< PreviousSPE CIAL / 40 UNDER 40 20 19 40 Vol. 20/42, November – December 2019 Farah Imad Al Alami Chief communications offi cer United Eastern Medical Services (UEMedical) Age: 36 Listed as one of the top 100 most influential PR professionals in the Middle East in the 2019 Power Book of PR Week UK, Farah Al Alami holds an MBA (with distinction) from New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), and a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from the Yarmouk University in Jordan. With over 16 years’ experience in healthcare communications and PR in the Middle East (ME) region, Al Alami currently serves as the chief communications officer at United Eastern Medical Services Group (UEMedical) in UAE, leading the marketing and communications functions on a corporate level and throughout UEMedical’s subsidiaries including Danat Al Emarat Hospital, HealthPlus Network of Specialty Centres, Moorfields Eye Hospital Abu Dhabi and several other projects in KSA. She is also an elected strategy board member at the Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA), a non-profit member association established to set world-class standards for the public relations and communication industry in the Middle East. It has operated since January 2016. From 2013 to 2016, Al Alami served as the regional director of communications and PR in the Middle East region, Turkey and UK for US-based Cleveland Clinic. She q WE ARE INDEED PROUD TO SEE MORE ORGANISATIONS NOW HAVING COMMUNICATIONS AND PR EXPERTS SIT ON THE SENIOR LEADERSHIP TABLE” 65% The proportion of women in the PR industry workforce around the world previously led media relations and internal communications at Abu Dhabi’s tertiary hospital Sheikh Khalifa Medical City from 2005 – 2011 and in between, she joined UEMedical as marketing manager for two years. Throughout her experience, Al Alami’s focus was on healthcare marketing and communications. Her key areas of specialisation are corporate and internal communications, media relations management, digital marketing, crisis management, events management, marketing and advertising. She has spoken in several conferences and moderated panel discussions related to the PR industry and women empowerment. Al Alami was invited to present a health segment in a weekly medical TV show (Fi Baytina Tabeeb) on Abu Dhabi TV Station from 2012 until 2014 with over 55 aired episodes and reports aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles. Al Alami has also served as committee member in the Women in Business Committee under the American Chamber of Commerce Abu Dhabi (AmCham Abu Dhabi) from 2017 – 2019. arabianbusiness.com 41 / 40 UNDER 40 20 19 Fodhil Benturquia Founder and CEO Okadoc.com Age: 36 At the age of 36, Fodhil Benturquia is already considered a highly accomplished veteran in the fast-moving world of tech entrepreneurship. In his early 20s, in September 2007, Benturquia came to Dubai from France to continue his career in investment banking with Societe General. He quickly became involved in the e-commerce sector, which at the time, was considered as a very high-risk venture and had no credibility as a viable business model. Yet, he was fascinated by the way e-commerce could disrupt the legacy business model of the retail industry and in 2010, Benturquia co-founded MarkaVIP in Amman. His journey there was short-lived, and ten months later he joined the core team of Souq. com, a company which at the time was at its infancy. He then launched the Deal of the Day offering, which became a very successful business model. Later on, he accepted the challenge of leading Souq.com’s Saudi operations where for two years he was in charge of the company’s profit and loss. During his five years at Souq, Benturquia was fortunate to gain significant e-commerce experience from the ground up, with a company which attracted the attention of the world’s biggest e-commerce player and that was eventually acquired by Amazon.com for $600m, a testament to Souq’s high valuation, reputation and strong potential. It was not long before Benturquia decided to accept his next challenge – and in 2015, still at the age of 31, he accepted an offer to become the Group CEO of Noon. com. The $1bn joint venture involving key Dubai captains of industry and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund was a character-forming experience for Benturquia who managed to build the company from the ground up to one of the largest regional e-commerce players in less than 24 months. And once his tenure at Noon was over, Benturquia was literally lucky to fall sick – and he tried to book an appointment with a doctor. This proved a lot harder than it sounds, making him realise that healthcare in the UAE was an industry that was worth investing his skills, expertise and some seed capital to help it move to the digital era. Okadoc was born to provide a real solution to an age-old, legacy business model for doctor appointments, heavily reliant on old-fashioned call centres and incapable of following the rapidly changing consumer behaviour pattern, which is underlined by the need for instant gratification through digital technologies. Today, Benturquia is leading a team of 45 who all share his mission: to improve the healthcare experience for all and his ambition to establish Okadoc as the undisputed leading healthtech start-up in the region and beyond. Benturquia studied mathematics in France where he obtained his Master’s Degree in Finance and Management. q OKADOC IS THE REGION’S FIRST INSTANT ONLINE APPOINTMENT BOOKING PLATFORM FOR DOCTORS THAT SEAMLESSLY CONNECTS HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS AND PRACTITIONERS WITH THEIR PATIENTS” 30% Okadoc’s target market penetration rate in the UAE by 2022SPE CIAL / 40 UNDER 40 20 19 42 Vol. 20/42, November – December 2019 Hamid Haqparwar Managing Director BMW Group Middle East Age: 38 Dr Hamid Haqparwar is a highly experienced industry professional with extensive knowledge of the automobile business gained from many years working with one of the world’s biggest car brands. Haqparwar has been with BMW Group all his working life. He started with the company as an intern in 2005 and has gone on to excel within the organisation, reaching his current position of managing director of BMW Group Middle East at the age of just 38. Before taking up his current role he started his career in the BMW headquarters in Germany and worked as BMW Group’s sales area manager and head of product management for the Middle East from 2008 to 2012. Haqparwar then moved to BMW India to work as director for sales and director for sales channel development. His knowledge of the automotive industry in the region saw Haqparwar appointed as BMW Group Middle East’s director for sales and marketing in 2016, before starting his current position as managing director in August 2018. As one of the leading figures behind the BMW Group Middle East, he is responsible for driving the carmaker’s business and sales forward in 13 markets across the region. Haqparwar completed his PhD from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, the successful launch of the BMW X7 in the Middle East, a car the region has long waited for. There has been a high demand since its launch and it is highly anticipated by customers and the media alike. Another highlight in 2019 is the successful launch of the all-electric BMW i3s in the GCC. BMW’s innovative e-mobility flagship can now also be ordered in Dubai. But these were not the only very important car launches for BMW Group Middle East this year. The recent opening of the state-of-the-art BMW Group Training Centre in Dubai as part of BMW Group’s Customer Care initiative is another milestone in the regional history of the company. Around 2,000 sales and aftersales staff from the 14 importers in the Middle East are trained at the centre as BMW Group Middle East moves forward with ambitious plans to build an even more customer- oriented workforce that will serve customers in a better and more efficient way. q WE WOULD LIKE TO GET THE BMW AND MINI BRAND MORE ELECTRIFIED AND MORE FUTURE READY AND ALSO CLOSER TO THE CUSTOMERS HERE IN THE REGION” 21 The number of new and updated models BMW will be releasing in the Middle East this year holds an MBA degree from Western Carolina University in USA and graduated in Business Administration from the university of Mannheim, Germany. Some of the company’s most recent accomplishments include arabianbusiness.com 43 / 40 UNDER 40 20 19 Jad Toubayly Co-founder Idealz Age: 35 Jad Toubayly is no stranger to this list. Toubayly first moved to the UAE in 2005 with Ernst & Young within their transaction advisory services. His acute interest in numbers and business acumen landed him a job at Deutsche Bank in late 2008 as a Sharia-compliant credit and derivative structurer. Toubayly was involved in major credit, derivative and capital markets transactions from across the globe and spent most of his time between Dubai and London. From there, Toubayly moved to JP Morgan in 2014, continuing with Sharia-compliant credit and derivative structuring with a global mandate. Toubayly not only grew his base in structuring major transactions but his keen interest in the ability to leverage technology enabled him to completely restructure and build the internal framework from the ground up, allowing JP Morgan to seamlessly execute Sharia-complaint derivative transactions. To date, Toubayly’s system is still regarded as ingenuitive and avant garde in the field of Sharia compliant transactions. In parallel to his banking career, Toubayly has always had a flair for entrepreneurship with more than a dozen start-ups under his belt. He co-founded Idealz in 2016, a unique e-commerce platform that has completely redefined the online shopping q IDEALZ OPERATES LIKE ANY OTHER ONLINE STORE THAT SELLS ITS OWN PRODUCTS. WHAT DISTINGUISHES US IS THE ADDED VALUE WE OFFER” $28.5bn The projected value of the ecommerce market in the MENA region by 2022 Sharia-compliant and has done extensive work with Dubai Cares to provide quality education to those less fortunate around the world. Idealz has achieved over 1,100 percent year-on-year growth in their contributions to different charitable causes with Dubai Cares. They have most recently sponsored the construction and operations of an elementary school in Nepal. Toubayly has ensured that CSR is and remains deeply embedded into the DNA of Idealz and continues to find ways to increase social impact. The true innovation of Idealz’s business model along with its growth and performance prospects attracted a leading global venture capital firm (top 10 in the world) to make their first investment into the MENA region. Idealz’s global reach has topped 150 countries since going live in late 2017 and was subsequently voted the region’s Startup of the Year in 2018 by Arabian Business. Toubayly now focuses full time on expanding Idealz’s geographical dominance beyond the MENA and GCC regions and maximising its social impact outputs. experience. His ability to think outside the box has allowed him to marry online shopping with social impact using a win-win-win formula. This formula and business model is one that not only pleases the customer and the business’s bottomlines, but also has substantial CSR outputs. In keeping with his past experience, Idealz is fully SPE CIAL / 40 UNDER 40 20 19 44 Vol. 20/42, November – December 2019 Khalid Alkhudair Executive vice president Riyad Bank Age: 36 Khalid Alkhudair is currently the executive vice president and head of customer experience and communications of Riyad Bank (RB). Prior to his role at RB, he founded Glowork, an employment organisation that has created thousands of jobs for women and placed over 40,000 women thus far. He is the first Saudi Ashoka Fellow, Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum and an Endeavour Entrepreneur. Previously at the age of only 28, he held the role of chief operating officer – Markets at KPMG in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Jordan. In 2013, Alkhudair led Glow Group to an investment to expand its current operations into different verticals and has led it from being a start-up to a well-established business with over 120 employees. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce from Saint Mary’s University in Canada with three majors, Marketing, HR and Psychology, and has completed his Executive Education in Leadership at Yale University and in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School. Alkhudair has been awarded several honours including the Chaillot Prize for Human Rights by the European Union, the King Salman Award for Entrepreneurship, included in the Most Influential Arabs list by Arabian Business, cited as among the most inspirational Arab youth, also Agenda Council on Middle East and North Africa Issues at the World Economic Forum (WEF), the Global Foundation Board at the WEF, and is an Amend’s Fellow at the University of Stanford in California. q IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE THE GAME, THEN YOU HAVE TO TURN EVERY OBSTACLE INTO AN OPPORTUNITY” 41,000 The number of women who have been hired through the employment organisation Glowork in Saudi Arabia by Arabian Business, and won the Forbes award for entrepreneurship. Alkhudair also sits on a number of advisory boards throughout the globe, such as the L’Oréal Global Panel of Critical Friends, the Global arabianbusiness.com 45 / 40 UNDER 40 20 19 Lama Younis Founder Hissah Enrichment Center Age: 36 She founded the Hissah Enrichment Center, named after her mother, in Dubai in 2013 in a bid to prevent child abuse and empower victims across the region. A Saudi national, Lama Younis completed her counselling psychology studies in Saudi Arabia and went on to obtain a Master’s Degree in Criminology and Forensic Psychology in London, after which she finished her PhD in Childhood Studies in the UK. She told Arabian Business she found it “incredibly challenging” to follow her passion as a Saudi woman, and wants to encourage more peers to follow their dreams. Mansour Bin Jabr COO Bin Jabr Group Age: 33 He’s got the F&B magic touch, having been the first to bring the famed Italian restaurant brand Cipriani to Abu Dhabi before selling it in a deal that he “couldn’t refuse”. Since then he’s opened a number of successful concepts including Mr Miyagi’s, The Scene, Stars N Bars and Casa de Cuba through 4-Front Hospitality. But the young Emirati is also the COO of his family business Bin Jabr Group which has a hand in everything from defence and oil to contracting, retail and real estate. Mohammed Assaf Singer Platinum Records Age: 30 He became a national hero when he won the second season of the popular TV contest ‘Arab Idol’. Since then, Assaf has garnered an enormous following not only across the Arab world but globally. He has said he wishes to avoid politicising his fame, but also that “he can’t differentiate” between his art and his patriotism, and in 2013 was named a goodwill ambassador by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees and as an ambassador of arts and culture by the Palestinian government. In 2015, a dramatised version of his life story formed the basis for Hany Abu Assad’s film ‘The Idol’. u Winning the Arab Idol has taught Assaf to try new things for his music q I WANT THE NEW GENERATION TO REDISCOVER THE LEGENDS OF ARABIC MUSIC” $66,000 The grand prize of the Arab Idol talent contest Khalid Al Ameri Entrepreneur and social commentator Global Possibilities Age: 35 He’s not your typical social media personality. When he wasn’t sailing on oil tankers, the Emirati American was working with public sector investments, having spent five years at Mubadala Development Company. But today – together with his wife Salama Mohamed – he uses his social media platforms to discuss societal issues in Emirati and Arab culture ranging from employment to entrepreneurship and social development. Al Ameri also co-founded food start-up Slices in Abu Dhabi and in 2015 set up Global Possibilities with Emirati entrepreneur Omar Al Busaidy to empower youth with skills and knowledge to prepare them for jobs of the future. 6 The number of industries in which the Bin Jabr Group operates, including hospitality and defenceSPE CIAL / 40 UNDER 40 20 19 46 Vol. 20/42, November – December 2019 Marwan Bin Jassim Al Sarkal Executive chairman Shurooq Age: 39 HE Marwan Bin Jassim Al Sarkal, the executive chairman of Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), is considered one of the key leaders in Sharjah’s tourism industry growth. He was the CEO of Shurooq from 2009 until mid-2018, which he then became the executive chairman under an Emiri decree by Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the UAE Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah. Al Sarkal has been integral to the success of the Authority since its inception in 2009, and has played an exemplary role in realising the vision of Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi and Sheikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, of establishing the organisation as the driving force behind the transformation of Sharjah as a key investment, tourism, and business destination in the region. Steered by Al Sarkal’s creativity and drive, guided by the emirate’s traditions, and inspired by innovation, Shurooq has adopted world- class standards in providing the necessary services, intellectual property and infrastructural facilities to attract investors from the UAE, the Middle East, and beyond. His role as CEO of Al Qasba Development Authority, an entity that aims to establish Al Qasba as a prominent tourist destination, paved the way for the establishment 40% The proportion of Emirati nationals who work at Shurooq in Accounting from Dubai Men’s College in 1999 and a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Sciences in Business Administration. He joined the Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority in 1999 as the auditing department’s head. In 2003, he joined Dubai Shopping Festival as their finance manager, and was promoted to director of finance and administration in 2005. Possessing a sharp understanding of the market and in-depth insight into the functioning of economies and international legislation, Al Sarkal has used his sharp vision and his prowess in operations control and strategic planning, which have been channeled into Shurooq’s continuous efforts in shaping Sharjah as a ‘city of the future’ on the one hand, and a ‘city rooted in longstanding traditions’ on the other. As part of his mission for excellence, Al Sarkal has led every major enhancement Shurooq has made since inception, and is one of the longest serving people at the authority. He has spearheaded several of Shurooq’s crucial projects and initiatives, turning them into runway successes. Al Sarkal has been instrumental in securing significant partnerships for Shurooq. He set up and led the largest ever Sharjah delegation to the USA, and has continually trained the expanding Shurooq team to be able to meet stringent international standards. He currently leads a team of more than 200 staff members and managers. Championing development The Al Qasba destination, under Al Sarkal’s leadership and Shurooq’s dedicated development and promotion, has matured into a premier tourist attraction which is bringing international brands and popular restaurants and cafes to the neighbourhood. Al Qasba’s annual growth rate in revenue rose by 117 percent in 2013 in comparison to 2012 figures. Al Sarkal has also led the transformation of the Al Majaz Waterfront into one of the most attractive leisure destinations in the region. He has overseen the development of The Flag Island – home to the seventh tallest flagpole in the world measuring 123 metres when it was launched in 2012. and subsequent success of Shurooq. After nine years of genuine leadership, and an effective driver of change across Shurooq and Sharjah, Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi issued the Emiri Decree Number 30 of 2018 promoting Al Sarkal from CEO to executive chairman of Shurooq, on May 20, 2018. Born in Sharjah in 1979, Al Sarkal holds a Diploma arabianbusiness.com 47 / 40 UNDER 40 20 19 Mohammed Jarkas Owner Plan A Digital Agency Age: 31 In a time when many entrepreneurs have made names for themselves as agency owners and start-up founders, Mohammed Jarkas, owner of Plan A Digital Agency, definitely beats a different drum, taking no shortcuts with his clients and working as closely as a partner with each of them. Intelligent effort and courage to disrupt is the name of the game. And the main parts of this business are enough to showcase the agile nature of his vision – the diverse nature of clients, the innovation created to each of them and the amalgamation of talents that make up Plan A what it is now. Based in the heart of the bustling city of Dubai, Plan A Agency is a full-service digital marketing and branding boutique agency. Plan A works with a wide array of clients from start-ups to global market leaders in the fields of government, hospitality, F&B, skincare and digital innovation in Dubai, the MENA region and beyond. Plan A isn’t the first business that Jarkas has created, but the seasoned developer in him is enjoying the process of growing cutting-edge digital solutions for his clients no matter what the challenges are. His transparency both internally and with clients is inspiring and comforting, and the following results are a guarantee of his sincere desire to see his surroundings flourish. He is a great believer is doing good for the sake of furthering the industry, an advantage that he was on the receiving end of while growing his career. At Plan A, he focusses on acquiring a client base of brands and start-ups that are looking to penetrate the regional market and speak its cultural language. And after commencing diligent research and on-ground surveys, Jarkas and team Plan A bring their deep expertise to the table and start the long haul while paying close attention to the subtle cultural nuances within the MENA that international agencies sometimes fail to capture. Jarkas also takes pride in being able to identify with his team problems and solve them faster and better than anyone else. Noticing the world’s great appetite for visual content, he launched Overlight Productions Company which has proven to be a step in the right direction since it complemented the offerings of Plan A, providing creative freedom in the realms of photography and video services. Through Plan A, Jarkas is taking steady but quite ambitious steps towards setting himself as an authentic leader in the field, working at the level of an international agency while maintaining the private and highly personalised boutique experience. q YOUR BRAND IS A VISUAL REFLECTION OF YOUR VISION, PRINCIPLES AND IDENTITY” 220 The number of projects Plan A has so far undertaken from 110 customers from the regionSPE CIAL / 40 UNDER 40 20 19 48 Vol. 20/42, November – December 2019 Mohammed Mansour Al Hassan CEO – GCC Gulf Islamic Investments Age: 34 Mohammed Mansour Al Hassan is the co-founder, co-CEO and member of the board of directors at Gulf Islamic Investments, a company he played an anchor role in establishing and which manages over $1.3bn of investments. Al Hassan has over 14 years of experience in Islamic investment banking across the GCC region. He currently sits on the boards of various regional companies in the fields of food and beverage (F&B), real estate and technology. His investment expertise spans across several verticals, including private equity, venture capital, infrastructure and real estate. He is an extremely well- networked individual with close ties to sovereign wealth funds (SWFs), banks and financial institutions, family offices, executive circles and UHNWIs in the GCC region. Owing to his long- standing relationships and investment track record, he has become a trusted advisor to a wide category of investors. His domain strengths include general management, investment management, M&A, deal sourcing, structuring and capital raising. Prior to founding Gulf Islamic Investments, Al Hassan held the position of vice president of $2.5bn The assets under management of UAE-based fi nancial services company Gulf Islamic Investments Investments with EJ Capital. Before that, he worked as a team head (director – Investment Placement, KSA and Kuwait) at Gulf Finance House where he played a stellar role in raising hundreds of millions of dollars of capital for various investment opportunities. Al Hassan holds a Business Administration Degree, specialising in marketing, from NYIT, Bahrain.arabianbusiness.com 49 / 40 UNDER 40 20 19 Eman Ali Al Shorafa Chief operating offi cer Danat Al Emarat Hospital for Women and Children Age: 31 Considered among the very few young Emirati female COOs in the healthcare sector, Eman Al Shorafa earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and Business Administration from Zayed University in 2009, and has started her career in marketing and executive administration at United Eastern Medical Services (UEMedical), climbing the ladder step by step as the chief protocol officer for over four years, and most recently as the chief operating officer of the leading Danat Al Emarat Hospital for Women and Children. Al Shorafa manages over 180 employees from patient experience to operations, call centre, business office, planning office, biomedical engineering, facilities management, VIP services, hospitality services, catering, patient relations, and more. As one of the youngest female Emirati COOs in the healthcare sector, Al Shorafa has proved herself as an excellent leader, inspiring her team members and colleagues to achieve positive outcomes and improve patient satisfaction rates at the hospital. Since 2015, she has been continuously elevating the patient journey and exceeding patients’ expectations. Al Shorafa dedicates her time in meeting patients and understanding their needs as well as the employees’ needs in all different departments at the hospital, bringing in visionary strategic plans and innovative initiatives that are well- executed amongst all team members and translated into the best possible outcomes. She is a board member at United Eastern Group (UEG) and United Eastern Technical and Management Training (UETMT) and also the co-founder and manager of three businesses – a high- end café (Mon Café), a retail boutique shop for children (Mon Bebe) as well as a prestigious Swiss chocolate brand (Rohr Chocolats). u Danat Al Emarat is a world-class specialty women and children’s hospital located in Abu DhabiNext >