Company Profile
Al Masah Capital Limited ("Al Masah") is an exempted company incorporated with limited liability in the Cayman Islands. It provides alternative asset management and advisory services to institutional and individual investors. Al Masah intends to launch and manage private equity funds, real estate funds and listed equity funds focused on the Middle East and North Africa ("MENA") region. It has established Al Masah Capital Management Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary in the Dubai International Financial Centre, regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority under a category 3 license. Al Masah has also been given approval by Luxembourg's CSSF to operate an asset management company that will manage a master fund which deploys multi-asset investment strategies.
Al Masah believes there are tremendous investment opportunities in the MENA region. These opportunities result from supportive macro economic and demographic fundamentals, potential to restructure family-owned businesses, local companies' intention to expand regionally and consolidation prospects in certain sectors.
Al Masah was founded by Shailesh Dash. He previously established and spearheaded the private equity activities of Global Investment House in Kuwait. During his five year tenure as Head of Alternative Investments, Global Investment House ("GIH") became the 16th largest private equity business in Asia (as ranked by PEI Asia in June 2009).
According to a press release by Global Investment House dated January 2009, Shailesh and his team were managing US$3.2 billion AUM, had invested in 55 Private Equity transactions and had achieved a gross IRR of 61% on the invested capital (that includes track record of all unlisted funds). According to another press release by Global Investment House dated July 2009, Shailesh and his team had managed 16 exits generating a gross IRR of around 67% as of December 2008. The 16 exits included 12 IPOs and 4 trade sales. During Shailesh's tenure at Global Investment House, the private equity business received a number of awards, including Terrapinn Middle-East Private Equity Fund of the Year 2007 and 2008 and Terrapinn Middle Market Deal of the Year 2008.*