Only three people have retained their places in the prestigious top 10 of the Arabian Business Power 100 list 2009.

Apart from Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed who keeps his number one ranking for the fifth year, only Emaar chairman Mohammed Alabbar and Dubai World chairman Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem are still in the top 10 places.

Alabbar's power rating rose for 2009 and he is ranked number two in our list (up from sixth place in 2008) while Sulayem has slipped from third last year to ninth.

The top 10 sees five new entries, the highest being the Iraqi journalist who hurled a shoe at President Bush, Muntadhar Al Zaidi, who enters the list in third place.

Up to fourth and one of the year’s highest climbers is Manchester City dealmaker Dr Sulaiman Al Fahim, also the star of the Hydra Executives, the Middle East's version of The Apprentice.

In fifth place is Esam Janahi, the chairman of Bahrain's Gulf Finance House. His ranking has improved by 24 places on the previous year.

Palestinian theatre director Amir Nizar Zuabi enters the list for the first time at number 6, followed by Mohamed El Erian, CEO of US-based PIMCO.

At number eight is Dr Mohamed Nedal Alchaar, secretary general of the Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (another new entry) while ninth place is taken by Sulayem.

Rounding off the top 10 is the Saudi actor Fayez Al Maliki, star of the first movie to be screened in the kingdom for 30 years.

Comments (3)

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Please!!
Posted by Abdullah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 6 October 2009 at 03:17 UAE time

I'm Saudi, and I don't think Fayez Al Maliki should make any list here. No disrespect, but he's no where near any influencial status, he's not the best saudi actor, he's not very popular. he's the subject of jokes. it's just that MBC and Rotana keeps enforcing him and other nobodys in our Ramadan after breakfast time! he's not the director, he's not the guy behind this (Prince Al-Waleed)...I'm not sure i'd be interested in reading your lists again if the #10 is a nobody!

Need to Know the List
Posted by umar farooq, Lahore, Pakistan on 24 July 2009 at 09:41 UAE time

Must be quite inetersting to know the Power 100

Very interesting
Posted by Sami, Beirut, Lebanon on 22 May 2009 at 19:08 UAE time

I can't deny that I'm a bit surprised with the list... Also surprised that many names are very new to me... But that's a good thing, for then I can search and find out who they are (tried it on some, and it's amazing what people have been achieving)...

But 2 quick remarks:
- Couldn't but be proud to be Lebanese, seeing that 17 names out of the hundred came out of our small country, which is war torn and has one of the lowest populations... I'm just wondering if all our Middle East finds peace, how much can we all achieve!
- One has to still admit that the ratio of men to women is quite high... Although some women made the list, but it's clear that we still live in a society that doesn't give women all the potential to realise themselves...

Great work and I have some more searching to do :)

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