Mohammed Al Barwani

Chairman, MB Holding/Oman Air

Origin: Oman

Residence: Oman

Sector: Diversified

The veteran Omani businessman, who made a fortune with the MB Holding conglomerate he launched in 1982, was appointed as the chairman of Oman Air in July 2020 amid a period that is the bleakest on record for the global aviation industry. Al Barwani has moved to right-size the airline and reduce its fleet size from 50 to 36 and will also focus on code-sharing agreements to cut costs.

Looking ahead, Oman’s aviation sector will play an important role in helping the sultanate narrow its $5.7bn estimated budget deficit for 2021