The United Arab Emirates continues to shine as a hub of ambition, innovation, and opportunity, attracting visionary leaders from across the globe. Finance World’s Top 100 Expat Leaders of the UAE 2025 celebrates both established industry titans and rising stars whose fresh perspectives are setting new benchmarks for success.
This year’s list is organised into five categories: Legacy Tycoons, Business Magnates, Game-Changers, Growth Titans, and Emerging Power. Each profile represents years of strategic thinking, bold risk-taking, and unwavering dedication to creating value in one of the world’s most dynamic business environments.
Legacy Tycoons
- M. A. Yusuff Ali – Lulu Group
- Ajay Bhatia – Bhatia Group of Companies
- Dhananjay Datar – Al Adil Trading
- Ghassan Aboud – Ghassan Aboud Group
- Jacky Panjabi – Jacky’s Group
- Joy Alukkas – Joyalukkas
- Thumbay Moideen – Thumbay Hospitals
- L.T. Pagarani – Choithrams
- Patrick Chalhoub – Chaloub Group
- Ramesh S Ramakrishnan – Transworld
- Renuka Jagtiani – Landmark Group
- Rizwan Sajan – Danube Properties
- Sanjay Raghunath – Centena Group
- Shamlal Ahamed – Malabar Gold & Diamonds
- Shamsheer Vayalil – Burjeel Holding
- Sima Ganwani Ved – Apparel Group
- Sunny Varkey – GEMS Education
- Vidya M. Chhabria – Jumbo Group
- Yogesh Mehta – Petrochem Middle East
- Zulekha Daud – Zulekha Hospitals
Business Magnates
- Adeeb Ahamed – LuLu Financial Holdings
- Ahmed Abdelaal – Mashreq Bank
- Ahmed Galal Ismail – Majid Al Futtaim
- Antonoaldo Neves – Etihad Aviation Group
- Farah Zafar – Lyvely
- Hamid Haqparwar – Albatha Automotive Group
- Hatem Dowidar – e& (Etisalat)
- Huda Kattan – Huda Beauty
- Imran Ali Khan – Dubizzle Group
- Mohammed Mahfoodh Al Ardhi – Investcorp
- Mudassir Sheikha – Careem
- Naresh Kumar Bhawnani – West Zone Group
- Nilesh Khalkho – Sharaf DG
- Paul Griffiths – Dubai Airports
- Tim Clark – Emirates Airlines
- Tom Harvey – Spinneys Dubai LLC
- Yves Manghardt – Nestlé
- Zubin Karkaria – VFS Global
Game-Changers
- Anant Maheshwari – Honeywell
- Ashraf El Afifi – Henkel
- Avinash Babur – Insurance Market
- Aziz Koleilat – GE Aerospace
- Bernd van Linder – Commercial Bank of Dubai
- Dimitrios Dosis – Mastercard
- Fadi Ali Ghandour – Wamda Capital
- Georg Schroeckenfuchs – Novartis
- Hosam Arab – Tabby
- Jayesh Patel – Wio Bank
- Niven Al-Khoury – Sanofi
- Omar Channawi – Procter & Gamble
- Pratham Mittal – Tetr College of Business
- Raheel Ahmed – RAKBANK
- Reem Asaad – Visa
- Renee McGowan – Marsh McLennan
- Roberto Hoornweg – Standard Chartered
- Samer Abu-Ltaif – Microsoft
- Selim Kervanci – HSBC
- Walid Sheta – Schneider Electric
Growth Titans
- Alisha Moopen – Aster DM Healthcare
- Amr K. El Leithy – Nokia
- Ankur Aggarwal – BNW Developments
- Atiq Rehman – RB&A Partners
- Dietmar Siersdorfer – Siemens Energy
- Farhad Azizi – Azizi Developers
- Kalpesh Kinariwala – Pantheon Development
- Lewis Allsopp – Allsopp & Allsopp
- Maya El Hachem – Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
- Nawas Basheer – Nesto Group
- Neelesh Bhatnagar – NB Ventures
- Neeraj Mishra – Amis Developments
- Prateek Suri – Maser Group
- Rahul Kumar Gupta – Aark Developers
- Ravi Menon – Sobha Group
- Sameh Muhtadi – RAK Properties
- Thierry Delvaux – Equitativa Group
- Venkatasubramanian Hariharan – Canon
- Vivek Oberoi – BNW Developments
- Ziad El Chaar – DarGlobal Real Estate
Emerging Power
- Akbar Moideen – Thumbay Hospitals
- Bal Krishen Rathore – The Century Group
- Calum White – White & Co Real Estate
- Ebraheem Husni Al Samadi – Forever Rose
- Khaled Nuseibeh – Hala
- Harsh Patel – Water and Shark
- Kris Fade – Fade Fit
- Manoj Sureka – Synergy Fin. Consulting
- Marilyn Lydia Pinto – KFI Global
- Mark Chahwan – Sarwa
- Masih Imtiaz – Imtiaz Developments
- Mridula Singh – ZENA Properties
- Reza S. Zamani – Aban Smart Systems, Eivan Properties, Dubai Properties, Kanz.ai
- Ritesh Tilani – Enhance Ventures
- Ross Veitch – Wego
- Sahar Cooper – Aldar Education
- Saeed Alizadeh – Evian Properties
- Safa Siddiqui – Decisive Living
- Sakshi Nath – Passion F&B Brands: Tresind and Queens Beauty Lounge
- Solaleh Saheb Zamani – Eivan Properties
These 100 leaders exemplify the UAE’s global business environment, spanning industries from finance, aviation, and healthcare to real estate, technology, and retail. They are not only shaping industries but also mentoring, giving back to communities, and advancing innovation, cementing the UAE’s role as a world-class hub for talent and enterprise.
