Cashback services startup WaffarX has appointed Kevin Johnson (LinkedIn) as its chairman, according to a company statement (pdf). Johnson spent nine years at the helm of e-commerce firm Ebates, which was sold to Rakuten in 2014 for US 1 bn, and also served as CEO of online learning platform Udemy. Johnson has also made an undisclosed personal investment in WaffarX — his first in a startup outside the United States. The company says Johnson will “play a core role in accelerating WaffarX’s expansion, developing its platform and reach.”

Director Amr Ramses will helm next year’s Cairo International Film Festival, according to a statement (pdf) out yesterday quoting festival president and star actor Hussein Fahmy. Ramses worked as an assistant director under renowned filmmaker Youssef Chahine and made the internationally noted documentary Jews of Egypt and the feature film Cairo Time. He was artistic director of the Gouna Film Festival for five years. His series “Colors of the Sea,” starring Khaled El Nabawi and Aisha Ben Ahmed, is scheduled to air soon.