BCG Expands its Roster of Middle East Partners to Meet Growing Market Demand

The global management consulting firm has boosted its Telecom, Energy, and Financial Services practices with a string of strategic partner appointments

Dubai, January 10, 2016 — In line with its mission to further accelerate its growth in the Middle East and solidify its market position in the region, The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has announced the appointment of three new partners spanning key priority areas. Effective immediately, David Panhans, Mirko Rubeis, and Ihab A. Khalil will each serve as Partner & Managing Director for the Telecom, Energy, and Financial Services/Principal Investors & Private Equity (PIPE) practices, respectively.

These new appointments come on the heels of an eventful year for the firm.

In May 2015, BCG added two new Partners & Managing Directors – Björn Ewers and Dr. Christopher Daniel – to its Middle East team. While Ewers is a member of the firm’s Energy practice, Dr. Daniel specializes in Public Sector projects.

In parallel, in October 2015, as part of its commitment to promoting the development and diversification of the Saudi economy, BCG announced the formal opening of its Riyadh office – its 82nd global office.

Today, the expansion of the firm’s partner group marks its steadfast dedication to strengthening its sector-specific expertise, widening its client portfolio, and driving new market growth in the region.

“Our talented, dedicated new partners each bring with them strong business acumen, vast operational and strategic experience, and in-depth insights into socio-economic trends currently punctuating the Middle East,” said Joerg Hildebrandt, BCG Middle East Managing Partner. “We are confident in their ability to enhance our clients’ businesses, tap into their most critical challenges using innovative solutions, and bolster BCG Middle East’s leadership prowess across priority practice areas.”

Hildebrandt also added, “We truly believe that, in their capacity as partners, they will be able to staunchly support and sustain our firm’s continued regional growth and expansion. After all, the Middle East is, today, one of BCG’s most important global markets.”

David Panhans’ international consulting experience spans more than 13 years. Today, as a core member of BCG's Technology, Media & Telecom practice, he specializes in corporate strategy development, large-scale business transformations, and operating model designs for leading clients across the telecom and media landscape.

Mirko Rubeis, a core member of BCG’s Energy practice, boasts over 15 years of experience in the Oil & Gas sector. He has been working in the Middle East for the past seven years. Today, Mirko is a recognized Oil Downstream expert; his specialty lies in Refining, Petrochemicals, and Fuel Marketing. Over the years, Mirko has supported his clients across Europe, the Middle East and Africa on a broad range of topics. These include strategy, corporate development, operational excellence, organizational effectiveness.

Over the past 14 years, Ihab A. Khalil, a core member of BCG's Principal Investors & Private Equity (PIPE) and Financial Services practices, has worked with a slew of regional investment institutions, sovereign wealth funds (SWFs), banks and family offices. He focuses on corporate and investment strategy formulation, asset allocation strategies, portfolio review and restructuring, due diligence and M&A support, large-scale transformations and corporate governance.