Global Meets Local 2021
1. Nabil Habayeb
Company: General Electric Senior Vice President of GE, and President & CEO of GE International Markets Nationality: Lebanese-American
Global headquarters: U.S.
MENA headquarters: U.A.E. Sector: Diversified
Based in the U.A.E., Habayeb oversees GE's operations across all markets except for North America and Europe. The regions that he leads achieved revenues of $28.6 billion in 2020, which accounts for around 36% of the company's total sales across all markets. Habayeb started his career at GE as a field engineer in Iraq and has been with the company for 40 years. He also serves on the boards of the US-UAE Business Council, the Arab Forum for Environment and Development, and the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.
2. Omar Channawi
Company: Procter & Gamble CEO—Middle East, Sub-Sahara Africa, and General Exports Markets & Senior Vice President of Sales for Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa Nationality: Moroccan Global headquarters: U.S. MENA headquarters: U.A.E. Sector: Consumer goods
Channawi started his career with P&G over 25 years ago. The Asia Pacific, India, the Middle East, and Africa regions achieved 15% of P&G's $76.1 billion in net sales in 2021 up to June, with Asia Pacific contributing 9%, and India, the Middle East & Africa (IMEA) contributing 6%. P&G's manufacturing sites in Jeddah, Dammam, South Africa and Nigeria have achieved zero waste, contributing to the company's goal of sending zero manufacturing waste to landfill across all sites.
3. Samer Abu-Ltaif
Company: Microsoft Corporate Vice President & President—Middle East, and Africa Nationality: Lebanese Global headquarters: U.S. MENA headquarters: U.A.E. Sector: Technology
In addition to his current role as President for MEA (since 2017), Samer was promoted in FY21 to be Corporate Vice President at Microsoft. The company launched several new products and initiatives in 2020, including Surface Pro 7+, Surface Laptop Go, and Surface Go 2 devices in Egypt. Microsoft MEA recently announced the general availability of Windows 11 across the region. Over the past 12 months, Abu-Ltaif's team grew by 12%. Today he leads over 4,700 people. Before joining Microsoft, AbuLtaif was the Regional General Manager for the Financial Solutions Group at NCR.
4. Remy Ejel Company: Nestlé MENA Chairman and CEO—MENA Nationality: Lebanese-French Global headquarters: Switzerland MENA headquarters: U.A.E. Sector: Food and beverage
Ejel has been working with Nestlé for 23 years, taking up his current role in 2020. In January 2020, the company's 13 markets in the Middle East and six in North Africa were merged into Nestlé MENA. Today, Ejel leads a team of 15,000 people. The company has achieved annual sales of around $3 billion last year, and it has invested around $1.3 billion across MENA since 2010. Nestlé MENA aims to provide jobs to at least 1,000 young people across the region by 2025.
5. Raghu Malhotra
Company: Mastercard President—MEA Nationality: Indian Global headquarters: U.S. MENA headquarters: U.A.E. Sector: Technology
Malhotra has been at the helm of Mastercard's MEA business for five years and sits on the company's global management committee, driving its global strategy across the region. Today he leads more than 700 people. In 2021, Mastercard partnered with Uber to support governments' vaccine drives in countries across MEA. Mastercard also launched a partnership in Pakistan to reach more than two million entrepreneurs as part of its global effort to reach 50 million small businesses by 2025. Malhotra is also a member of the U.S. President's Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa and sits on the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry International Advisory Council, the board of INJAZ, and the Dubai-based Network International.
6.Stephen Moss Company: HSBC Group Managing Director, and Regional CEO—MENAT Nationality: British Global headquarters: U.K. MENA headquarters: U.A.E. Sector: Banking
Serving as the Group Managing Director since 2018, Moss was appointed as the Regional CEO of HSBC in MENA and Turkey (MENAT) in April 2021. His new role covers nine countries, where HSBC employs around 10,000 people. Across MENAT, HSBC had assets of $68.9 billion as of 31 December 2020. The bank launched its U.A.E.-based $5 billion growth initiative in June 2021, which aims to support strong U.A.E. businesses that need new capital. HSBC recently decided to go 100% digital with its wholesale banking customers in the U.A.E. and Bahrain, with Kuwait expected to follow. Moss is also a board member of the Dubai International Chamber and an Advisory Board Member of the Hong Kong Red Cross.
7. Mwaffak Kanjee
Company: McDonald's Corporation Head of Middle East and Africa Nationality: American Global headquarters: U.S. MENA headquarters: U.A.E. Sector: Food and beverage Kanjee heads 17 markets for McDonald's across the region, leading over 45,000 people. He has more than 40 years of experience. Before taking on his current role, he held positions such as Vice President and General Manager at McDonald's New York, and Vice President and General Manager at McDonald's Pacific Sierra Region. Over the last two years, the company has integrated technology into its restaurants, from self-ordering kiosks to cashless payments and digital menu boards.
8. Caspar Herzberg Company: Schneider Electric President—Middle East and Africa Nationality: German Global headquarters: France MENA headquarters: U.A.E. Sector: Capital goods
Herzberg has been with Schneider Electric for five years. He oversees its business in more than 80 countries with a workforce of 10,000. The company is the supplier of digital solutions to the French Pavilion for Expo 2020, providing energy management, monitoring, and analysis methods. The regions that Herzberg leads receive 31% of the Schneider Electric Foundation's financial commitments, which are used for training and entrepreneurship, improving access to energy, and raising awareness about sustainable development. In June 2021, Herzberg was chosen to serve on the Dubai International Chamber's Advisory Board.
9. Patrick van der Loo
Company: Pfizer Regional President—Middle East and Africa Nationality: Dutch Global headquarters: U.S. MENA headquarters: U.A.E. Sector: Pharmaceuticals
Loo joined Pfizer at its global headquarters in New York in 2005. He assumed his current role in 2020. He oversees the company's innovations in vaccines, oncology, rare diseases, internal medicine, hospitals, and inflammation and immunology. Pfizer has a presence in 19 countries across the Middle East and Africa, employing 1,600 people. Pfizer started rolling out COVID-19 vaccines in the region in December 2020.
10. Ronaldo Mouchawar Company: Amazon Vice President—MENA Nationality: Syrian Global headquarters: U.S. MENA headquarters: U.A.E. Sector: Technology
Mouchawar cofounded Souq.com in 2005, one of the region's first ecommerce platforms, which became the largest ecommerce platform in the Arab world. In 2017, Mouchawar and his cofounder sold the firm to Amazon for $583 million, which was at the time among the largest startup exits in the Middle East. Today Mouchawar leads more than 6,500 people according to the company. Amazon launched Amazon.ae in the U.A.E. in May 2019, Amazon.sa in Saudi Arabia in June 2020, and Amazon.eg in Egypt in September 2021. Mouchawar oversaw the establishment of Amazon's first on-site solar power plant in MENA in June 2021, at its U.A.E.-based DXB3 Fulfillment Centre.
11. Aamer Sheikh Company: PepsiCo President and General Manager—MENA and Pakistan Nationality: Pakistani-American Global headquarters: U.S. MENA headquarters: U.A.E. Sector: Food and beverage
Sheikh has been leading PepsiCo's MENA and Pakistan team of 9,000 people for two years. PepsiCo is projected to invest $2 billion into Saudi Arabia by 2024, totaling its investments in the kingdom to $5 billion since 2013. The company is the official beverage and snack partner of Expo 2020. Last year, PepsiCo launched its premium filtered water brand, LIFEWTR, in the U.A.E., with labels designed by contemporary Arab artists. Sheikh is also the Chairman of the US-Saudi Business Council and Vice Chairman of the US-Pakistan Business Council.
12. Georg Schroeckenfuchs
Company: Novartis Pharma Services President and Head of MEA Cluster Nationality: Austrian Global headquarters: Switzerland MENA headquarters: U.A.E. Sector: Pharmaceuticals
Schroeckenfuchs has been at the helm of Novartis' business in MENA since 2018. His responsibilities extended to include South Africa at the beginning of 2020. Today he leads a team of 2,508 people. The firm achieved 9% growth in the MEA region up to July 2021 compared to 2020, while the market grew by 6.6%. In June 2021, Novartis MEA signed an agreement with Egypt's Ministry of Health to provide Spinal Muscular Atrophy therapy in the country for the first time. Schroeckenfuchs is also a member of the Novartis APMA Leadership Team, the Academic Marketing Society, and the Pharmaceutical Marketing Club Austria.
13. Robert (Bob) Harward Company: Lockheed Martin CEO—Middle East Nationality: American Global headquarters: U.S. MENA headquarters: U.A.E. Sector: Aerospace
Harward is responsible for Lockheed Martin's strategy, operations, and growth in the U.A.E., Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, Pakistan, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He has over 40 years of experience and leads more than 1,400 people. In 2022, the company will focus on next-generation fighter jets, advanced air and missile defense technologies, the ultimate command and control systems, and state-of-the-art simulation and training support. Harward turned down an invitation from ex-US President Donald Trump to become a National Security Adviser in the U.S. in favor of remaining in Abu Dhabi in his current role.
14. Jean-Francois Condamine
Company: UPS President – Indian Subcontinent, Middle East and Africa
Nationality: French
Global headquarters: U.S.
MENA headquarters: U.A.E.
Sector: Logistics
Condamine has more than 31 years of experience with UPS, which has been operating in the region since 1989. ISMEA is the largest UPS region in terms of geography with services available in over 70 countries, more than 2,150 employees across the region, and 27 weekly flight segments. UPS has 124 delivery fleets and serves two airports in the U.A.E. in addition to six brokerage and operating facilities. Condamine was appointed as president of high growth and emerging markets in 2018.
15. Jean-Paul Scheuer
Company: Sanofi
Greater Gulf MCO Lead & Sanofi Genzyme General Manager
Nationality: French Global headquarters: France
MENA headquarters: U.A.E.
Sector: Pharmaceuticals
Sanofi Genzyme at Greater Gulf is a newly formed multi-country organization at Sanofi, and one of the company's largest affiliates for the company globally. With around 28 years of experience, Scheuer leads a team of 800 people in the region. The company achieved a 63% growth in revenue in 2020 compared to 2019. The production volume of Sanofi's Saudi unit also quadrupled to 20 million units in 2020, up from five million units in 2015. Scheuer been named as the International Board Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce & Industry France International. He also serves as a Member of the French Business Council Board in the U.A.E.
16. Nour Suliman
Company: DHL Express MENA
CEO Nationality: Bahraini Global headquarters: Germany MENA headquarters: Bahrain Sector: Logistics
Suliman oversees the management and partner relationships of DHL Express in MENA, leading a team of 5,600 employees across 19 markets. The company achieved revenues of $773.4 million in the Middle East and Africa in the first six months of 2021, a rise of 14% compared to the $678.6 million it recorded in the same period of 2020. Suliman started his career with DHL Express 44 years ago as a flying courier.
17. Elissar Farah Antonios
Company: Citigroup MENA Cluster Head and CEO of U.A.E. Nationality: Lebanese Global headquarters: U.S. MENA headquarters: U.A.E. Sector: Banking
Antonios was appointed Head of the MENA Cluster for Citigroup in December 2020, which has a presence in 13 countries in MENA. The U.A.E. is the largest franchise and regional hub for emerging markets in EMEA. Antonios joined Citigroup in 2005 and has more than 25 years of banking experience in the Middle East. She led the initiative to establish Citigroup in ADGM, as well as deals with ADNOC, Mubadala, ADIA, Emirates, Etihad, Majid Al Futtaim, DP World, and PwC Middle East. In 2020, Citibank in the U.A.E. recorded $8.8 billion in total assets as well as $104 million in net income.
18. Saad Toma
Company: IBM General Manager—Middle East & Africa Nationality: British Global headquarters: U.S. MENA headquarters: U.A.E. Sector: Technology
Toma joined IBM in 1988 as an engineer. He was the General Manager for IBM Asia Pacific's global technology services before taking his current role. IBM has a presence in 30 countries in MEA. It has core capabilities in hybrid cloud, AI, blockchain, data, security and quantum computing. It has global competency centers, two research facilities in South Africa and Kenya, and technical exploration centers that serve clients and governments.
19. Sanjiv Kakkar
Company: Unilever
EVP—MENA, Turkey, Russia Ukraine, and Belarus; Managing Director—Arabia markets Nationality: Indian Global headquarters: U.K. and Netherlands
MENA headquarters: U.A.E. Sector: Consumer goods
Kakkar has been working with Unilever for 37 years. He has been overseeing MENA and Turkey since 2013, and Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus since 2014. He is also currently the Managing Director of Unilever's Arabia Markets. The company launched its “Positive Beauty” campaign in MENA in March 2021. Goals include improving the health and wellbeing of a billion people every year, and protecting and regenerating 1.5 million hectares of land, forest, and ocean by 2030. The Unilever Dubai Personal Care manufacturing site was the company's first site to be awarded “Lighthouse” status by the World Economic Forum in January 2020.
20. Tolga Cebe
Company: Coca-Cola Vice President and General Manager—Middle East Nationality: Turkish Global headquarters: U.S. MENA headquarters: U.A.E. Sector: Food and beverage
Cebe joined Coca-Cola in 2004, and he currently oversees its operations in 13 markets. The company launched its “Open Like Never Before” initiative in June 2020, which aims to support 5,000 stores in Palestine and 50,000 stores across Iraq, pledging to donate 750,000 face masks and more than 1.8 million of its products to retailers. In September 2021, Cebe announced that the firm would be launching foil over-lid cans in Saudi Arabia, made of recyclable aluminum. Before joining Coca-Cola, Cebe worked at Procter & Gamble, Boston Consulting Group, and Monitor Group.
21. Yu Tao
Company: China State Construction Engineering Corporation Middle East (CSCEC ME) President and CEO—Middle East
Nationality: Chinese
Global headquarters: China
MENA headquarters: U.A.E.
Sector: Construction
Tao has been leading CSCEC ME's operations since its inception in 2004. Based in the U.A.E., the company employs 17,000 people, with 3,500 new employees joining the firm since 2020 alone. The company delivered several mega projects in 2020, such as Dubai Digital Park Project, Deira Waterfront Development Phase I Plot 2 Project, and the Expo 2020 Roads Network-Contract 2 Project. CSCEC ME aims to enter Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Iraq in the next year.
22. Lino Cattaruzzi
Company: Google Managing Director— MENA
Nationality: Argentinian
Global headquarters: U.S.
MENA headquarters: U.A.E.
Sector: Technology
Cattaruzzi has been working with Google for 13 years, assuming his current role in 2016. In 2020, he oversaw the launch of Google's first “Tourism Acceleration Program” in MENA, in partnership with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), to develop new strategies for a sustainable recovery from the pandemic. Google also established its “Grow Stronger with Google” program, which aims to help a million job seekers and local businesses across MENA to learn digital skills and grow their businesses by the end of 2021.
23. Derya Matras
Company: Facebook Vice President—Middle East, Africa, and Turkey
Nationality: Turkish
Global headquarters: U.S.
MENA headquarters: U.A.E.
Sector: Technology
Matras oversees Facebook's operations in more than 70 countries across MENA, Sub-Saharan Africa and Turkey. She has over 23 years of experience and today leads more than 100 people. In 2020, Facebook announced its #SheMeansBusiness initiative in partnership with the Khalifa Fund in the U.A.E., which provided training sessions to 1,000 Emirati women entrepreneurs last year. It also trained more than 11,000 SMEs across MENA in digital skills. Matras is also the California State Chairwoman for the Turkey-US Business Council.
24. Luay Al Shurafa
Company: General Motors President and Managing Director—Middle East and Africa
Nationality: Jordanian
Global headquarters: U.S.
MENA headquarters: U.A.E. Sector: Automotive
Al Shurafa started working with General Motors in 1998, and has spent his entire 23-year career with the company. Today he leads a team of 1,100 people. The automaker's sales in MEA grew by 17% in the first half of 2021 across all of its brands, achieving a rise in sales of 110% in Kuwait and 69% in the U.A.E. In 2020, General Motors partnered with Dubai's RTA to work towards launching self-driving taxis and ride-hailing services from 2023.
25. Reem Asaad
Company: Cisco Vice President—Middle East and Africa
Nationality: Egyptian
Global headquarters: U.S.
MENA headquarters: U.A.E.
Sector: Technology
With over 20 years of experience, Asaad today leads a team of 2,500 employees and contractors across MEA. In 2020, Cisco with Expo 2020 Dubai to transition 2,000 employees to remote working using Webex, Cisco's web conferencing tool. Asaad has recently been appointed to serve on the board of Egypt's Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA).
26. Mikail Houari
Company: Airbus Africa and Middle East President
Nationality: French
Global headquarters: Netherlands
MENA headquarters: U.A.E.
Sector: Aerospace
Houari took on his current role in 2017, having previously served as deputy president for Africa and the Middle East. Airbus recorded $28.6 billion in revenues in the first half of 2021. In 2020, Airbus delivered two A330 Neos to Kuwait Airways and an A320 to Lebanon's Middle East Airlines. After the blast at Beirut Port in 2020, The Airbus Foundation, together with its partners, sent an A350 XWB from France to Beirut with 90 cubic meters of humanitarian aid on board. In August 2021, low-cost Jeddah-based airline, flyadeal, signed a long-term flight hour services agreement with airbus to support its A320 fleet.
27. László Svinger
Company: 3M Regional Vice President & Managing Director—Middle East and Africa
Nationality: Hungarian
Global headquarters: U.S.
MENA headquarters: U.A.E.
Sector: Diversified
With over 25 years of experience, Svinger assumed the leadership of 3M operations in the region in June 2021. Today he leads more than 620 people. 3M achieved net sales of $3.5 billion in the EMEA region in H1 2021, a growth of 18.7% compared to the $2.9 billion recorded in H1 2020. The company plans to invest $50 million in workforce development and STEM education initiatives, and it aims to further reduce water usage and improve water quality around 3M's manufacturing locations as part of its 2021 capital expenditure plan. Svinger was selected to serve on the board of AmCham Dubai in August 2021.
28. Dietmar Siersdorfer
Company: Siemens Energy Managing Director—Middle East and U.A.E.
Nationality: German
Global headquarters: Germany
MENA headquarters: U.A.E.
Sector: Energy
Siersdorfer joined Siemens in 1987 as an electrical engineer. He held many roles before becoming regional CEO, including head of the global fossil energy solutions business within the Siemens Power Generation division, as well as manager of IT plant solutions in Germany and Malaysia. Today he leads more than 10,000 people. The company is developing large-scale wind projects in Egypt through its majority stake in Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. Siemens Energy has also jointly developed facilities to provide better access to education, health, and employment.
29. Leopoldo Boado Lama
Company: Oracle Senior Vice President, Business Applications—ECEMEA
Nationality: Spanish Global headquarters: U.S.
MENA headquarters:
U.A.E. Sector: Technology
Having joined Oracle in 2006, Lama assumed his current position in 2019. Oracle has announced it will launch four data centers in the Middle East, two of which are already live. In 2020, Lama oversaw Oracle's capacity building initiative, training 1,000 students from the U.A.E.'s Higher Colleges of Technology in emerging technologies including AI, machine learning, IoT, and blockchain. Lama also works with the Oracle Women's Leadership initiative.
30. Thierry Sabbagh
Company: Nissan Motor Corporation Managing Director—Middle East
Nationality: Italian
Global headquarters: Japan
MENA headquarters: U.A.E.
Sector: Automotive
Sabbagh has been with Nissan Middle East since 2018. He was the head of sales operations before being appointed to his current role in 2019. Previously, Sabbagh worked with companies including Ford Middle East & Africa, Wunderman, General Motors, and Mercedes Benz. Nissan Middle East's operations span over 22 countries while Nissan's strong presence in the Middle East goes back to 1957. In 2021, Nissan Middle East launched ProPILOT technology in the region and a partnership with Expo 2020.
31. Zhang Junguo
Company: Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) Chairman—Middle East Region Committee
Nationality: Chinese Global headquarters: China MENA
headquarters: U.A.E.
Sector: Banking
Junguo joined ICBC in 1999 and assumed his current position in December 2017. ICBC Middle East achieved an 8% increase in total assets to $32.4 billion in 2020. In 2020, ICBC Middle East issued a merger and acquisition loan of $100 million, and participated in syndicated loans worth more than $400 million for energy projects in the region. The bank also issued Sukuk bonds of $1 billion in 2020. Junguo has a PhD in engineering from Northeastern University and leads a team of 350 people.
32. Taha khalifa
Company: Intel Corp. Regional Sales Director—EMEA Territory
Nationality: Egyptian Global headquarters: U.S.
MENA headquarters:
MENA headquarters: U.A.E. Sector: Technology
Khalifa has been working with Intel for 26 years. The company launched several initiatives in 2020, such as “Project Mustakbal,” which Intel claims to be its largest regional initiative to accelerate digital transformation in the GCC. Intel signed an MoU with Dubai-based Data Hub Integrated Solutions (Moro Hub) in 2021 to accelerate Moro Hub's Green Data Centre in the Middle East. Before assuming his current position, Khalifa was the Regional General Manager for Intel in MENA.
33. Jérôme Droesch
Company: Cigna Insurance Middle East CEO—Middle East, Africa, South-East Asia Nationality: French
Global headquarters: U.S.
MENA headquarters: U.A.E.
Sector: Insurance
Droesch leads a team of 400 employees across the Middle East, Africa, and South-East Asia. In June 2021, Cigna launched Smartcare by Cigna, a customized insurance product for SMEs in the Middle East. Droesch was appointed as an Advisory Board Member of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum in July 2021. He is also a board member for Cigna's operations in India and Turkey, and he serves as a Senior Executive Officer and the Chairman of Cigna Insurance Management Services Board in DIFC.
34. Fadi Pharaon
Company: Ericsson President—Middle East and Africa
Nationality: Swedish
Global headquarters: Sweden
MENA headquarters: U.A.E.
Sector: Telecom
Pharaon has been working with Ericsson for more than 21 years. He assumed his current role in 2019 and today leads more than 4,380 people. Ericsson recorded nearly $1 billion in sales in MEA during the first six months of 2021. In October 2021, Pharaon oversaw the launch of the Ericsson Graduate Program in the U.A.E., which will provide young Emiratis with training to accelerate the country's digital progress in line with the U.A.E. Vision 2021.
35. Ashraf El-Afifi
Company: Henkel President—India, Middle East, and Africa
Nationality: Egyptian
Global headquarters: Germany MENA headquarters: U.A.E.
Sector: Consumer goods
El-Afifi has been with Henkel for 29 years. In 2011, he became the first leader from an emerging market to be promoted to top management within Henkel. He leads more than 3,850 people. In addition to heading the IMEA region, he also heads Henkel's laundry and homecare businesses in Latin America and Asia Pacific. In November 2020, Henkel partnered with Dubai Municipality's Children's City to launch its first permanent Researchers' World Science Lab for children. Henkel's sales increased by 21.7% in the Middle East and Africa in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. Regional revenues were $1.4 billion in 2020.
36. Arshad Ghafur
Company: Bank of America President—MENA
Nationality: British
Global headquarters: U.S.
MENA headquarters: U.A.E. Sector: Banking
Ghafur oversees the Bank of America's capital markets sales, trading and research, corporate and investment banking, and global treasury services across MENA. Ghafur has led some of the bank's largest transactions, such as the IPOs of Saudi Aramco, ADNOC Distribution, ADNOC Drilling, Al Yah Satellite Company, Emaar Malls, and Emaar Development. In 2020, the Bank of America was the exclusive financial advisor to the Silk Road Fund on Aramco's $24 billion Oil Pipeline Monetization. Ghafur was the first non-Emirati director to serve on the Higher Board of the DIFC.
37. Luciano Poli
Company: Dow President—Middle East, Africa, and Turkey
Nationality: Swiss
Global headquarters: U.S.
MENA headquarters: U.A.E.
Sector: Chemicals
Poli has been at the helm of Dow's operations in the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey for four years. He has over 35 years of experience, having joined the company in Switzerland in 1989. He has held several roles across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Today he leads a team of 150 people. In 2020, he oversaw the designing and executing process of Dow Africa's transformational growth strategy. He is also a board member of Dow Aksa in Turkey and EQUATE Petrochemical Co. in Kuwait.
38. Amr K. El Leithy
Company: Nokia SVP—Middle East and Africa Nationality: French-Egyptian
Global headquarters: Finland
MENA headquarters: U.A.E.
Sector: Telecom
El Leithy has been at the helm of Nokia's operations in MEA since 2015, leading a team of 3,200 people. He oversaw the company's merger with Alcatel-Lucent in 2016 into one entity. Nokia MEA recorded revenues of $2.2 billion in 2020, growing its sales by 5%. The firm has also grown its market share by 6%. Last year, Nokia MEA worked with Ooredoo Qatar to launch a 5G cloud-native core network for commercial 5G services to provide mobile broadband services to the operator's two million subscribers in Qatar. El Leithy is also the chairman of Nokia Egypt S.A.E board of directors.
39. Alexis Lecanuet Company: Accenture Regional Managing Director—Middle East
Nationality: French Global headquarters: Ireland MENA headquarters: U.A.E.
Sector: Technology
Lecanuet joined Accenture in 1996 and has spent his entire 25-year career at the company. He is responsible for overseeing Accenture's strategy, its portfolio of clients, and local operations in the Middle East. In 2019, Accenture and Expo 2020 committed to hosting 2,020 hours of coding tutorials for U.A.E.-based primary school students before opening the event. Accenture created online coding training to address the limitations imposed by the pandemic. Lecanuet holds an MBA from ESCP Europe Business School.
40. Manfred Bräunl
Company: Porsche Middle East and Africa CEO
Nationality: German-Canadian Global headquarters: Germany
MENA headquarters: U.A.E.
Sector: Automotive
Bräunl has been with Porsche for seven years. His team of 75 employees initiated the first Porsche virtual sales consultation in 2020 and launched a campaign for the new all-electric Taycan Cross Turismo, which was viewed by 47 million viewers worldwide. The company has a global target to be CO2 neutral by 2030. Its current plans include launching a fast highway charging network for electric vehicles in the Middle East. Bräunl has also been a guest professor at Tongji University, Shanghai, China since 2017.
41. Sunil Kaushal
Company: Standard Chartered Bank Regional CEO—Africa and Middle
East Nationality: Singaporean-Indian
Global headquarters: U.K. MENA headquarters: U.A.E.
Sector: Banking
With over 30 years of experience, Kaushal has been at the helm of Standard Chartered Bank's operations in Africa and the Middle since 2015. The bank's operating profit increased over five-fold to $475 million during the first six months of 2021, which was its highest half-year operating profit over the last five years. Standard Chartered has also extended its operations to Saudi Arabia, where it will be working to support the Saudi Vision 2030. Kaushal oversaw the bank's commitment of $1 billion in financing and $50 million in donations in the Middle East in 2020.
42. Ayman Mokhtar
Company: Viatris Regional President—Middle East, Turkey, and Levant
Nationality: Egyptian
Global headquarters: U.S. MENA headquarters: U.A.E.
Sector: Healthcare
With more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Mokhtar today oversees 500 people. Before taking his current role, he was the regional strategy lead for MEA at Pfizer and general manager GCC Countries for Upjohn, a division of Pfizer. Viatris is a global healthcare company that plans to launch its head office for emerging markets in the U.A.E. Mokhtar is also co-chair of the healthcare committee AMCHAM Abu Dhabi, a board member of the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council, and a board member for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in the Middle East.
43. Hamid Haqparwar
Company: BMW Group Managing Director—Middle East
Nationality: German Global headquarters:
Germany MENA headquarters: U.A.E. Sector: Automotive
Haqparwar started his career as an intern at the BMW Group's headquarters in 2005. Today he leads 42 people. BMW Group Middle East ensured that all importers launched virtual showrooms for BMW, MINI, and used cars across the region in 2020. The company is the official supplier for the German Pavilion at Expo 2020, where Haqparwar handed over six vehicles in October 2021 as part of the partnership. Besides his role at BMW, he is also a board member of the German Emirati Joint Council for Industry & Commerce.
44. Thierry Delvaux
Company: JLL CEO—Middle East, Africa, and Turkey
Nationality: Belgian Global headquarters: U.S.
MENA headquarters: U.A.E.
Sector: Real estate
JLL is a Fortune 500 company with annual revenues of $16.6 billion. Delvaux oversees 1,300 people. He joined the company 23 years ago and before taking on his current role he held several leadership positions, such as Global Head of the International Desk, based in Washington, and Chairman of the Global Tenant Representation Board. He is also a member of JLL's European Strategy Board.
45. Zainab Kufaishi
Company: Invesco Asset Management Ltd Head of Middle East and Africa, and Senior Executive Officer for Invesco Dubai Nationality: British Global headquarters: U.S.
MENA headquarters: U.A.E. Sector: Investment
Zainab has 18 years of experience, 12 years of which she has spent with Invesco. Zainab has also served on the board of the Dubai chapter of Ellevate, a professional women's networking organization. She is a speaker on sustainability in the field of investing, and recently signed Invesco to become a signatory to the Abu Dhabi Sustainable Finance Declaration.
46. Udo Huenger
Company: BASF Vice President—Middle East Nationality: German Global headquarters: Germany MENA headquarters: U.A.E. Sector: Chemicals
Huenger has been at the helm of BASF since January 2019, before which he was the Director of Refining Catalysts EMEA. He currently oversees the company's operations in the Middle East, Egypt and Iran. This year, BASF plans to contribute to the green recovery of the U.A.E. by providing solutions for the circular carbon economy. Huenger is also a board member of the German Emirati Joint Council for Industry and Commerce and the Ghorfa Arab-German Chamber. Huenger holds a post doctorate from the University of Cambridge and a PhD from the Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz in Germany.
47. Hussein Freijeh Company: Snap Inc. General Manager—MENA
Nationality: Lebanese
Global headquarters: U.S. MENA headquarters: U.A.E.
Sector: Technology
In 2020, Snap Inc increased its monthly addressable reach in the region to 76 million users. Today Freijeh leads 85 people and has 17 years of experience. He was previously Managing Director for Yahoo Middle East, Africa and Turkey. Before that he played an instrumental role in establishing Maktoob, which was acquired by Yahoo in 2009.
48. Alaa Adel Company: Cerner Vice President & Managing Director—Middle East and
Africa Nationality: American-Jordanian
Global headquarters: U.S.
MENA headquarters: U.A.E. Sector: Technology
Adel joined Cerner in 2009. Today he leads around 350 people. He spearheaded the addition of Cerner's first Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society client outside of the U.S. In 2020, Cerner provided on-ground support to 80% of the field hospitals in the U.A.E. to fight COVID-19, according to Adel. Last year, Cerner was selected by American Hospital Dubai to provide a health information system across its hospital and clinics in the U.A.E.
49. Emmanuel Laurina Company: State Street Global Advisors CEO—Middle East and Africa
Nationality: Belgian Global headquarters: U.S.
MENA headquarters: U.A.E. Sector: Investment
State Street Global Advisors has nearly $4 trillion in assets under management globally. Laurina heads over 2,900 people. He also serves as a senior executive officer of the State Street Global Advisors Ltd Abu Dhabi (ADGM) branch and as a Board Member of State Street Saudi Arabia. He was recently appointed as chairman of the 30% Club MENA, which wants to see women make up at least 30% of all boards and C-suites. In 2020, Emmanuel opened a new entirely remote office in Riyadh with a team of five employees.
50. Ronald Boueri Company: Zimmer Biomet General Manager—Middle
East Nationality: Lebanese
Global headquarters: U.S.
MENA headquarters: Lebanon Sector: Healthcare
Boueri joined Zimmer Biomet 18 years ago, and he has 28 years of experience in the medical devices sector. Today he leads more than 80 people. The company achieved net sales of $429.8 million in EMEA during the second quarter of 2021, a rise of 96.4% compared to the $218.7 million it recorded between April and June of 2020. In H1 2021, it saw a 32% hike in sales of $814 million compared to H1 2020, where it recorded $616.8 million.