Naguib Sawiris

Naguib Onsi Sawiris (or Sawires; Arabic: نجيب اُنسى ساويرس [næˈɡiːb ˈʔonsi sæˈwiːɾɪs]; Coptic: Ⲛⲉⲅⲓⲃ Ⲟⲛⲥⲓ Ⲥⲉⲩⲏⲣⲟⲥ [sæˈwɪɾos]; born 15 June 1954) is an Egyptian billionaire businessman. Sawiris is chairman of Weather Investments's parent company, and the former chairman and CEO of Orascom Telecom Holding.[2]

Naguib Onsi Sawiris
نجيب اُنسى ساويرس
Naguib Sawiris, 2009
Born (1954-06-15) 15 June 1954
Cairo, Egypt[1]
NationalityEgyptian
Alma materSwiss Federal Institute of Technology Cairo University
Known forOrascom Investment Holding S.A.E.
Spouse(s)Ghada Gamil Sawiris
Children4
Parent(s)
RelativesNassef Sawiris and Samih Sawiris (brothers)

Early life

Born on June 15, 1954, in Cairo, Egypt, to businessman Onsi Sawiris (founder of Orascom Group) and Yousriya Loza Sawiris, Naguib is the eldest of three brothers. His brothers, Nassef and Samih, are also billionaires.[3] Naguib received a Diploma from the German Evangelical School in Giza, as well as a Diploma of Mechanical Engineering with Master's degree in Technical Administration from ETH Zurich.

Career

Since joining Orascom, the family business in 1979, Sawiris has contributed to the growth and diversification of the company into what it is today one of Egypt's largest and most diversified conglomerates and the country's largest private sector employer. Sawiris built the railway, information technology, and telecommunications sectors of Orascom. Management decided to split Orascom into separate operating companies in the late 90s: Orascom Telecom Holding (OTH), Orascom Construction Industries (OCI), Orascom Hotels & Development and Orascom Technology Systems (OTS).[4]

In August 2012, Sawiris was appointed chairman of La Mancha Holding.[5]

In early 2015, Sawiris bought a majority stake in the pan-European television channel Euronews. He remained as the main shareholder until beginning the process of selling his stake to Alpac Capital in December 2021.[6]

In September 2015, he offered to buy an island off Greece or Italy to help hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing the Syrian conflict. However, he conceded the plan could face challenges in terms of jurisdictions and customs regulation.[7]

In December 2016, Sawiris resigned as the CEO of Orascom Telecom Media & Technology.[8]

Personal life

Sawiris is married and has four children. He lives in Cairo. He speaks Arabic, English, German and French.

As of 2021 Sawiris was listed in Forbes magazine as the 8th richest person in Africa, with a personal wealth of $3.2 billion.[9]

Sawiris is Coptic Christian.[10]

References
  1. Neal, Mark (16 May 2019). A Dictionary of Business and Management in the Middle East and North Africa. ISBN 978-0-19-252755-4.
  2. "Naguib Sawiris eyes 51% of state-owned gold mining company". Egypt Independent. 23 February 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  3. Graham, Emma (6 May 2020). "Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris sees oil at $100 in 18 months, says he would buy airlines". CNBC. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  4. "About - Orascom Investment Holding". orascomih.com. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  5. "Home". lamancha.com. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  6. "Egyptian billionaire Sawiris to sell stake in Euronews to Portugal's Alpac Capital". The National. 18 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  7. "Egypt billionare [sic] offers to buy island for refugees, wants to name it 'Independence' | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis". 4 September 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  8. "Egyptian businessman Naguib Sawiris resigns as CEO of Orascom Telecom Media & Technology - Economy - Business". Ahram Online. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  9. "Naguib Sawiris". Forbes. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  10. "Naguib Sawiris: 'If God wanted women to be veiled, he would have created them with a veil' - Arabianbusiness". Archived from the original on 11 November 2019.
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