ALBAWABA – As the world celebrates half of its population during International Women’s Day on Mar. 8, in support of women’s rights movement, we take a look at the most successful and influential women the Arab world birthed to society found the on Forbes’ 100 most powerful Arab businesswomen list.
The list contains successful women from all around the Arab world that lead a diverse and wide range of fields from investment, real estate, healthcare and telecommunication firms, with an advanced skillsets and education levels.
Farah Foustok
Formerly serving as the Middle East's managing director and CEO of Lazard Asset Management is with over three decades of expertise developing financial services firms in the Middle East and entrepreneurial activity spanning across three continents, Palestinian Farah Foustok was also a former vice chair of Lazard Saudi Arabia and board member of Lazard Gulf.
Having started three non-profit organizations in the last two decades, she considers herself as a proud mother of a son and daughter and a “passionate about guiding the next generation of business leaders”, Foustok perceives the key to producing a generation of leaders with strong moral principles is to educate, mentor, and provide young people with the fundamental information and skills they need.
Mona Zulficar
Founding Partner and Chairperson of Zulficar Partners and a practicing lawyer for over 40 years, Mona Zulficar from Egypt has specialized in M&A, project financing, and significant restructuring. International legal directories have continuously recognized her as the most prominent and top-tier Egyptian lawyer in the fields of banking, finance, and M&A.
She has contributed to the creation and drafting of new economic legislation as a consultant, drafting specialist and a member of national drafting committees on significant laws such as the Investment Law, Telecom Law, Companies and Capital Market Laws, Banking Law, Economic Courts Law, and Special Economic Zones Law, which she drafted on government assignment in 2002.
Randa Sadik
Since February 2022, the CEO of Arab Bank in Jordan, additionally, Randa Sadik holds the positions of Vice-Chairman on the Board of Directors of Arab Bank Australia and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Arab Bank in Tunisia, Arab Finance Holding Company in Lebanon, Jordan Capital and Investment Fund Company, and Arab Investment Group.
Since April 2023, she has served as a member of the boards of Oman Arab Bank, Endeavor Jordan, the Lebanese Arab Investment Bank, and the Arab National Bank ANB. She is also a member of the board of directors of the Al Hussein Fund for Creativity and Excellence. "The Jordanian Systems, Payment and Clearing Company," "The Jordan Capital and Investment Fund Management Company," as well as "The Association of Banks in Jordan."
Eaman Al Roudhan
Al Roudhan is not only the first female CEO within Zain Group, but also one of the most successful leaders in the telecom industry. She started her career at Zain in 1998 as a network engineer and rose through the ranks to become the CEO of Zain Kuwait in 2015. Under her leadership, Zain Kuwait has maintained its position as the group’s most profitable company and a market leader in innovation and customer service.
She is a member of the GSMA Chief Regulatory Officer Group and the GSMA Arab World regional interest group, with solid educational background, she received a Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering from Kuwait University and participated in executive programs at the Tokyo Institute of Technology (TIT) and Harvard Business School, she is also a member of the advisory board of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences.
Fatima Al Jaber
Al Jaber oversees the daily operations of over 50,000 employees and oversees around $5 billion in assets in her role as Chief Operating Officer of the Al Jaber Group, situated in Abu Dhabi. Since taking up the role in 2007, she has had the rare chance to oversee some of the most recognizable building projects in the United Arab Emirates. The family-run business was established forty years ago by her father, Obaid Al Jaber.
The engineer became the very first Emirati woman voted to the board of directors of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce in December 2009. She received her Bachelor's degree in Architectural Engineering from the UAE University in Al Ain in 1987. She serves as a board member of many investment and development organizations, as well as the chair of the Abu Dhabi Business Women's Council.
