UAE and Saudi Arabia dominate Top 100 Arab Power List for 2022

Dr Sultan Al Jaber named second most powerful in annual list of influential Arabs across variety of fields

Dr Sultan Al Jaber, managing director and group chief executive of Adnoc. Antonie Robertson / The National

Dr Sultan Al Jaber, managing director and group chief executive of Adnoc, has been ranked second on Gulf Business's annual Arab Power List 2022.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia dominated the list this year, with Saudi Arabia's Yasir Al Rumayyan, chairman of Aramco, the world’s largest oil-exporting company, and governor of the Public Investment Fund topping the ranking for the second year.

The UAE dominated the Arab Power list this year, with five inclusions in the top 10 alone. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, chairman of Emirates Group and Emirates NBD, Dubai's biggest lender by assets, was ranked third on the list, followed by Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chief executive and managing director of Mubadala Investment Company, in fifth, and Mohamed Alabbar, founder of Emaar Properties, Dubai’s largest listed developer by market capitalisation, in eighth.

Sarah Al Amiri, chairwoman of the UAE Space Agency, was the only woman in the power list's top 10 and was ranked ninth. In March, Ms Al Amiri was also included in the Time100 Impact Awards list, which is compiled by Time magazine to honour global change-makers.

Dr Al Jaber is driving Adnoc's ambitious growth strategy, with the state-oil company playing a key role in promoting the UAE's energy transition strategy, Gulf Business said.

The company retained its position as the top brand in the UAE for the fourth consecutive year as Dr Al Jaber was named the world's top oil and gas executive in a report published in January by global consultancy Brand Finance, which evaluates the world's biggest brands annually.

Also serving as the Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Dr Al Jaber is leading the country's efforts to boost its manufacturing sector by leveraging technology as a key enabler.

The publication noted Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed's work in helping Emirates' resurgence in the midst of the pandemic. The company signed important agreements and backed initiatives to support tourism to several destinations including Spain, the Maldives and Saudi Arabia. It also transported more than 600 million doses of Covid-19 vaccinations to more than 80 destinations.

Gulf Business also said the work being done by Mr Al Mubarak is playing a key role in diversifying Abu Dhabi’s economic growth with Mubadala investments.

Among the most influential people included on the list is Amin Nasser, president and chief executive of Aramco, as well as Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, chairman of Kingdom Holding.

Mr Nasser oversaw Aramco as the business posted $110 billion in net income for 2021, up more than 100 per cent from the previous year, the publication said.

Prince Alwaleed was reappointed as the Kingdom Holding Company's chairman last year as the company saw its profits surge. The humanitarian organisation which he heads, Alwaleed Philanthropies, also spent more than $4bn on about 1,000 projects in more than 189 countries.

Gulf Business created its power list based on events in 2021-2022 that included four criteria: financial capital, human capital, expansion plans and personal fame levels.