Elie (Eli) Horn (born in 1944) is a Brazilian businessman and philanthropist operating in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, and president of Cyrela Brazil Realty.

Biography

Elie Horn was born to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family in

Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...

(then under the French Mandate for Syria).Jewish Telegraph Agency: "Jewish billionaire first Brazilian to join Gates and Buffet’s Giving Pledge"
December 1, 2015 His family emigrated to Brazil when he was 11. As a teenager, he began working with his brother, Joe Horn, in developing the city of

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

, gaining experience in

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...

. Horn received a degree in law from

Mackenzie University Mackenzie Presbyterian University (Portuguese: ''Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie'') is a private university in São Paulo, Brazil. The Mackenzie Presbyterian University is an institution of higher learning that has strong tradition and history ...

. In 1962, he founded his own company, Cyrela, and built it into the largest publicly traded developer of high-end residential buildings in Brazil.

Cyrela Brazil Realty

Horn is a controlling shareholder in Cyrela Brazil Realty and is a developer and builder of real estate located in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. It operates in 17 states and 66 cities in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. The company has existed for 50 years and has over 8,000 clients, 15,000 employees and has developed over 70,000 housing units between 2015 and 2018. Cyrela is traded on the Brazilian stock market at a $2 billion market cap. Horn is chairman of Cyrela's board of directors and chief executive officer. Serving in both capacities since the incorporation of Brazil Realty in 1994. Horn is founding partner and president of Cyrela since 1978. In 2014, Horn retired as CEO of Cyrela with his two sons, Raphael and Efraim becoming co-CEOs.

Business philosophy and achievements

Horn is described by Forbes as a: :"Real estate magnate (who) founded Cyrela Brazil Realty in 1978; built it into largest developer of high-end residential buildings in

Sao Paulo SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U.S ...

and

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

. Later expanded by inking development deals with partners in various regions of Brazil. Horn also owns slice of agricultural investor BrasilAgro. A low-profile man known for giving 20% of his earnings to charity reportedly told Brazilian press he plans to give away most of his fortune at his death. In 2008 he told Wharton: 'My history is to make money when there is a boom, not when there is a crisis.'"

Philanthropy

* Horn has donated large sums to help causes in Israel, including a $6m donation to the state. * He has contributed to programs that benefit the Haredi community, such as: :"...In 2007, the Kemach Foundation ("Promoting Haredi Employment" ) was founded. Its purpose is to help Haredi students sustain themselves in dignity. Behind Kemach stands philanthropist

Leo Noe Leopold Noé (born August 1953) is a British multi-millionaire property investor. His net worth is at least £606 million based on the 2021 and 2020 ''Sunday Times Rich List''. ''The Sunday Times Giving List'', published in May 2021, was the twen ...

, owner of British company Reit Asset Management;

Zev Wolfson Zev Wolfson (September 27, 1928 – August 13, 2012) was a Jewish businessman and philanthropist, who has been remembered as one of the most important figures in American Orthodoxy over the past century. Background Born to a Jewish family in Vil ...

, founder of the software house, Ness Technologies; Joel Landau, executive director of Israel Up Close Productions, who is involved with Yad Ezra V’Shulamit. They were also joined by Brazilian billionaire Elie Horn." In 2015, Horn and his wife Susy signed Warren Buffett's The Giving Pledge, pledging to donate 60% their wealth over their lifetime to charitable causes. Elie was the first Brazilian to do so.

Net worth

Since 2006, Horn has been on the list of Forbes billionaires. During 2015 the Brazilian GDP fell by 3.2% and Horn's Cyrela Brazil lost 55% of its value, shrinking Horn's wealth down to about $500 million, temporarily removing him from the list of the world's billionaires. Per Forbes magazine, as of March 2018, Horn had a net worth of US$1.0B.

Personal life

Horn is married to Susy and has three children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Horn, Elie 1944 births Living people People from Aleppo Syrian Jews Syrian emigrants to Brazil Brazilian people of Syrian-Jewish descent Brazilian billionaires Brazilian Sephardi Jews Syrian billionaires Syrian businesspeople Mackenzie Presbyterian University alumni Brazilian philanthropists