Early Life
Samih Sawiris was born on January 28, 1957, in Sohag, Egypt, into a Coptic Christian family. His father, Onsi Sawiris, was a construction magnate. Samih excelled in his studies, receiving an Engineering Diploma in Engineering Management from the Technical University of Berlin in 1980. During his youth, he enjoyed the beach life in Alexandria and also trained in his father's company.
Rise to Success
Sawiris began his entrepreneurial journey by founding the National Marine Boat Factory in the early 1980s. He expanded into tourism and real estate, establishing Orascom Projects for Touristic Development in 1996 and Orascom Hotel Holdings in 1997. These entities merged in 2007 to form Orascom Development Holding AG (ODH). Under his leadership, ODH developed numerous holiday resorts in Egypt, Montenegro, and Switzerland, including the flagship El Gouna resort. Sawiris acquired a 12.5% stake in Swiss football club FC Luzern in 2011 and invested in the online hotel booking platform Bidroom in 2017. He also acquired Thomas Cook (Germany) in 2019.
Key Business Strategies
Sawiris focused on creating integrated resort communities and blending luxury tourism with community integration. He stepped down as Chairman of Orascom Development Holding in December 2021, and handed control to his son, Naguib Samih Sawiris, while retaining a significant stake. Sawiris has also been noted for decentralizing and empowering local managers within Orascom.
Philanthropy
Samih Sawiris is a founder and board member of the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development (SFSD), established in 2001. He plans to donate approximately 30% of his fortune to charitable causes.