Mohed Altrad | |
---|---|
Born | 1948 (age 75–76) Raqqa, Syria |
Nationality | Syrian/French |
Alma mater | Paris Dauphine University |
Occupation(s) | Businessman President of Montpellier Hérault Rugby |
Mohed Altrad (Arabic: محمد الطراد) is a French-Syrian billionaire businessman, rugby chairman and writer, born c. March 1948.[1][2] He was born to a very young mother[1] and his Bedouin father gave him away to his grandparents at age four following his mother's death.[1] In 2015, Altrad was named Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year.[3]
Background
Mohed Altrad spent part of his youth in Raqqa, Syria.[2] He passed the baccalaureate at 17, and thanks to his high scores, was awarded a scholarship of 200 francs from the Syrian government to study in France. He obtained a diploma from Paris Dauphine University (MIAGE 1975).[1][4] He is unsure of his day of birth, so he recently "picked a date from a hat" in order to celebrate one.[1] He was found guilty in December 2022 of “blatant bribery of an official in public office”.
Career
Altrad began working for the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, from which he left to buy a scaffolding company in France in 1985. This acquisition morphed into the present-day Altrad Group, employer of over 22,000 people as of 2016,[5] and involved in the scaffolding and cement-mixing industries. Altrad remains chairman of his namesake company, as well as the rugby club Montpellier Hérault Rugby.[6] He has also penned three acclaimed novels.[1][7]
In December 2022, Altrad received an 18-month suspended sentence and a €50,000 fine after he and French Rugby Federation president Bernard Laporte were found guilty of corruption relating to Altrad Group rugby shirt sponsorship deals.[8]
Bibliography
Novels
- Badawi (Actes Sud), 2002
- L’hypothèse de Dieu (Actes Sud), 2006
- La Promesse d’Annah (Actes Sud), 2012
Essays
- Stratégie de groupe (Chotard), 1990.
- Écouter, Harmoniser, Diriger (Presses de la Cité) 1992.
- Le management d’un groupe international : vers la pensée multiple (Eska) with Carole Richard, 2008.
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Savchuk, Katia (23 March 2015). "From Bedouin To Billionaire: Meet The Man Changing What It Means To Be French After Charlie Hebdo". Forbes. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
- 1 2 Day, Peter (10 June 2015). "Entrepreneur of the year: a Bedouin turned businessman". BBC. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
- ↑ "Mohed Altrad of Altrad Group from France named EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015". EY. 7 June 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
- ↑ Kerdellant, Christine (14 October 2015). "J'ai gagné ma place en France" (pdf). L'Express (in French). Retrieved 10 June 2019.
- ↑ "Altrad accélère dans les services". Les Echos (in French). 2016-12-19. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
- ↑ "Top 14 - Montpellier: Mohed Altrad devient l'actionnaire principal". Le Parisien (in French). 21 May 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
- ↑ Guiral, Antoine (16 April 2013). "Mohed Altrad. Mille et une vies". Libération (in French). Retrieved 10 June 2019.
- ↑ "Suspended prison sentence for Altrad". The Construction Index. 15 December 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2022.