Hana Al Rostamani, Group CEO of the First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), leads the Forbes Middle East signature annual list of the region’s most powerful businesswomen for 2024, for the second consecutive year. She was also recognised on Forbes’ list of the World’s Most Powerful Women 2023, ranked at 63 overall and 14th in the finance category globally. 

 

Two Kuwaiti powerhouses – NBK Group’s Shaikha Khaled Al Bahar and KNPC’s Wadha Ahmad Al-Khateeb – round up the top three. 

 

The 2024 list features 100 entries, with 104 women from 27 sectors and 28 nationalities. Egyptians dominate with 17 women, followed by 14 Emiratis, and Saudis and Lebanese with nine women each. 

 

Banking and financial service

Leaders in banking and financial services make up over a quarter of the ranking with 26 entries, followed by healthcare with 13, and investments and technology with six entries each. A wave of 35 newcomers have joined this year’s list from 15 different sectors. 

 

Three industry titans broke into the top 10 for the first time: Dana Nasser Al Sabah, Group CEO of Kuwait Projects Company (Holding) – KIPCO; Shazia Syed, Unilever’s General Manager – North Africa, Levant, and Iraq & Arabia Senior Customer Development Lead; Reem Asaad, Cisco’s Vice President – Middle East, Africa, Türkiye, Romania & The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Of the top 10 ranked women, 50% work within the banking and financial services industry, and two Pakistani trailblazers represent the region’s non-Arab, diverse senior leadership. 

 

Top 10 Most Powerful Businesswomen 

*Hana Al Rostamani 

Nationality: Emirati 

Group CEO, First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) 

 

*Shaikha Khaled Al Bahar 

Nationality: Kuwaiti 

Deputy Group CEO, National Bank of Kuwait Group (NBK Group) 

 

*Wadha Ahmed Al-Khateeb

Nationality: Kuwaiti 

CEO, Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) 

 

*Shaista Asif

Nationality: Pakistani 

Cofounder and Group CEO, PureHealth Holding 

 

*Dana Nasser Al Sabah

NEWCOMER TO TOP 10

Nationality: Kuwaiti 

Group CEO, Kuwait Projects Company (Holding) – KIPCO 

 

*Randa Sadik 

Nationality: Jordanian 

CEO, Arab Bank

 

*Sarah Al-Suhaimi

Nationality: Saudi 

Chairperson, Saudi Tadawul Group

 

*Maryam Al Suwaidi

Nationality: Emirati 

CEO, Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) 

 

*Shazia Syed

NEWCOMER TO TOP 10

Nationality: Pakistani 

General Manager – North Africa, Levant, and Iraq & Arabia Senior Customer Development Lead, Unilever 

 

*Reem Asaad

NEWCOMER TO TOP 10

Nationality: Egyptian-American 

Vice President – Middle East, Africa, Türkiye, Romania & The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Cisco. -- TradeArabia News Service