About

TAKWEEN is a company registered under the Ministry of Trade & Industry, Department of Commercial Registration, Cairo Governorate. It is a shareholding company that falls under law 159 from the year 1981, with three board members and four associates. The company is registered on 28/07/2009 for a period of 25 years ending in 27/07/2034

WHO WE ARE

TAKWEEN, an urban development company, established in 2009 in EGYPT in response to a foreseen growing demand for innovative urban solutions in a world where it is predicted that by 2030, 80% of the world’s inhabitants will be living in urban centres. Takween’s Team specializes in the development of integrated packages and solutions that on the one hand complement the efforts of tackling urban challenges while at the same time preserving the urban fabric that makes cities unique.

WHAT WE DO

We provide our services to clients with a mission to ensure that environmentally, culturally and socially responsive architectural and urban design solutions lead to inclusive cities. The disciplinary services we offer range from carrying out research & documentation to implementation, programme development and capacity building/training development.

The projects we are keen to participate in fall under urban planning, rehabilitation, urban development & upgrading, and heritage conservation & management.

Throughout all our work, TAKWEEN embraces a participatory approach, which is interpreted over activities, like workshops, focus groups, discussion sessions and meetings that we do with stakeholders and community. We always aspire, through these activities, to explore different viewpoints and underlying potentials. There are tools, among many we adopt in TAKWEEN, to be acquainted with community needs and to share alternatives and come up with decisions.

WE ALSO BELIEVE THAT...

Change is about a ‘Process’ not a ‘Product’

A ‘Process’ that is incremental, dynamic, reversible and catering for human inventiveness.

No Zero in development
Capitalising on community assets, community participation and capacity building.

No ‘Sustainability’ without ‘Institutional Change’
Social, economic and environmental sustainability can only be achieved through institutional change and good governance.

WHOM WE WORK WITH

We work with local and international entities. That includes ministries, local government entities, NGOs, CSOs, donors, CSR, private sector, universities, or any other active bodies in the field of urban development or integrated community development.

TAKWEEN has worked over the past years with prominent international organizations, including UNESCO - World Heritage Centre, UNDP, UNCHR, UN-Women, UN-Habitat, Agence Française de Développement (AFD), GIZ, Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Centre (NOREF), LAVUE-Laboratoire Architecture Ville Urbanisme-CNRS, European Investment Bank, British Museum, Swiss Embassy, Relief International, American University (Washington D.C.) and USAID.

OUR TEAM

PARTNERS

Kareem Ibrahim

CEO / Partner

Sherine Zaghow

Operations Director / Partner

Nevine Akl

Architect / Design Manager / Partner

Kareem Ibrahim is one of the four founding partners and CEO of Takween Integrated Community Development, a Company now celebrating over 10 years in business. Headquartered in Cairo, Egypt, Takween has grown and developed the reputation as “experts” in participatory urban design, upgrading and development; heritage conservation and management; and urban policy research. Currently, Takween has a staff of over 50 architects, urban planners, researchers, and
conservation experts.

Kareem Ibrahim is an Egyptian architect and urban researcher who graduated from Cairo University in 1995. In 1997, he worked on UNDP’s Historic Cairo Rehabilitation Project. He then worked for Aga Khan Cultural Services-Egypt as the Built Environment Coordinator (1997-2010) of the Darb al‑Ahmar Project, one of Cairo’s most ambitious urban revitalization programs. Between 2010 and 2017, he worked as Senior Development Manager for Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate - one of Cairo's largest real estate development projects.

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Sherine Zaghow is the Operation’s Director for Takween for Integrated Development and is also one of the four founding partners of the company. Sherine is responsible for the oversight and management of Logistics, Procurement, and HR to ensure the successful implementation and completion of all Projects.

With over 20 years’ experience working in both development and humanitarian filed prior to her current role, she held many senior management positions with a number different international NGO’s working both in Egypt and outside Egypt (Kosovo, Afghanistan, Colombia, Iraq, Yemen, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and the United Kingdom), with the most recent position of Regional Director for Relief International for the Middle East from 2016-2019. Sherine is a graduate of the American University in Cairo and holds a Master’s degree from the University in Amsterdam in Anthropology.

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Nevine Akl is an Architect and a Planning & Design Unit Manager at Takween and is one of the four founding partner's of Takween Integrated Community Development. Nevine is a licensed architect that has 20 years of experience working on historic areas projects. She holds a Master of urban development degree from Cairo University, Faculty of Engineering.

Nevine has worked for international development organizations and architectural firms. She has proven a track record working with governmental agencies and NGOs in development and implementation over a range of different aspects including planning, architecture, low-cost housing, public works and infrastructure, urban and public spaces design, cultural tourism and community and socio-economic development. Nevine’s career has covered a wide range of architecture packages and urban studies production for different historic areas as Al-Darb Al-Ahmar, Bab Al-Azab and surrounding neighborhood - The Citadel, Bulaq Abo-El-Ela and other historic Cairo areas in Cairo. Outside Cairo, she has worked on the Hassan Fathy -New Gourna Village, Esna City in Luxor Governorate and the Shutb Village in Asyut Governorate. In addition, she has worked on monuments and registered buildings like Wekalet El-Jiddawi in Esna City.

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SENIOR MANAGEMENT

Heba Shoaib

Project Manager

Heba Shoaib is a Project Manager at Takween ICD. She is an architect/urban designer and academic. She earned her M.Sc. in Landscape Design and Environmental Planning from Scuola Superiore Di Catania in Italy in 2007, and her Ph.D. in Urban Design and Community Development from Cairo University in 2015.

Heba has over 15 years of experience in the field of architecture and urban design, working as an architect/urban designer in a number of architectural firms, including CDC (Community Design Collaborative) Abdelhalim I., Zoheir Fayez Partners, and A2G2 Architects. She has led multiple urban upgrading projects at Takween with a range of international agencies, including UNHCR, UN-Women, UNDP, and GIZ, in the areas of public space design, development of natural heritage sites, and upgrading of informal settlements.

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Ingy Halim is the Acting Finance Director for Takween for Integrated Development since Jan 2021 and prior to this was the Finance Manager for Takween’s biggest USAID funding project. In her positions Ingy is managing the financial actions of the company/projects to ensure that the financial reports are accurate and completed in a timely manner. Ingy holds a Certificate of Management Accountant (CMA) from the Institution of Management Accountants (IMA).

With over 15 years’ experience working in diverse financial positions in both corporate and development fields prior to her current role, she managed several projects funded from various donors (USAID, EU & GIZ) in addition to her role in managing corporates related financial aspects, financial planning as well as analyzing the corporate's financial strengths and weaknesses and proposing corrective actions.

Ingy Halim

Finance Director

Sara Abd Rabo is an Operations Manager at Takween for Integrated Development since June 2020. Sara has worked in the Operations field for the past 19 years; she holds Bachelor of Commerce from Alexandria University and she holds Certification In Procurement and Supply operations (CIPS 2)

Sara has worked for a number of entities from the United Nations, International NGO’s as well as in other International private sector companies. Sara has experience in Logistics, Supply Chain, Procurement and Administration and 2013 she was part of a large program that worked during the Syrian emergency, where she was managing the procurement for the Refugees in Egypt.

Sara Abd Rabo

Operations Manager