Egypt tops Forbes' list of 2021's most powerful businesswomen in region

CAIRO – 4 February 2021: Egypt topped the list of countries represented in the Forbes Middle East list of the most powerful businesswomen in the Middle East in 2021, with 8 posts, followed by the UAE with seven women.

This year’s list included 50 businesswomen who have demonstrated resilience and strength in the face of unprecedented hardships, whether in the workplace or in their communities.

The list included Egyptian businesswomen among them, Elham el-Saleh, CEO of the Commercial Bank of Kuwait, at the top of the Egyptian women and ranked 16th in the list, followed by Mona Zulfiqar, co-founder of the Zulfiqar & Partners office, ranked 17th, and Bakinam Kafafi, CEO of TAQA Arabia, ranked 18 in the list.

The Egyptian list also included Reem Asaad, Vice President of Cisco for the Middle East and North Africa, ranked 22nd, Hend El-Sherbiny, CEO of the Integrated Diagnostics Group in the healthcare sector, ranked 25th, and Hoda Mansour, Managing Director of SAP MENA LLC in Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Yemen and the Levant, ranked 26th in the list.

Egyptian Mervat Sultan, Chairman of the Export Development Bank, ranked 32nd on the list, and finally Yasmine and Farida Mohamed Farid Khamis as Chairman of the Board of Directors, Vice Chairman for Finance Affairs ranked 39th in the list.

Emirati Raja Essa Al Gurg, Managing Director of the Issa Saleh Al Gurg Group, topped the Forbes ranking of businesswomen in the region, followed by Renuka Jagtiani, Chairman and CEO of Landmark Group, and Hana Al Rostamani, CEO of Abu Dhabi Bank Group.

16 women held executive positions in the banking and financial services sector - the sector most participating in the list. In general, this year, businesswomen came from 19 countries, working in 16 sectors.

Eight women on the list hold regional executive positions for multinational companies in the region, such as: Heike Harmgart, who heads the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean region of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and Elissar Farah Anthony, who leads Citigroup's operations in the Middle East and North Africa, and holds the position CEO of Citigroup in the United Arab Emirates. While 7 women held positions in government agencies, such as: Aisha Bin Bishr, who heads Smart Dubai, and Nozha Hayat, who leads the Moroccan Capital Market Authority.

Forbes relied on several criteria to prepare the list, among them, the number of businesses in terms of: revenue, assets, market value, assets managed, number of employees, achievements during the past year, position, and the number of years of experience.