Mohed Altrad ( ar, محمد الطراد) is a French-

Syrian Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...

billionaire businessman, rugby chairman and writer, born c. March 1948. He was born to a very young mother and his

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu (; , singular ) are nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. The Bedouin originated in the Syrian Desert and A ...

father gave him away to his grandparents at age four following his mother's death. In 2015, Altrad was named Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year.

Background

Mohed Altrad spent part of his youth in Raqqa, Syria. He passed the

baccalaureate Baccalaureate may refer to: * ''Baccalauréat'', a French national academic qualification * Bachelor's degree, or baccalaureate, an undergraduate academic degree * English Baccalaureate, a performance measure to assess secondary schools in England ...

at 17, and thanks to his high scores, was awarded a scholarship of 200 francs from the Syrian government to study in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. He obtained a diploma from

Paris Dauphine University Paris Dauphine University - PSL (french: Université Paris-Dauphine, also known as Paris Dauphine - PSL or Dauphine - PSL) is a public research university based in Paris, France. It is one of the 13 universities formed by the division of the ancie ...

(MIAGE 1975). He is unsure of his day of birth, so he recently "picked a date from a hat" in order to celebrate one.

Career

Altrad began working for the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, from which he left to buy a

scaffolding Scaffolding, also called scaffold or staging, is a temporary structure used to support a work crew and materials to aid in the construction, maintenance and repair of buildings, bridges and all other man-made structures. Scaffolds are widely use ...

company in France in 1985. This acquisition morphed into the present-day Altrad Group, employer of over 22,000 people, and involved in the scaffolding and cement-mixing industries. Altrad remains chairman of his namesake company, as well as the rugby club

Montpellier Hérault Rugby Montpellier Hérault Rugby (; oc, Montpelhièr Erau Rugbi Club) is a French professional rugby union club, based in Montpellier, Occitanie and named after the Hérault river. The club competes in the top level of the French league system, t ...

. He has also penned three acclaimed novels. In December 2022, Altrad received an 18-months suspended sentence and a €50,000 fine after he and

French Rugby Federation The French Rugby Federation (french: Fédération Française de Rugby (''FFR'')) is the governing body for rugby union in France. It is responsible for the France national rugby union team, French national team and the National Rugby League (Franc ...

president

Bernard Laporte Bernard Laporte (born 1 July 1964) is a rugby player, coach and former French Secretary of State for Sport. From 1999 to 2007, Laporte was the head coach of the France national team. In 2011, he became the head coach at Toulon, after Philippe Sa ...

were found guilty of corruption relating to Altrad Group rugby shirt sponsorship deals.

Bibliography

Novels

* ''Badawi'' (Actes Sud), 2002 * ''L’hypothèse de Dieu'' (Actes Sud), 2006 * ''La Promesse d’Annah'' (Actes Sud), 2012

Essays

* ''Stratégie de groupe'' (Chotard), 1990. * ''Écouter, Harmoniser, Diriger'' (Presses de la Cité) 1992. * ''Le management d’un groupe international : vers la pensée multiple'' (Eska) with Carole Richard, 2008.

References

External links

# (rus
Его готовили в пастухи, а он тайком сбегал в школу. История сирийского бедуина, ставшего французским миллиардером
{{DEFAULTSORT:Altrad, Mohed 1948 births Living people French people of Syrian descent French rugby union chairmen and investors French billionaires Syrian billionaires Montpellier Hérault Rugby University of Montpellier alumni Paris Dauphine University alumni Syrian businesspeople