NNA - 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.
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