Majid Jafar

Majid Jafar is a prominent, global rare disease advocate and philanthropist with a strong commitment to driving positive social change in healthcare and education, with extensive networks and interests in business, investment and philanthropy in the US, Europe and the Middle East.

Mr. Jafar is the co-founder, with his wife Lynn, of the Loulou Foundation, a private non-profit foundation dedicated to advancing science and treatments for CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder (CDD), a rare neurogenetic disorder that affects their eldest daughter, Alia. The Loulou Foundation has funded important research projects at leading universities and institutions in the US, Europe and Asia, with a total of over 60 projects at 45 different institutions.

He serves as the Vice-Chairman of the Crescent Group and CEO of Crescent Petroleum, the core oil & gas company that founded the group. He is also the Board Managing Director of Dana Gas (PJSC), a leading publicly listed natural gas company in the Middle East. Prior to this, he gained international oil & gas experience at Shell Exploration & Production and Shell Gas & Power.

Beyond his professional roles, Mr. Jafar serves on several influential non-profit boards, including the Queen Rania Foundation, Kalimat Foundation, the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED), and the Iraq Energy Institute. He is also a member of the Board of Fellows at Harvard Medical School, the Panel of Senior Advisers at Chatham House, and the International Advisory Boards of The Prince's Trust International and The Atlantic Council. He was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.  Mr. Jafar holds a degree in Engineering (Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics) from Cambridge University, an MA in International Studies and Diplomacy from SOAS, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.