Samih Sawiris

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Samih Sawiris
سميح أنسي ساويرس
Sawiris in 2010
Executive Chairman and CEO of Orascom Development Holding AG
Assumed office
1998-
Chairman of El Gouna FC
Assumed office
2003-
Board member of FC Luzern
Assumed office
2011-
Personal details
Born (1957-01-28) 28 January 1957 (age 67)
Sohag, Sohag, Egypt
CitizenshipEgypt (1957-present)
Montenegro (2011-present)
RelationsNassef Sawiris and Naguib Sawiris (brothers)
ResidenceCairo, Egypt
EducationTechnical University of Berlin

Samih Onsi Sawiris (Arabic: سميح أنسي ساويرس, Montenegrin: Samih Onsi Saviris / Самих Онси Савирис; born 28 January 1957) is an Egyptian-born Montenegrin businessman, investor and billionaire[1] and the second of three sons of Onsi Sawiris, the other two being Naguib Sawiris and Nassef Sawiris. He is the former executive chairman of the board of directors and CEO of Orascom Development Holding AG.[2]

As of 2015, his net worth was estimated at US$850 million, which at the time made him the 26th richest person in Africa.[3]

Education and career[edit]

Sawiris received his Engineering Diploma in Engineering management from the Technical University of Berlin in 1980.[4]

He founded National Marine Boat Factory, followed by Orascom Projects for Touristic Development in 1996 and Orascom Hotels and Development in 1998; the latter two companies later merged to form Orascom Development Holding AG. He has served as CEO and chairman of Orascom Development Holding AG from its incorporation, and stepped down in December 2021.[5][6] His son succeeded him.[5][7] Through his organisation, Sawiris developed holiday resorts in Egypt and Switzerland.[8]

In 2011, he took a 12.5% stake in Swiss football club FC Luzern.[9][10] In 2017, he invested in Bidroom, a membership-based online hotel booking platform.[11]

In December 2019, he acquired Thomas Cook (Germany) through his Raiffeisen Touristik (RT) Group,[12][13] which he had bought 74.9% of its shares back in 2014.[14]

In December 2021, Sawiris stepped down as chairman of Orascom Development Holding and transferred his duties to his son, Naguib Samih Sawiris.[15]

Personal life[edit]

Sawiris became a Montenegrin citizen in 2011.[16] He is Coptic Christian.[17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ The World's Billionaires: #396 Samih Sawiris. Forbes. March 5, 2008.
  2. ^ "ORASCOM: Management Team". www.orascomdh.com. Archived from the original on 2010-04-18. Retrieved 2017-09-12.
  3. ^ "Samih Sawiris". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  4. ^ "TU Berlin richtet deutschen Campus in Ägypten ein" (in German). Informationsdienst Wissenschaft. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
  5. ^ a b "Egyptian construction tycoon Samih Sawiris to step down as Orascom's chairman". Reuters. 2021-12-14. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  6. ^ "Samih Sawiris steps down as chairman of Orascom Development Holding". The National. 2021-12-15. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  7. ^ "Samih Sawiris to step down as ODH chairman". Enterprise. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  8. ^ Lewis, Carol (2019-07-12). "Montenegro — the rising star of the Balkans". The Times. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
  9. ^ Egyptian investor for FCL
  10. ^ "Streit der Aktionäre im FC Luzern beigelegt". SWI swissinfo.ch (in German). Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  11. ^ Nsehe, Mfonobong. "Egyptian Millionaire Samih Sawiris Invests In Hotel Booking Startup, Bidroom.com". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  12. ^ "Egyptian billionaire Samih Sawiris acquires Thomas Cook Germany". Egypt Independent. 6 December 2019.
  13. ^ "Samih Sawiris acquires Thomas Cook's German franchise network". english.mubasher.info. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  14. ^ "Sensation: Samih Sawiris übernimmt 74,9 Prozent der RT/Raiffeisen Touristik Group". wochenblatt.de (in German). 3 March 2014.
  15. ^ Tabikha, Kamal (2021-12-15). "Samih Sawiris steps down as chairman of Orascom Development Holding". The National. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  16. ^ Keystone-SDA/ts. "Samih Sawiris granted honorary citizenship of canton Uri". SWI swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  17. ^ "Naguib Sawiris: 'If God wanted women to be veiled, he would have created them with a veil'". Retrieved 2021-09-24.


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