our history
Decades of Achievements
1950
1976
1985
1998
1999
2004
2008
2012
2013
2015
2017
2018
2019
2020
Prev.
Next
Orascom Construction PLC is a leading global engineering and construction contractor primarily focused on infrastructure, industrial and high-end commercial projects in the Middle East, Africa, and the United States. Orascom Construction also develops and invests in concessions, owns 50% of BESIX Group, and holds a building materials, facility management and equipment services portfolio. The Group has consistently ranked among the world’s top contractors and is dual listed in the UAE and Egypt.
Running Projects
ENR Int'l Contractors Ranking
Covered Countries
Employees worldwide
Onsi Sawiris establishes a construction company in Upper Egypt.
Orascom Onsi Sawiris & Co. (OOSC) is founded as a general contractor and trading company.
OOSC establishes its first overseas company, Contrack International LLC (Contrack) in Virginia, US.
OOSC is converted from a limited partnership into a joint-stock company and renamed Orascom Construction Industries S.A.E. (OCI S.A.E.).
OCI S.A.E. IPOs on Egyptian Exchange (EGX) at a value of USD 600 million and becomes the largest company on the EGX. OCI S.A.E.’s first cement subsidiary, the Egyptian Cement Company (ECC), commences operations with a total annual capacity of 1.5 million tons.
OCI S.A.E. acquires a 50% shareholding in the BESIX Group, adding significant exposure to the European and Gulf construction markets.
Proceeds from the cement divestment are allocated to grow OCI S.A.E’s fertilizer investments.
OCI S.A.E. acquires The Weitz Company (Weitz) and establishes a strong presence in the US construction market.
Watts Constructors, a former Weitz wholly owned subsidiary, is consolidated into Contrack — forming Contrack Watts.
Orascom Construction Limited is demerged from OCI N.V. and dual-listed on NASDAQ Dubai and the EGX.
The Group builds on its strategy of expanding in the concession business and enters into an agreement to develop a 262.5 MW wind farm in Ras Ghareb, Egypt.
Orascom inaugurates ahead of schedule two of the largest power plants in the world, each with a generation capacity of 4,800 MW.
The Group further diversifies its revenue streams by expanding its O&M business, adding three new projects in Egypt, including two water treatment plants and the monorail for the New Administrative Capital.
Orascom Construction PLC achieves health and safety and operational milestones across the Group. Despite a challenging environment impacted by COVID-19, projects remained active with enhanced safety precautions.
Aimed at delivering top and bottom line shareholder value led by a committment to excellence, safety and the environment.
Orascom Construction PLC, through its two main subsidiaries and 50% stake in the BESIX Group, has one of the world’s largest footprints.
Orascom Construction is a leading EPC contractor in the Middle East and Africa. Our range of projects spans across infrastructure, industrial and commercial sectors. Our proven track-record of excellence has brought us a superior reputation, resulting in a wide range of clients.
The MEA side of our business has over six decades of industry experience and has built a reputation for on-time and to-spec delivery of quality work under complex schedules. The company is regarded by public and private sector clients as a top turnkey contractor for large-scale infrastructure, industrial and commercial projects in the Middle East and Africa while holding an excellent health and safety record thanks to strict adherence to international standards.
The company’s strong track record includes diverse sectors that include - but are not limited to - power, water treatment, petrochemicals, industrial, transportation and complex commercial structures.
Founded in 1855, the Weitz Company (Weitz) is a leading general contractor, design-builder and construction manager based in Des Moines, Iowa. Weitz is one of the oldest commercial general contractors in the United States. Weitz targets commercial, federal, and plant services construction projects in the United States and the Pacific Rim, and is the largest contractor in the state of Iowa.
We acquired 100% of Weitz in 2012 as a platform for entry into the United States’ industrial and infrastructure markets.
www.weitz.com
Orascom Construction USA is a full-service construction company, general contractor, design builder and construction manager. Our businesses are licensed to operate throughout the entire United States. This entity formally integrates The Weitz Company and Contrack Watts Inc. under one roof, combining the wealth of knowledge and operational experience. As a hybrid organization, we are a leading, competitive player with over 160 years of industry experience.
We have forged our reputation by constantly seeking new construction innovations and technologies that provide our clients with predictable, reliable and collaborative services. Through Weitz and Contrack Watts, Orascom Construction USA has a strong presence across key markets including commercial, senior living, student housing, data centers and transportation.
Founded in 1985, Contrack Watts is a leading international construction company based in Virginia, United States. Contrack Watts provides engineering, procurement and construction services as well as facilities operation and maintenance primarily on federal and infrastructure projects throughout the Pacific Rim, Middle East and Central Asia.
Following the Group's acquisition of The Weitz Company (Weitz) in 2012, Contrack acquired Watts Constructors, a former Weitz subsidiary focused on federal and military construction services in the US and the Pacific Rim. Contrack has been renamed Contrack Watts Inc.
http://contrackwatts.com/
Orascom Construction USA is a full-service construction company, general contractor, design builder and construction manager. Our businesses are licensed to operate throughout the entire United States. This entity formally integrates The Weitz Company and Contrack Watts Inc. under one roof, combining the wealth of knowledge and operational experience. As a hybrid organization, we are a leading, competitive player with over 160 years of industry experience.
We have forged our reputation by constantly seeking new construction innovations and technologies that provide our clients with predictable, reliable and collaborative services. Through Weitz and Contrack Watts, Orascom Construction USA has a strong presence across key markets including commercial, senior living, student housing, data centers and transportation.
Established in 1909 in Belgium, the BESIX Group is a global company with a leading position in construction, property development and concessions. Core construction competencies include buildings, infrastructure and environmental projects, industrial civil engineering, marine and real estate development. As well as EPC services, BESIX is active in real estate development and holds concessions in several Public Private Partnerships (PPP).
Orascom Construction acquired 50% of BESIX Group in 2004 through a 50-50 joint leverage buyout in partnership with BESIX management. The two companies offer complementary capabilities and access to new sectors, clients and geographies.
Chairman — Non-Executive Director
Chief Executive Officer — Executive Director
Independent Non-Executive Director
Independent Non-Executive Director
Independent Non-Executive Director
Non-Executive Director
Independent Non-Executive Director
Chairman — Non-Executive Director
Mr. Jérôme Guiraud graduated from Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales in 1984 (HEC Paris).
He started his career at the French Embassy in Zagreb (Croatia) in 1985 as Deputy to the Commercial Attaché. He joined the Société Générale group in 1986, and held multiple senior managing positions in Europe and in emerging countries, mainly on capital markets, before becoming Country Manager and Director of various Société Générale Group’s listed and non-listed subsidiaries.
Mr. Guiraud joined NNS Group in 2008. He is currently Executive Chairman and CEO of NNS Ltd and a director of various non-listed NNS Group entities.
He is also Director and Member of the Audit and the Nomination Committees of OCI.NV (a leading fertilizer company listed on the Euronext Amsterdam stock exchange) and a Board member of BESIX Group.
Chief Executive Officer — Executive Director
Mr. Osama Bishai joined Orascom in 1985, and currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Orascom Construction PLC.
He has been the Managing Director of the construction business since 1998. Mr. Bishai played a key role in developing the construction business, particularly in the cement, infrastructure and industrial sectors, and led the development of OCI N.V.’s investments in the fertilizer industry in Egypt, Algeria, and the US.
Mr. Bishai currently spearheads the Group’s efforts to create a long-term concession portfolio and is leading the growth of the US business.
Mr. Bishai is a board member of BESIX Group. He holds a BSc. in Structural Engineering from Cairo University and a Construction Management Diploma from the American University in Cairo.
Independent Non-Executive Director
Mr. Johan Beerlandt is the Chairman of BESIX Group and former Chief Executive Officer from 2004 to 2017. He oversaw the transformation of the business into a major regional player in Europe and the Middle East.
In 2004, Mr. Beerlandt was instrumental in the 50-50 leveraged management buyout of the BESIX holding company executed by BESIX management and Orascom.
Mr. Beerlandt brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in regional and international construction and concessions markets to the Board.
Independent Non-Executive Director
Mr. Sami Haddad has decades of experience in both the private and public sectors, specifically in finance, politics and academia.
Mr. Haddad worked for the International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank Group, for more than 20 years in a variety of positions including Cairo-based Director of the MENA region. In 2005, he became Minister of Economy and Trade in Lebanon, a position which he held for three years. Mr. Haddad was also General Manager of Byblos Bank from 2008 to 2014. He was Chairman of Inventis, a management consulting company until 2020.
Mr. Haddad holds an MA in economics from the American University in Beirut and pursued his postgraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Independent Non-Executive Director
Ms. Nada Shousha is a seasoned executive in the financial services, investment, and economic development sectors.
She currently holds positions on various Boards, including Vice Chair and Investment Committee Member of the Egyptian American Enterprise Fund, Board Member and Chair of the Governance Committee of Arab Investment Bank (Egypt), Board and Audit Committee Member of AXA (Egypt), and member of the Investment Committee of Sawari Ventures.
Ms. Shousha was most recently the Regional Manager for Egypt, Libya and Yemen for the IFC, which she joined in 2002. During her tenure, Egypt’s IFC program increased from a USD 50-75 million annual program to an annual average of USD 250+ million. In particular, she led IFC’s counter-cyclical strategy post-Arab Spring, which focused on restoring confidence in the country’s private sector and resulted in over USD 1 billion of new investments in the country over 2012 to 2014.
Prior to joining IFC, Ms. Shousha was a manager in the corporate finance practice at Arthur Andersen.
Non-Executive Director
Mr. Sliwinski serves as Chief Investment Officer at NNS Advisers, the London-based advisory office of the Nassef Sawiris family.
Prior to joining the NNS Group in 2018, Mr. Sliwinski spent twelve years at Elliott Advisors (UK) Limited. He was responsible for managing a multi-strategy portfolio consisting of positions across the capital structure including in listed and non-listed equities and in various types of credit instruments. His investment experience covers numerous sectors ranging from real estate, TMT, energy, aerospace & defense, heavy industrials and chemicals.
He also has served on the boards of numerous companies, including on three publicly listed entities in the real estate, steel, and finance sectors.
Between 2001 and 2004, Mr. Sliwinski was an investment banking analyst at Merrill Lynch within the Corporate Finance division with a focus on the technology, media and telecom sectors.
Mr. Sliwinski obtained his B.Sc. in Economics from University College London (UK) in 2001, and his MBA from Wharton (USA) in 2006.
Independent Non-Executive Director
Renad Younes is a partner with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and serves as the Abu Dhabi Partner in Charge.
Ms. Younes advises corporations, financial institutions and governments on local and international M&A transactions and projects that cover a wide range of sectors, including energy and infrastructure. Her deep sector and industry knowledge combined with her M&A, equity and debt offerings, and project development experience also enable her to lead a wide array of complex transactions across several sectors such as renewables, transitional energy, upstream, midstream, downstream and LNG.
Ms. Younes is listed and top ranked by Chambers and Legal 500 in both M&A and energy categories, and is listed in the “Hall of Fame” (the only lawyer listed in that category) for UAE Oil, Gas and Natural Resources by Legal 500 EMEA 2022. She was also named on IFLR 1000’s Women Leaders 2022 list of “highly regarded” lawyers worldwide.