Prince Alwaleed is chairman of Riyadh-based Kingdom Holding, said to be Saudi Arabia’s largest company. The company holds stakes in Apple, News Corporation and TimeWarner, according to a story about the Power List on the Arabian Business website.
The list is compiled by editors of Arabian Business, a United Arab Emirates-based magazine and online publication. This year’s edition of the list is the most global it has ever been, according to deputy editor Edward Attwood.
Mohamed El-Erian, co-chief executive of Los Angeles-based Pimco, the giant bond investment house, is eleventh on the Power List, while Lebanese pop singer Nancy Ajram took first place on a new Arabian Business ‘Arab Fame List’ of 500 Arab personalities ranked on the basis of the number of Google hits associated with their names.
Perhaps the most surprising name on the Power List this year, in eighth place, is that of a Yemeni girl named Nujood Ali, the youngest person ever to appear on Arabian Business’s annual league table of powerful Arabs.
Ali was awarded her place on the list for having become, in the words of the Arabian Business editors, “a global symbol of the Arab state’s fight against forced marriage”, after she won a court case in 2008 at the age of 10, and thus a divorce, from her then-30-year-old husband.
Google’s Ghonim, meanwhile, rose to international prominence earlier this year when he became the face of the so-called people’s revolution in Egypt that saw the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak after a 30-year reign.
Third place is held by Mohammed Bin Hammam, described as "the man who brought the 2022 World Cup to Qatar", followed in order by Emaar boss Mohammed Alabbar, and the head of the Doha-based Al Jazeera TV network, Wadah Khanfar.
Most of the names on the list came from the Gulf, with 69 from the UAE, 62 from Saudi Arabia and 45 from Egypt. Brazil contributed seven, the US 48, and the UK 18.
North Africa contributed a total of 71, including the 45 from Egypt.
“[Egypt] also provides the most diverse…entries, including footballers, singers, activists, scientists and even a comedian in the shape of Ahmed Helmy”, according to Arabian Business.
Rank |
Name |
City of Residence |
Country of Origin |
Primary industry |
| 1 | Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Al Saud | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Saudi Arabia | Banking and finance |
| 2 | Wael Ghonim | Dubai, UAE | Egypt | Media |
| 3 | Mohammed Bin Hammam | Doha, Qatar | Qatar | Sport |
| 4 | Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum | Dubai, UAE | UAE | Transport |
| 5 | Mohammed Alabbar | Dubai, UAE | UAE | Construction and industry |
| 6 | Wadah Khanfar | Doha, Qatar | Palestine | Media |
| 7 | Charles Elachi | Los Angeles, US | Lebanon | Science |
| 8 | Nujood Ali | Sana’a, Yemen | Yemen | Culture and society |
| 9 | Adib Domingos Jatene | Sao Paolo, Brazil | Lebanon | Science |
| 10 | Khalid Al Falih | Dhahran, Saudi Arabia | Saud Arabia | Construction and industry |
