Michel Barakat
Senior Director @ Strategy& | Financial Services | AI
The move
MoveKearney → Strategy&
TitleSenior Manager → Senior Director
LocationUnited Arab Emirates → United Arab Emirates
Career arcRecent arrival
Cross-border moveNo — same country
Native languageFrench
Years in UAE7.4
Total experience15.3 years
Strategy& headcount1,001-5,000 employees
Strategy& industryBusiness Consulting and Services
Strategy& HQNew York, NY
Strategy& founded2014
Strategy& typePrivately Held
Career arc
- Senior Director2023 — Present
Strategy&· United Arab Emirates, Canada· Permanent Full-time - Senior Manager2019 — 2023
Kearney· United Arab Emirates, Canada· Full-time - Senior Quant2018 — 2019
BlackRock· Switzerland· Contract - Strategy & Product Manager2017 — 2018
Cboe Vest· Switzerland· Contract
- Equity Derivatives Quant2012 — 2015
Julius Baer· Switzerland· Contract Full-time - Senior Consultant2010 — 2012
SunGard Financial Systems· Netherlands· Full-time
- Software Engineer2009 — 2010
IMC Trading· Netherlands
- Software Engineer Intern2008 — 2008
Opera· Norway· Full-time
- Software Engineer Intern2007 — 2007
Google· Norway· Full-time
Education
- American University of BeirutBachelor of Science (BSc) · Computer SciencePresent
- INSEADMaster of Business Administration (MBA) · Finance and EntrepreneurshipPresent
- University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton SchoolMBA ExchangePresent
- Østfold University College (HiØ)Master of Science (MSc) · Machine LearningPresent
Languages
- Dutch · Elementary
- German · Limited working
- French · Native or bilingual
- Arabic · Full professional
- English · Full professional
Top skills
Electronic TradingTransformationTeam ManagementMachine LearningPublic PolicyProduct Management
About
I support public and private organizations across the financial services sector in achieving their strategic objectives. As a trusted advisor to boards and C-suite executives, I specialize in establishing new organizations, optimizing operating models, and leading large-scale transformations. Beyond strategy, I bring deep, hands-on expertise in quantitative finance, artificial intelligence, and software engineering. This enables me to bridge strategy and implementation, helping organizations translate AI-driven insight into scalable, production-grade solutions, operational impact, and sustainable long-term value creation.