Arabian Business pays tribute to the most powerful and influential Arabs.
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The World’s Most Powerful Arabs
YOUNES MAHMOUD: What a difference a goal makes. It is not often that the streets of Baghdad are filled with revelers, but in July last year the nation celebrated as one thanks to the efforts of the Iraq national football team, and one man in particular. Iraq clinched its first Asian Cup victory with a 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia in Jakarta, and it was a towering header from Iraq captain and Al Gharafa striker Younes Mahmoud (2) that won the game.
Not only has the Dubai World chairman Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem (3 from 6) extended his influence over global shipping, he has also become the defender-in-chief of the Gulf’s much maligned sovereign wealth funds this year. By threatening to withdraw investment from Europe if regulators there moved to limit the activity of SWF’s, Bin Sulayem is rattling corporate cages in the world’s largest economies.
AL-BADRI: With the price of oil reaching highs of over US$100 in 2008, there aren’t many more influential posts than that of OPEC Secretary General, currently held by Libyan Abdalla Salem El Badri (4 from 13). OPEC’s member countries hold about two-thirds of the world’s oil reserves and decide on how much oil should be supplied across the world– vastly influencing prices and supply.
Nadine Labaki (5) is one of the most famous directors in the Arabic music video industry and is often credited with bringing new artists into the Middle East music scene. Labaki co-wrote, directed and starred in the film Caramel, which has since met with critical acclaim across the world following its premiere at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival during directors’ fortnight.
