Hazem Ben-Gacem has invested €500,000 in Tunisian fashion brand, LYOUM which will be used to accelerate its international expansion plans with new product ranges. Established in 2011 by a French and Tunisian couple (Claire and Sofiane Ben Chaabane), LYOUM has been an emerging player on the Mediterranean apparel and design market. This funding will enable the company to double its workforce and push expansion outside of Tunisia. LYOUM, which has two boutiques in Tunisia at La Marsa and Tunis el Menzah, has also managed successful ‘pop-up’ shops in Paris and London and has a very effective international online sales market.

Hazem Ben-Gacem is the co-CEO of Investcorp which is a well-known private equity firm with activities in the Middle East and Europe with assets under management of over US$25 billion. It has recently launched a private banking operation based in the Gulf, MENA and Asia. Hazem has lead a significant number of Investcorp’s private equity investments in Europe and the USA.