Having spent ten years writing about the world’s most influential Arabs, we decided this year that we would tell a different story.
After all, more than three quarters of the 350 million-strong population of the Arab world are under the age of 40, and there can be no doubt that they represent the future of the region.
So how did we come up with the rankings? Our starting point is the rules. As with all of our lists, we do not include members of the region’s royal family, or politicians. Our second rule is that we consider Arabs from every single country, not just the Arab world. Our third and final rule is that we consider Arabs from all walks of life, not just business.
We started collating names for this year’s list in June last year, adding to our already extensive Power List database by reaching out to contacts around the world in an effort to find out the planet’s most influential young Arabs. In the simplest terms, we define power as influence; the more people you influence, the more powerful you are. This can be done through, for example, helping thousands of people to find training or become employed, or being responsible for billions of dollars worth of projects.
It can also be done by being involved in areas that are or have the potential to influence huge numbers of people — like science, activism or entrepreneurship. And we also take into account other fields such as sports, arts and entertainment, where individuals can attract a huge following.
Power list researchers:
Anil Bhoyrul, Ed Attwood, Shane McGinley, Courtney Trenwith, Neil Halligan, Neil King, Sarah Townsend, Tamara Pupic, Edward Liamzon, Anees Dayoub, Hana El Mourad, Samer Batter.
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