Category: Business & Economy

Mohamed Alabbar – Middle East Personality of the Year : Dubai, UAE

Mohamed Alabbar (aka) Mohamed Ali Rashid Alabbar – Emirati businessman –

Organisations:

  • Founder and Chairman – Emaar Properties ( incl. Burj Khalifa (world’s tallest building), Dubai Creek Tower, Dubai Opera (2000 seat), Dubai Marina, Emirates Hills
  • Noon – a USD 1 billion start-up working in the entire Middle East region
  • Chairman – Eagle Hills
  • Chairman – Americana Group (includes KFC, Pizza Hut )..
  • Chairman – Hamptons , MENA
  • Chairman – Armani Hotels and Resorts
  • etc…

Education:

  • Graduate Degree – The Albers School of Business & Economics, Seattle University
  • Ph.D – Honorary Doctorate (Humanities), Seattle University

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United Arab Emirates

World’s 4th Longest Bridge : Sheikh Jaber Causeway, Kuwait : May 2019

The Shieikh Jaber Causeway is the 4th longest bridge in the world.

Named after Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah who ruled during the Gulf war.

About 80 percent of the sea-bridge is over water and connects Kuwait City to Subiya where a USD 100 billion dollar mega-city is being built.

The drive around the bay usually takes over an hour, but with bridge’s construction completed, it shortens to less than 20 minutes.

The USD 2.6 billion causeway was designed by Paris based engineering and consulting group ‘Systra’. Lead by a consortium of South Korea’s ‘Hyundai Engineering & Construciton Co.’ and Kuwait’s ‘Combined Group Contracting Company’.

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Kuwait

Siemens Gamesa – First Blade Manufacturing Plant In Africa & ME : November 2017

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) established its rotor blade manufacturing plant mid- october in Tangiers Automotive City, a free-trade zone.

The plant offers wind turbine blades and is the first such facility in Africa and the Middle East.

The project allows the development of a good ecosystem in the ‘renewable energy industry’.

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Morocco

Shamal Steel Arch Bridge, Ras Al Khaimah – World’s Longest Steel Bridge : March 2019

Shamal Steel Arch Bridge , Ras Al Khaimah, UAE is now the World’s longest steel bridge , certified by Guinness World Records.

It is planned to handle 2,000 vehicles per hour and includes a life expectancy of 104 years without any maintenance.

The bridge is a part of the second phase of Emirates Road as envisaged by the Ministry of Infrastructure, UAE

The former record was held by Poland’s 26m long bridge

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Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Saudi University, Tops 4th Rank Globally in the field of ‘Patents’ : 2019

King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran – received 225 patents in 2019.

Achieving the 4th position on the Global list 100 Universities for the number of patents granted in the U.S. last year.

This announcement was presented in the annual classification report released by US National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association.

The Fourth ranking was preceded by the University of California (631), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (355) and the University of Texas (236).

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Saudi Arabia

Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber – Billionaire Businessman and Philanthropist

Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber – Businessman – Founder, Chairman and CEO – MBI Group

Companies include:

  • Jadawel International Construction & Development – residential compounds in Saudi Arabia
  • Continentoil – oilfield services and petroleum company
  • AJWA Group for Food Industries – shareholder
  • JJW Hotels & Resorts
  • Amarante , 4 star hotels in France, Portugal and Egypt
  • Median , 3 star hotels in France
  • Grand Hotel, Vienna, Austria
  • Palais Corso, Vienna’s shopping & office complex
  • The Elton Collection, London
  • list not complete

Philanthropy :

  • MBI Al Jaber Foundation, UK registered charity – focus in the fields of education, cultural dialogue and good governance

Other/s :

  • Founding Patron and Donor of the ‘London Middle East Institute’ at SOAS
  • Endowed Chair – MBI Al Jaber Chair in Middle East Studies, at SOAS, University of London
  • MBI Al Jaber Building, Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford
  • The MBI Al Jaber Grand Hall, University of Westminister

Board/s:

  • Advisor Board, Middle East Centre, London School of Economics (LSE)
  • Nominated as UNESCO’s Special Envoy – Personal Representative for ‘education, human rights, tolerance and culture to build peace and democracy

Book:

Sheikh Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber. Yes, Arabs can too

Honours & Awards :

2002.  Awarded Honorary Fellowship at the School of Oriental and African Studies

2004.  Awarded Doctorate of Letters from University of Westminster

2004.  Awarded Honorary Degree, Doctor of Science, from City University, London

2005.  Appointed UNESCO Special Envoy for Education, Tolerance and Cultures

2005.  Awarded UNESCO Medal on the occasion of the organisation’s 60th anniversary

2005.  Awarded a Gold Medal by the French Government for services to Tourism and Culture.

2007.  Awarded Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation Gold Medal

2007.  Appointed UN Spokesperson for Global Forums on Reinventing Government

2008.  Nominated as Trialog Institut “Person of the Year”

2008.  Appointed Chairman of Mediterranean Peace Forum

2010.  Awarded Honorary Fellowship at University College London

2012.  Awarded ISESCO (Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Gold Medal

2013.  Awarded a Senatorship by MODUL University

2017.  Received Dialogue of Cultures Award

Others:

  • Listed in Bloomberg Billionaire Index – n.194 – 2018
  • Listed in Sunday Times Rich List – n. 18 – May 13th, 2018

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Saudi Arabia

Issad Rebrab – Algeria’s Billionaire Businessman

Issad Rebrab – Founder & CEO – Cevital .

The 6th person listed in the Forbes 2020 African Billionaire Ranking.

A leader in food processing industries.

Cevital is the holding company. Algeria’s biggest privately held company. Own one of the largest sugar refineries in the world.

Other subsidiaries are :

  • Samha Home Appliances (Samsung Electronics)
  • Mediterranean Float Glass
  • Cevitas Minerals
  • Baticompos
  • CeviAgro
  • Nolis SpA
  • Hyundai Motor Algeria (HMA)
  • COGETP (Compagnie Générale des Équipements de Travaux Public) -Volvo and SDLG (China)
  • Associated Car & Truck Specialists (ACTS)
  • Prainsa Cevico Algeria
  • Metal Sides
  • Profilur
  • Evcon
  • Cogetp
  • Cevicar – Car Renting
  • Future Media
  • Cevital Minerals
  • Numilog
  • Numidis

Global Acquisitions:

  • Groupe Brandt – French Home Appliances
  • Luchini – Italian Steel Maker
  • German Water Purification Company
  • Oxxo – France (Premade window and door systems)
  • Alas – Spain (Window and door aluminium frames)

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Algeria

IM’Hungry : World’s Largest Burger Restaurant – Saudi Arabia : December 2019

IM’ Hungry, Jeddah , Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest burger restaurant.

It has an area of 2,860 sq.m (30,784 feet) almost the size of 11 tennis courts.

Burgers are served with only fresh, non-frozen meat daily. The menu ranges a variety of dishes.

The record attempt took place in Jeddah on December 12th, 2019 and was certified by Guinness World Records.

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Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Internationally Celebrated Kuwaiti Haute Couture Designer – Yousef Al Jasmi

Yosef Al Jasmi . Couturier. Designer and Owner – Yousef Aljasmi Haute Couture and Youef AL-jasmi.

Celebrities who have adorned and graced his creations read like a Who’s Who . Some of them are Beyonce, Paris Hilton, Naomi Campbell, Maria Menounos, Khloe Kardashian, Lady Gaga, Nawal, J.Lo, Zendaya, Taylor Swift etc. etc…

www.yousefaljasmi.com

pix : Yousef Aljasmi / en.vogue.me

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Kuwait

Nassef Sawiris – Egypt’s Billionaire Businessman

Nassef Onsi Sawiris – Businessman in Construction and Chemicals. Youngest of the 3 brothers Naguib Onsi Sawiris and Samih Onsi Sawiris. Children of businessman baron Onsi Sawiris

Business Interest/s

  • CEO – Orascom Construction Industries (OCI), one of the world’s largest nitrogen fertilisers producer with plants in Texas and Iowa. Trades on the Euronext Amsterdam Exchange
  • Orascom Construction – Trades on the Cairo Exchange and Nasdaq Dubai
  • Holdings include stakes in the cement giant Lafarge Holcim
  • Holdings include stakes in Adidas AG . Supervisory Board Member of Adidas AG, Germany

Sports :

  • Joint Owner : Aston Villa FC , British Football Club

Other/s :

  • Board of Directors – Cairo Stock Exchange ( 2004-2007)
  • Board of Directors – Alexandria Stock Exchange ( 2004 – 2007)
  • Board of Directors – Dubai International Finance Exchange (DIFX) (2008-2010)
  • Member – Cleveland Clinic’s International Leadership Board
  • Member – University of Chicago’s Board of Trustees

Education:

B.A. – Economics , University of Chicago

Philanthropy :

  • Donated USD 6 million to Chicago Booth School of Business
  • Donated USD 24 million to aid Egyptian studends and fund an executive education program (2019)

Scholarship Fund:

  • Onsi Sawiris Scholar Program (in honour of his father Onsi Sawiris) – 2015

General :

  • Listed in Forbes List of Billionaires 2020
  • Listed in Africa’s Billionaires of 2020
  • Fourth Richest African – Forbes 2019

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Egypt