These are the people that are making waves and being recognised for their impressive effort at work! Forbes Middle East published the 100 Most Powerful Businesswomen list, which features the leading women from 27 different sectors and 27 countries.

The UAE has always been a place to encourage women’s empowerment and this is just the beginning.

15 Emirati women made it on Forbes 100 Most Powerful Businesswomen

These ladies have been their mark in the fields of healthcare, telecommunications, finance, education, and more.

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1. Hana Al Rostamani (#1)

Hana Al Rostamani is the group CEO of First Abu Dhabi Bank, the first female CEO of FAB in 2021. The bank is the biggest in the UAE! Al Rostamani also serves as the head of the Global Council on Sustainable Development Goals and is on the boards of the Institute of International Finance and MasterCard Advisory.

2. Raja Easa Al Gurg (#2)

Raja Easa is the Chairperson & Managing Director of Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group (ESAG). She has worked at ESAG for more than 30 years, which has been operating for more than 60 years. In the fourth quarter of 2022, ESAG established Al Gurg Distribution and Al Gurg Joinery. Al Gurg was also chosen in 2022 to serve as Heriot-Watt University Dubai’s Honorary Pro-Chancellor.

3. Maryam Al Suwaidi (#11)

In October 2021, Maryam Al Suwaidi was appointed as the CEO of SCA through a federal decree, making her the first woman to hold this position in the Gulf Cooperation Council. She received further recognition on September 19, 2021 when she was designated as an expert assessor by the Financial Action Task Force for evaluating anti-money laundering and terrorism financing systems. With this recognition, Al Suwaidi became the first Emirati woman to hold such a title.

4. Raja Al Mazrouei (#24)

Raja Al Mazrouei is currently serving as both the Managing Director and Acting CEO of Etihad Credit Insurance (ECI). She joined the board of ECI in January 2022 and was appointed as the Managing Director in November of the same year. In January 2023, she assumed the interim CEO position. With over 20 years of experience in the information technology and financial services industries, Al Mazrouei brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her role.

5. Aisha Bin Bishr (#29)

Aisha Bin Bishr is the Vice Chairwoman of Emaar Development. She assumed her current role in December 2020. Prior to joining Emaar Development, Bin Bishr served as the founding General Director of Smart Dubai, where she played a key role in the development of the Smart City Index, a benchmark for the implementation of smart cities, in collaboration with ITU and the United Nations. She has also served as a non-executive director at Emaar Properties. In addition to her role at Emaar Development, Bin Bishr serves on the boards of Arab Financial Services and the University of Wollongong in Dubai.

6. Suzanne Al Anani (#36)

Al Anani is the CEO of Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP) and she’s worked there for the past 20 years!

7. Saeeda Jaffar (#40)

Saeeda Jaffar is the Senior Vice President & Group Country Manager—GCC of the company Visa. Jaffar is also a trustee on the Kuwait University board of trustees.

8. Dalya Al Muthanna (#41)

Dalya Al Muthanna began her career at General Electric Company in 2008 as part of the company’s Experienced Commercial Leadership Program. In January 2021, she took on her current role as President of the Global Chief Strategy & Operations at GE International Markets.

9. Tayba Al Hashemi (#46)

Tayba Al Hashemi is the CEO of ADNOC Sour Gas, a major producer of granulated sulfur and one of the largest processors of sour gas globally. Al Hashemi made history as one of the first two female CEO’s chosen to lead one of ADNOC’s operational enterprises. She started her career at ADNOC in 2002.

10. Rola Abu Manneh (#55)

Rola Abu Manneh became the CEO for Standard Chartered Bank in 2018 (UAE), making her the first Emirati woman to head a bank in the U.A.E.

11. Najla Al Midfa (#58)

Najla Al Midfa has been serving as the CEO of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa) since 2018. Sheraa is a government organisation that provides support to entrepreneurs through various initiatives. In addition to her role at Sheraa, Al Midfa holds several other positions including serving as the Vice Chair of Young Arab Leaders, a member of the Advisory Committee for the UAE-UK Business Council, and a Director on the board of Dana Gas.

12. Nadia Zaal (#63)

In 2008, Zaal co-founded Zaya, a partnership between Assas and Tasameem Real Estate. Zaya has undertaken several initiatives including ZUHA Island, Hameni Tower, Al Barari Residences, FIVE Palm Jumeirah Hotel and more. In addition to his role at Zaya, Zaal serves as the Director of FIVE Global Holdings and the CEO of the $2 billion Al Barari project, which is owned by his family.

13. Hind bin Khirbash (#73)

14. Muna Al Mehairi (#81)

Muna Al Mehairi became the CEO of Fertil in January 2020. Before taking on this role, she was employed at ADNOC Onshore, where she held senior leadership positions including Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business Support and Senior Vice President of Terminal and Pipeline Operations.

15. Amna Al Owais (#96)

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