Ahmed Ezz, businessman, cites serving the people of Egypt as the pinnacle of his career, explaining that it was his honour to devote himself to building a more modern, prosperous country, built on the foundations of a strong economy and sound rule of law.
Ahmed Ezz was born in 1959 in Cairo and comes from a trading family. His father, Abdel Aziz Ezz, was an officer in the Egyptian Armed Forces, having graduated from the came class as Egypt’s former president Gamal Abdel Nassar. Mr. Ezz credits his father with instilling in him an unfaltering work ethic, and a sense of self-responsibility that has been a guiding principle in all his business, political and personal activities.
Ahmed Ezz was educated at Cairo’s Port Said School. He went on to attend Cairo University, graduating with a degree in Civil Engineering in 1982. During a remarkable career in the steel industry, Ahmed Ezz built Ezz Steel from the ground up, establishing the Middle East’s largest steelmaker.
Mr Ezz first became involved in politics at a local level in the late 1980s, and was elected as a Member of Parliament in 2000, representing Menouf El-Sadat. He worked tirelessly to not just meet the expectations of his constituents but exceed them, advancing their interests and elevating local issues to a national level while using his unique understanding, insights and intellect to influence national policies for the benefit of all Egyptian citizens.
Mr Ezz worked ceaselessly to elevate the interests of constituents, championing local causes at a national level, and leveraging important policy changes. A prime example of this is his implementation of reforms in urban development laws to facilitate urban expansion in a controlled way while simultaneously preserving vital agricultural areas.
Furthermore, Ahmed Ezz took an interest in supporting his constituents directly, personally financing an array of worthy causes for them through his community development organisation, the Al Ezz Organization for Local Community Development, an NGO he established in 2002. His focus on healthcare, education, training and employment, and culture and religion made a tangible difference in the day-to-day life of his constituents.
On a national level, Mr Ezz took a keen interest in a variety of different issues impacting Egypt’s economy. Serving in parliament for over a decade, he played a pivotal role, increasing investment in infrastructure, advocating for strident tax reforms, monitoring public finances, implementing civil service reforms, reforming health insurance, and creating transparency in subsidy programs. Mr Ezz was a driving force behind important cost-cutting reforms, including the cancellation of energy subsidies and the scrapping of tax reliefs for free industrial zones.
From November 2000 to February 2011, Ahmed Ezz served as Chairman of the Planning and Budget Committee in parliament. Mr Ezz was elected by his peers to head this pre-eminent committee not once but three times, helping to steer his country through turbulent economic times during his decade long tenure. Overseeing budgetary decisions, and diligently scrutinising government income and expenditure plans, Mr Ezz was lauded for his foresight and economic acumen, as well as his commitment to transparency.
