CIPE Mourns Passing of Egypt Program Director Randa ElZoghbi

CIPE mourns the recent passing of Egypt Program Director Randa ElZoghbi, revered for her leadership and innovation in developing public policy excellence programs, partnerships to unleash small business and entrepreneurship potential, and economic reforms in the region.

“Randa was among CIPE’s longest serving employees. She was a resource for the entire organization and a friend to all, due to her vast knowledge and experience, as well as her mentorship of staff. We not only feel her loss on a professional level, we feel her loss on a personal level, and extend our deepest condolences to her family,” said CIPE Executive Director Andrew Wilson.

Since joining the organization in 1996, ElZoghbi has been an important presence at CIPE and among the business community in Egypt, as she worked to advance the voice of the private sector in building

market institutions that reflect values of competitiveness, fairness, and transparency.

Over the years she and her Cairo-based team have worked with local and national business associations, chambers of industry, economic policy institutes, media institutions, international organizations, and public sector institutions to carry out a multitude of well-known and ground-breaking initiatives that have been replicated around the world. These include programs to support capacity building and policy advocacy, corporate governance and citizenship, business integrity, civic education, youth entrepreneurship, and economic resilience amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Randa’s extensive knowledge of enterprise ecosystems and institutional change, grounded in her understanding of local cultures and business environments, have been instrumental in CIPE’s ability to grow its networks, empower the private sector, and drive initiatives that expand economic opportunity for all,” said CIPE Middle East and North Africa Regional Director Greg Simpson, who is also a longtime colleague. “Above all, Randa was a convener of people and groups. She had an uncanny ability to identify and match up expertise and experience where it could have the most impact. And she understood that there are common goals to be found among even the least likely partners, given enough time and interaction to build trust.”

Before joining CIPE, ElZoghbi worked with several multi-national firms and organizations, including Egypt’s Social Fund for Development, the U.S-Saudi Joint Commission, Pfizer, Padco, and the Institute for Arab Research and Studies. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Economics and Political Science from Cairo University in 1976 and holds a number of licenses and certifications, including Public Policy Leadership Credentials issued in 2021 from the Harvard Kennedy School’s Executive Education program.