Nassef Sawiris

Nassef Onsi Sawiris, born 19 January 1961 in Aswan, Egypt, is the youngest of the three sons of Egyptian industrialist Onsi Sawiris (his brothers are Naguib and Samih Sawiris). He was educated at the Deutsche Evangelische Oberschule Kairo and earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Chicago in 1982, the same year he joined the family's Orascom group. He is a Coptic Christian, married to Sherine Sawiris, with four children. As of early 2026 he is the richest person in Egypt, with an estimated net worth of roughly US$8.5 billion.

Sawiris took management control of Orascom Construction from his father in 1995 and became CEO of Orascom Construction Industries upon its incorporation in 1998. He built the business into a major construction and fertilizer enterprise, and in January 2013 became CEO of OCI N.V. after the group acquired its former parent, OCI SAE, listing the company in Amsterdam. Over more than two decades he grew OCI into one of the world's largest nitrogen-fertilizer and chemicals producers. He has since pursued a major divestiture program — reportedly selling roughly $12.8 billion in cement assets and $11.6 billion in fertilizer assets — and on 3 March 2026 OCI announced he intends to step down as executive chairman at the next AGM, citing other professional commitments. A proposed OCI/Orascom Construction merger to consolidate under the Orascom banner in Abu Dhabi was halted by a Dutch court in January 2026 over minority-shareholder concerns.

Beyond his operating companies, Sawiris invests through NNS Group, a single-family office founded in 2016 (originally in Limassol, Cyprus) that manages his Orascom- and OCI-derived wealth — estimated at around $3.5 billion in assets. NNS invests directly and through funds across public equities, venture and growth opportunities, real assets and strategic stakes. His most prominent strategic holding is a ~6% stake in Adidas AG, acquired via NNS Holding in 2015, which led to his appointment as a supervisory director in 2016.

Sawiris is also a major sports owner: in July 2018 he and US billionaire Wes Edens (through the NSWE/V Sports vehicle) bought a controlling stake in Aston Villa F.C., becoming sole owners in 2019. He has held numerous board roles, including LafargeHolcim, Besix, the Cairo and Alexandria Stock Exchanges, the University of Chicago Board of Trustees, the Council on Foreign Relations' Global Board of Advisors, and the Cleveland Clinic International Leadership Board.

• Founder-led, concentrated, long-term: NNS states it backs "rapidly growing, founder-led companies" and "builds significant stakes in a concentrated number of companies … acting as an engaged long-term investor and responsible shareholder."
• Multi-stage across one platform: Operates distinct venture, growth and public-equity "practices," aiming to back entrepreneurs "at every stage of growth" rather than a single round.
• Core sectors: Enterprise/industrial software, FinTech, Consumer, and Digital Health, with adjacent interest in energy transition, ClimateTech, AgriTech/FoodTech, PropTech and sports/wellness.
• Scale and patience: Deploys large, durable capital — reportedly ~$2B+ across 10+ technology/software/media companies in the US, Europe and China over roughly two years — and holds strategic positions (e.g., Adidas, MSG Sports) for the long run.
• Strategic, not passive: Leverages the Sawiris industrial network and board seats for proprietary deal flow and frequently co-invests alongside other GPs and partners (e.g., the Aston Villa partnership with Wes Edens).
• Geography: Primarily Europe, the Middle East and North America, increasingly anchored in the UAE (Abu Dhabi/ADGM).