Ali Haddad is an Algerian entrepreneur, philanthropist, and businessman. He is one of the wealthiest people in Algeria, according to Forbes.
Who is Ali Haddad?
Ali Haddad co-founded the ETRHB Haddad Group, an Algerian construction company generating an annual revenue of $400 million. He established the organization in 1997 after the government tasked him with a contract to build roads 88km east of the capital Algiers, in the Tizi Ouzou. ETRHB has since handled more than $2 billion worth of contracts in Algeria.
Haddad also controls substantial shares of the Algerian club USM Alger, a member of the Algerian Premier League. He purchased 83% of the USM Alger Soccer team for 700 million Algerian dollars in 2010, making him the club’s president. He headed the FCE, Forum des Chefs d’Entreprises, since 2014 and owned two Media channels, Dzair TV and Dzair News television.
Early Life
Ali Haddad was born to his parents on 27 January 1965. He grew up with five older siblings in a coastal town in Algeria, Azeffoun.
Haddad studied at the University of Tizi-Ouzou and graduated with a degree in civil engineering. He obtained a Master’s degree in Business (MBA/EHEDEC- Lille).
Ali’s Career
Ali dove into entrepreneurship immediately after graduating in 1987, when he opened a sea-front hotel, “Le Marin,” in his hometown, alongside his brother. A few years into the business, he expanded the hotel into a resort, Le Marin bis. The establishment is now a complex with hundreds of rooms, multiple suites, two restaurants, a swimming pool, and a conference room.
Ali ventured into the public works family business, ETRHB, in 1988. In 1993, the company received a huge contract to construct a highway in Kabylie, Algeria, after which they completed several regional projects within Algeria. Soon, the company became a leading partner in Algerian infrastructure and expanded rapidly with numerous development plans, since the 2000s.
With the ETRHB Haddad Group controlling major infrastructure projects in the Public Works, Transport, and Hydraulics field, Ali earned national and international recognition, including the 2003 Best Manager Award.
In 2010, the Algerian football club USM put up its stocks for sale during its professionalization process. Ali Haddad obtained 83% of the club with a 700 million Algerian dinar (~$6.5 million) purchase and became its president. Ever since, USM Alger won various titles, including Algerian Cup, Algerian Super Cup, UAFA Club Cup (2012-2013), Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 (2013-2014), and Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1, Algerian Super Cup (2015-2016).
Before the USM deal, Ali created a press group with two newspaper publications, Le Temps d’Algérie (in French) and Waqt El Djazaïr (in Arabic), in 2009. The group then launched Dzaïr TV and Dzaïr News, two Algerian Television channels, in 2013 and 2014.
While Ali had been a member of the Algerian Forum of Business Leaders, he won the support of his colleagues, leading him to the presidency of the organization in November 2014. In light of the program’s mission towards national development, Haddad led the FCE to become a union, establishing the Jil’FCE to support young business leaders below 40.
Ali acquired Barcelona’s historic Hotel Palace for 63 million euros in 2011 and two luxury hotels, Hotel Miramar Barcelona and Gran Hotel La Florida. He is currently a member of the USA-Algeria Business Council (USABC) board of directors.
ETRHB Haddad Group
The ETRHB Haddad Group is a Road, Hydraulic, and Building works company established in 1988. Ali Haddad co-founded the group alongside his five brothers in the name Entreprise des Travaux Routiers, Hydrauliques et Bâtiments.
The company signed its first major deal in 1993 for the Kabylie highway construction, following the Tizi Ouzou road construction contract in 1997. As of 2002, ETRHB executed over $500 million worth of contracts, becoming a pre-eminent private works company in Algeria.
ETRHB invested in bitumen in 2003. The group collaborated with Savem Spa, a subsidiary for automobile distribution, and launched a new business in 2006. The Haddad group, in 2013, created CILFARM, a company specialized in medical equipment and supplies. In November 2014, Varian Medical Systems (VMS), the world leader in radiotherapy supplies, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with CILFARM in the US. The union was a joint venture, Varian Medical Systems SPAAlgeria, distributing radiotherapy materials to the country.
ETRHB Haddad Group was interested in activities beyond Public works and was instrumental in launching two Algerian newspaper publications and Television channels, Dzair tv, and Dzair News. Under Ali Haddad’s leadership, ETRHB also invested in the football sector, purchasing a significant share of the Algerian domestic club, USM Alger football club. The ETRHB Haddad Group now has over 15,000 employees with over $1 billion worth of turnover.
As of 2015, ETRHB had about 1 billion euros in assets, with Ali Haddad owning 16% of the company.
Ali Haddad’s Net Worth
Ali Haddad has an estimated net worth of $300 million, with multiple business ventures as his primary source of wealth.
Awards and Recognition
- Mediterranean Basin Leadership Award (2016)
- Best Manager Award (2003)
- 100 Most Notable People in Africa by Jeune Afrique