Ex-strategy consultant Basil Hovakeemian new CEO of Hala

Basil Hovakeemian, a former strategy consultant at Roland Berger in Dubai, has been promoted to Chief Executive Officer of Hala.

The new CEO has been with the taxi and mobility company since August 2019, when he switched over from a career in strategy consulting to help build the start-up. Founded in 2019 ss a joint between Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority and Careem, Hala enables people to book a Dubai Taxi through the Careem app.

Basil Hovakeemian came on board in the early days, appointed Strategy & Expansion, playing a key role in the growth of the business. Since its inception, Hala has seen tremendous uptake in the number of users, having broken through the milestone of ten million journeys last month.

According to a statement by Hala, Hovakeemian was responsible for the company’s strategic direction, helping bring affordable app booking to the city, and playing a key role in the company’s growth, a statement said. He now sees his trackrecord rewarded with promotion to the top role, taking over from Clemence Dutertre, who has moved over to Careem (part of Uber) to become a vice president.

“Since launch, Hala has been able to play a central role in connecting our city, providing a trustworthy booking solution for taxis in Dubai. I am extremely excited about our potential to bring Hala to more riders and business verticals…to have the opportunity to build from such a platform is a great privilege,” noted Hovakeemian.

The Hala taxi e-hailing service is available across several markets in the UAE, including Dubai, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah. According to the firm’s own website, customers get a booking confirmation in less than 10 seconds and get a taxi in an average of under four minutes.

Prior to spending three years with Roland Berger, a German-origin strategic consultancy with five offices in the Middle East, Hovakeemian worked seven years for consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble, where he latterly was a senior manager focused on the company’s product & packaging development.