Bashar Masri
Chairman of the Board, Massar International
Bashar Masri is Chairman of the Board of Massar International, a company he founded in 1994 to realize his vision for private sector development to serve as the path ("massar" in Arabic) leading to Palestinian economic development and growth. He actively promotes Palestinian private sector business opportunities to companies and individuals across the globe.Under his energetic leadership, Massar International has grown to include 15 successful subsidiaries, with operations in Palestine, Jordan, Morocco and Egypt. His unique combination of technical ability and entrepreneurial drive led to his being named as a "Global Leader of Tomorrow" by the World Economic Forum. In addition to Massar, Mr. Masri has been instrumental in creating new Palestinian businesses in the fields of journalism, financial services, communications, advertising, and information technology. Mr. Masri played a pivotal role in establishing the first investment fund dedicated to the growth of the Palestinian private sector.
In recent years, Mr. Masri spearheaded a number of regionally significant real estate initiatives including low and middle income housing projects in Morocco, commercial and residential properties in Jordan, and a tourism real estate project in Egypt. He also serves as an advisor and board member on numerous private and philanthropic organizations.
Mr. Masri is the founder and managing director of Bayti Real Estate Investment Company. Bayti, jointly-owned by Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company and Massar International, was created to build Rawabi, the first Palestinian planned city and the cornerstone of a new, modern, viable Palestinian society. This ambitious undertaken is the largest project and by far the largest private sector investment in Palestine’s history.
In 2011, Mr. Masri launched Siraj, an $80 million, as the first private equity fund dedicated to investing in enterprises in Palestine.
Mr. Masri is a chemical engineer with international experience in industrial management, international trade development and management consulting. In addition to his professional work, Mr. Masri is the current chairman of The Palestinian Distribution and Logistics Services Company - WASSEL, (PEX: WASSEL), and also the vice chairman of the Palestine Mortgage and Housing Corporation (PEX: PMHC)