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Moguls Unite: 12 Egyptian Business Magnates Who Made It Globally!

egypt Egyptian Businessmen
Moguls Unite: 12 Egyptian Business Magnates Who Made It Globally!
written by
Cairo 360
Via Cairo West Magazine Via Wamda

Even with the appropriate vision and resources, starting a successful business in Egypt is definitely not a walk in the park. As difficult as it is, though, what is even more challenging is standing your ground and maintaining the success of a business you’ve built from the ground up.

Case in point, some of Egypt’s very own business heads did not stick to making a name from themselves in Egypt’s local business world—they also strove hard to thrive in other countries overseas. You simply can’t not appreciate these Egyptian pioneers, so we know you’ll be more than happy to peruse through a list dedicated to the best of them!

1-     Mohamed Al-Fayed

To this day, the Alexandrian magnate that is Mohamed Al-Fayed is winning numerous business conquests. His legacy began in the late ‘70s with the purchase of the Ritz Hotel in Paris. His other acquisitions include the major London-based department store Harrods, which he sold in 2010, and British football club Fulham F.C., which he owned from 1997 to 2013. Al-Fayed’s successes resulted in him making it to The Sunday Times UK’s Wealthiest Men list.

Via Britannica

2-     Ahmed Abou Hashima

The famed founder of Egyptian Steel, Ahmed Abou Hashima is a self-made phenomenon when it comes to business, on both national and international scales. When he was only 45, his Cairo-based steel empire successfully made it overseas. He’s also the founder of Egyptian Cement and Egyptian Media Group. If that’s not impressive enough, Abou Hashima also participated in New York’s New Egypt campaign in 2014. We predict a lot more business wins for him in the future.

Via Arabian Business

3-     Naguib Sawiris

Naguib Sawiris isn’t just a 67-year-old Egyptian visionary and billionaire, he’s also the eldest of three brothers, who have all impressively contributed to their family business. Naguib Sawiris is the former CEO and Chairman of Orascom Telecom Holding and managed to turn it into one of Egypt’s most diversified conglomerates. His endeavours didn’t stop there either, as he joined the business world of Europe in 2015 by buying a majority stake in ‘Euronews’ before selling it in 2021. Currently, Sawiris is considered one of Africa’s richest men.

Via The Arab Weekly

4-     Azza Fahmy

In a business world dominated by men, Azza Fahmy is an Egyptian jewellery designer who is now internationally renowned. Just like her designs, she inspired many people with her craft and her book ‘Enchanted Jewelry in Egypt” presented Egyptian culture like no other. In 2013, she founded ‘The Design Studio by Azza Fahmy’ in partnership with Alchimia, Contemporary Design School in Florence.

Via See News

5-     Samih Sawiris

Another descendant of Egyptian business’s first family is Samih Sawiris, the Egyptian businessman and billionaire, who is Orascom Development Holding AG’s former CEO and Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors. Among other achievements, he invested in Bidroom, a membership-based online hotel booking platform. His business glories are still going strong to this very day.

Via Business Today Egypt

6-     Hamed El-Chiaty

Tourism entrepreneur Hamed El-Chiaty owns the travel conglomerate Travco Group with his family. Not only was he accredited by Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism, but he also has held many positions related to the Supreme Council of Tourism and the Egyptian Hotels’ Association. With a glorious career filled with management and ownership roles of about 50 hotels and resorts in the Middle East, he is also a Supervisory Board Member of TUI AG, the leading tourism group in the entirety of Europe.

Via Travco Group

7-     Nassef Sawiris

The youngest of the Sawiris brothers, Nassef Sawiris is considered the second richest man in Africa with a net worth of USD 8.7 billion. In 1982, he joined the family business, Orascom Group, as its CEO right after his father, Onsi Sawiris, stepped down. More importantly, Nassef Sawiris acquired a stake in Adidas AG and, shortly after, was appointed Supervisory Director of Germany’s Herzogenaurach Adidas AG. His latest global business ventures include full ownership of Aston Villa F.C. in 2019.

Via Forbes

8-     Ahmed El-Sewedy

One of the most successful business tycoons in Egypt is Ahmed El-Sewedy, the CEO and President of the reputable El-Sewedy Electric S.A.E. As he led the family business, he has turned El-Sewedy Electric into Egypt’s largest worldwide provider of integrated energy solutions. Internationally speaking, this superbly-talented Egyptian is a board member in the German Chamber of Commerce as well as being the Chairman of the Egypt China Business Council. El-Sewedy also has a number of international business conquests under his belt, including the acquisition of three wind and one hydroelectric energy company in Greece. It’s important to note that El-Sewedy Electrics’ activities are spread across Egypt, Ghana, and Sudan.

Via Daily News Egypt

9-     Assem Allam

Assem Allam is an 83-year-old business mogul who’s most famed for being an industrial generator manufacturer. One of his admirable business achievements is that he was the former owner of EFL Championship club Hull City, but he didn’t stop there. Assem Allam’s most impressive hit as a businessman was founding Allam Marine Limited and, notably, taking it to the international success it enjoys today. Furthermore, he also made it to Sunday Times’ Rich List 2010.

Via BBC

10- Raouf Ghabbour

Egypt’s highly-respectable business guru and the man behind the success of Ghabbour Auto is none other than the one and only Raouf Ghabbour. His enterprise is now the MENA manufacturer of many well-known car brands such as Hyundai and Volvo. Ghabbour Auto, AKA Ghabbour Group, is considered a leading automotive distributor in the Middle East and North Africa—a no-brainer considering Raouf Ghabbour is the brains behind the operation.

Via Enigma Magazine

11- Mohamed Mansour

The scion of the Mansour family, Mohamed Mansour is doubtlessly a metaphorical landmark in the business world. Making it to the Forbes List in 2019, Mansour has led the company since the passing of his father. He has also overseen the building of close ties with some prominent companies, such as Chevrolet and General Motors. This is all without mentioning that he has various business ventures that include the chain of the famous superstore, Metro, and is the sole franchisee of McDonald’s in Egypt.

Via Waya Media

12- Pakinam Kafifi

An inspiring successful woman in a male-dominated field, Pakinam Kafifi is an energy expert who takes immense pride in being the CEO of the multinational TAQA Arabia, utilising her 24 years of exceptional experience in the field to its fullest. Under her leadership, TAQA Arabia’s excellent performance was improved by fifteen per cent. It’s important to note that Kafifi didn’t just make it to the Forbes List of the Middle East’s Power Businesswomen in 2021—she ranked at number thirty-one. Kafifi also made significant contributions to Dar Al-Orman, which makes her even more of an inspiring figure in our eyes.

Via Enterprise Press

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