Naguib Sawiris was born on the 17th June 1954, in Cairo, Egypt, and is an Egyptian businessman, best known as the Chairman of Weather Investments and of Orascom Telecom Media and Technology Holding S.A.E. Sawiris` started his career in 1979.
Have you ever wondered how rich Naguib Sawiris is, as of late 2016? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Sawiris’ net worth is as high as $3.2 billion, an amount earned through his successful career as a businessman. In addition to being one of the richest people in Africa, Sawiris is also a founder of the political party called Free Egyptians Party.
Naguib Sawiris Net Worth $3.2 Billion
Naguib Sawiris was born the eldest of three brothers with whom he grew up, a son of Onsi Sawiris who founded the Orascom Group. He studied at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, graduating in Mechanical Engineering with a Masters in Technical Administration. Sawiris also has a Diploma from the German Evangelical School, Cairo, Egypt.
Naguib joined the family business Orascom in 1979, and since then, he has helped the growth and diversification of the company, playing a significant role in making it one of Egypt’s biggest private sector employer, and the country’s most successful conglomerate. Among many things he did, Sawiris built the information technology, railway, and telecommunications sectors of Orascom, the successes of which led to separate operating companies in the ‘90s: Orascom Construction Industries (OCI), Orascom Telecom Holding (OTH), Orascom Hotels & Development and Orascom Technology Systems (OTS). His net worth was well established.
In 2011, his Orascom Telecom Holding merged with Wind Telecom, then in 2012 Sawiris became the Chairman of La Mancha Resources Inc., an international gold producer based in Canada with operations in Africa, Argentina, and Australia, and subsequently served on several Boards, councils and committees at both regional and international levels. Since 2005, has been a member of the International Advisory Committee of the NYSE Board of Directors (IAC). Sawiris is also a Board member of the International Advisory Board of the National Bank of Kuwait, a member of the Board of Trustees of the French University in Egypt, and a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs.
Naguib founded the Free Egyptians Party in the wake of the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, and he captured world headlines in 2015 when he offered to buy an island in Greece or Italy on which to settle thousands of Syrian refugees. However, the plan failed as Naguib admits that the terms of jurisdictions and customs regulation would be tough to obtain and handle.
Sawiris is a recipient of numerous honorary awards and recognitions including the “Legion d’Honneur”, the highest award given by the French Republic for his services to France. In 2011, he received the “Stella della Solidarietà Italiana” (Star of Italian Solidarity) for his contributions to the Italian economy.
Regarding his personal life, Naguib Sawiris is married to Ghado Gamil, and they have four children. He resides in Cairo, Egypt, and speaks Arabic, English, German, and French fluently. He is an Egyptian Christian and a member of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
