The New Nation - Internet Edition

BUSINESS REPORT

The Chairman of Orascom Telecom Holding (OTH), Naguib Sawiris arrives in Dhaka today. OTH is the holding company of Banglalink, the country's 2nd largest and fastest growing mobile operator. During his visit, Mr Sawiris is expected to meet the Chief Advisor and BTRC Chairman to discuss matters of mutual interest including future investment plans.

OTH is a part of the Orascom Group, one of Egypt's largest and most diversified business groups, maintaining significant holdings in the areas of telecommunications, information technology, tourism and construction.

As Chairman and CEO of Orascom Telecom Holding (OTH), Mr. Sawiris has dynamically led the growth of the company to be a leading Telecom player and among the best regarded Emerging Markets players in the world. OTH was established in 1998 and has grown to become a major player in the global telecommunications market. Orascom Telecom is operating in six emerging markets having a population under license of 430 million with an average penetration of approximately 40%. OTH had exceeded 74 million subscribers as of May 2008 with a market capitalization of USD 15 billion. Mr. Sawiris is also the Chairman of the Board of Weather Investments and Chairman of the Egyptian Company for Mobile Services (ECMS), commonly known as MobiNil.

A man of global stature, Mr. Sawiris has many accolades and awards credited to his name. In January 2003, as recognition for its regional role in the telecommunication industry, Orascom Telecom represented by Mr. Sawiris, was appointed as Board Member of the GSM Association. The appointment came as an acknowledgement of the group's position as one of the largest ten operators based on subscriber numbers.

Mr. Sawiris is also 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) and the recipient of the prestigious "Sitara-e-Quaid-e-Azam" award (conferred upon Mr. Sawiris in 2006 for services rendered to the people of Pakistan in the field of telecommunication, investments and social sector work).

Mr. Sawiris holds a diploma of Mechanical Engineering with a Masters in Technical Administration from the Swiss Institute of Technology, ETH Switzerland and a Diploma from the German Evangelical School, Cairo, Egypt. Mr. Sawiris is married, with four children and lives in Cairo, Egypt.