Emirati businesswomen Hana Al Rostamani and Raja Easa Al Gurg continued to claim spots on Forbes’ 20th list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women, making them the only Arab women featured on the 2023 ranking.
UAE’s influential female leaders
This year’s listee Al Rostamani dropped three spots to land at number 63, leapfrogging the likes of Canva CEO and co founder Melanie Perkins, musician Rihanna, and Royal Dutch Shell Chief Financial Officer Sinead Gorman. She ranked 14th in the finance category.
In 2021, she became the first female CEO of First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), which leads the Banking & Financial Services category of Forbes Middle East’s Sustainable Leaders list in 2023 and ranks fourth among the region’s Top 50 Most Valuable Banks 2023. The UAE’s largest bank posted a 46% surge in third quarter net profit to reach $1.2 billion (AED 4.3 billion) compared to $797 million (AED 2.9 billion) in the same period of 2022, propelled by solid growth in revenue, it said in its latest financial report, with the bank’s total assets standing at approximately $323 billion (AED 1.2 trillion) as of September 2023.
FAB’s Group CEO is also chair of the Global Council on Sustainable Development Goals and a board member of MasterCard Advisory and the Institute of International Finance.
Al Gurg, chairperson and managing director of Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group (ESAG), continued to claim a spot on Forbes’ annual list, jumping up one place to land 91st compared to last year’s ranking. Her position makes her the 36th most influential female leader within the business sector.
The businesswoman has been with the UAE based conglomerate, which launched two new businesses in the fourth quarter of 2022 and is among Forbes Middle East’s 2023 list of the Top 100 Arab Family Businesses, for more than 30 years. Al Gurg is the founder and president of the Dubai Business Women Council (DBWC), and a board member of Dubai Chamber of Commerce. Last year, she was appointed as Honorary Pro Chancellor of Heriot Watt University Dubai.
Other listees
The influential women list, which features 98 other CEOs, policymakers, entertainers, politicians, and philanthropists, is led by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for the second year in a row, followed by European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde. US Vice President Kamala Harris ranked third, followed by Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni.
The fictional character Barbie claimed a spot on the 2023 list, becoming the first ever fictional character to be selected as one of Forbes’ most powerful women in the world. American singer songwriter Taylor Swift made her highest ever appearance at number five following the record breaking success of her The Eras Tour. Beyoncé, who earned around $145 million from her mega hit Renaissance World Tour this summer according to Forbes, also rose to number 36 in this year’s ranking, up from 80 in 2022.
Forbes Middle East ranking
Al Rostamani and Al Gurg are both featured on Forbes Middle East’s 100 Most Powerful Businesswomen 2023 list, ranking first and second, respectively.
