Ahmass Fakahany is a business executive and global hospitality entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of Altamarea Group, a restaurant group with over 20 locations. Prior to that, he spent 21 years at Merrill Lynch, ultimately rising to President and Chief Operating Officer of the firm, where he oversaw operations in 40 countries and 63,000 employees.
Ahmass Fakahany was born in Cairo, Egypt. He left Egypt at the age of four and spent his formative years in Switzerland and England. At 17, he moved to the United States to pursue higher education and begin his career. [1]
He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the Questrom School of Business at Boston University, graduating summa cum laude in 1979. [2] He later received his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Columbia Business School. [2]
Ahmass Fakahany spent more than two decades at Merrill Lynch & Co., where he rose through a series of senior leadership positions over a 21-year career. He served as Chief Financial Officer, Vice Chairman, and later as President and Chief Operating Officer of the company, overseeing its global businesses and day-to-day operations in over 40 countries with 63,000+ employees. [3] [4]
In his role as President and COO, Fakahany worked closely with Merrill Lynch’s executive team during a period of significant expansion and change in the global financial services industry. [5] He retired from Merrill Lynch in 2007, concluding more than two decades with the firm. [3]
After retiring from Merrill Lynch, Ahmass Fakahany founded the hospitality firm Altamarea Group in 2009. In 2017, Inc. magazine named it one of the fastest-growing private companies in America. [6] As of 2025, the group has rapidly grown to own and operate over 20 restaurants worldwide, including New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Dubai, Istanbul, Riyadh, and New Delhi , including its flagship, Marea, in New York City. [6]
In 2019, Altamarea expanded internationally with Marea Dubai at the DIFC. The restaurant was included in the Michelin Guide for Dubai in 2022. [6] [7]
Altamarea’s portfolio includes fine-dining venues such as Ai Fiori and Osteria Morini in New York, as well as quality-casual Italian concepts like Nicoletta and Ristorante Morini in Washington, D.C., Miami, New York, New Jersey, Istanbul, and Riyadh. The group has also developed international concepts such as Mohalla, a modern Indian street-food restaurant, and 11 Woodfire, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Dubai. [6]
In 2022, the group opened 53, a contemporary Asian restaurant located in Midtown Manhattan. [8]
Also in 2017, Fakahany launched Atelier House Hospitality, a hospitality consultancy affiliated with Altamarea Group. [6]
Fakahany also serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees at Boston University, a role he assumed in September 2022. [9] [10]