Wafic Saïd

Wafic Rida Saïd is a distinguished businessman and philanthropist renowned for his contributions to education and development. In 1996, he established the Saïd Business School at Oxford University as its founding benefactor, an institution now recognised globally among the highest-ranking business schools for its focus on entrepreneurship and innovative business education. This initiative reflects a broader commitment to higher education, influenced by a family legacy that includes the founding of Syria’s first university, now Damascus University, which significantly enhanced regional development.

The Saïd Foundation, a non-sectarian and non-political charity established by Wafic Saïd, further exemplifies his dedication to educational advancement. Through donations exceeding £100 million, the foundation has supported approaching 2000 students from Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine, providing access to education for talented individuals in need, as well as supporting over 300,000 children and their families through humanitarian efforts.

His career trajectory encompasses diverse sectors: beginning in 1963 with banking training at UBS in Geneva, he later ventured into the culinary industry, opening two Middle Eastern restaurants in London in 1967, including Caravanserai on Kensington High Street, before selling them in 1969. Subsequently, in Saudi Arabia during the 1970s and 1980s oil boom, his construction enterprises delivered critical infrastructure - airports, desalination plants, housing, and hospitals - playing a pivotal role in the nation’s rapid development. Since the 1980s, his focus has shifted towards investments and philanthropy, with an emphasis on fostering educational opportunities across the Levant area.