The Dubai 100: Emaar executive, Emirates CEO lead city’s growth

Mohamed Alabbar, founder of Emaar Properties topped the Arabian Business Dubai 100 list published on Wednesday, as testament to the importance of iconic properties in Dubai. Hussain Sajwani of DAMAC, Sir Tim Clark of Emirates also made the list, shedding light on the sectors driving Dubai’s stellar growth.

Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair, a long-standing titan of finance climbed sharply to the second position while Abdulla Al Futtaim, who helms one of the most powerful conglomerates in the region, debuted this year in fourth place.

The annual list published by the regional publication is a “definitive ranking of the people driving that future”, spotlighting leaders across technology, healthcare, finance, real estate, travel and media.

Methodology: Candidates were evaluated on a standardized 10-point scale across nine key areas, with inspiration emerging as the most heavily weighted factor at 20 per cent of the total score, according to Arabian Business.

Real estate and finance again featured heavily on the list this year, but newer sectors like tech, retail, media, and public policy are driving a wider distribution of influence.

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Interestingly, the list had 66 new names out of the 100, showcasing the vast opportunity bridge in the glitzy gulf.

According to Dubai Statistics Centre, 85% of the city’s residents are expatriates, and this is reflected on this year’s list.

54 of the individuals are Emiratis, while 46 are expatriates – representing a near-even split that speaks to the city’s multicultural force.

These expatriates hail from across South Asia, the broader MENA region, Europe, and North America and are instrumental to Dubai’s economic engine.

In fact, this idea was lauded at GITEX GLOBAL 2024 by Timothy Chen, General Partner at private equity firm ACHI Capital.

Speaking about how he encountered up to 12 nationalities a day in Dubai, he added how “That kind of diversity has to be driven and engineered. UAE has all the elements to make this happen.”

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Government officials too made the list.

Helal Al Marri (Director General, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism) and Mattar Al Tayer (Director General, RTA), Abdulla Al Karam (KHDA), showcased increasing public and private partnerships.

Looking ahead to 2026, green energy, AI developments and the UAE’s participation in Emirates Mars Mission and the UAE Astronaut Programme are sure to bring sectors like aerospace and advanced R&D into the spotlight.