Forbes Reveals Most Impactful Real Estate Leaders in 2025
Taarek Refaat
The leaders of the most influential real estate companies in the Middle East, featured on the Forbes 2025 list, play a pivotal role in establishing the region as one of the leading drivers of the global real estate market.
The sector recorded strong performance in 2024, reflected in remarkable growth, record investment deals, and increased investor confidence. This year's list includes the top 100 developers and decision-makers working to transform the real estate landscape in the Middle East and North Africa.
Forbes research team ranked these leaders on this year's list based on a set of criteria, including the number of years of experience for each leader, the value of completed and ongoing projects, the company's financial position in terms of total assets and revenues when available, in addition to the value or area of the land portfolio and the number of real estate units owned.
The UAE dominates the "Most Impactful Real Estate Leaders in the Middle East 2025" list with 42 company leaders, followed by Saudi Arabia with 21 leaders, and Egypt with 16 leaders.
Hussain Sajwani
Topping this year's ranking is Hussain Sajwani, founder and chairman of Damac Properties. In February 2025, Damac announced the pricing and settlement of its $750 million, 3.5-year unsecured sukuk, issued under the Reg S framework, its largest issuance to date.
Sajwani's wealth saw a significant jump, rising from $5.1 billion in March 2024 to $10.2 billion in March 2025.
Mohamed Alabbar
Second on the list is Mohamed Alabbar, founder and managing director of Emaar Properties, followed by Talal Al Dhiyebi, CEO of Aldar Properties. The dominance of the three UAE leaders in the top spots reflects the country's established position as a leading real estate hub in the region.
In addition to Hussain Sajwani, this year's list includes four other billionaires, according to the Forbes Billionaires list released in March 2025. They are: Mohamed Alabbar, with an estimated net worth of $2.3 billion; PNC Menon, founder of the Sobha Group, with an estimated net worth of $4.3 billion; Kabir Mulchandani, founder and executive chairman of Five Holdings, with an estimated net worth of $2.2 billion; and Yassin Mansour, chairman and group CEO of Palm Hills Developments, with a net worth of $1.2 billion.
The five billionaires on the list have a combined net worth of $19.3 billion.
Hisham Talaat Moustafa
Egypt's Hisham Talaat Moustafa came fourth on the list with for over 40 years experience in the realestate sector. In 2024, the group succeeded in nearly tripling its real estate sales, reaching $10 billion, after selling more than 29,000 units, thanks to the launch of the Banan project in Saudi Arabia and the South Med project on Egypt's North Coast. The group also completed its acquisition of Legacy Hotels and Tourism Projects, which owns seven historic hotels in Egypt, bringing its total number of hotel rooms to 5,000. As a result, hospitality sector revenues jumped by 225%, reaching $255 million in 2024.
As of March 2025, the group's total land area reached 107 million square meters.
The list covers a diverse range of companies, from established institutions to ambitious startups. Bahraini company Kanoo Real Estate, led by CEO Mohammed Abdulelah Al Kooheji, is the oldest real estate developer on the list, having been established in 1890. The newest company on the list is the UAE-based One Real Estate Development, founded by Chairman Ali Al-Jubaili in 2024.
In an effort to foster dialogue on the future of the real estate sector, Forbes Middle East will hold "Building the Future" Summit in Abu Dhabi on May 26 and 27, 2025, before launching the inaugural edition in Tripoli on May 29 and 30.
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