2. Esam Janahi
Chairman, Gulf Finance House
He serves on the board of several different companies across continents, and is a regular speaker at the World Economic Forum. He’s been named ‘Islamic Banker of the Year’ and a ‘Young Global Leader’, and been awarded an honorary doctorate from the Geneva.
But it is through his leadership of Gulf Finance House that Esam Janahi has really made his mark. Since 1999, he has led flagship initiatives including the launch of energy cities in Qatar, Libya and Kazakhstan, a series of financial harbours in Bahrain and Tunisia, and the largest GFH concept to date, the $10bn Mumbai Economic Development Zone. Elsewhere, GFH has announced First Energy Bank, the world’s first Islamic investment bank offering tailored energy-based finance.