Assem Allam

Early life

Born in Egypt in 1939, Allam fled to the UK from Gamel Abdel Nasser's regime in Egypt in 1968. He studied economics at the University of Hull.

Career

After qualifying as an accountant, he started work at Tempest Diesel Limited (Co. Number 00335080). In 1981, he used a loan to begin a buy-out of the company. In 1992 the company was put into administrative receivership at the behest of Barclays Bank, along with Ruscador Shipyard Limited.

In the same year, he incorporated a purchase of the companies assets through a new company, Allam Marine Limited (Co. Number 02708090), subsequently leading the company to international success.

Assem Allam and his son were included in the Sunday Times Rich List 2010. In 2006, he was named the UK Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young, the same firm of accountants who acted as Administrative Receivers of Tempest and Ruscador.

East Riding of Yorkshire

Allam has frequently made reference to his gratitude for his adoptive home in the East Riding of Yorkshire, and has made several philanthropic gestures to the area including providing support to several local grassroots sports clubs, making donations to the Hull Truck Theatre, as well as becoming a trustee of the Daisy Appeal, a medical research fund at the local Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham. He has stated that he feels an obligation to pay back the region for his success.

Hull City A.F.C

In September 2010, it was speculated that he was interested in investing in Hull City A.F.C., the local football team, which had been relegated from the Premier League earlier in 2010 with extensive financial problems. On 18 October 2010 it was confirmed that Assem, along with his son Ehab Allam, had entered negotiations with Hull City owner and chairman, Russell Bartlett. Allam confirmed at the time that he felt the need to "pay back to the area," and that Hull City were important to the area. On 10 November 2010, it was confirmed by the Allams that a deal had been agreed for a controlling interest in the club, and that the Allams would assume control once the relevant requirements had been met.

Whilst it was originally reported that Allam intended to only purchase a majority shareholding in the club, and would continue to work with Bartlett, a protracted period of due diligence indicated that the investment required would be substantially higher than originally planned; this resulted in a move to obtain complete shareholding control of the club. The deal was formally completed at 10:45 pm on 16 December 2010, with the club changing hands for the nominal fee of £1, and with Allam and his son Ehab committing themselves to invest £30 million, as well as providing assurance for a further £10 million.

Following the takeover, it was confirmed on the official club website that Assem Allam would take up the role of chairman at the club. On 4 May 2013, Hull City clinched promotion back to the Premier League.

On 9 August 2013, Allam announced that the club will discard its 109-year old name and be, henceforth, "marketed" as Hull City Tigers locally and Hull Tigers to national and international audiences. Announcing the change in the Hull Daily Mail newspaper, he said: "'Hull City' is irrelevant...it is common. I want the club to be special. It is about identity. 'City' is a lousy identity. 'Hull City Association Football Club' is so long." The club's Managing Director Nick Thompson urged supporters "to judge it in the fullness of time." The announcement stated that all references to "AFC" on club branding will be phased out, although they will remain on the shirt crest during their first season back in the Premier League. Allam justified the name change as part of his plans to create "additional sources of revenue" for the club, after Hull City Council refused to sell him the stadium freehold so he could develop, as he had stated, "a sports park" on the site. The council has refused to sell in order, as they stated, "to preserve the annual Hull Fair held on the adjacent car park." After the collapse of the negotiations, Allam stated "I had in mind £30 million to spend on the infrastructure of the club, to increase the stadium by 10,000 and to have commercial activities around the stadium – cafeterias, shops, supermarkets - to have all this to create income for the club so that in the future it can be self-financing and not relying on me." And asked rhetorically, "What if I dropped dead tomorrow?" On 12 September 2013, Allam, speaking to an interviewer, predicted that "in a few years many clubs will follow and change their names to something more interesting and I will have proved I am a leader." He added that if he were the owner of Manchester City, he would change their name to "Manchester Hunter".

Allam's plans to change the name of the club have been met with strong opposition from supporters of the club, whose complaints he dismissed, stating "nobody questions my decisions in my business." In response to the formation of a group opposed to the name change entitled "City Till We Die," Allam responded that the supporters involved "can die as soon as they want, as long as they leave the club for the majority who just want to watch good football." On 9 April 2014, the FA rejected Allam's proposal to change the club's name. Allam subsequently announced his intention to appeal the decision. Allam does not plan to attend any of the Championship club's matches this season.

Hull Kingston Rovers

In May 2011, Allam gave a £1 million gift to Hull Kingston Rovers rugby league club "to be used for stadium improvements and strengthening the playing staff".

Squash sponsorship

In October 2011, Allam signed a three-year sponsorship of the British Open Squash Championships. The event was successfully moved to Kingston upon Hull in 2013 and repeated in 2014 and 2015.