Washington, DC – Global private equity firm The Carlyle Group today announced it has established a team to conduct private equity investments in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA). The team is headed by Managing Director Walid Musallam, former Chief Executive Officer of the Abu Dhabi Investment Company. Mr. Musallam begins his duties immediately.

David M. Rubenstein, Carlyle Co-founder and Managing Director, said, "Walid brings significant experience and stature to this new position. His knowledge of the MENA region and investment experience will quickly establish Carlyle as a serious and credible presence in this important, growing region of the world."

Mr. Musallam said, "I am excited about this unique opportunity to lead Carlyle’s investment activities in a new and fascinating region. Carlyle’s global network and industry expertise are great differentiators that will benefit growing Middle Eastern and North African companies."

Carlyle’s MENA team will invest primarily in healthy, growing companies. From offices in Cairo, Dubai and Istanbul, the team will leverage Carlyle’s expertise in various sectors, including energy, financial services, healthcare, industrial, infrastructure, technology and transportation.

As Chief Executive Officer of the Abu Dhabi Investment Company, Mr. Musallam was responsible for the general management and strategy implementation of all business lines of a multi-billion financial institution involved in private equity, regional equity and debt capital markets, corporate finance and brokerage. From 2004 to 2006, Mr. Musallam was the Chief Executive Officer of Middle East Capital Group, a regional merchant and banking institution headquartered in Beirut, Lebanon.

From 1996 to 2004, Mr. Musallam was the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Washington, DC-based Infrastructure Finance Group LLC, which advised corporate clients on financings, acquisitions and strategic alliances in emerging markets and advised governments on restructuring and privatizing of state-owned facilities. He previously served as Senior Investment Officer at the International Finance Corporation in Washington, DC and Vice President at Lehman Brothers in New York and as a construction manager on several construction projects in the Middle East.

Mr. Musallam earned his M.B.A. from Columbia University, M.S. from Stanford University and B.S. from the University of Pennsylvania.