Rascha Ragheb ranks 6th in Forbes' Top 20 Arab Women in Government

Al-Ahram Weekly

15-02-2025

Dr. Rascha Ragheb, the Executive Director of Egypt's National Training Academy (NTA), was ranked 6th in Forbes Middle East's Top 20 Arab Women in Government list.
Ragheb, who has over 20 years of experience in human development and leadership, was recognized for her role in leading the NTA since 2018.
Founded by the Egyptian government in 2017, the NTA was established to develop Egyptian youth's managerial and professional skills.
Before the NTA, Ragheb held roles in international organizations, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and ESLSCA University.
She also serves as the Executive Director of Egypt's World Youth Forum (WYF) and is a board member of the Shabab Balad initiative under the UN's Generation Unlimited.
Forbes' list recognizes the most impactful women in leading roles across government institutions, excluding ministerial and parliamentary positions.
The list chooses 20 women based on their significant impact on diplomacy, ambassadorship, culture, technology, media, and environment.
Other factors for choosing candidates include the candidates' role, additional positions they hold, tenure, experience, and initiatives they launched in 2024.
The list also included two Egyptian women: Amal Ammar, the Chairwoman of Egypt's National Council for Women, and Dalia El-Baz, the Executive Chairwoman of Egypt Post, who secured the 16th and 19th spots, respectively.
100 Most Powerful Businesswomen 2025
Similarly, Forbes Middle East's 100 Most Powerful Businesswomen 2025 list included 18 Egyptian businesswomen.
Dalia Khorshid, Group CEO and Managing Director of Beltone Holding, attained the highest rank among Egyptian businesswomen on the list and the 12th rank on the list. Soha El-Turky, Deputy CEO of the National Bank of Egypt, followed, ranking 15th.
Other prominent Egyptian businesswomen included Hend El Sherbini, Group CEO of Integrated Diagnostics Holdings, who ranked 42nd; Mona Zulficar, Chairperson of Zulficar & Partners Law Firm, who ranked 48th; and Dalia Wahba, CEO of Hassan Allam Utilities, who ranked 49th.
In addition, the list included Merette Elsayed, CCO & CEO of Hassan Allam Holding, in the 50th rank; Elham Mahfouz, CEO of Commercial Bank of Kuwait, in the 54th rank; and Hoda Mansour, COO-Asia Pacific, Japan, Middle East & Africa of IFS, in the 60th rank.
Mirna Arif, General Manager of Microsoft Egypt, came 66th in the rank, along with Dalia Ibrahim, CEO of Nahdet Misr Publishing House, who came 73rd. Rasha El-Azhary, CFO of Vodafone Egypt, ranked 79th on the list and Abir Leheta, CEO of Egytrans, attained the 82nd rank on the Forbes list.
Moreover, the list also featured Pakinam Kafafi, CEO of TAQA Arabia, in the 85th rank, Ghada Kandil, Chief Director-Egypt of Bank of New York Mellon, in the 86th rank, and Heba Korra, Vice Chairman of Korra for Energy & Investment Projects, in the 96th rank.
Group Deputy CEO of Naeem Holding for Investments Omnia Kelig came 97th in the ranking, while Managing Director of Misr Life Insurance Abeer Saleh ranked 98th. Ahella El Saban, co-founder and vice Executive Chairman of Exits MENA, concluded the list in the 100th rank.
This year's list recognizes 100 prominent female business leaders from 29 nationalities who have made significant contributions to 32 different sectors.
The selection criteria include business size, personal achievements, leadership impact, and contributions to corporate social responsibility initiatives.
Several leaders on the list focused on introducing initiatives to enhance community skills, broaden opportunities, and drive impact and transformation across various industries.
Egyptian businesswomen topped the list with eight entries in 2021, followed by seven in 2022. This number nearly doubled in 2023 with 13 entries, and in 2024, they achieved a record-breaking 17 entries, showcasing their increasing influence and success in various industries.
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