According to the statistics issued by Gulf Business seven Kuwaitis make the list of the 100 most powerful Arab personalities for the year 2023.
This year, the list honors Arab leaders who lead and shape growth in the region, including seasoned business leaders, in addition to prominent figures in industry, sports, entertainment and culture from all over the world — across the region and beyond, reports Al-Anba daily.
The list of the most powerful Kuwaiti personalities in the world of the economy for the current year include the CEO of the Kuwait Stock Exchange Company, Muhammad Al-Osaimi; CEO of Al-Shaya Group, Muhammad Al-Shaya; Vice-Chairman and CEO of Zain Group, Badr Nasser Al-Kharafi and the CEO of Al-Ghanim Industries, Qutayba Al-Ghanim. This is in addition to Wadha Al-Khatib, the CEO of Kuwait National Petroleum Company; Tariq Sultan, CEO and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Agility and Sheikha Al-Bahr, Deputy CEO of the National Bank of Kuwait Group.
The following are the details:
Muhammad Al-Osaimi, CEO of Boursa Kuwait, Muhammad Al-Osaimi, topped the list of the most powerful Kuwaiti personalities for the year 2023, as he came in 25th place in the “Gulf Business” list of the 100 most powerful Arab personalities. Al-Osaimi, who joined the Kuwait Stock Exchange in 2015, played a prominent role in its growth and contributed to enhancing the stock exchange’s contribution to the national economy in general.
Muhammad Al-Shaya is in second place in Kuwait and 42nd on the list. Al-Shaya, who today leads a group that dates back to 1890 and manages more than 70 brands spread throughout the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. He also heads the Board of Directors of Mabanee Company, one of the largest real estate developers in Kuwait.
In third place is Kuwait and 43rd on the list, is Vice Chairman and CEO of Zain Group Badr Nasser Al-Kharafi, who oversees the group’s operations in 7 countries in the Middle East and Africa, and with about 20 years of industrial experience across the financial, banking, industrial and communications sectors, manages more than 7,100 employees and serve 52 million customers.
In fourth place in Kuwait and 61st on the list is the CEO of Alghanim Industries Group, Kutayba Alghanim, who is credited with transforming the group from a family business into a privately owned company with a global workforce of over 14,000 employees and operations spanning the Middle East, India and Asia, through automotive, retail and construction sectors.
In fifth place is a Kuwaiti and 66th on the list. Wadha Al-Khatib, CEO of the Kuwait National Petroleum Company, who has held this position since November 2022, previously worked in the position of Executive Vice President of the Mina Abdullah Refinery, which was built in 1958, and was fully acquired by Kuwait in 1977 and transferred to the Kuwait National Petroleum Company in 1978.
Tariq Sultan is in sixth place in Kuwait and 72nd on the list. He is the CEO and Vice Chairman of Agility, who was able to intelligently lead the company to grow and become one of the largest logistics companies in the Middle East and North Africa, and by managing the company for more than 25 years, Sultan increased its market capitalization from $300 million to more than $7 billion.
In seventh place and 79th on the list, is Sheikha Al-Bahr, Deputy CEO of the National Bank of Kuwait Group, who is considered a strong voice in the banking industry in the region, as Al-Bahar has been working with “NBK” for 35 years, and is famous for her decisive role in shaping the group’s strategic vision and making it the most valuable banking brand in Kuwait and among the top 5 regional brands.
Returning to the “Gulf Business” list of the 100 most powerful Arab personalities, the Arabs have reached new heights in 2022 from space exploration and entertainment maps, and continue to make ripples in the meeting room and beyond, and this year’s list includes 12 new participants who left their mark through exemplary contributions in various fields.
From building some of the world’s most ambitious infrastructure projects to hosting back-to-back United Nations Climate Change Conferences (COPs) and a listing boom that saw IPOs in the Middle East oversubscribe over of $18 billion.
The Gulf region remains relatively safe from the global economic slowdown, geopolitical tensions and fluctuations in financial markets, with real GDP growth expected to moderate for the region from 6.1% in 2022 to 3.4% in 2023, according to the International Monetary Fund.
The region is expected to post its strongest economic growth in a decade, underlining the performance of sovereign wealth funds and accelerating investments in technology, sustainability, advanced industrial manufacturing and tourism.
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