UAE Minister of State for Tolerance 'most powerful Arab woman in government'

Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi has topped the ranks this year, according to Forbes Middle East.

Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of State for Tolerance, tops the Forbes list of most powerful Arab women in government. Wam

The Minister of State for Tolerance has topped a poll of the most powerful Arab women in government this year, according to Forbes Middle East.

Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi was followed by two women from Egypt - Sahar Nasr, the country’s minister of investment and international cooperation, and Ghada Wali, the minister of social solidarity.

Forbes has also released a list of the top 100 most powerful Arab businesswomen for 2017, and the UAE represents the highest number of women, with 18, followed by Egypt, with 16.

Forbes said women in the Arab world were pioneering in the banking sector, and women in that industry represent 28 per cent of the 2017 businesswoman list.

Some of these high-level women include Saudi Arabia’s Rania Nashar, chief executive of Samba Financial Group, who became the first woman to head a commercial bank in the country. Latifa Alsabhan was promoted as chief financial officer of Arab National Bank, and Sarah Al Suhaimi, chief executive of NCB Capital, became head of Saudi’s stock market, Tadawul.

Saudi Arabia’s Lubna Olayan, who runs Saudi conglomerate the Olayan Group, tops the businesswoman list.

Others on the list include Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, who chairs the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority, and Lobna Helal, the deputy governor of the Central Bank of Egypt.

The rankings were compiled by taking into account scope of the role or ministry, years of experience and company revenues, or GDP in the case of government.