Helm CEO Amena ElSaie Wins AUC’s 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award

The American University in Cairo (AUC) has named Amena ElSaie, CEO and Co-Founder of Helm, as a recipient of its 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award, honouring graduates who have demonstrated exceptional professional achievement and societal impact.

ElSaie co-founded the AUC-born initiative Helm in 2012 while still a student. What began as a campus project has since grown into one of the region’s leading organisations advancing disability inclusion across the Middle East and Africa.
Today, Helm works with more than 500 companies and institutions across sectors and operates in five countries beyond Egypt, having enabled over 10,000 persons with disabilities to access employment, education, and development opportunities, while also reshaping accessibility standards across public and private spaces.

Its impact spans infrastructure and heritage sites, with more than 1,500 accessibility assessments and landmark projects including contributions to improving accessibility at the Grand Egyptian Museum in partnership with JICA, as well as Karnak Temple. In transport, Helm developed early accessible metro station models at Cairo University and Faisal stations, frameworks that have since informed newer metro infrastructure nationwide.

In education, ElSaie supported the establishment of 27 university disability service centres across Egypt in partnership with USAID and Amideast, strengthening inclusion within higher education institutions. Her work has also contributed to broader national momentum on disability inclusion, including Egypt’s 2018 designation as the Year of Persons with Disabilities.

Beyond AUC’s recognition, ElSaie has been named a Top 10 winner in the Africa’s Business Heroes competition among more than 21,000 applicants, while Helm has received four Zero Project Awards at the United Nations for its work advancing disability inclusion.