Samih Sawiris is Chairman & CEO of the newly established Swiss holding company Orascom Development Holding SA (OD Holding), the parent company of Cairo based Orascom Hotels & Development (OHD). OHD today is a leading integrated town developer in Egypt & the Middle East which develops & manages touristic towns.

With the development of El Gouna town on the Red Sea in 1989, Samih Sawiris laid the foundation stone for OHD. El Gouna holds 15 hotels, managed by OHD's brands & large international hotels chains. El Gouna was awarded four "Green Globe 21" certificates for its admirable respect of environmental principles. Since this project, OHD has developed many other tourist resorts, including one in Andermatt in Switzerland.

Samih has also developed a low-income housing project in Egypt whose aim is to offer affordable housing.