Sir Mohamed Lotfy Mansour shared his perspectives during Narrative Summit 2025.

Thank you so much. Good morning everyone. Your excellencies, distinguished guests, it's a true honor to be with you here today at the ninth narrative summit. Over the past decade, this event has become very important in the Middle East. Please join me in giving a big hand to Lamia for the excellent work she and her staff and the sponsors have done. It's a real pleasure to be here in such beautiful surroundings and great weather. When I moved to the UK in 2009, they told me it was a lovely day when the sun was out, but here we have 365 days of sun. It's heartwarming to see so many old friends and familiar faces. It reminds me of what makes this country so great: the great people of Egypt, with so much passion, drive, and innovation for generations. Egypt is an iconic nation with thousands of years of history. We are fortunate to have historian Betany Hughes here to reflect on our unique history. When I gaze up at the pyramids from my house in Giza, anything seems possible. My parents taught me that you need passion as well as inspiration to succeed. I have faced death twice and known economic hardships as a student in America, barely having enough to eat and waiting tables for two years to put myself through university. In the 1980s, when Egypt suffered a recession, we came very close to bankruptcy. But through these struggles, my siblings and I never gave up. I wrote my book during the pandemic, dictating my life story about Egypt, my childhood, and how Egypt has grown. Egypt has changed so much in my lifetime. I grew up in Alexandria in the 1950s, riding the tram to Victoria College, a time when people flocked from Europe. Egypt opened its doors to French, Greek, and Italian communities, building the diversity we have today. During the first industrial revolution, Egypt flourished in commerce, especially the cotton trade my father worked in. I believe the new industrial revolution will be powered by AI and technology, creating opportunities for young entrepreneurs with no boundaries. Tourism remains our unique selling point, and the Grand Egyptian Museum, where I am honored to be a trustee, will be the greatest museum on earth when fully opened. There are large investment opportunities in infrastructure, real estate, agriculture, clean energy, and technology. A sustainable economy is being created, and my nephew Mohammed Mansour is part of that. I have worked in the private sector and in government, and I believe the private enterprise has a big role in creating the new Egypt. As entrepreneurs, we must give back. My father was a philanthropist before philanthropy was known. Exactly 50 years ago, he founded Mansour Chevrolet. We built our first factory in 1983, and we recently celebrated selling one million cars from that factory. This week we are breaking ground on a new factory in Cairo that will assemble the next generation of vehicles, including electric and hybrid models. We will invest $150 million, supporting 10,000 direct jobs and exporting to the Middle East, Africa, and hopefully Europe. We never stand still. I am 77, wake up at 4 a.m., and work daily. We have diversified into Caterpillar through Mantrac, and real estate through Palm Hills. In 2002, we formed the Lead Foundation, which provided loans to six million women in Egypt. Philanthropy is about giving a hands up, not a handout. I want to update you on Right to Dream Academy. We built pitches in Ghana, and today the academy has 150 professional footballers playing at top clubs and 120 students on scholarships from Stanford, UCLA, Duke, Harvard, and Cambridge. We bought the MLS license for San Diego FC. Despite being a startup labeled an expansion team, we won our first game 2-0 against LA Galaxy and are now ranked number two in the league. I told the players they were winners. The story of Hassin Buddha from Burkina Faso, who went from street fighting to graduating from Stanford and becoming a professional player, shows the transformative power of this academy. I am a proud Egyptian. We are fighters, winners, innovators. We look to the future. Before Muhammad joins us, let's see the video.