Hassanein Hiridjee

Hassanein Hiridjee (born in 1975 in Antananarivo) is a French-Malagasy entrepreneur. He is the CEO of the panafrican group Axian and a leading figure in the Indian Ocean business world.

Education
Hassanein Hiridjee comes from a Khoja (sometimes known as Lawati) family who settled in Madagascar. He graduated from the Tananarive French Lycée in 1992. He then graduated from the ESCP Business School in Paris.

Career
In France, he held several positions in the financial sector before returning to Madagascar. In 1997, he joined the family business initially named Hirimix, founded by his uncles. In December 2015, the company was renamed Axian. Axian is now active in the telecom, energy, real estate and financial services sectors globally. Its expansion beyond Madagascar began in the Indian Ocean and then Africa more widely through forming a presence in Tanzania with the takeover of the operations of Tigo (Milicom SA), in Togo in entering TOGOCOM's capital, in Senegal with a partnership with Xavier Niel, and also in the Ivory Coast.

Civil society involvement
In 2017, through Axian Group, he started a foundation called Fondation H which aims to promote the art and practice of African artists internationally. The Fondation H gallery in Marais, Paris has been open since September 2020. In May 2023, a new gallery was inaugurated in Antananarivo, Madagascar.

Distinctions
At the Africa CEO Forum 2022 organized by Jeune Afrique Media Group, he was named "CEO of the year". This award recognizes the CEO who has had the biggest impact in Africa over that year.