Early Life
Naguib Sawiris was born on June 15, 1954, in Cairo, Egypt, into a Coptic Christian family. He is the eldest son of Onsi Sawiris, the founder of the Orascom Group. He received his early education at the German Evangelical School in Giza and later earned a degree in mechanical engineering and a master's in technical administration from ETH Zurich.
Rise to Success
Sawiris joined his family's business, Orascom, in 1979, contributing to the company's growth and diversification. He built the railway, information technology, and telecommunications sectors of Orascom. Sawiris played a key role in transforming Orascom into a telecom powerhouse, expanding across Africa, Europe, and Asia. He led the split of Orascom into separate operating companies in the late 1990s. He was appointed chairman of La Mancha Holding in August 2012.
Key Business Strategies
A significant move was the sale of his stake in telecommunications companies to VimpelCom for over $4 billion in 2014. In 2015, Sawiris acquired a majority stake in the pan-European television channel Euronews. In 2016, he founded Ora Developers, which has real estate developments and hospitality projects in more than seven countries. Sawiris is also the chairman of Orascom TMT Investments, which has stakes in an asset manager in Egypt and Italian internet company Italiaonline.
Philanthropy
Naguib Sawiris is actively involved in philanthropy, particularly through the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development. The foundation focuses on education, healthcare, and community development in Egypt.
