Onsi Sawiris
Encyclopedia
Onsi Sawiris is an Egyptian
businessman. He was estimated to be worth approximatively $2.9 billion according to Forbes
in 2011. He is the patriarchal head of the Sawiris Family
. The name Sawiris is alleged to be the Arabic/Coptic equivalent for the Latin
/Roman
Severus
, but such connection was rejected by Sawiris himself.
In his early business career, he was disenchanted with the socialist government of Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser
. He was prevented from leaving the country for six years in the 1960s. After a spell in Libya
, he returned to Egypt during the more business-friendly regime of the following Egyptian president, Anwar Sadat
. He and his three sons, all educated in Europe and the United States They resumed their activities in Egypt with full force over the past three decades under the government of Hosni Mubarak
and its liberal business policies.
He founded the Orascom conglomerate
, whose various construction, telecommunications and tourism, science and technology and industry companies are run by his three sons, Naguib Sawiris
, Nassef Sawiris
, Samih Sawiris
. Orascom is involved in tourism development
, telecommunication
s, construction
and other fields.
Egyptians
Egyptians are nation an ethnic group made up of Mediterranean North Africans, the indigenous people of Egypt.Egyptian identity is closely tied to geography. The population of Egypt is concentrated in the lower Nile Valley, the small strip of cultivable land stretching from the First Cataract to...
businessman. He was estimated to be worth approximatively $2.9 billion according to Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
in 2011. He is the patriarchal head of the Sawiris Family
Sawiris Family
Sawiris Family is an Egyptian Coptic family that owns the Orascom group of businesses including telecommunications, construction, tourism, industries and technology.Onsi Sawiris , now retired, is the patriarch of the family....
. The name Sawiris is alleged to be the Arabic/Coptic equivalent for the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
/Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
Severus
Severus
Emperors in the Severan dynasty*Septimius Severus , Roman Emperor from 193 to 211*Alexander Severus , Roman Emperor from 222 to 235*Flavius Valerius Severus , Roman Emperor from 306 to 307Other individuals...
, but such connection was rejected by Sawiris himself.
In his early business career, he was disenchanted with the socialist government of Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was the second President of Egypt from 1956 until his death. A colonel in the Egyptian army, Nasser led the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 along with Muhammad Naguib, the first president, which overthrew the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan, and heralded a new period of...
. He was prevented from leaving the country for six years in the 1960s. After a spell in Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
, he returned to Egypt during the more business-friendly regime of the following Egyptian president, Anwar Sadat
Anwar Sadat
Muhammad Anwar al-Sadat was the third President of Egypt, serving from 15 October 1970 until his assassination by fundamentalist army officers on 6 October 1981...
. He and his three sons, all educated in Europe and the United States They resumed their activities in Egypt with full force over the past three decades under the government of Hosni Mubarak
Hosni Mubarak
Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak is a former Egyptian politician and military commander. He served as the fourth President of Egypt from 1981 to 2011....
and its liberal business policies.
He founded the Orascom conglomerate
Orascom group
The Orascom Group is an Egyptian conglomerate, established in 1976. The success of ventures within the Orascom Group as well as the other sectors of the company led to the management decision in 1997 to split Orascom into separate operating companies: Orascom Telecom Holding , Orascom Construction...
, whose various construction, telecommunications and tourism, science and technology and industry companies are run by his three sons, Naguib Sawiris
Naguib Sawiris
Naguib Onsi Sawiris is an Egyptian businessman and politician. He was executive chairman of the telecommunications companies Wind Telecom and Orascom Telecom Holding before turning to politics in May 2011...
, Nassef Sawiris
Nassef Sawiris
Nassef Onsi Sawiris is an Egyptian businessman and billionaire the youngest of the three sons of Onsi Sawiris, the other two being Naguib Sawiris and Samih Sawiris...
, Samih Sawiris
Samih Sawiris
Samih Onsi Sawiris is an Egyptian businessman and billionaire and second of three sons of Onsi Sawiris, the other two being Naguib Sawiris and Nassef Sawiris. He is the executive Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of Orascom Development, part of the Orascom group of companies...
. Orascom is involved in tourism development
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, telecommunication
Telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
s, construction
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
and other fields.
See also
- Orascom Telecom Holding S.A.E.
- Orascom Construction Industries (OCI)Orascom Construction Industries (OCI)Orascom Construction Industries or Orascom Construction Industries SAE is a leading Egyptian EPC contractor, based in Cairo, Egypt and active in more than 25 countries. OCI was established in Egypt in 1950 and owned by Onsi Sawiris...
- Orascom Hotels and Development (OHD)Orascom Hotels and Development (OHD)Orascom Hotels and Development is a hotel group managed by Samih Sawiris, one of the sons of Onsi Sawiris and is part of the Orascom group of companies.It operates hotels throughout Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates....