Naguib Sawiris captured world headlines in 2015, when he offered to buy an island from Greece or Italy to settle refugees fleeing the war in Syria. Neither country took up his offer. Sawiris built his fortune – a net worth of 3.3billion euros – in telecom. In December 2016 he stepped down as CEO of Cairo-based Orascom Telecom Media & Technology (OTMT). In the wake of the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, Sawiris, was the founder of the Free Egyptians Party (Al Masreyeen Al Ahrrar). Sawiris is the recipient of numerous honorary degrees, industry awards and civic honors, including the “Legion d’Honneur“ (the highest award given by the French Republic for outstanding services rendered to France).