Meet The Top Regional Titans Of The World’s Biggest Companies
- Forbes Middle East’s 10th annual Global Meets Local list recognizes the regional leaders of the world’s biggest multinational businesses.
- Technology is the most represented sector, with 13 entries.
- The regional heads of General Electric, P&G, and PepsiCo make up the top three.
Beirut, Lebanon—November 07, 2022: Forbes Middle East has unveiled its tenth annual Global Meets Local ranking, celebrating 51 executives leading the regional offices for 50 Forbes Global 2000 companies.
To construct this list, Forbes Middle East looked at companies on the Forbes Global 2000 ranking with significant direct business operations in MENA. The top-ranking leaders from their regional headquarters were then ranked based on factors such as the impact and scope of their role, business size, personal achievements, and public recognition.
The executives in this ranking represent a diverse cohort of 27 nationalities. Britain and France lead with five executives each among the 51, followed by Germany and Türkiye with four each.
Technology dominates as the most populated sector in the 2022 list, with 13 entries, followed by banking, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, and automotive, each with four entries.
Nabil Habayeb—Senior Vice President of General Electric (GE) and President & CEO of GE International Markets—tops the list for the third consecutive year. In September 2022, the company signed an MoU with QatarEnergy to collaborate on developing a carbon capture roadmap for the energy sector in Qatar. Procter & Gamble’s Omar Channawi retains his second-place position, followed by newcomer PepsiCo’s Eugene Willemsen rounding up the top three.
The multinational firms on this year’s ranking are attracting government attention and partnerships, enabling them to access more growth and opportunities. For example, in 2022 alone, IBM has signed partnerships with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the U.A.E.’s Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, and Egypt’s Ministry of Finance. SAP has signed deals with the U.A.E.’s Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development and Qatar’s Ooredoo. Schneider Electric has partnered with the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology in the U.A.E. And Novartis has signed an MoU with the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia.
Social impact has also been a significant priority for these businesses. In 2022, Amazon partnered with Mastercard to support the UN World Food Program. Meanwhile, Cisco collaborated with the Gulf Organization for Research & Development to work towards accelerating climate solutions by developing sustainable solutions and green products. Committed to financial literacy, Visa introduced its global initiative “She’s Next” in MENA in July 2022, which granted 19 women entrepreneurs a total of $190,000 and one year of mentorship each.
Click here for the complete Forbes Middle East Global Meets Local 2022 list.
Global Meets Local 2022 – Top 10
- Nabil Habayeb
Company: General Electric (GE)
Designation: Senior Vice President of GE, and President & CEO of GE International Markets
Nationality: Lebanese-American
Global headquarters: U.S.
Residence: U.A.E.
- Omar Channawi
Company: Procter & Gamble (P&G)
Designation: CEO of the Middle East, Global Entrepreneurial Markets and Sub Sahara Africa & Senior Vice President of Sales, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa
Nationality: Moroccan
Global headquarters: U.S.
Residence: U.A.E.
- Eugene Willemsen
Company: PepsiCo
Designation: CEO—Africa, Middle East, and South Asia
Nationality: Dutch
Global headquarters: Switzerland
Residence: U.A.E.
- Stephen Moss
Company: HSBC Bank Middle East Limited
Designation: Group Managing Director, and Regional CEO for MENAT
Nationality: British
Global headquarters: U.K.
Residence: U.A.E.
- Samer Abu-Ltaif
Company: Microsoft
Designation: Corporate Vice President, and President of the Middle East and Africa
Nationality: Lebanese
Global headquarters: U.S.
Residence: U.A.E.
- Dimitrios Dosis
Company: Mastercard
Designation: President—Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EEMEA)
Nationality: German
Global headquarters: U.S.
Residence: U.A.E.
- Jochem-Jan Sleiffer
Company: Hilton
Designation: President—Middle East, Africa, and Türkiye
Nationality: Dutch
Global headquarters: U.S.
Residence: U.A.E.
- Ronaldo Mouchawar
Company: Amazon
Designation: Vice President—MENA
Nationality: Syrian-American
Global headquarters: U.S.
Residence: U.A.E.
- Yasser Abdul Malak
Company: Nestlé Middle East
Designation: Chairman and CEO—MENA
Nationality: Lebanese
Global headquarters: Switzerland
Residence: U.A.E.
- John ‘Mick’ Nicholson
Company: Lockheed Martin
Designation: CEO – Middle East
Nationality: American
Global headquarters: U.S.
Residence: U.A.E.
About Forbes Middle East
Forbes Middle East is a licensed edition of Forbes for the Arab world, championing inspiring business journalism and entrepreneurial capitalism. Its online and social platforms break news covering billionaires, business, investment, technology, economy, entrepreneurship, leadership, and luxury lifestyles. The monthly magazine, featuring in-depth interviews with the Middle East’s most influential and innovative leaders, is published in print in English and Arabic, with digital versions available to both regional and global audiences online. Forbes Middle East extends the Forbes brand of journalism across the Arab world, conducting its own comprehensive research to publish original lists that adhere to strict methodologies. Its content attracts business leaders, investors, active and potential entrepreneurs, and a wide audience of ambitious and influential executives.