The Gulf region loves social media, from Twitter to Instagram and now TikTok.
In fact, we love the video-sharing platform so much that its top regional influencers have doubled their follower counts within the past year, according to new research by analytics and technology consultancy Anavizio.
This means the cumulative follower total among the top 10 Gulf personalities on TikTok grew from 24.6 million at the beginning of 2020, to 54.6 million in February – an increase of 120 per cent.
The biggest boost in the platform's popularity happened in Oman and Qatar, where follower growth among the top three influencers increased by 658 and 674 per cent, respectively. But the region's 10 most popular people on the Chinese app all come from the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
So, who are they?
Interestingly, it's not who you'd expect. Those big-name stars on Instagram, who have tens of millions of followers, haven't quite made the smooth transition to TikTok just yet.
In fact, beauty mogul Huda Kattan is one of the few regional celebrities who has successfully crossed over, and yet she still doesn't make it on to this list.
No doubt, things will change drastically in the months and years to come. But, for now, here's who makes the top 10.
1. Jumana Khan / @jumana_khan_
The model and fashion influencer, who lives in Dubai and is of Indian heritage, has 8.9 million followers and almost 206m likes. She posts about 8.8 videos per week, with an average of 169,800 views each.
She's so famous, she's even had her face plastered in lights along the side of the Burj Khalifa.
Her last few videos on TikTok, at the time of writing, were of her dancing with celebrity dance choreographer Shahid Mohammed.
Khan is active across all social media and also has a YouTube channel, where she posts general content about her life. There has also been speculation that she will soon star in some South Indian movies.
2. Ziba Gulley / @xzayx89
Following close behind Khan is Ziba Gulley, who has 8.8m followers and 247.9m likes. She shares an average of 23.8 videos per week, with 328,600 views each.
Gulley, who works in the hospitality industry, was born and raised in Abu Dhabi, where she still lives, but is originally from Afghanistan.
She joined TikTok in September 2018 and has since become known worldwide.
It was her funny short videos that snagged fans, according to her website, especially one in which she argues for Dh1 karak chai and her riffs on the famous Pashto saying "Ghareeb Taba De".
3. Sarah Milad / @sarahhmiladd
Born and raised in the UAE, Sarah Milad quickly became known for her short but hilarious lip-synchs and dubbing videos.
Today, she has 7.2m followers and 82.2m likes, and posts about 3.8 videos per week which get, on average, 427,600 views each.
She's also known for her glamorous make-up looks and dance videos.
4. Mohammed Al Shamsi / @iimeeto
The first entry on the list from Saudi Arabia is Mohammed Al Shamsi, who makes his subscribers laugh across all platforms with his comedic videos. In fact, his mission statement is to make us "happy", according to his YouTube profile.
Al Shamsi currently has 7.1m followers but an impressive 174m likes, posts an average of 7.5 videos per week and gets a whopping 3.5m views per post.
He's most famous for playing a character called Umm Mohamed, who is deemed as a "typical" Khaleeji mother, but with a mischievous streak.
5. Faryal / @faryal_fairyyy
Back in the UAE, Pakistani fitness instructor Faryal has been making her own waves on TikTok with her lip-synch videos.
The influencer, who is in her mid-twenties, has racked up 6.7m followers and 131.9m likes by posting about 12.4 videos per week, which have an average of 308,400 views each.
Faryal is particularly loved for her stylish yet modest outfits.
While she has presence on other social media platforms, it is TikTok where she really shines.
6. Ayesh / @a5_l
Ayesh, from Saudi Arabia, has 4.4m followers and 43.3m likes, even though he only posts about 1.6 videos per week. Each of those videos gets about 1.6m views, though.
To a backdrop of predominantly hip-hop music, Ayesh dances, back flips and lip-synchs, often with other people – most frequently other TikTok-ers – making guest appearances in his videos.
Ayesh is also big on Snapchat, but has seemingly little presence elsewhere online.
7. Khadeeja Ashraf / @dooj214
Khadeeja Ashraf, who is based in Jeddah, has 3.1m followers and more than 67m likes on her TikTok page. That's with about 3.7 posts per week and an average view count of 542,500.
She's an actress and her talent is obvious after scrolling through just a few of her lip-synch videos.
Her feed features a mix of solo performances and group gigs in which she ropes in plenty of friends and fellow TikTok users.
She's even done a duet with fellow top 10 TikTokers Al Shamsi and Marwan Salman.
8. Meshaal bin Misfer / @sh3lan
A quick scroll through this Saudi actor's TikTok feed is all it takes to know why he's on this list.
Meshaal bin Misfer, or Shaalan, has a reel of well-made videos featuring him dancing or generally acting silly by himself or with friends.
That's what's propelled him to the top of the TikTok charts, with 3.1m followers and more than 53.3m likes.
He might only post an average of 1.6 videos per week, but they still get about 618,900 views.
9. Marwan Salman / @meeeero1
He might have 2.9m followers, but Saudi star Marwan Salman also has an incredible 65.7m likes on his TikTok account.
The self-professed poet, singer and actor posts almost four times a week and each video gets about 651,800 views.
His cheeky videos regularly feature him hanging out with friends or dancing, and he's even done a few collaborations with fellow Saudi stars Al Shamsi, Ashraf and Mohammed Abbas.
10. Mohammed Abbas / @abas.iiii
The Saudi filmmaker and actor might be last on this list, with 2.9m followers, but he has almost 70m likes.
He posts about five times a week and gets just under half a million views per video.
His videos, a medley of scenes and acting snippets, are well made and of high quality. There are, of course, a few simple dance posts thrown in for good measure.
Abbas reportedly benefited from the platform's Creator Academy, which led to him becoming the face of Rotana's TikTok Ramadan show Who Said?.
Abbas also has a hugely successful YouTube channel, with nearly seven million views, which he has had for almost 12 years.
We won't be surprised to see him soar up this list in no time.
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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Recycle Reuse Repurpose
New central waste facility on site at expo Dubai South area to handle estimated 173 tonne of waste generated daily by millions of visitors
Recyclables such as plastic, paper, glass will be collected from bins on the expo site and taken to the new expo Central Waste Facility on site
Organic waste will be processed at the new onsite Central Waste Facility, treated and converted into compost to be re-used to green the expo area
Of 173 tonnes of waste daily, an estimated 39 per cent will be recyclables, 48 per cent organic waste and 13 per cent general waste.
About 147 tonnes will be recycled and converted to new products at another existing facility in Ras Al Khor
Recycling at Ras Al Khor unit:
Plastic items to be converted to plastic bags and recycled
Paper pulp moulded products such as cup carriers, egg trays, seed pots, and food packaging trays
Glass waste into bowls, lights, candle holders, serving trays and coasters
Aim is for 85 per cent of waste from the site to be diverted from landfill
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Look north
BBC business reporters, like a new raft of government officials, are being removed from the national and international hub of London and surely the quality of their work must suffer.
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
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The Breadwinner
Director: Nora Twomey
Starring: Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Laara Sadiq
Three stars
