Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree on Wednesday, August 5, appointing Ahmad Rouwad Mohammad Bashar Ramadan as director-general of the Syrian Investment Agency, succeeding Talal al-Hilali.
The decree, which was based on the Constitutional Declaration and Decree No. 114 of 2025 concerning amendments to certain provisions of the Investment Law, stipulated that all provisions conflicting with Ramadan’s appointment decree would be repealed.
Al-Hilali had been appointed director-general of the Syrian Investment Agency under a similar presidential decree on June 22, 2025. The decree was published on July 9 of the same year and was also based on the provisions of the Constitutional Declaration.
Who Is Ahmad Rouwad Mohammad Bashar Ramadan?
According to the Syrian Arab News Agency, SANA, Ahmad Rouwad Mohammad Bashar Ramadan is considered an emerging investment figure in Syria’s business sector.
Since January 2026, he has served as president of the Syrian Council for Coordinating Joint Business Councils at the Ministry of Economy and Industry, where he was tasked with organizing the work of Syria’s joint business councils with countries around the world.
He previously served as vice president of the Syrian Turkish Business Council from its official establishment in August 2025.
Ramadan continues to serve as executive chairman of the board at İsra Holding Company in Turkey, which specializes in real estate development, construction, energy and investment funds. His photograph appears on the company’s website as part of its board team, identifying him as the company’s chief executive.
Who Is Talal al-Hilali?
Al-Hilali served as director-general of the Syrian Investment Agency from June 22, 2025.
He is the owner, chief executive, and chairman of al-Hilali Group in the United Arab Emirates. He has also served as vice chairman of the Industrial Sector Group at the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry since January 2015.
He previously served as regional technical sales manager at Wacker Chemie AG.
Al-Hilali earned a master’s degree in business administration, specializing in strategic management, from the American University of Sharjah in 2006. He received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the same university in 2001.
Al-Hilali Previously Acknowledged Project Delays
At a dialogue conference with the private sector held at the Conference Palace last June, al-Hilali acknowledged that some projects could face delays because of several factors, according to a report published by Enab Baladi. These included:
- Outdated laws.
- The nature of projects requiring lengthy periods of study.
- Differences in the pace of work among the relevant authorities.
Responding to participants’ questions about whether the Syrian Investment Agency could provide all government services to any investor seeking to establish a project in Syria as quickly as possible, al-Hilali said the agency would be able, within two months, to provide more than 80 percent of government services to investors.
Al-Hilali said the lack of sufficient information constitutes an obstacle for investors, noting that such data is provided by the relevant authorities in the governorates and the ministries responsible for each sector. He added that activating projects requires cooperation with the ministries and relevant public bodies, since any service provided to an investor that involves a public entity must be coordinated with and approved by that entity. This, he said, would help accelerate procedures and enable investors to carry out their projects more effectively.