Bahrain SWF chief tops inaugural Power List

The chief executive of Bahrain’s $10bn sovereign wealth fund has topped the inaugural Arabian Business Bahrain Power List.

Talal Al Zain is CEO of Mumtalakat, which holds stakes in everything from national carrier Gulf Air, to Bahrain International Circuit, and telecoms operator Batelco. It also has significant holdings in National Bank of Bahrain, McLaren Group, and a number of real estate concerns.

The list was compiled over a period of three months, during which time the Arabian Business editorial team examined Bahraini society to determine the most influential 50 people on the island.

In second place on the list is Essam Janahi, the chairman of Gulf Finance House (GFH) and one of the most respected financiers in the Gulf. And in third is Abdulla Ali Kanoo, chairman of the Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo Group of Companies, Bahrain’s most trusted family enterprise.

Candidates came from all areas of Bahraini society — including business, media, entertainment, law, academia, arts, fashion, and music — and names from more than 20 different sectors were entered.

In fourth place on the list is Mona Almoayed, president of the Bahrain Businesswomen’s Society. In fifth is banking legend Nemir Kirdar, the Iraq-born founder and executive chairman of Investcorp.

In line with Power List policies, the list does not include any members of royal families, politicians or religious leaders. Arabian Business has included both Arabs and expats on the list, the only criteria being that they are resident in Bahrain.

The full list is published in this Sunday’s edition of Arabian Business magazine.

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