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Wael Ghonim

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Wael Ghonim
وائل غنيم
File:Wael Ghonim.jpg
Born (1980-12-23) December 23, 1980 (age 43)
Cairo, Egypt
DisappearedJanuary 27, 2011
Cairo, Egypt
StatusReleased on February 7, 2011
Nationality Egypt
Alma materCairo University (B.S.)
American University in Cairo (M.B.A.)
Occupation(s)Head of Marketing of Google Middle East and North Africa
Internet Activist
Computer Engineer
Years active1998-present
EmployerGoogle Inc.
Children2[1]

Wael Said Abbas Ghonim (Arabic: وائل سعيد عباس غنيم,[2] IPA: [ˈwæːʔel sæˈʕiːd ʕæbˈbæːs ɣoˈneːm]) (born 23 December 1980 in Cairo, Egypt) is an Egyptian Internet activist, computer engineer and since January 2010 the Head of Marketing of Google Middle East and North Africa.[3] He became an international figure and energized pro-democracy demonstrations in Egypt after his emotional interview following 11 days of secret incarceration by Egyptian police.

Background

Wael Ghonim was born to a middle-class family on 23 December 1980 in Cairo, Egypt and grew up in the United Arab Emirates.[4]

He earned a computer engineering degree from Cairo University in 2004 and an MBA in marketing and finance from the American University in Cairo in 2007.[5]

Career

Wael's career to date has included a period as a consultant to the development of the Egyptian e-government portal.

Timeline

  • 1998–2002 — Helped in the launch of one of the most visited websites in the Arab world[6]
  • 2002–2005 — Marketing and Sales Manager of Gawab.com, the leading e-mail service provider in the Middle East[7][8]
  • 2005–2008 — Founder and General Manager of Mubasher.info, the leading Arabic financial portal in the Middle East[7]

Detention

He tricked Google into allowing him to return to Egypt, citing a "personal problem"[12]. After his arrival Wael disappeared on 27 January 2011 during the 2011 Egyptian protests. His family told Al-Arabiya and other international media that he was missing. Google also issued a statement confirming the disappearance. Many bloggers like Chris DiBona and Habib Haddad campaigned in attempt to identify his location. On 5 February 2011, Mostafa Alnagar, a major Egyptian opposition figure, reported Wael Ghonim as alive and detained by the authorities and to be released 'within hours'.[13] On 6 February 2011, Amnesty International demanded that the Egyptian authorities disclose where Ghonim was and to release him.[14]

Wael was released on 7 February, after 11 days in detention. Upon his release, he was greeted with cheers and applause when he stated: "We will not abandon our demand and that is the departure of the regime." He appeared on the Egyptian channel DreamTV on the "10:00pm" programme, where he praised the protesters, urging that they deserved attention more than he did, and calling for the end of the Mubarak regime, describing it again as 'rubbish'. He also asserted his allegiance to Egypt, saying that he would never move to the United States, the homeland of his wife.[15][16]

Personal life

He is married to an American. They have two children.[17]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Fears for Google employee in Egypt". Amnestyusa.org. 2011-01-28. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
  2. ^ "An interview with him on Dream TV 2 [[:Template:Ar]]". Youtube.com. Retrieved 2011-02-08. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  3. ^ "Wael Ghonim, Google's Marketing Head Reportedly Missing In Egypt". The News Ny. 2011-02-01. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
  4. ^ "(in Arabic)". Al-akhbar.com. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
  5. ^ "Wael Ghonim - Head of Marketing @ Google - Middle East & North Africa | LinkedIn". Ae.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
  6. ^ "(in Arabic)" (in Template:Ar icon). Marefa.org. 2011-02-01. Retrieved 2011-02-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  7. ^ a b "(in Arabic)". Alarabalyawm.net. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
  8. ^ "Re: Feasibility of advertising revenues (Online Advertising Discussion List Archives)". O-a.com. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
  9. ^ "(in Arabic)". Nationalkuwait.com. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
  10. ^ "Update: Google MENA Marketing Head Wael Ghonim Apprehended in Egypt, Please Help Locate Him". ArabCrunch. 2011-02-02. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
  11. ^ "Mr. Wael Ghonim". MENA ICT Forum. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
  12. ^ Profile: Egypt's Wael Ghonim BBC News 9 February 2011
  13. ^ "Confirmation?? Rt @fustat: Mostafa Alnagar: Wael @Ghonim is alive & detained. We have promises that he will be released within hours". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
  14. ^ "Fears for Google employee in Egypt | Amnesty International". Amnesty.org. 2010-05-31. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
  15. ^ "Live blog Feb 7 - Egypt protests | Al Jazeera Blogs". Blogs.aljazeera.net. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
  16. ^ "Google: Exec held in Egypt protests has been freed, United States General News - Maktoob News". En.news.maktoob.com. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
  17. ^ "وائل غنيم - المعرفة" (in Template:Ar icon). Marefa.org. 2011-02-01. Retrieved 2011-02-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
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