For the fifth year in a row CEO Middle East is proud to present the 100 most powerful Arab women.
Like every year before it, the task of putting together this list has proved a difficult one, such is the depth and breadth of achievement among Arab women, not to mention the influence they exert in various different fields.
This year’s run-down features long-standing business leaders, start-up founders, campaigners and executives from across MENA.
Some employ thousands of people, others have inspired communities with a single act, while many have made a difference to people’s lives with medical break-throughs or social initiatives.
From the UAE to Yemen, Saudi Arabia to Morocco, there has been a deep well to draw from. Long gone are the outdated stereotypes. Today every sector, every industry has women to be proud of, to look up to, and to be led by.
Business in the region is thriving, and women stand shoulder to shoulder with men at its forefront.
Arts and entertainment are flourishing, science is evolving, and media is developing at pace. Women stake a claim in all of them, and more, constantly innovating and inspiring every step of the way.
A the top of the list is HE Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, retaining the position she has held for the past four years.
As Minister for International Cooperation and Development, she is an ambassador for the UAE and its governance, as well as women in the region.
The rest of the top ten features a Lebanese lawyer, a Saudi activist, a Moroccan real estate tycoon, and a noted sociologist.
The entire list makes for fascinating reading and serves to show just how much we owe to women in the Arab world.
Click here to see the 2015 list in full
How we did it
This is the fifth incarnation of CEO Middle East’s most powerful Arab women. Since we published the fourth version in March 2014, our researchers have been scouring the globe in an attempt to make this year’s list even more comprehensive. We began with a few select rules. We have not included any royals on the list, unless they have very specific roles in business. For this reason, we have not included candidates such as Qatar’s Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned, or Jordan’s Queen Rania — both of whom would of course have ranked highly if this rule were to be discounted. Likewise, we do not include politicians, except, again, where they have very close ties to business.
We have examined individuals from all walks of life — business, sports, entertainment, media, culture and the arts.
Our initial list was made up of 600 names, from which our team selected what we considered to be the 100 most influential Arab women. We then ranked them through a number of different criteria. For companies we have looked not just at revenues but at the number of staff, innovation and strategy. Where companies are privately held, we have compared them to similar listed companies to assess their market value and, thus, their level of influence. For artists such as musicians, we have taken into account record sales, tours, followers on social media and the like.
With actresses, we have considered total audiences that have watched their movies. In other fields, such as science, we consider the total number of people likely to have been affected by an individual’s work. Where relevant, we have also factored in their prominence on social media, as well as other outlets like YouTube.
List researchers:
Anil Bhoyrul, Ed Attwood, Neil King, Shane McGinley, Courtney Trenwith, Neil Halligan, Tamara Pupic, Edward Liamzon, Neil King, Samer Batter, Bilal Hejawi, Anees Dayoub.
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