The most influential Arab women in family business

Forbes Middle East unveiled the most influential women working in family business in the Arab world this year. Take a look at the top ten most successful women on the list.

1. Raja Easa Al Gurg

Country: UAE

Company: Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group

Position: Group Managing Director

The Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group is a family company that focuses on 26 sectors including trade, manufacturing, retail and real estate. Al Gurg joined the group in 1989 as a board member, achieving remarkable success in the growth and development of the group under the direction of the chairman, her father Easa Saleh Al Gurg. Outside of the family business, Al Gurg is head of the Dubai Business Women’s Council, Deputy Chairman of the Dubai Healthcare City Authority Board, board member of the Dubai Chamber of Industry and Trade and the Dubai Economic Council. 

2. Lubna Olayan

Country: KSA

Company: Olayan Group

Position: Vice Chairperson of the Board & CEO of Olayan Financing Company

One of the most influential businesswomen in the world, Lubna Olayan has been the CEO of Riyadh-based Olayan Financing Company since 1986. She was the first Saudi woman to become a board member of a Saudi company by joining Saudi Hollandi Bank in 2004. The influential figure made history by being the first Saudi woman to speak at a non-segregated conference in Saudi Arabia at the Jeddah Economic Forum in 2004. 

3. Mona Almoayyed

Country: Bahrain

Company: Y.K. Almoayyed & Sons Group

Position: Managing Director & Board Member

Mona Almoayyed manages more than 6,000 employees of various nationalities and handles nearly 300 brands of luxury goods, electronic appliances, heavy equipment and medical technologies. She was the first woman to be elected to the board of the Bahraini Chamber of Commerce and Industry and of a public company, Bahrain Maritime & Mercantile International. Later, she became the deputy president of the Gulf Business Women’s Committee, operating under the umbrella of the Federation of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

4. Fatima Al Jaber

Country: UAE

Company: Al Jaber Group

Position: Group COO & Executive Director of the Board

Fatima Obaid Al Jaber has been the COO of the Al Jaber Group since 2007 and on the board as an executive director. This makes her responsible for managing the group’s contracting, industrial, trading, investment and real estate subsidiaries. Al Jaber made history by being the first Emirati woman to be elected as one of the board of directors of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce. She is also the chairperson of the executive board of the Abu Dhabi Business Women Council.

5. Aisha Almana

Country: KSA

Company: Ebrahim M. Almana Bros. Ltd.

Position: Member of the Board of Directors

An inspirational and diverse pioneer, Dr. Aisha Almana’ possesses an impressive list of accomplishments, most notably being the first Saudi woman to obtain a PhD. Not only was she the first Saudi woman to uphold the position of a director of a school, but also the first to do social work in the field of women and development. In 1985, the multi-talented Almana’ initiated her own private development company, Al Khalijiyah, which is based in Al Khobar, in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The successful businesswoman’s qualities of determination and compassion led her to take the position of the director of her family-run hospital, Almana’ General Hospital as well as the founder and dean of Mohammed Almana’ College of Health Sciences.

6. Deeman Sukhtian

Country: Jordan

Company: Munir Sukhtian Group

Position: Managing Director, Munir Sukhtian Group & CEO Amana Tours

In addition to working as the managing director of the Sukhtian Group for 24 years, Deemah Sukhtian also heads several departments at the group and is the owner of 30 companies across 17 sectors. By the end of 2012, the group’s employee population reached 500. Sukhtian has been serving as board member of the Amman Chamber of Industry since 2009. Sukhtian holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and another B.Sc in geological environment from Boston University.

7. Amna BinHendi

Country: UAE

Company: BinHendi Enterprises

Position: CEO at BinHendi Enterprises

Since 2007, Amna BinHendi is the CEO of the BinHendi Enterprises, a well-known name within the fashion and food industries. The group consists of 41 restaurants, 70 trademarks and eight watch and jewelry shops, all managed by a staff of more than 3,000. With plans to expand its business both locally and abroad, the group, which collaborates with international brands such as Hugo Boss, CK Jeans and Porsche Design, aims to reach foreign markets in the Middle East, East Asia, Europe and the US.

8. Nashwa Abdel Hadi Taher

Country: KSA

Company: Al Taher Group

Position: Vice President

Nashwa Abdel Hadi Taher is the Vice President of Al Taher Group of Companies. In addition to her work with the Al Taher Group, she is involved with over 10 other companies and organizations. Amongst her diverse positions, Taher serves as Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Alsiraj United Holding, member of the Board of Directors of Alsayed Hassan Taher Charity Foundation, and member of the Board of the Consultant Committee for the Economics and Management Faculty at the King Abdul Aziz University. In addition, she is heavily involved with the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, serving as member and chairperson for a number of its boards and committees.

9. Suad Al Humaidi

Country: Kuwait

Company: Hamad Saleh Al Humaizi Establishment

Position: Board Member

Suad Al Humaidi is the Chairperson of Hamad Saleh Al Humaizi’s Construction and Trading Est, which operates in five countries. She is the wife of the late Jaber Al Ali Al Salem, former Kuwaiti Minister of Media. In addition, she is a recipient of the National Order of the Cedar, a civil and military State Order of Lebanon, and contributed to the rehabilitation and expansion of the Grand Omari Mosque in Beirut. Humaidi is also the chairperson of Al Abrar General Trading and Contracting Company. Amongst her business portfolio, she owns 20% of Bank Audi, 20% of an Egyptian can manufacturing company and a further 20% of a Pepsi-Cola bottling company.

10. Hind S. Bahwan

Country: Oman

Company: Bahwan Cybertek Group

Position: Chairperson

Bahwan Cybertek Group is a company affiliated with the Suhail Bahwan Group, which is involved in  shipping, public sector, energy, life sciences and information technology. Bahwan graduated from the Harvard Business School and is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization, a global network of young and successful chief executives. Through her current position, Bahwan seeks to expand the work of Bahawan Cybertek, which comprises four companies, and to make it a leader in the IT field.