Mohammed Al-Fayed: biography and photos

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Mohammed Al-Fayed, whose biography is presented in this article, is an Egyptian businessman, a billionaire. His fortune is estimated at 2.4 billion dollars. Mohammed is the owner of the Order of the Legion of Honor, owns a hotel, a palace and a London department store. Became the owner of the English football club Fulham.

Childhood

Mohammed Al-Fayed was born on the twenty-seventh of January 1929 in Egypt, in Bakos. In the family, he was the eldest son. Mohammed's father was a simple school teacher. He raised two more sons, Salah and Ali. Mohammed received a good education after graduating from Alexandria University.

Start-up business

He started doing business during his school years. And he started with the trade in ordinary lemonade. Then, together with his brothers, he organized a serious family business - a forwarding agency. At first the central office was in Egypt, then moved to Genoa. After some time, the brothers opened several branches of the agency in London. Mohammed stayed there to live.

New directions in work

BIn the mid-60s, Mohammed Al-Fayed met Rashid al-Makhtoum, the ruler of Dubai, the sheikh. The latter entrusted Mohammed to carry out the changes he had conceived in his own possessions. He began working with three British construction companies. And in 1966, Mohammed was appointed financial adviser to Omar Ali Saifuddin III, Sultan.

In the UK, Al-Fayed "took root" finally only in 1974. Then the prefix "Al" was added to his surname. For this, in some circles, Mohammed began to be called the "fake pharaoh." In 1975, he briefly served on the board of the Lonrho conglomerate. But it soon became clear that their views differ greatly from their colleagues. And Mohammed left the company.

In 1987, he became the founder of a charitable foundation, which he named after himself. The purpose of the organization was to help children with disabilities or those living in poverty. In the ninety-sixth year, Mohammed revived the humorous project Punch. But it did not last long again and was closed in 2002

Major Acquisitions

In 1972, Mohammed Al-Fayed bought a castle in Scotland. And with it, the surrounding lands. To restore the castle, Mohammed had to spend a large amount - several million dollars. And at the end of the restoration work, he was awarded a tourist award.

In 1979, Mohammed purchased the Ritz Hotel. For each number restored, it took half a million dollars. Such generosity was appreciated by the French authorities, and Mohammed was awarded the Paris Medal. At the same time he wasordained to the Legion of Honor.

Somewhat later, Mohammed restored the villa in the Bois de Bologna. For this restoration, he was promoted from Chevalier of the Legion of Honor to an officer. And in the eighty-ninth year, he received a rare award, which is awarded for special merits - the Grand Order of Paris.

In 1984, Mohammed and his brothers bought thirty percent of the shares in a company that owned a chain of London branded stores. The securities were sold to them by R. Rowland, who was the head of the Lonrho conglomerate. In 1985, Mohammed and his brothers bought out the remaining seventy percent of the shares. This infuriated Rowland as he planned to take over the campaign.

The trials have begun. The brothers were even accused of stealing diamonds. But in 1992, the conflicting parties ended the trials with an amicable agreement. In 1998, Rowland died, and the brothers began a new lawsuit regarding payments to the widow. Mohammed was taken into custody and lost the case.

Mohammed's other acquisition is Fulham, a football club. It was founded in 1879. It received its name due to the area in which the home site is located. Prior to the acquisition of the club by Mohammed, the sports organization was quite poor. It did not even have its own stadium - foreign fields were rented for football games.

The team also did not show good results, as it was unprofessional, assembled from Sunday school students. For the club it wasHard times. But everything changed in 1997. It was in this year that Mohammed acquired Fulham (a football club). The team, after certain financial injections, even managed to reach the top English football league. But even the billionaire's money could not help achieve good results and major victories. Although there were no failed seasons either, and in 2010 the team reached the final game of the Europa League. But according to the results of the meeting, she lost to the Spanish club Atlético Madrid.

Mohammed's personal life

The first time Mohammed Al-Fayed married in 1954 to Samira Kashoggi. But they lived in marriage for only two years, and then a divorce followed. Samira and Mohammed had a son, Dodi. But he died on the thirty-first of August in a car accident with Princess Diana. Mohammed married a second time in 1985 to Finnish socialite Heini Waten. Previously, she was a model. The marriage turned out to be happy. The couple have four children.