Meet the Egyptians on Forbes Middle East’s ‘CEOs of the Year’

Forbes Middle East recently released its third annual list of the top ‘100 CEOs in the Middle East,’ spotlighting the region’s top leaders who have focused on sustainability, consolidation, and growth across various sectors.

This year’s roster showcases leaders from 22 nationalities, with 19 Egyptians on the list.

In November 2023, Forbes Middle East unveiled its sixth annual 30 Under 30 list, where Egyptians lead the list with 44 outstanding achievers across diverse sectors, including science and technology, entertainment, commerce, finance, and social impact.
From the realms of real estate to the diverse world of banking, here is the list of the pioneering Egyptian CEOs making strides across varying industries in Egypt and abroad.

Banking
Hisham Okasha | Banking
In 2008, Hisham Okasha joined the National Bank of Egypt (NBE) as Deputy Chairman. He is currently the CEO of NBE, a board member of the Federation of Egyptian Banks and several of NBE’s financial subsidiaries in Egypt, Europe, and across MENA, and a board member of the Sovereign Fund of Egypt.

Mohamed Eletreby |Banking
In 2015, Mohamed Eletreby was appointed as CEO of Banque Misr. Before he assumed his role at Banque Misr, Eletreby was the CEO and Managing Director of the Egyptian Gulf Bank. He also serves as chairman of the Union of Arab Banks, the Federation of Egyptian Banks, and the board of trustees at the Banque Misr Foundation for Community Development.

Hussein Abaza | Banking
As a leader with more than 25 years of banking experience, Hussein Abaza is the CEO and Managing Director of the Commercial International Bank (CIB). Abaza was previously CIB’s CEO of Institutional Banking, COO, and Chief Risk Officer. Before joining CIB, he was head of research and managing director at EFG Hermes Asset Management.

Ahmed Abdelaal | Banking
Ahmed Abdelaal joined Mashreq — the oldest privately owned bank in the United Arab Emirates and one of the oldest banking institutions in the Middle East in 2017 as head of the corporate and investment banking group and assumed his current position in 2019 to oversee the bank’s operations across the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and the United States. He also previously held positions at HSBC Bank, ABN AMRO Bank N.V., Arab African International Bank, American Express, and Arab Bank.

Karim Awad | Banking and Financial Services
Karim Awad has been the CEO of EFG Holding since 2012, having been a member of the company for over 24 years. Awad is also the chairman of the company’s Executive Committee.

Said Zater| Financial Services
Said Zater is the CEO of Contact Financial Holding — the largest non-bank financial services provider in Egypt. He also sits on boards of Sarwa Insurance Company, Sarwa Life Insurance, and Motor Care Egypt.

Bassel Gamal | Banking
In 2013, Bassel Gamal assumed his current position as CEO of Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB). With over 30 years of experience in the banking and finance industry, Gamal worked at Ahli United Bank Group in Bahrain and CIB in Egypt before joining QIB. He is also chairman of QIB-UK and a board member of Qinvest.

Real Estate and Construction
Yasser Zaghloul | Real Estate & Construction
Yasser Zaghloul is the Group Chief Executive Officer of the National Marine Dredging Company (NMDC). He is also a member of the General Board of Control of Water U.A.E, the World Organization of Marine Construction and Dredging – Brussels and Belgium, and the General Supervisor and Sponsor for the World Conference of CEDA – Brussels and Abu Dhabi.

Khaled Abbas | Real Estate & Construction
In 2022, Khaled Abbas assumed his position as Chairman and Managing Director of Administrative Capital For Urban Development (ACUD) — the owner and developer of the New Administrative Capital in Egypt, spanning 714 square kilometers. Abbas was previously the Deputy Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities for National Projects in Egypt. He is also a board member of the Egyptian Federation of Construction and Building Contractors, the Social Housing and Mortgage Finance Fund, and a member of the Tourism Development Committee.

Hisham Talaat Moustafa | Real Estate & Construction
For more than 40 years, Hisham Talaat Moustafa has been working with Talaat Moustafa Group Holding (TMG Holding) as CEO and Managing Director.

Omar El Hamamsy | Real Estate & Construction
Omar El Hamamsy is the leader of Orascom Development Egypt (ODE) as well as its Switzerland-based parent company Orascom Development Holding (ODH).

Osama Bishai |Real Estate & Construction
Since 1985, Osama Bishai has served as a member of Orascom. He currently serves as the CEO of Orascom Construction and a board member of BESIX Group.

Telecommunications
Hatem Dowidar | Telecommunications
Since 2020, Hatem Dowidar has been the CEO of e&, formerly known as Etisalat Group. Before joining &, Dowidar previously worked with Vodafone, before joining Etisalat in 2015 as joined the group in 2015 as group Chief Operating Officer (COO).

Mohamed Nasr Eldin | Telecommunications
Mohamed Nasr Eldin joined Telecom Egypt in 2004 and assumed his current role as CEO and Managing Director in March 2023. Between May 2020 and March 2023, Nasr Eldin served as Deputy ICT Minister for Global Information Infrastructure at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. He also currently serves as a member of Telecom Egypt’s Board of Directors, which represents the Egyptian government.

Logistics
Osama Rabie | Logistics
In 2019, Lieutenant General Osama Rabie assumed his role as CEO of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA). In August 2023, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi reappointed Lieutenant Rabie as the Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) for another one-year term, which will be Rabie’s fifth consecutive one-year term as the head of the SCA.

Diversified
Ahmed Galal Ismail | Diversified
In January 2023, Ahmed Galal Ismail was appointed as CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Holding after serving as the CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Properties since 2018. Ismail previously served as CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Ventures and worked in other companies such as Booz Allen Hamilton in Dubai and Procter & Gamble in Egypt as well as Germany.

Sherif Beshara | Diversified
Sherif Beshara assumed his current role as CEO of Mohamed & Obaid Almulla Group and American Hospital Dubai in 2018. The company has business in varying sectors, including e real estate, hospitality, and healthcare.

Othman A. Ibrahim | Diversified
Othman Ibrahim has been the Group President and CEO of Rawabi since 2009. He also serves as the executive vice chairman of Rawabi Holding, chairman of the investment committee, and vice chairman of Rawabi Energy Company.

Travel & Tourism
Tarek El Sayed | Travel & Tourism
As the CEO and Managing Director of Al Rayyan Tourism Investment Company (ARTIC), Tarek El Sayed has been leading ARTIC since 2017. El Sayed also serves as the chairman of ARTIC’s subsidiary, Seldar Misr.