The rapid rise of Dubai in the international arena and its constant evolution draw special attention to the individuals who stand behind the successes of the city and the emirate. It is not only about the highest echelons of power and business, but also about those who make life in Dubai better - artists, restaurateurs, small entrepreneurs.
In honor of these enthusiasts, Arabian Business has created a list of the 100 most influential people in Dubai 100. Some of them manage the country's largest institutions - banks, hospitals, schools - while others are responsible for realizing the vision of the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
There are people on the list who inspire the whole city with their dedicated work, improving the public mood.
The dozens of nationalities represented in Dubai 100 illustrate the versatility of this vibrant city where almost anything is possible.
The ranking takes into account individuals whose decisions affect the life of Dubai. Members of the ruling family of Dubai and government ministers were not taken into account when compiling the list.
We are publishing a list of the first 50 members of Dubai 100:
1. Muhammad Alabbar. Founder of Emaar Properties, a leading developer of places of worship such as Burj Khalifa; an international entrepreneur who is actively interested in real estate, retail, hospitality, as well as e-commerce, technology, logistics and the food industry.
2. Sir Tim Clark. President of Emirates since 2003.
3. Huda Kattan. Social network star; The owner of the first Instagram account in popularity in the Middle East as of December 2016.
4. Dr. Deeb Cayed. One of the best neurologists on the planet.
5. Ronaldo Muhawar. Co-founder of the e-commerce site Souq.com.
6. Hussein Sajwani. Founder of Damac Holding, the largest private developer in the Middle East.
7. Helal Marri. Director of Dubai Tourism; responsible for the implementation of the tourism strategy of Dubai.
8. Dr. Habib Al Mullah. Chairman of Baker & McKenzie Habib Al Mulla.
9. Khalaf Al-Habtur. Founder and chairman of Al Habtoor Group, one of the largest family conglomerates in the Middle East.
10. Hesham al-Qassim. The head of wasl, which includes wasl Properties, wasl Hospitality and Dubai Golf.
11. Eli Khuri. Head of the Omnicom Media Group in the Middle East and North Africa, a division of Omnicom Group.
12. Rafe Osman. Chef Play Restaurant & Lounge on Sheikh Zayed Road.
13. Osman Sultan. In the status of CEO, he launched the Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (du).
14. Paul Griffiths. CEO of Dubai Airports, operates the busiest international airport in the world.
15. Dr. Reim Osman. Director of Saudi German Hospital Dubai.
16. Colm Mclaflin. The head of one of the most profitable duty free zones in the world is Dubai Duty Free.
17. Sunil John. Founder and CEO of ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller, the region’s leading public relations agency.
18. Joel Mardinian. Social media superstar and host of the Joelle TV show on MBC1.
19. Renuka Jagtiani. The initiator of the creation of the fashion brand Splash and a participant in the launch of the Landmark Group.
20. Gerald Lawless. Head of Tourism and Hospitality at Dubai Holding; former CEO of Jumeirah Group.
21. Muhammad Ahmed Al-Marri. Head of the General Directorate for Residency and Foreigners in Dubai.
22. Dr. Sanjay Parashar. Founder of Cocoona Aesthetic Surgery Center Network.
23. Sunil Vaswani. One of the largest investors on the African continent.
24. Amina Al Rustamani. CEO of Tecom Group, a subsidiary of Dubai Holding.
25. Farid Chadid. Founder, Chairman and CEO of Chedid Capital Holding, as well as Seib Insurance Company.
26. Pierre Chueyri. Head of the Choueiri Group, which manages ad spaces in several areas.
27. Kabir Mulchandani. CEO of SKAI Holding.
28. Dr. Azad Mupen. Founder of the network of medical enterprises Aster DM Healthcare.
29. Nilesh Veda. The head of a multi-billion dollar conglomerate, which includes more than 1,700 stores and 75 brands in six countries.
30. Haila Ghazal. Author of the YouTube channel HaylaTV; one of the most influential vloggers in the region.
31. Hamad Bouayim. President and CEO of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce.
32. Fadi Gandur. Founder of the logistics company Aramex.
33. Muhammad Beiragiri. Well-known Youtube blogger.
34. Thomas Lundgren. Founder of the furniture brand The One.
35. Saif Belhasa. Founder of Belhasa Driving Center.
36. Sled Varki. Thoroughly one of the world's largest operators of private schools GEMS Education.
37. Mansour Bin Jabr. Chief Operating Officer of the Bin Jabr Group and major restaurateur.
38. Khurshid Vakil. Founder of Marina home interiors.
39. Simon Clegg. Better known as one of the UK's most experienced sports businessmen; He currently serves as COO of Expo 2020.
40. Marwan Bin Galayta. Head of Dubai Real Estate Regulatory Agency.
41. Patrick Chalhoub. As CEO, the Chalhoub Group controls the retail chains of Louis Vuitton, Nina Ricci, Marc Jacobs and Carolina Herrara throughout the Persian Gulf.
42. Shane Nelson. CEO of Emirates NBD.
43. Gate Al Gate. CEO of Dubai's first low-cost airline flydubai.
44. Badr Jafar. CEO of Crescent Enterprises and President of Crescent Petroleum, Chairman of Gas Cities and Pearl Petroleum.
45. Ashish Mehta. One of the most influential lawyers; Founder and Managing Partner of Ashish Mehta & Associates, operating in the UAE, UK and India.
46. Raed Barkavi. Former chief editor of Al Khaleej.
47. Saigin Yalchin. Founder of the first online car buying service in the SellAnyCar.com region.
48. Majid Jafar. CEO of Crescent Petroleum, Middle East's oldest privately owned oil and gas company; Crescent Group Vice President and Dana Gas Managing Director.
49. Rizvan Sajan. Founder of Danube Group, the number one construction materials company in the UAE.
50. David Cook. He heads one of the fastest growing consulting companies Project Partners.
