Mohamed Mansour (businessman)
{{Short description|Egyptian businessperson and former politician (born 1948)}}
{{About|the Egyptian British businessman|other people with similar names|Mohamed Mansour (disambiguation){{!}}Mohamed Mansour}}
{{EngvarB|date=January 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = Sir
| name = Mohamed Mansour
| native_name = محمد منصور
| native_name_lang = ar
| image = Mohamed Mansour of Mansour Group.jpg
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth month and age|1948|1}}
| birth_place = Alexandria, Kingdom of Egypt
| death_date =
| death_place =
| education = North Carolina State University
Auburn University
| occupation = Businessman, Chairman of Mansour Group
| spouse =
| parents =
| children = 2
| relatives = Youssef Mansour (brother)
Yasseen Mansour (brother)
| website =
| office = Minister of Transportation
| term_start = 29 January 2005
| term_end = 27 October 2009
| president = Hosni Mubarak
| primeminister = Ahmed Nazif
| predecessor = Essam Sharaf
| successor = Alaa El Din Mohamed Fahmy
}}
Sir Mohamed Mansour ({{langx|ar|محمد منصور}}; born January 1948){{Cite web |title=Mohamed MANSOUR personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/UF481edat48gH4Ome30vFjf8mx8/appointments |access-date=21 December 2022 |website=find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk |language=en}} is an Egyptian-born British billionaire businessman and former politician.{{Cite news |last=Nevett |first=Joshua |date=2023-06-08 |title=Tory finances boosted by billionaire's biggest donation in 20 years |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65842121 |access-date=2024-03-13 |work=BBC News Online}} He is the chairman of the Mansour Group, a US$6 billion conglomerate. In October 2024, Forbes estimated his wealth at $3.3 billion.{{cite web|title=Forbes profile: Mohamed Mansour |url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/mohamed-mansour/ |website=forbes.com |accessdate=1 December 2020}} He served as the Minister of Transportation in Egypt between 2005 and 2009.
Early life
Mansour was born into one of the most prominent business families in Alexandria. The family business, the Mansour Group, controls nine of Egypt's top Fortune 500 companies, though it needed to survive the nationalisation and confiscation of its assets in 1965.{{cite web|url=http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/3/0/6724/Business/Mohamed-Mansour-A-tarnished-captain-of-industry.aspx |title=Mohamed Mansour: A tarnished captain of industry|website=ahram.org.eg |date=10 March 2011 |accessdate=13 September 2016}}
Mansour received an engineering degree from North Carolina State University in 1968, and a master's in business administration from Auburn University in 1971, teaching there until 1973.{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=131353694&privcapId=116958316 |title=Mohamed Mansour|website=bloomberg.com |date= |accessdate=13 September 2016}} In 2022, Mansour was awarded an honorary doctorate by North Carolina State University and made "Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters".{{cite web |title=Mansour Group's Mohamed Mansour receives honorary doctorate from North Carolina State University |url=https://www.businesstodayegypt.com/Article/1/1463/Mansour-Group%E2%80%99s-Mohamed-Mansour-receives-honorary-doctorate-from-North-Carolina |publisher=Business Today Egypt |date=11 May 2022}}
Career
With his two brothers, Mansour maintained an active role in the Mansour Group, the family business, building close ties as distributors for US companies including Caterpillar, General Motors, and McDonald's. Mansour has led the group since his father died in 1976,{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/zinamoukheiber/2011/02/01/egyptian-billionaire-family-caught-in-the-crosshairs-of-egypts-history/#68632a4c5cdc |title=Egyptian Billionaire Family Caught In The Crosshairs Of Egypt's History|work=forbes.com |date=1 February 2011 |accessdate=13 September 2016}} overseeing all the major corporate developments, including setting up the company's private investment subsidiary Man Capital in London in 2010.{{cite web|url=http://www.euromoney.com/Article/3560376/Wealth-management-Mansours-new-style-of-family-office.html |title=Wealth management: Mansour's new style of family office|website=euromoney.com |date=1 June 2016 |accessdate=13 September 2016}}
In December 2005, Mansour resigned from his business responsibilities to serve as Minister of Transportation.{{Cite news |last=Hymas |first=Charles |date=2023-05-21 |title=Tories receive biggest donation in over 20 years |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/05/21/mohamed-mansour-conservatives-biggest-donation-20-years/ |access-date=2024-04-02 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}} Mansour resigned in October 2009 after a deadly train crash.
In December 2022, it was announced he would become senior treasurer for the UK Conservative Party.{{cite web | last=Mason | first=Rowena | title=Tories make billionaire ex-Mubarak minister senior treasurer | website=the Guardian | date=14 December 2022 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/dec/14/tories-billionaire-murbarak-minister-mohamed-mansour-party-senior-treasurer-mohamed-mansour-egypt | access-date=14 December 2022}}
In May 2023, Major League Soccer announced that an ownership group led by Mansour and the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation would own San Diego FC, an expansion team to begin play in 2025.{{cite news |last=Reineking |first=Jim |date=18 May 2023 |title=San Diego will be home to MLS expansion team, pushing league to 30 clubs |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/2023/05/18/mls-san-diego-expansion-team-snapdragon-stadium/70229967007/ |work=USA Today |accessdate=18 May 2023}}
Personal life
He is married with two children, and lives in Mayfair, London.{{Cite news |last=Pogrund |first=Gabriel |author-link=Gabriel Pogrund |title=Rishi Sunak's election fundraiser Mohamed Mansour chased by HMRC |newspaper=The Times |language=en |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/rishi-sunaks-election-fundraiser-mohamed-mansour-chased-by-hmrc-n9ct9tk05 |access-date=5 February 2023 |issn=0140-0460}}
As of February 2023, Mansour had donated £600k to the Conservative Party (UK). He made a donation of £5 million that May.{{Cite news |last=Walker |first=Peter |last2= |first2= |date=2023-05-22 |title=Ex-Mubarak minister Mohamed Mansour donates £5m to Tories |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/may/22/ex-mubarak-minister-mohamed-mansour-donates-5m-to-tories |access-date=2024-04-02 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}{{cite news |title=Tories receive biggest donation in over 20 years |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/05/21/mohamed-mansour-conservatives-biggest-donation-20-years/ |work=The Telegraph |date=21 May 2023}} The then opposition Labour Party demanded Tory prime minister Rishi Sunak return Mansour's donation, after it emerged one of Mansour's companies, Mantrac had still been operating in Russia after the invasion of Ukraine. In reply, Mantrac claimed it was winding down its business in Russia.{{Cite news |last1=Mason |first1=Rowena |last2=Walker |first2=Peter |date=2023-06-09 |title=Labour urges Tories to hand back £5m donation from Mohamed Mansour |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jun/09/labour-urges-tories-to-hand-back-5m-donation-from-mohamed-mansour |access-date=2024-04-02 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} In March 2024, Mansour received a knighthood from Sunak for contribution to business, charity and political service.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2024-03-28 |title=Major Tory donor Mohamed Mansour knighted in surprise honours list |url=https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/tory-donor-party-treasurer-mansour-knighted-honours-list-2981178 |access-date=2024-04-02 |website=inews.co.uk |language=en}} The honour was criticised by opposing political parties and media outlets.{{Cite news |title=Conservative party donor Mohamed Mansour is awarded knighthood |url=https://www.ft.com/content/41421f7b-3527-4e4f-8c3b-5755d1fb66a3 |access-date=2024-04-02 |newspaper=Financial Times|date=28 March 2024 |last1=Uddin |first1=Rafe |last2=Pickard |first2=Jim }}{{Cite news |last=Gutteridge |first=Nick |date=2024-03-28 |title=Sunak sparks honours row as party donor awarded knighthood |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/03/28/tory-donor-mohamed-mansour-knighted-honours-list/ |access-date=2024-04-02 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}{{Cite news |last1=Walker |first1=Peter |last2=Mason |first2=Rowena |date=2024-03-29 |title=Tory donor's knighthood is sign Sunak 'believes he's on way out', Labour says |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/mar/29/tory-donor-knighthood-sign-sunak-way-out-labour-mohamed-mansour |access-date=2024-04-02 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{San Diego FC}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mansour, Mohamed}}
Category:Businesspeople from Cairo
Category:Egyptian billionaires
Category:Egyptian businesspeople
Category:Major League Soccer owners
Category:Transport ministers of Egypt
Category:North Carolina State University alumni
Category:Auburn University alumni