Born in 1959 in Cairo, Ahmed Ezz – steel industrialist – started working for his father’s construction material trading company while simultaneously studying Civil Engineering at Cairo University. Ahmed Ezz cites his father Abdel Aziz Ezz as his inspiration, instilling in him from an early age the notion that, with hard work and dedication, a person can achieve anything they set their mind to.
Having enjoyed an extraordinarily successful business career, Ahmed Ezz became interested in politics in the late 1980s, inspired by his father’s example and tireless work ethic. Mr Ezz was elected as a Member of the Egyptian Parliament in 2000 and again in 2005.
Praised for his foresight, impartiality and unshakable principles, Ahmed Ezz served as Chairman of the pre-eminent committee in the People’s Assembly’s from November 2000 to February 2011. In this role, he was required to oversee and sometimes guide budgetary decisions that affected every single Egyptian citizen, carefully scrutinising government income and expenditure reports and plans.
During the course of his decade in office, Mr Ezz took a keen interest in a variety of issues affecting Egypt’s public revenues. He was a driving force behind vital cost-cutting reforms, including the cancellation of free zone privileges for energy intensive industries – a move that directly impacted his own company. This demonstrated that as a politician, Ahmed Ezz put the interest of his country above his own personal interests.
Mr Ezz recognised that the iron and steel industry, natural gas industry, petroleum industry and fertiliser industry were operating with massive investments and producing generous revenues. As Chairman of the Plan & Budget Committee he recognised the substantial saving to public funds that could be created by cancelling free zone privileges for energy intensive industries. He also drove reforms cancelling natural gas subsidies for energy intensive industries, which again had a direct impact on his company as one of the country’s largest steel producers.
Mr Ezz stewarded a scheme to support agricultural businesses, providing funding for fertilizers, veterinary care and other essentials for farmers experiencing financial hardship. He also oversaw a collaborative scheme with 420 mosques in his constituency, Menouf El-Sadat, that provided free religious study sessions to help children learn the Koran and understand its lessons, as well as overseeing another scheme that funded the refurbishment of every youth centre across the region. Finally, Ahmed Ezz spearheaded educational programs, providing transportation links between rural villages and universities in Sadat City, as well as ensuring that children who were slipping behind in their studies could access reduced-rate professional tuition and providing free transportation for hearing and sight impaired students.
Lauded by his constituents for his honesty, integrity and deep commitment to improving opportunities for every hardworking Egyptian, Ahmed Ezz said that his greatest pleasure was to serve his country, acknowledging that it was a delight and an honour for him to play a part in building a more harmonious, vibrant and ambitious country where any individual who is committed to education and hard work can succeed.
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