Mazen Al Sawwaf – Global Businessman

Mazen Al Sawwaf is a Saudi Arabian businessman with investments throughout Europe and Africa, and developing interests in the United States. Al-Sawwaf was born in 1962 to a well-regarded Saudi family. He attended the Queen Elizabeth College in Britain where he attained a degree in economics and political science. At the age of 19 he started his career in the construction and road signage industry by partnering with a group of English businessmen to launch Sawwaf Company 5. After five years of operation, Al-Sawwaf accepted a role at a Saudi Arabian firm called Outside Environment where he worked until acquiring the company in 1994 and subsequently renaming it as Al Mazen International Construction and Trading. Al Mazen International is responsible for many landmark structures in Saudi Arabia, including hotels, residential towers, commercial complexes, educational centers, and palaces.

In 2004 Al-Sawwaf started collaborating with LFB Biotechnologies, a leading French pharma company. Through this collaboration he established a privately held healthcare company, LFB Arabia. His continued alliance with French corporations resulted in several partnerships and projects with companies like Areva, EDF Energy, Thales, Bouygues and Dassault.

In 2010, he established a London based company called White Global Investments, which oversees his energy, real estate, and technology related investments in the UK. Three years later, in 2013, he founded the Saudi Arabian Global Investment Holding Company (GIHC), which focuses mainly on developing steadfast business partnerships between global and local business leaders of various industries. Through the strategic alliances it develops, GIHC brings global innovation to the MENA region and contributes significantly to the economic and social development of Saudi Arabia.

Social and Environmental Responsibility

Al-Sawwaf developed a deep sense of social responsibility early in his life, and this trait continues to play a role in his business activities. As a firm advocate of social and environmental responsibility, he is involved with several conducive initiatives. In 1982 he launched El Hassan Medical Equipment, the first company to produce and provide medical equipment for the disabled in Saudi Arabia. He also brought Veolia Group to Saudi Arabia and facilitated the establishment of the Group’s local branch. As chairman of Veolia Arabia, Al-Sawwaf promotes the development of environmentally friendly energy and water treatment solutions that are tailored to suit the specific conditions and needs of his country.

Al-Sawwaf is also involved in various initiatives that aim to strengthen business relations between the Arab World and Western economies. As CEO of GIHC, he sponsored the Thinkers & Doers Forum, which was held in France in 2015. The forum gathered to discuss and promote economic growth and business expansion in the MENA region.

Latest News

In 2017, after investing in agriculture, healthcare and tourism related initiatives in Morocco and participating in the establishment of a new integrated city next to Casablanca, Al-Sawwaf launched Global Morocco, which oversees all his investments in the country, projects like Victoria City near Casablanca: a modern city that aim to bring more luxurious way of living to all residents of the city.
During the same year he began diversifying his investment interests to include projects in the United States, where he is exploring potential business options.