Two GCC Finance Leaders Make Fortune 2025 100 Most Powerful Women in Business List - Middle East Business News and Information
Hana Al Rostamani, Group CEO at First Abu Dhabi Bank and Shaikha Al-Bahar, Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer at National Bank of Kuwait, named among world's leading businesswomen. Announcement coincides with the inaugural Fortune Most Powerful Women International Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia- Fortune's first international summit in the region.
NEW YORK, May 20, 2025—Two of the GCC's most influential banking executives are featured in Fortune's 2025 edition of the Most Powerful Women in Business list.
The 28th edition of the list honors 100 female leaders from the global business landscape—spotlighting those who hold power now and those on the rise to even greater influence.
This year's iteration features 52 women from the U.S. and 48 from other countries—8 from China; 7 each from France and the U.K.; 3 each from Germany, Singapore, and Brazil; and 2 each from Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, and Spain, and one each from Kuwait and United Arab Emirates.
Hana Al Rostamani, Group CEO at First Abu Dhabi Bank, and Shaikha Al-Bahar, Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer at National Bank of Kuwait, are ranked 76th and 92nd, respectively.
As the Group CEO of the UAE's largest lender – a bank with roughly $330 billion in assets – Al Rostamani is currently the only female chief executive of a publicly listed corporation in the Emirates. She serves on several boards, including the Institute of International Finance, the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council, and Buna, the Arab Monetary Fund's cross-border payment system.
Al-Bahar was named Deputy Group CEO of the National Bank of Kuwait in 2014 after joining the institution in 1977. She is chair of the National Bank of Kuwait-France and the National Bank of Kuwait-Egypt as well as a board member with National Bank of Kuwait (International), the bank's UK subsidiary.
Al-Bahar is credited with launching NBK RISE, a program designed to empower women leaders and prepare them for senior leadership roles. With over $135 billion in total assets at the end of March 2025, the National Bank of Kuwait is one of the largest financial institutions in the country and one of the leading banks in the region. In fiscal 2024, the bank's net profit rose 7% year-over-year to $1.9 billion while net operating income grew 7.2% to $4.1 billion.
The list, compiled by Fortune editors is based on company size and health, as well as an executive's career trajectory, influence, innovation, and efforts to make business better. More than 50 women currently lead Fortune 500 companies, yet only 20 made this year's list—a testament to how increasingly competitive the ranking has become.
'In its 28th year, this iconic list of powerful women includes almost half from outside of the U.S., reminding us that the impact of women is being seen globally,' said Alyson Shontell, Fortune Editor in Chief and Chief Content Officer. 'These are women transforming business today and preparing for a future during a time of tumult and uncertainty.'
There are 16 newcomers, including Costco's chief operator and merchant Claudine Adamo (No. 43), helping millions of Americans navigate inflation by keeping prices low on essentials, and next-gen execs such as Julie Gao, CFO of ByteDance (No. 81), steering the TikTok owner's finances through its tangles with the U.S. government.
The top 10 Most Powerful Women in Business 2025 are: Mary Barra, Chair and CEO, GM (U.S.) Julie Sweet, Chair and CEO, Accenture (U.S.) Jane Fraser, CEO, Citigroup (U.S.) Lisa Su, Chair and CEO, AMD (U.S.) Ana Botín, Executive Chairman, Banco Santander (Spain) Tan Su Shan, Deputy CEO and Group Head of Institutional Banking, DBS Group (Singapore) Thasunda Brown Duckett, President and CEO, TIAA (U.S.) Marta Ortega, Chairperson, Inditex (Spain) Abigail Johnson, Chairman and CEO, Fidelity Investments (U.S.) Meng Wanzhou, Deputy Chairwoman, Rotating Chairwoman, and CFO, Huawei (China)
'This definitive ranking of the women at the top of the global business world…tells us both who wields power today and who is poised to climb even higher tomorrow,' writes Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune senior writer, author of Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter, and editor of the 100 Most Powerful Women in Business list of 2025.
Today's MPW 100 list debut coincides with the inaugural Fortune Most Powerful Women International Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — Fortune's first international summit in the region.
About Fortune:
Fortune is a global multi-platform media company built on a legacy of trusted, award-winning reporting and information for those who want to make business better. Independently owned, Fortune tells the stories of the world's biggest companies and their leaders as well as a new generation of innovators who are moving business forward. Digitally and in print, Fortune measures corporate performance through rigorous benchmarks, and holds companies accountable, in regions around the world. Its iconic rankings include Fortune 500, Fortune Global 500, Most Powerful Women, and World's Most Admired Companies. Fortune builds world-class communities by convening industry thought leaders for exclusive summits and conferences, including the Fortune Global Forum and Brainstorm Tech.
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