MECSC announces new board of trustees

The Middle East Council of Shopping Centres (MECSC) today announced that three women have been elected to its board of trustees. This marks the first time in the organisation's 19-year history that a woman will join the board.

The three female appointees are: Maimunah Soliman Shebani, marketing manager, the Zubair Corporation and President of the Oman Retail Association; Salma Shasha'a, leasing and marketing manager, the Abdali Boulevard Company; and Nada Saleh Al Ateegi, general manager, Kingdom Centre.

In addition to the three new female appointees, nine new board members have also been elected, they are: Rashid Doleh, co-founder and partner, mSquared Shopping Centres; Avijit Yadav CMD, CSM, CDP, general manager marketing & operations, GLA Property Management Company W.L.L; Ehab Mahmoud Kamel, general manager of retail leasing, The Pearl Qatar; Salman Albaiz, executive director and member of the board of directors, Granada Center; Magejana "Geji" Masilela, COO - malls, KINAN International Real Estate Development; Joseph Cremesty, managing director and founding partner, Retail Consulting Group ("RCG"); Sajid Sayed, general manager, Giordano Fashions, LLC; Simon Wilcock, CEO, Arabian Centres; Shane Eldstrom, CDP, CLS, CSM, director of development, National Real Estate Co.

"Behind every strong association is a strong board of trustees, and these 12 individuals will ensure that MECSC continues to be the premier shopping centre association in the region," stated David Macadam, chief executive officer, MECSC. "These new trustees have a vast and diverse background in the retail real estate industry and I, along with the current board members, look forward to working with them during their term," Macadam added.

The board of trustees' primary responsibility is to assist MECSC in the implementation of its mission statement, which is to provide educational programmes on all aspects of shopping centre development, finance, management, marketing, and other specialised areas of professional interest; conduct meetings and other programmes designed to promote the exchange of ideas among members; and to advocate the interests of the shopping centre industry throughout the Middle East.