- Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan shares in the celebrations with an exclusive heart-to-heart
- 170 Indian business leaders made the list with 28 awarded on the night
- Retail dominated the business owner/founder category while banking & finance prevailed in the CEO and CFO lineups
- The UAE accounted for the majority of business leaders featured
Dubai, UAE; May 14, 2014: Forbes Middle East last night held an exclusive award ceremony and gala dinner in the Godolphin Ballroom, Jumeirah Emirates Towers, to celebrate and acknowledge the Top Indian Leaders in the Arab World.
Bollywood superstar, Shah Rukh Khan, counted as the evening’s special guest, joining in the celebrations and taking to the stage for a candid heart-to-heart guided by Forbes Middle East’s Features Editor, Joanne Al-Samarae. Mr. Khan took time to address the elite audience about the deep relationship that exists between India and the Middle East, as well as his personal affection for the Arab world.
In an intimate setting, the global star also welcomed questions from the audience and shared exclusive insight into his own life and work.
“I am happy with my fame: I would miss leaving my house and not having people waiting for me, I would miss people waving to me, I am happy being loved. I want no privacy; I shamelessly want to be a star, I think it’s the most beautiful thing to be. I am so happy that people don’t give me time to have lunch alone! I would rather have all this. Given the choice I would do it all over again,” explained Mr. Khan.
Commenting further, the Bollywood actor added, “I have earned much more money than I deserve. I came from a lower middle class family, and we had a lot of issues in terms of money, but I saw my parents work very hard to educate me so because of that, I have never been attached to material goods. I have the big houses, amazing cars, the best boxes in the stadiums; people really pamper me. But If I had none of that, and I just had my acting, then I would be happy.”
His Excellency T.P. Seetharam, Ambassador of India to the UAE, also attended the event as guest of honor, and Boris Collardi, CEO of Julius Baer Group, which partnered with Forbes Middle East on this special occasion, delivered an engaging keynote speech.
Commenting on the event, Collardi explained: “I would like to thank Forbes Middle East for creating this platform and in particular acknowledging the tremendous efforts of Indian business leaders in shaping a vibrant business community in the Arab World. To our mind every member of the Indian business community is a winner, for it is this sense of purpose to deliver beyond our boundaries that drives us to levels of excellence.”
Amongst the highlights of the evening was the unveiling of the latest issue of Forbes Middle East magazine, which includes a comprehensive ranking of inspirational Indians, upon which the evening’s prestigious awards were based.
Encompassing the entire Arab world for the first time, the ranking included 170 Indian business owners, founders and C-level executives including CEOs and CFOs, based in the region. While the ranking covered a geographical area stretching from the shores of the Arabian Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, most of the leaders are to be found in the GCC.
A total of 120 business owners and founders made it to the ranking this year, with 22% falling within the retail sector; 19% of them in industrials and 7.5% in the diversified sector. Unsurprisingly, the UAE ranked first with 78% of business owners choosing to establish their companies in the country. Managing Director of LuLu Group International, Yusuffali MA once more came out on top where business owners and founders are concerned, cementing his position as an unmatched business leader.
Of the 40 CEOs that made the final cut, the UAE accounted for 37 entries, leagues ahead of the rest of the region; Qatar is home to just two and Oman, one. Banking and finance was the most prevalent sector, with 13 CEOs. Sanjeev Chadha, CEO of PepsiCo AMEA, topped the CEO lineup.
For their part, seven of the top ten CFOs are based in the UAE, two in Kuwait and one in Bahrain, with banking and finance ahead of the rest, but closely followed by real estate and construction, and retail. In the CFO category, DP World’s Yuvraj Narayan clinched top spot.
Well-known business leaders, Dr. Azad Moopen, Chairman DM Group; Mohan Valrani, Sr. Vice Chairman & MD Al Shirawi Group of Companies and BR Shetty of the UAE Exchange and NMC Healthcare were also honored at the event. Other awardees on the night include Surya Subramanian, Group CFO, Emirates NBD; Rizwan Sajan, Founder & Chairman of Danube Group; Thumbay Moideen, Founder-President of Thumbay Group; V Shankar, Group Executive Director & CEO-EMEA & Americas, Standard Chartered; and, Adnan Chilwan, CEO of Dubai Islamic Bank.
Speaking after the event, Mrs. Khuloud Al Omian, Editor-in-Chief, Forbes Middle East and Vice-President of Arab Publisher House, said: “Indian entrepreneurs and businessmen have played an enormous role in the continued development of the Arab world. Their passion, drive and expertise have blended with the region’s own, creating a truly unique business environment.”
Commenting further, Mrs. Al Omian added, “On behalf of the whole team at Forbes Middle East, I would like to congratulate all 170 top Indian leaders and thank everyone involved for making the evening such a success. As the country with the most top Indian leaders, the UAE continues to provide an unrivalled platform that encourages extraordinary leaders and their businesses to flourish.”
Addressing the audience of high profile business leaders, diplomats and other special guests, Hannah Stewart, Executive Editor at Forbes Middle East, described the hard work behind the evening’s celebrations. “Tonight’s event and the latest issue of Forbes Middle East that underpins it are the fruits of months of dedicated work. The Forbes Middle East team has worked diligently to create a comprehensive ranking and rich editorial content, while the relentless efforts and attention to detail of our team and invaluable partners have paved the way for a fantastic evening of celebrations.”
For this stellar event, Forbes Middle East partnered with Bank Julius Baer along with other partners including Dubai One, Eurostar, Emirates Airline, Zee TV Cinema, Confiserie Sprüngli, Montegrappa Italia and Tarteeb Media.