Bashar Masri is the Chairman of Massar International, a company he founded in 1995 to promote private sector development and economic growth in Palestine. Under his leadership, Massar has grown to include more than 30 subsidiaries in the fields of financial services, real estate, media and communications, logistics, retail, agribusiness and information technology. Massar’s group of enterprises employs thousands of Palestinians and has brought technology, know-how and industry best practices to Palestine.

 

Masri is the visionary behind Rawabi, the first Palestinian planned city, a massive undertaking that has garnered world attention. With thousands of housing units built to serve families from multiple demographics, ultramodern infrastructure, and emerging commercial and tech hubs, the city has already had profound economic and social impacts on Palestinians.

 

Masri also serves as Chairman of the Palestine Development and Investment Company (PSE: PADICO) which helps drive the Palestinian economy with investments in vital industrial sectors including real estate, telecommunications, tourism, industry, agriculture, environment, and energy. Regionally, Masri has spearheaded investments in affordable housing communities in Morocco, commercial and residential developments in Jordan, and a mixed-use real estate project in Egypt.

 

In 2021, Masri launched an ambitious neigborhood project serving the Palestinian community in East Jerusalem. Lana neighorhood will include eight residential tours, a shopping center, a commercial space, a school, and a park.

 

Named by the World Economic Forum as a Global Leader of Tomorrow and ranked among the World's 50 Greatest Leaders in 2018 by Fortune magazine, Masri was featured in a full-length segment on CBS’s 60 Minutes: “Rawabi: One Man’s Vision for a Palestinian Future” (December 2019). He dedicates significant time to public service and board membership, including the Development Advisory Council of the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the Board of Trustees of An-Najah National University, the Deans’ Council at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, a member of the Palestine Olympic Committee, and the Chairman of the Palestine Chess Federation.