# Tarek Sherif

> Tarek Sherif co-founded Medidata Solutions in 1999 and served as its chairman and CEO before the company became part of Dassault Systèmes in 2019 in a transaction valued at approximately $5.8 billion. His career spans finance, enterprise software, investing and civic work in New York. Medidata currently lists him as Founder & Life Sciences Sector Advisor.

- **Role:** Founder & Life Sciences Sector Advisor at Medidata Solutions; Co-Chair at Partnership Fund for New York City
- **Organizations:** Medidata Solutions, Dassault Systèmes, Partnership Fund for New York City, Ryght, Students on Ice, Yale University Council
- **From:** Cairo, Egypt
- **Education:** BA in Economics, Yale University, MBA, Business Administration and Finance, Columbia Business School
- **Known for:** Co-founded and led Medidata through its 2009 IPO and 2019 acquisition., Named to Forbes’ America’s Most Innovative Leaders list in 2019., Co-chairs the Partnership Fund for New York City.

## Career timeline

- **1962** — Born in Cairo, Egypt.
- **1968** — Moved to the United States with his family at age six.
- **High school** — Started a house-painting business with a friend and hired classmates.
- **1984** — Graduated from Yale; subsequently trained at Brown Brothers Harriman.
- **1991** — Earned an MBA at Columbia; subsequently worked at GE Capital, a family office and as an independent investor.
- **1999** — Co-founded Medidata with Glen de Vries and Edward Ikeguchi.
- **2001** — Began serving as CEO, according to his 2017 LEADERS biography.
- **2009** — Became chairman; Medidata went public in June.
- **2019** — Dassault Systèmes completed the approximately $5.8 billion Medidata acquisition in October.
- **2021** — Moved into the sector board chairman role at Dassault Systèmes.
- **2024** — Ryght announced him as an investor and advisor on October 29.

## Achievements

- Co-founded and led Medidata through its 2009 IPO and 2019 acquisition.
- Named to Forbes’ America’s Most Innovative Leaders list in 2019.
- Co-chairs the Partnership Fund for New York City.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — A New York City announcement for the fourth Environmental Tech Lab identified Sherif and Neil Blumenthal as Partnership Fund board co-chairs.
- **2024-10** — Ryght announced Sherif as an investor and advisor.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarek-sherif-071b2812/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/tarek-sherif
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-15