Édouard Louis Joseph, 1st Baron Empain (20 September 1852 – 22 July 1929), was a wealthy Walloon Belgian engineer, entrepreneur, financier and industrialist, as well as an amateur Egyptologist.

Empain began his career a draughtsman at a metallurgical company, Société métallurgique, in 1878,[2] and became involved in railway construction when he noticed that transport infrastructure in the countryside was inadequate.

[2] The Empain group of companies expanded greatly throughout the 1890s, constructing electric urban tramlines in Europe as well as railways in Russia, China, the Belgian Congo, and in Cairo, Egypt.

In addition, there was housing for rent, offered in a range of innovative design types targeting specific social classes with detached and terraced villas, apartment buildings, tenement blocks with balcony access and workers' bungalows.

In 1907 he received the title of Baron, and also suggested to Belgian Egyptologist Jean Capart that he excavate at Heliopolis, where his building constructions were underway.