Mr. Elie Horn

A self-made real estate entrepreneur, Elie Horn is a visionary philanthropist, whose unwavering commitment to charitable causes in Brazil, Israel, and around the world has earned global admiration and respect. 

 

Mr. Horn was born in 1944 in Aleppo, Syria to a Jewish family. Emigrating to Brazil at the age of 11, he quickly immersed himself in the real estate industry alongside his brother in São Paulo, starting a real estate investment business when he was 19. He studied at the Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, earning a bachelor’s degree in law.

 

In 1962, Mr. Horn founded Cyrela Brazil Realty, building it into the largest publicly traded developer of high-end residential projects in Brazil. Operating in various states and cities across Brazil and Argentina, the company has catered to over 100,000 clients and has over 5,000 employees. Mr. Horn is the company’s principal shareholder and has held various leadership roles, including CEO (1978-2014) and Chairman of the Board of Directors (since 2014). He also chairs the Board of Directors of Cyrela Commercial Properties and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Lavvi Empreendimentos Imobiliários S.A.

 

A staunch champion of social justice, Mr. Horn founded and supports many charitable organizations. His philanthropy focuses on supporting the Jewish world, promoting education, and fostering social development. He founded the Instituto Liberta, which works to combat sexual exploitation of children and adolescents in Brazil in all its forms, and the Movimento Bem Maior, an organization focused on strengthening Brazil’s philanthropy ecosystem. In 2015, Mr. Horn and his wife Susy became the first Brazilians to sign The Giving Pledge, committing to donate 60% of their wealth to charitable causes.

Mr. Horn gives extensively to various causes in Israel, including a significant donation to the University of Haifa and support for programs such as the Kemach Foundation and initiatives at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which promote employment among the ultra-Orthodox community. He also supports a university project for the ultra-Orthodox community in Gan Yavne, a town in central Israel. At Weizmann, Mr. Horn has pledged a transformative gift to advance cutting-edge brain and neuroscience research, through the Brazilian Friends Building that will house the Azrieli Institute for Brain and Neural Sciences. His philanthropic efforts also include promoting the fusion between Judaism and science.

Mr. Horn has recently authored and published a book in which he outlines his philanthropic vision and reflects on milestones in his personal and professional life.