Speaker profile

Hamza Farooqui
Millat Investments

Hamza Farooqui is a businessman, advisor and entrepreneur who has actively invested in and managed assets for over 20 years. His sectors of expertise are real estate, technology, hospitality and financial services.

Hamza Farooqui is a pioneer in the African satellite radio player market, growing Worldspace to be a dominant industry player, and influential in building the regulatory framework. He was instrumental in the company listing on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange, and raising US$240 million of new capital.

He excels in Mergers & Acquisitions and led the acquisition of WorldSpace's satellite assets, generating a 10x return to investors within 24 months. These assets are now valued at over $120 million.

Hamza Farooqui founded Cii Holdings which spanned numerous sectors including financial services, real estate, retail and broadcasting. Spotting a market opportunity, Hamza developed a niche in Islamic themed financial and lifestyle products, leading to great commercial success.

He distributed original, English-language, Islamic lifestyle content internationally and launched several highly successful Islamic financial services products (Old Mutual Albaraka Equity Fund and the Old Mutual Balanced Life Fund) with Old Mutual. These funds currently have ZAR 2.5 billion AUM.

His early business ventures established him as one of Africa's leading entrepreneurs and led to numerous business awards and nominations from South Africa and Dubai to Pakistan.

Most recently, Hamza Farooqui concluded a successful and high-profile deal to bring the global hotel brand, Hyatt, to Cape Town.