Biography
Rachid Mohamed Rachid is an Egyptian entrepreneur and investor. He is the founder of Alsara Investment Group, a Swiss-based firm focused on brands in the creative industries across Europe, the US and the Middle East, and Bidayat, a subsidiary investment vehicle launched in 2021 earmarking smaller brands in the Mediterranean Basin region. That year, Bidayat took a stake in Egyptian accessories brand Okhtein and Italian outerwear brand Khrisjoy. By 2022, Alsara’s holdings included jeweller Adorisa and eyewear brand Akoni. Rachid is also chief executive of Mayhoola for Investments, the Qatari fund that owns Valentino, Balmain and Pal Zileri. Rachid is chairman of both Valentino and Balmain.
Rachid has worked across several industries since starting at the family business Fine Foods, which he grew into one of the biggest players in the region. He later formed a joint venture with Unilever and went on to serve as president of Unilever North Africa. From 2004 to 2011, he was Egypt’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment, attracting foreign investment to the country while playing a significant role in the liberalisation of the economy. Rachid is a holder of the honour "Cavaliere di Gran Croce, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana" (Order of Merit of the Italian Republic) presented by the president of Italy. He has been a board member of the Katara Hospitality Group and co-chairman of the Virginia Commonwealth University Advisory Committee in Doha. Rachid earned a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Egypt’s Alexandria University and an advanced management diploma from Harvard Business School.