Business
Profile: Haile Gebrselassie – Great African athlete and entrepreneur
Haile Gebrselassie crossing the finish line at the Berlin Marathon in Sept. 2008.PHOTO/Wolfgang Kumm/European Pressphoto Agency
Haile Gebrselassie sets the pace on the track and in business for his fellow athletes with his wise investments.
Four years ago, sitting with Haile Gebrselassie in his eighth floor office at Alem Building, we enjoyed an uninhibited view of Addis Ababa.
Alem Building, named after the running legend’s wife, is the headquarters of the couple’s business empire, Haile and Alem International PLC., and is one of the most prominent structures in Addis.
The crown jewel in his investments is obviously the Haile Resort, a five-star hotel constructed on 7.5 acres on Lake Hawassa, some 270 kilometres from Addis Ababa. His firm, Marathon Motors, Gebrselassie is also Ethiopia’s sole importer of Hyundai vehicles and is working on setting up a Hyundai assembly plant in the country.
