Bashar Masri

Masri serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Palestine Development and Investment Company (PADICO). Like Massar, PADICO’s mission is to contribute significantly to the strengthening and expansion of the Palestinian national economy. Since its founding in 1993, PADICO has made large-scale investments in vital industrial sectors including real estate, telecommunications, tourism, industry, agriculture, environment, energy and financial services, employing thousands of Palestinians.

Masri is the former Palestinian Chapter Chairman of the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO). He was named as a "Global Leader of Tomorrow" by the World Economic Forum. Masri serves on the Board of Trustees of An-Najah National University. Masri is a member of the Deans’ Council of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Masri founded and manages the first Palestinian equity fund, a 90 million investment initiative known as "Siraj Fund" in 2003, and the company's first fun "Siraj Palestine Fund I" was launched in February 2011, the company was founded for the sole purpose of managing investment funds in Palestine. The company focuses on promising startups and capital investments in small and medium sized enterprises in the sectors of information and communication technology services, energy, agriculture, clean technology, healthcare, logistics, education, manufacturing, transportation, construction and financial services. Siraj's investments in these companies range between $250,000 and $12 million, and plans on expanding in the MENA region in the future.

Masri worked in a number of countries, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United States and the United Kingdom, before he decided to return to Palestine and settle there in the mid-1994. He has a strong background in management consulting and industrial management.

In 1994, Masri founded and now is the Chairman of the board of Massar International, since the establishment of Massar, he has been one of the most prominent figures promoting private sector development and growth in Palestine.He has dedicated his life to establishing, investing, transforming, networking, training and building what is now a widely known group of businesses bridging Palestine to global technologies, knowledge, know-how and industry best practices. In the past decade, he has launched businesses in financial services, real estate, media and communications, retail businesses, agribusiness and information technology.

After Masri came back from Washington DC to Palestine in Mid-1990s to establish himself in his home country, he started by founding Palestinians daily newspaper "Al-Ayyam Newspaper (/Arabic: جريدة الأيام/)" and was its publisher. Al Ayyam is today the second largest newspaper in Palestine.

Masri was born and raised in Nablus, Palestine. After leaving Nablus, Masri continued his education in Egypt, before moving to the United States, where he graduated from Virginia Tech with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering in 1983.

Bashar Masri (/Arabic: بشار مصري ‎/ February 4, 1961) is a Palestinian entrepreneur and successful businessman, he is the founder and Chairman of the Board of Massar International, since its establishment in 1994. He is the founder and visionary behind the high-tech "Rawabi City", Palestine's first planned city, he is also the founder and currently the managing director of Bayti Real Estate Investment Company that built the city. He founded and manages the first Palestinian equity fund, a 90 million investment initiative known as "Siraj Fund". He's on the list of the "Top Ten Richest People of Palestine in 2016" with net worth estimated at 1.5 Billion Dollars.