hermes Fulfilment and Regional Head for Southern Europe at Hermes Fulfilment Group.

Commenting on the new hires, Torsten Henzelmann, Head of EMEA at Roland Berger, said: “The expansion of our leadership team in the Middle East is more than a growth milestone for our company, it is a clear reflection of Roland Berger’s long-term commitment to this dynamic and strategically vital region.”

Founded in 1967 in Germany, Roland Berger is one of the world’s leading strategy consultancies, and one of the few with non-American roots. The company has been based in the Middle East for over two decades, currently operating with offices in Dubai, Beirut, Doha, Manama and Riyadh.