Irfan Hysenbelliu

Irfan Hysenbelliu is the president of the Focus Media Group and owner of the Panorama Group LLC, with key investments in TV, radio and newspapers. Hysenbelliu is an entrepreneur in the field of construction, hotel business, brewery and private higher education. He started his career in 1994 as a trader and importer of goods, but later expanded into the profitable construction market in Tirana.

In 1997 Hysenbelliu privatized the state-owned enterprise for the production of educational materials “ALB-MS 97’ and together with 10 other businessmen privatized ‘Birra Tirana’- Albania’s largest brewery. Later he sold his stake in ‘Birra Tirana’ and bought the ‘Birra Korca’ brewery in 2004.

In 2002 Hysenbelliu invested in the media sector and founded Panorama Group LLC, which owns the daily newspaper Panorama, the sport daily Panorama Sport and the weekly magazine Psikologjia. In 2011, Hysenbelliu extended his reach in the audiovisual media market and bought the television station News 24, the daily newspaper Gazeta Shqiptare, the portal Balkanweb.com and radio Rash for 5.9 Million EUR together with the banker Artan Santo.

Although known publicly as the president of ‘Focus Group’, Irfan Hysenbelliu does not appear as the owner in the public records. According to the company’s business registration extract, the proxy owner of the company is his cousin Bashkim Hysenbelli.