Naguib Sawiris, an Egyptian businessman and politician, is worth $2.9 billion.
Prior to commencing a full-fledged political career in May 2011, he held the positions of executive chairman at Wind Telecom and Orascom Telecom Holding (OTH).
Naguib Onsi Sawiris, who was born on 15 June 1954, started his professional journey by joining Orascom, the largest private-sector employer in the country, in 1979.
Sawiris was responsible for the establishment and construction of the railway, as well as the IT and telecommunications sectors of Orascom. He also assumed control of OTH after the conglomerate was divided into various companies. In 2005, he founded Weather Investment, which was later renamed WIND Telecom.
After five years, he merged his phone assets with VimpelCom Ltd., Russia’s second-largest mobile phone operator, for a value of approximately $6.5 billion.
After Egypt’s uprising against President Hosni Mubarak in 2011, he established the Free Egyptians Party as a liberal politician.
He has been a vocal opponent of the Muslim Brotherhood and established himself as a staunch supporter of liberalism.