Hani Rizk of Cairo, Egypt passed away in Beirut, Lebanon on September 29th at the age of 77. A highly accomplished industrialist and pioneer in the food production sector in the Middle East, Hani remained steadfast to his vision of supplying quality and affordable foods to feed a growing population to the very end of his life. With a larger than life, magnetic, and charismatic personality, Hani could connect equally with prominent and ordinary people who crossed his path. Loved by his immediate and extended family, friends, and those who worked with him, Hani’s loss is felt by so many. He is preceded in death by his parents Guirguis Rizk and Soad Boctor, his wife Sohair Rizk, and his nephew Amir Rizk, whose eulogy he movingly delivered earlier this year.
Born in 1945, in the district of Shubra in Cairo to an army doctor father and a biochemistry professor mother, Hani excelled in school and continued to pursue a degree in civil engineering from Cairo University. Naturally gifted with mental acuity and extraordinary motivation, Hani was awarded a scholarship in 1969 to continue his education in the US where he earned his PhD from Ohio State University. Just as his academic career was taking off, Hani received an offer to consult in building Kuwait’s highway infrastructure from scratch. Six years later, with the aid of Hani’s vision and his hard work, Kuwait’s highway system became modeled after the US’s and became a beacon of what Gulf countries can achieve in a short timeframe. Hani then decided to head home to Egypt for a dramatic shift in career, thus beginning a path of serial entrepreneurship. Despite little background in industry, Hani noticed a glaring gap in the Egyptian food industry and took it upon himself to build a modern dairy factory with a wide range of long-life products. His drive led the companies to grow quickly and expand into other lines of business. Hani’s industrial career was marked by dramatic rises, but there were setbacks. Shifting political fortunes at that time forced him to leave Egypt in 2001, leaving behind accomplishments and extensive properties in Egypt. Hani, ever forward-looking, set his gaze ahead. He succeeded in working with UAE investors to build a cupcake/baked goods factory in Dubai where he found great fulfillment building a factory from the ground up and developing new products. It was not for nothing that his beloved late nephew Amir dubbed Hani “the comeback king.” In his final chapter, Hani was approached by Lebanese investors to build a cheese factory in Lebanon to bring affordable food to people despite the country’s economic crisis and difficulties of daily life. Of great solace to his family is that Hani’s last days in Lebanon were truly happy for him. Sadly, he passed away just before production was scheduled to start. His funeral service was held in the same church in Beirut where he had married Sohair in 1974.
Hani will be personally and professionally remembered in many respects but perhaps it is his most remarkable presence, storytelling abilities, contagious ebullience, as well as his sincere kindness that will be missed above all else. With Hani always at the head, long tables populated by friends and family covered in delicious food, conversation, and laughs will surely be remembered by those who knew him. In his long career, he met numerous Middle Eastern and global personalities, but Hani was equally at home relaxing in front of the television watching his favorite football team Zamalek, or playing with children. Loving life in all aspects, he was always dapper, enjoying fine suits, shoes and watches, and was a great admirer and collector of classic cars. Hani the brilliant businessman can only be outshone by Hani the human being.
He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law Joe Rizk and Rasha Odeh, his daughter and son-in-law Dina Hani Rizk Guirguis and Robin Mills and their children and his grandchildren Hypatia Eve Sohair Guirguis-Mills and Roman Raphael Guirguis-Mills, his sister and brother-in-law Samia Rizk Hanna and Wahid Hanna, his brother Sami Rizk, his nephew Michael Hanna and his wife Mandy Lam and their children Sophie, Mia, and Tamer, Manal Abbas Rizk (wife of his late nephew Amir Rizk) and their children Rafi and Tara Rizk, and his niece Rana Rizk. He is also survived by many cousins in the United States, Canada, England and Egypt.
Private burial will be at 3:00 pm on October 20, 2022 in Berry Highland Memorial Cemetery, Knoxville, TN.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.berryhighlandmemorial.com for the Rizk family.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.17