Draft:Michael Lahyani

Michael Lahyani is a Swiss-Emirati entrepreneur, CEO, and business strategist renowned for founding Property Finder, the proptech portal in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Early Life and education
Born and raised in Switzerland, Lahyani pursued a Bachelor’s degree and an MBA in Finance from HEC Lausanne. His early career commenced at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Geneva, which laid the groundwork for his entrepreneurial journey. After Identifying a gap in the property advertising market in Dubai as early as 2005, Lahyani made a pivotal move from Switzerland to Dubai. In recognition of his significant contributions and impact on the local economy, Lahyani was later granted Emirati citizenship.

Career
In 2005, Michael Lahyani moved from Geneva to Dubai, founding Al Bab World, marking the UAE's entrance into printed real estate classifieds, which later evolved into Property Finder.

In 2007, the venture underwent a digital transformation and rebranded as propertyfinder.ae, with an investment from REA Group LTD. During the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, Lahyani acquired complete ownership from REA Group.

From 2012, under Lahyani's direction, Property Finder saw substantial growth, entering 5 new MENA markets, innovating different products, and securing a notable investment of 120M USD from General Atlantic in 2018, while leading strategic acquisitions and investments, such as in Zingat in Turkey.

Awards and honors

 * 100 Inspiring Leaders in the Middle East
 * Top CEOs MENA by Forbes 2023