Forbes Middle East Celebrates The Middle East’s 100 Most Powerful Businesswomen 2023

Meet The Region’s Top Female Business Leaders

The 2023 ranking of the region’s top women in businesses features 104 women from 27 nationalities across 27 sectors.
The UAE and Egypt scored the most entries at 15 and 12, respectively, followed by Saudi with 11, Kuwait with eight, and Lebanon, Oman, and Qatar with six each.
23% of listees work in the banking and financial services sector.

Forbes Middle East has revealed its flagship annual list of the region’s most powerful businesswomen for 2023, ranking the female leaders championing business success in the Middle East and beyond. The list was constructed based on the size of the business, the individual’s impact, achievements, and performance over the last year, and the scope of CSR and other initiatives led by the person.

Hana Al Rostamani, Group CEO of the First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), climbed two spots to land first place this year. In June 2022, FAB completed a merger with Bank Audi Egypt under the umbrella of FABMISR, making it one of the largest foreign banks in Egypt, with assets worth $10 billion as of March 2022. Raja Easa Al Gurg, Chairperson and Managing Director of Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group, and Lubna S. Olayan, Chair of the Saudi British Bank and Chair of the Executive Committee and Deputy Chair of Olayan Financing Company, rounded up the top three. NBK’s Sheikha Khaled Al Bahar ranks first in Kuwait and fourth regionally. Al Rostamani and Al Gurg were also both recognized on Forbes’ 2022 list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women.

The 2023 ranking celebrates business titans from 27 different nationalities across 27 sectors. Emirati and Egyptian women dominate the list, with 15 and 12 entries, respectively. They are followed by Saudi with 11 listees, Kuwait with eight, and Lebanon, Oman, and Qatar with six each. Leaders working in the banking and financial services make up 23 of the 100 listees. Diversified conglomerates and the investments industry follow with 11 and eight women, respectively.

Three industry disruptors entered the top 10 for the first time: Shaista Asif, Cofounder and Group COO of PureHealth Group; Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, Managing Director of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC); and Wadha Ahmed Al-Khateeb, CEO of the Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC). Half of the top 10 ranked women work within the banking and financial services industry.

Many of the businesswomen on this year’s ranking are placing significant importance on education and empowerment initiatives. The Apparel Group, led by Founder and Chairwoman Sima Ganwani Ved, launched its Digital Learning Academy in October to offer bilingual courses in the GCC. Rawya Mansour, Founder and Chairwoman of RAMSCO, spearheaded a partnership with the National Council for Women to empower women in Africa through an organic farming project and entrepreneurs’ initiative for zero-waste eco-villages. And Hind Bahwan, Founder and Chairperson of Bahwan CyberTek Group, signed an MoU with Dubai’s Heriot-Watt University to offer internships and deep work immersions to students to tackle the growing demand for emerging technologies like AI, ML, and IoT.

Top 10 Most Powerful Businesswomen In The Middle East 2023

Hana Al Rostamani

Nationality: Emirati

Group CEO, FAB

Raja Easa Al Gurg

Nationality: Emirati

Chairperson & Managing Director, Easa Saleh Al Gurg (ESAG)

Lubna S. Olayan

Nationality: Saudi

Chair of Saudi British Bank; Chair of the Executive Committee and Deputy Chair of Olayan Financing Company

Shaikha Khaled Al Bahar

Nationality: Kuwaiti