Onsi Sawiris

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Onsi Sawiris (Unsi Sawires, Arabic: أنسي ساويريس) is an Egyptian businessman, estimated to be worth approximatively $8.5 billion with his family, according to Forbes [1]. Part of the fortune rests in a joint venture with Swiss cement giant Holderbank. The result: Orascom Construction controls over 15% of Egypt's cement market.

He founded the Orascom conglomerate, whose construction, telecommunications and tourism divisions are run by his three sons. Other companies he owns include El-Gouna spirits (which was then bought by Heineken) and Orascom Trading. Orascom is involved in tourism development, telecommunications, construction and other fields. Orascom Telecom Holdings is pioneer in the telecommunication section with operations in Egypt, the middle east and asia. His latest telecommunication project was the acquisition the third largest Italian Wind Telecomunicazioni S.p.A.. The total value of the transaction was €12.138 billion. 51% of Orascom Telecom Holding was then transferred to Weather Investments Which controls 100% of Wind Telecomunicazioni S.p.A.. The transaction took place in June 2005.

Orascom Telecom has over 50 million users in its operational countries (excluding the 15 million in Italy). He is also a practicing Coptic Orthodox Christian.

"The Guardian" has noted that Nadhmi Auchi had helped Orascom Telecom (which owns Djezzy GSM) gain a contract to set-up mobile phone networks in post-Saddam's Iraq [2]. (see Clearstream about Auchi)