Mr. Hisham Zaazou has been the First Assistant to the Minister of tourism of Egypt since 2008. Mr. Zaazou has over 30 years of experience in the tourism industry including senior advisory roles in the public sector, as well as key operational roles in the private.

Mr. Zaazou started his extensive career in the tourism sector in 1980. His works started in North America with the R&H Tourism Co. where his success led him to manage the firms activities and lead its global expansion into Egypt. After 15 years with R&H, Mr. Zaazou held the position of General Manager of the Sakkara Travel Group for almost 10 years where he successfully tripled the firms revenue stream by kick-starting its global expansion into Europe and Asia. Mr. Zaazou’s success in the private sector led to his election as the Director General of the Egyptian Tourism Federation, and later to his appointment to public office as an Assistant to the Minister of Tourism, where he has served for over four years.

Mr. Zaazou serves on the Boards of various prestigious associations including the Egyptian Tourism Federation, Egyptian Tourist Authority, Tourism Development Authority, and Arab Tourism Organization, in addition to being a member of the UNWTO, amongst others

Mr. Zaazou holds a Bachelor degree in Commerce from the University of Ain Shams in Cairo and a Certificate for a Public Private Partnership Program from Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He is fluent in Arabic, English, and French.