Developer of Park51, the Planned Muslim Cultural Center at Ground Zero

Sharif El‐Gamal is a New York City real estate developer. He is the founder & CEO of Soho Properties, a Manhattan‐based real estate company. Sharif has a broad array of experience in real estate investment and has been involved in the acquisition and disposition of over 20 Manhattan buildings containing in excess of 2 Million square feet of space including the management of multi‐family, office, retail and residential developments. Soho Properties was launched to invest and develop residential and commercial real estate projects and form a Capital Markets Group. Sharif is responsible for overseeing the complete operations of the company, including identification, evaluation and execution of investments and the formulation of polices and strategies for the ongoing asset management and disposition of investments.

Prior to Soho Properties, Sharif built a firm to oversee the asset management of a residential portfolio of mixed use buildings and retail stores in New York City. Additionally, he advised international and institutional investors in the acquisition and sales of office and residential properties in New York City with an aggregate transaction value in excess of $500 Million.

Sharif incorporates a variety of philanthropic activities into his life, including helping non‐profit organizations find and purchase properties in addition to assisting them with investment advice and equity sourcing. He is a member of the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY). He was recently honored by NBC and Matt Lauer as one of the People of the Year for 2010.

A charismatic and sought after public speaker, Sharif has appeared in national and international media such as NBC, BBC, CBS, CNN, NPR, MSNBC, NY1 and BBC. He has been quoted in the New York Times, New York Post, Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, New York Daily News, The Real Deal, Financial Times, ABC This Week, USA Today, BBC News Radio and Associated Press.
Sharif was born in Brooklyn, NY and is of Polish and Egyptian descent. He lives in New York City with his wife and two daughters.