Saudi Arabia’s Prince Alwaleed has topped the list of the world’s most powerful Arabs for the third year running. The list was published simultaneously for the first time in both
Arabian Business English
and
Arabian Business Arabic
.
This year’s Power List contains a record 100 names, including 19 females and over 60 new entries.
Alwaleed is followed in second place by Emaar boss Mohammed Alabbar, while the highest new entry this year is Al Jazeera television director general Wadah Khanfar. Controversial film director Hany Abu-Assad is straight in at No.4, while Emirates Airline chairman Sheikh Ahmed is also a new entry, at No.5.
Arabian Business
editor James Bennett said: “This year we have considered people not just from business, but entertainment, the arts, science and the academic world. We started with 500 names, and with our panel of experts from various fields, came to decide what we see as the 100 most influential Arabs on the planet.”
The list deliberately excludes royalty or politicians, although some members of royal families such as Sheikh Ahmed have been included purely because of their business interests.
A number of pop stars also feature this year, including Amr Diab at No.38 and Haifa Wehbe at No.53.
Al Jazeera TV presenter Ghassan Bin Jiddu is at No.24, one of six television personalities to make this year’s list.
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