< PreviousMOST INFLUENTIAL ARABS 2022 / 50 Vol. 23/06, June 2022 In addition to his role as CEO, Badr Jafar is also the chairman of Gulftainer, the largest privately owned container port operator in the world; and Pearl Petroleum, a partner- ship between Crescent Petroleum, Dana Gas, OMV of Austria, MOL of Hungary and RWEST of Germany. A member of the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on Humanitarian Financing, Jafar also fulfils the roles of several advisory positions in the humanitarian and development sectors, is a member of the UNESCO International Commission on the Futures of Education, and is a member of the Board of overseers of the International Rescue Committee (IRC). In 2010, he founded the Pearl Initiative, a non-profit organisation in cooperation with the UN Office for Partnerships, to promote good govern- ance within corporations across the Gulf. Aligned with his enthusiasm in fostering social entrepreneurship in the MENA region, Jafar co-founded the Arab World Social Entrepreneurship Programme (ASEP) with Ashoka, and is on the board of governors of the Synergos Arab World Social Inno- vators (AWSI). Also the chairman of Endeavor UAE, a network supporting high-impact entrepreneurship, Jafar serves on the board of advisors of Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre (Sheraa) and Gaza Sky Geeks. He attended Eton College and earned a Master’s Degree in Engineering from the University of Cambridge, as well as a Master of Studies from the University of Cambridge’s Judge Business School. Engaged with higher education institutions Actively involved with both local and international higher education institutions, Jafar serves as a member of the International Advisory Coun- cil of the American University of Beirut, Advisory Boards of Cambridge Judge Business School, MIT Legatum Centre for Development and Entre- preneurship, and the Business Advisory Council of the American Univer- sity of Sharjah. Badr founded the non-profit Middle East Theatre Academy (META) to motivate the region’s youth to express their talents through writing, directing, producing and acting. BADR JAFAR CEO CRESCENT ENTERPRISES President CRESCENT PETROLEUM Chairman GULFTAINER AND PEARL PETROLEUM $300m The value of sustainable investments Crescent Enterprises made in the past three years INDUSTRY q A green, resilient, inclusive approach to development can usher in a new model of growth for MENA” arabianbusiness.com 51 / MOST INFLUENTIAL ARABS 2022 DANI RICHA Chairman and CEO MEA BBDO WORLDWIDE EAMAN AL ROUDHAN CEO ZAIN KUWAIT ELDA CHOUCAIR CEO OMNICOM MEDIA GROUP MENA ELHAM MAHFOUZ CEO COMMERCIAL BANK OF KUWAIT (CBK) MEDIA AND MARKETING TELECOMS MEDIA AND MARKETING BANKING AND FINANCE Eaman Al Roudhan was appointed CEO of Zain Kuwait in December 2015. A results-focused telecom- munications executive, Al Roudhan has over 25 years of experience spent in vari- ous executive management and leadership roles within Zain Kuwait as well as several Zain Group affili- ates. Prior to her new appointment, Al Roudhan was the chief regulatory officer of Zain Group. Al Roudhan’s successful career at Zain started in the Kuwait operation, where she launched the first mobile prepaid service in the country. Al Roudhan is a member in a number of international standards and regulatory bodies such as the GSMA Arab World regional interest group and the GSMA Chief Regulatory Officer Group (CROG). She holds a Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Telecom- munications Engineering from Kuwait University and has attended programmes at Tokyo Institute of Tech- nology (TIT). Elda Choucair is the CEO of Omnicom Media Group MENA, the media services division of the Omnicom Group. As the industry changes beyond recognition at light speed, Choucair is tasked with retooling and reconfig- uring the services and talent of the agency for optimum performance in the new world. She has championed multiple projects to acceler- ate the group’s transforma- tion, including technologi- cal developments in automation, predictive modelling and eCommerce, and has passionately engi- neered the highest calibre of training and upskilling curricula required for its agencies and people to thrive. A 15-year veteran at the group, Choucair has held senior account posi- tions at OMD and led PHD for more than 10 years. Under her leadership, PHD grew sevenfold and became a key player in the region. Choucair’s remit expanded in 2019 to COO of the hold- ing group before she was promoted to CEO in 2021. As one of the most renowned and prom- inent women in Kuwait, in addition to her current role, Elham Mahfouz oversees three departments, including retail banking, treasury and corporate credit. Having embarked on her banking career around 35 years ago as a credit analyst, and working with several Kuwaiti financial institutions, Mahfouz has held top-executive posi- tions, including as general manager of their New York Branch, acting general manager of International Banking, and in December 2010, held the role of general manager of International Banking. In April 2012, she took on the responsibility of deputy CEO later to be appointed as the CEO in November 2014. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Admin- istration from the American University in Cairo. CBK is an intrinsic player in Kuwait’s burgeoning economy, offering mega project finance to retail banking and more. With over three decades of experi- ence in the adver- tising and marketing indus- try, Dani Richa is also a member of the BBDO Worldwide Board; group chairman, chairman of the board of Omnicom Media Group MENA, and CEO of the Impact BBDO group of companies. He also serves as chairman of the board of Omnicom Media Group MENA. As a trailblazer and highly respected member of the international advertis- ing community, in his 30 years with the group, Richa also served as the president and regional chief creative officer of Impact BBDO, transforming the agency into a strong regional leader with an extensive footprint stretching from Algeria to Pakistan. Originally from Leba- non, Richa has resided in Dubai since 2009 and has worked for BBDO World- wide for over two decades after becoming a partner in 1995. He was also featured in the Arabian Business maga- zine’s Power 500 list in 2011.MOST INFLUENTIAL ARABS 2022 / 52 Vol. 23/06, June 2022 52 Vol. 23/06, June 2022 Known as the region’s Spotify, but better, Anghami is the MENA region’s leading freemium music streaming service. Elie Habib recog- nised a wide gap in a proper digital music service in late 2012 and seizing the oppor- tunity, Habib and his part- ner, Eddy Maroun, launched Anghami, which means ‘my tunes’ in Arabic in November 2012 in Beirut, Lebanon. Anghami relocated its headquarters to Abu Dhabi as part of the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) and supported by the Abu Elissa Freiha initially launched the plat- form Womena as an angel investor in the entre- preneurial ecosystem and has since then, evolved into a women-centric content and media production company. Having invested in over 35 companies, Freiha is driven by a passion for education, deal-making and female empowerment in the UAE’s SME space. Womena works to empower women-led startups and increase the number of women entrepreneurs in the regional ecosystem. Through both social ELIE HABIB Co-founder and CTO ANGHAMI ELISSA FREIHA Founder WOMENA MEDIAENTREPRENEURSHIP Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), according to its official website. And today, Anghami boasts over 160 employees with offices in Dubai, Beirut, Riyadh and Cairo. In addition to around 200K Arabic and International podcasts, Anghami provides over 57 million Arabic and interna- tional songs to stream and download to more than 80 million users in MENA, Europe and USA. A pioneer of the region, Anghami also launched a joint venture label with Sony Music Middle East Vibe Music Arabia which aims to create modern Arabic music with a global appeal by investing in emerging Arab artists in the GCC, Levant and Saudi Arabia. Another win for Anghami took place on 4 February 2022 when it became the first Arab tech- nology company to be listed on NASDAQ and the first Arab company to list on this market in over 25 years. networking and through its regional events, the plat- form aims to build, connect and inspire a growing network of purpose-driven entrepreneurs, investors, leaders and creatives. She is also the executive producer at Womentum; a collaboration with Stand- ard Chartered Bank and accelerator programme that supports female entre- preneurs across sectors, including technology, retail and pharmaceuticals in the MENA. She holds a Bache- lor’s Degree in Communica- tions from the American University of Paris. A platform focused on collaboration, impact and innovation, Womena is making investment more accessible and valuable in that every new member and every new investment helps to redefine the role of women in business. With over 13,000 members from across 25 countries, Womena creates documen- taries, articles, podcasts and photography.arabianbusiness.com 53 / MOST INFLUENTIAL ARABS 2022 Essa Kazim embarked upon his career in the Research and Statistics Department of the UAE Central Bank in 1988 as a senior analyst. In 1993, he moved to the Dubai Department of Economic Development as the director of Plan- ning and Development and later, was appointed as director general of the DFM from 1999 to 2006. Currently on several advisory boards and committees, Kazim is a member of the Higher Board of Direc- tors of the Dubai International Finan- cial Centre (DIFC), member of the Board of Etisalat, chairman of DIFC Authority Board of Directors, chairman of DIFC Investments Board of Directors, and a board member of the Free Zones Council. He also serves as a board member for multiple international and regional educational institutions. The launch of Studio Launchpad On April 2022, Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) announced the launch of Studio Launchpad, the world’s first venture studio plat- form which is a key part of DIFC’s efforts to achieve the goals of its 2030 strategy. Supported by an international group of venture building experts, digital asset pioneers and emerging technology strategists. Studio Launchpad is designed to attract and engage a consortium of leading start-up and corporate venture studios. With this initiative, Dubai will become the leading hub for venture building in MEASA and join cities like San Francisco, New York, Berlin and Paris. Over the next 5 years, over 20 studios will setup in the DIFC and are expected to launch over 200 new ventures of which over 100 will be scale-ups and 10 will gain unicorn status. Together they will create over 8,000 innovation jobs in Dubai and attract over AED2bn in venture capital. The future of finance is bigger than any single company, govern- ment, or individual. DIFC is creating an environment where world- class entrepreneurs, leading venture studios and forward-looking corporations come together to imagine a new world where financial services are digitised, decentralised and ubiquitous. ESSA KAZIM Governor DUBAI INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL CENTRE (DIFC) 3,644 The number of regional and international companies that operate in DIFC q Launching the fi rst global Venture Studio Launchpad is a core pillar of our vision to put DIFC at the centre of the digital transformation of the fi nancial sector in the UAE and globally” BANKING AND FINANCEMOST INFLUENTIAL ARABS 2022 / 54 Vol. 23/06, June 2022 One of the most pivotal investors in the Middle East and North Africa’s burgeoning start-up scene, Fadi Ghandour is the executive chairman of Wamda Capital and also the founder of Aramex. Wamda Capital is a venture capital firm with a $75m (AED 275m) growth fund that not only invests in early stage tech start-ups, but also establishes entrepreneurship ecosystems across the region. Preceding this, Ghandour held the position of CEO for over 30 years at Aramex, which he co-founded in 1982. Under his leader- ship, Aramex evolved into a leading emerging market logistics company with over 250 offices in 90 countries, employing more than 15,000 people. Still active on the Aramex board, as a first, Ghandour took Aramex public; first to Nasdaq and then on Dubai Financial market. A serial entrepreneur Underpinned by an entrepreneurial spirit, Ghandour has perpetually been a part of investing, founding and launching other companies and non-profits on the side. Just some of these industries include fitness and wellness, digital tech, hospitality, and security. Also an active philanthro- pist, he founded Ruwwad Al-Tanmeya, a community development NGO which supports displaced communities in Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan and Egypt through education, financial inclusion and civic engagement. He also co-founded and still supports Al-Riyadi, one of the leading not-for- profit sports clubs in Jordan. He also served and continues to serve on several global and regional boards of companies, education institutions and non-profits. About Wamda Wamda accelerates entrepreneurship ecosystems throughout the MENA region by joining Wamda’s multi-stage, sector-agnostic investment vehi- cle, focused on partnering with high growth technology or technology-en- abled startups, as well as the leading knowledge platform offering inte- grated programmes including thought leadership and research, community development, Wamda’s fellowship programme Wamda X, as well as corporate and government advisory services to the various stakeholders of the MENA startup ecosystem. FADI GHANDOUR Executive chairman WAMDA CAPITAL 4,500+ The number of founders and ecosystem stakeholders affi liated with Wamda Capital INVESTMENT q The issue of venture funding is about risk, it’s about patience, there’ s no hit and run, you will not make your money overnight” arabianbusiness.com 55 / MOST INFLUENTIAL ARABS 2022 FAHAD AL HASSAWI CEO DU FAISAL AL BANNAI Chairman of the board EDGE GEORGE RICHANI Group CEO AL AHLI BANK OF KUWAIT GHAITH AL GHAITH CEO FLYDUBAI TELECOMSTECHNOLOGY BANKING AND FINANCE TRANSPORT With a solid reputa- tion for building companies and high-calibre teams, Al Bannai was appointed at the start of 2022 as the executive chairman of the board of directors at EDGE and secre- tary general of ATRAC. He went on to launch Axiom, a mobile phone retailer in 1997, which grew from only four employees to one of the region’s largest phone distributors and retailers. In 2014, he applied his knowl- edge and tech experience to launch cybersecurity company Dark Matter which he sold in 2019 to a private equity firm prior to assuming his new role at EDGE as CEO and managing director. Also secretary general of the Advanced Technology Research Coun- cil (ATRC) and a member of the board of trustees for the Khalifa University, he has been at the helm of the team responsible for driving policy and regulation for agile decision-making; defining Abu Dhabi’s research strategy across academia and industry. With over 37 years of extensive banking experience, Georges Richani joined ABK as the Group CEO in November 2020. Prior to his role at ABK, he was instru- mental in the expansion and success of the National Bank of Kuwait (NBK). In 2012, he was appointed as the CEO of the Group of Overseas Branches and subsidiaries, and led the company to become one of the leading Kuwaiti banks in the region. With over 37 years of banking experience in treasury and capital market investment management as well as international credit, and more; he holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the American University of Beirut as well as a master’s degree with honours in Business Administration in Finance from City, University of London, UK. ABK is established as a leader in infrastructure financing in Kuwait which is a key component of Kuwait Vision 2035. Culminating his 23-year career as executive vice-presi- dent commercial opera- tions worldwide at Emirates Airline, Ghaith Al Ghaith was selected by the Dubai government to head budget carrier Flydubai, since its launch on 1 June 2009. A hands-on leader, Al Ghaith has implemented products and pioneering technologies to improve the passenger experience, while ensuring that costs remain low. Prior to this role, he was the executive vice-president for commer- cial operations worldwide for Emirates, a role he held for 14 years. Flydubai has created a network of more than 95 destinations served by a fleet of 63 aircraft. It oper- ates a single fleet-type of 63 Boeing 737 aircraft and since its inception, boasts multiple noteworthy mile- stones. The company launched over 70 new routes that were either not served by a UAE national carrier or did not have air links to Dubai. An expert in commer- cial strategy and organisational devel- opment, Fahad Al Hassawi has over 20 years of career experience. He first embarked upon his career with du in the role of exec- utive vice president of human resources. Four years later, he transitioned into the role of chief human resources and shared services officer until 2013 when he assumed respon- sibility as the chief commer- cial officer. On an upward trajectory, Al Hassawi then served as the deputy CEO since October 2017. In the middle of 2021, he transitioned to the role of CEO. Prior to joining du, Al Hassawi worked with Emir- ates for seven years across a diverse range of roles, includ- ing performance develop- ment manager. Du is 50.12 percent owned by Emirates Investment Authority, 19.7 percent by Emirates Interna- tional Telecommunications, 10.06 percent by Mubadala Investment Company with the remaining shares in public hands. 56 Vol. 23/06, June 2022 MOST INFLUENTIAL ARABS 2022 / ‘Be different, be daring, be anything that will translate your vision into success’, is how Habib Wehbi grew his first business 27 years ago into W Ventures, a holding operating in a wide variety of industries, and managing a diversified portfolio in three major sectors, through its subsidiaries: W Group in Out-of-Home Media & Tech- nology, BMI in Manufacturing, and W Invest in Start-ups with a focus on Tech. W Ventures Holding was made possible with the support of their major strategic partners who believe in their vision, trust their deliverables, and share their goals. Leading the digital transformation across the region Established in 1999, W Group works on digitising and optimising brand-consumer experiences, while transforming their media assets into technologically led and state-of-the-art landmarks. The Group’s mission is to transform the current advertising industry into a top-tier futuristic, experiential ecosystem. W Group manages and invests in DOOH media and technologies, lead- ing the digital transformation in the region through its subsidiaries Hyper- media and DigitAll, which began as a pioneer digital signage consultancy startup back in 2014 that has grown into a Smart & Creative Solutions company that presents technologies for digital OOH interactions with high ROI. Today, DigitAll invests in smart and connected technologies to expand services in measurable digital communication tools. It has also revolution- ised Hypermedia’s most impactful DOOH media network in the UAE, using the latest technologies to leverage brand-consumer experience, through data analytics and measurements, programmatic DOOH and smart solu- tions. Hypermedia obtained the advertising rights from RTA for the Dubai Metro project for the subsequent next 10 years, the biggest OOH strategic partnership in the country. Aside from venturing in the media and communication sector, BMI HOLDING serves as the industrial arm of the group, partnered with RELY Industries in the UAE and KSA, one of the largest production powerhouses of its kind in the region in custom fabrication. Wehbi also established W Invest Holding as an angel investment company, scouting, and investing both globally and regionally in different portfolios across the world, with a focus on startups, and technology investments. HABIB WEHBI Chairman and CEO W VENTURES HOLDING 1999 The year in which Hypermedia was set up in Dubai. It now operates the largest digital signage network in the Middle East q W Group works on digitising and optimising brand-consumer experiences, while transforming its DOOH media network into state-of-the-art landmarks” MEDIA AND MARKETINGarabianbusiness.com 57 / MOST INFLUENTIAL ARABS 2022 An accomplished C-suite executive with over 20 years of expe- rience in banking and finan- cial services, Hana Al Rostamani, group chief executive officer, First Abu Dhabi Bank, previously served as the deputy group chief executive officer and head of personal banking at FAB, the UAE’s largest and safest financial institution. As of September 2021, FAB’s total assets were noted at $268bn, and with her astute leadership and fresh perspectives, continues to lead the transformation of FAB’s consumer bank with a Hassan Al Thawadi is the secretary general of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, which is the organisation account- able to organising both private entities and public entities to guarantee that all of the infrastructure and development projects are punctually delivered for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Prior to his appointment in March 2011 as secretary general, he held the role as chief executive officer in Qatar’s 2022 Bid Committee, in which he worked closely with Bid Chairman, Sheikh HANA AL ROSTAMANI Group CEO FIRST ABU DHABI BANK (FAB) HASSAN AL THAWADI Secretary General SUPREME COMMITTEE FOR DELIVERY & LEGACY BANKING AND FINANCE CONSTRUCTION AND REAL ESTATE focus on inculcating a customer and digital-first mindset. Al Rostamani has also served as an independ- ent director at du as well as was the vice chairperson of Emirates Institute for Bank- ing & Financial Services. Named group CEO of FAB in January 2021, Al Rostamani is the only female group CEO of a major UAE-headquartered bank and publicly listed corpora- tion within the UAE. Her forward-thinking approach and leadership excellence have steered the FAB brand towards expansion interna- tionally throughout the Middle East with the acqui- sition of assets such as the Egyptian division of Bank Audi, a Lebanese bank. A graduate of George Wash- ington University in the US, she currently chairs FAB Private Bank Suisse and is a member of the IMD Founda- tion Board and the Master- Card Advisory board, and also sits on her family busi- ness AW Rostamani Group’s board of directors. Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani, promoting Qatar’s ultimately successful objec- tive to bring the FIFA World Cup to the Middle East for the first time. Additionally, Al Thawadi serves as the chief executive officer of the recently created Local Organ- ising Committee for the FIFA World Cup in 2022; which is responsible for staging and organising the event. He holds roles on several boards and committees at Qatar University’s College of Business and Economics, Msheireb Properties and Hassad Foods, Qatar Cham- ber for Commerce and Industry and Qatar Interna- tional Islamic Bank. A graduate in law from the University of Sheffield, he previously served as general counsel for Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and Qatar Holding, entities both founded in 2005 by the State of Qatar to reinforce the national economy by grow- ing Qatar’s long-term strate- gic investments and by diver- sifying into new asset classes.58 Vol. 23/06, June 2022 MOST INFLUENTIAL ARABS 2022 / At the helm of e&, Etis- alat Group’s recently launched new brand identity, Hatem Dowidar joined Etisalat Group in September 2015 as group chief operating officer and was appointed as chief executive officer, Interna- tional of Etisalat Group in March 2016. He sits on the subsidiar- ies’ boards in Morocco, Egypt and Pakistan. Prior to joining Etisalat Group, Dowidar was the group chief of staff for Vodafone Group based in London, reporting to Vodafone Group CEO. He brings 30 ADubai-based busi- nesswoman best known for founding Huda Beauty in 2013, Kattan also co-founded the fragrance range Kayali in November 2018 and the Wishful Skincare line in 2020. Named as the most hyped celebrity brand in 2022 by Cosmetic Business, in 2020 and 2021, Huda Beauty was named the world’s most in-demand makeup brand by Cosmetify. A lifelong passion for beauty led Kattan to enrol at a prestigious makeup training school in Los Ange- les, cultivating a roster of HATEM DOWIDAR Group CEO E& HUDA KATTAN Founder and CEO HUDA BEAUTY TELECOMSRETAIL years of experience in multinational companies, and more than 24 years of these within the telecom- munications industry across various leadership positions in multinational companies. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and Elec- tronics Engineering from Cairo University and an MBA from the American University in Cairo. He initially joined Vodafone Egypt in 1999 as the marketing director (CMO) and later became the CEO of Vodafone Egypt from 2009 to 2014, where he kept the business growing with benchmark profitabil- ity in challenging and competitive environments. He has a long track record of achievements in the vari- ous leadership positions he held at Vodafone Group and its subsidiaries, includ- ing Group Core Services director, CEO of Vodafone Malta, CEO of Partner Markets with partnerships covering over 45 markets. clientele including A-list celebrities and a royal family. Soon after, Kattan set up her beauty blog HudaBeauty.com and later launched a YouTube chan- nel, a Facebook page and an Instagram account by the same name. In 2013, Kattan and her sisters Mona and Alya worked together to create a collection of false eyelashes under the Huda Beauty brand name. Her experience in the beauty industry led her to expand the range to include liquid lipsticks, lip contour pencils, and more. A global cosmetics line valued at $1.2bn, Kattan currently has over 50 million followers on Insta- gram. In 2021, the 38-year- old makeup mogul took a stand against promoting unrealistic beauty stand- ards following the launch of her skincare line, Wishful – a campaign that featured company staff, including Huda, without makeup, filters, or editing.arabianbusiness.com 59 / MOST INFLUENTIAL ARABS 2022 His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri is the Director General of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism. He is a member of the Executive Council of Dubai, a member of the Board of Directors of the Investment Corporation of Dubai and also the Director General of the Dubai World Trade Centre Authority (DWTCA). Almarri is chairman of Dubai Financial Market and is a board member at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Emaar Prop- erties and Taaleem, and also served as a member of the Supreme Committee of the Expo 2020. Almarri’s responsibilities span enhancing Dubai’s positioning as the preferred destination for investment, business and leisure and for developing and strengthening the emirate’s economy. Almarri holds a Master of Busi- ness Administration (MBA) degree from the London Business School (LBS). Almarri is a Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and previously worked at consulting firms, McKinsey and KPMG. Strengthening Dubai’s competitive edge The Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism is tasked with meet- ing seven targets to further strengthen Dubai’s leading position in tour- ism and economy and make it the world’s best city to live in and work. Also, it is also tasked with making Dubai one of the top five global cities in major economic indicators, attracting 100,000 companies in three years as well as 400 global economic events annually by 2025. It is also responsible for increasing the value of Dubai’s industrial sector to the economy by 150 percent in the next five years, expanding export markets for local products by 50 percent and increasing the number of tourists coming to Dubai by 40 percent to 25 million visitors by 2025, according to an official government statement. In his capacity, Al Marri is mandated to manage various sides of the business including exhibitions and conferences; real estate; and hospitality – all collectively driving towards the company’s growth strategy in line with Dubai’s vision to create a global platform for busi- ness and tourism. HELAL ALMARRI Director general DUBAI DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMY AND TOURISM 25 million The number of overseas visitors Dubai is aiming to attract by 2025 GOVERNMENT q The year 2021 witnessed the largest legislative transformation in the history of the UAE, with over 50 laws in all fi elds updated and reformed” Next >