The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) has been assigned a Chief Executive Officer. The post went to Member of Parliament Gihane Zaki who is also Professor of Egyptology.
Dr Zaki has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2021, and serves on its Foreign Relations Committee.
She is an academic with an impressive record: a professor of Egyptology and ancient civilisations, and a researcher at CNRS-La Sorbonne University. She is one of the 120 scientists who serve as members of the Institut d’Egypte, an institution that was founded by Napoleon in 1798 during his military campaign in Egypt.
Dr Zaki also led the Egyptian Art Academy in Rome in 2012, during a time of turmoil in Egypt on account of the so-called Arab Spring and the consequent rise of Islamist power.
Among her credentials, Dr Zaki has some 30 years of work in Egypt’s government, during which she was Director of the International Organisations Department of the Ministry of Culture, National Focal Point for the UNESCO Convention for the Protection of Cultural and Natural Heritage, General Director of the Organisation of the Salvage of Nubian Monuments, and international expert/member of the scientific board of the UNESCO advisory body ICCROM in Italy.
Dr Zaki is known for her significant advocacy for African women and youth, and has been honoured by France, Italy, Sharjah (UAE), and Egypt.
Watani International
28 May 2024