Gulf Business Awards 2026 – Shortlist
Company Awards
AI Company of the Year
- Space42
- Inception42
- SpeakUp
- Globant
- AIQ
Banking Company of the Year
- Emirates NBD
- ADCB
- ADIB
- Wio Bank
- Habib Bank AG Zurich
Tourism Company of the Year
- Miral
- Dubai Holding Entertainment
- Qatar Tourism/Hayya
- Marjan
- Almosafer
Hospitality Company of the Year
- Accor
- Marriott International
- Palazzo Hospitality
- Radisson Hotel Group
- Kerten Hospitality
- DWTC Hospitality
Retail Company of the Year
- Alshaya Group
- Dubai Duty Free
- ADNOC Distribution
- Spinneys
- Jashanmal Group
Transport Company of the Year
- GE Aerospace
- LunaJets
- Arenco Automotive (Thrifty and Dollar Car Rental)
- Car Fare Rent A Car (Car Fare Group)
- Eunoia Mobility
Healthcare Company of the Year
- The Brain & Performance Centre
- Mediclinic Middle East
- Reem Hospital
- Philips
- Aster DM Healthcare
Energy Company of the Year
- GE Vernova
- Masdar
- Global South Utilities
- IPT Energy
- GoSolr
Technology Company of the Year
- stc Bahrain
- Western Digital
- JetBrains
- Crowe MAK Technology
- BE Club
Investment Company of the Year
- EFG Holding
- L’IMAD
- CFI Financial Group
- Abu Dhabi Exports Office (ADEX)
- Finvasia Group
Logistics Company of the Year
- Arenco Automotive (Thrifty and Dollar Car Rental)
- AD Ports Group
- Agility Global
- Tristar
- Transcorp
Resilient Company of the Year
- ADNOC Distribution
- TalentOne
- ISD Dubai Sports City
- FIVE Holdings
- Sterling Group
- Capstone Real Estate
Sustainability Company of the Year
- Agthia Group
- ADNH Catering
- VinFast Middle East
- BEEAH Group
- GoSolr
Leader Awards
AI Leader of the Year
- Saeed Nasser Al Ahbabi — Chief Shared Services & Technical Officer, ADNOC Distribution
- Hasan Al Hosani — CEO, Smart Solutions, Space42
- Nick Zhuchkov CTO & Co-founder – SpeakUp
- Ashish Koshy – CEO, Inception
- Dennis Jol — CEO, AIQ
Banking Leader of the Year
- Shayne Nelson — Group CEO, Emirates NBD
- Raheel Ahmed — Group CEO, RAKBANK
- Ala’a Eraiqat — Group CEO, ADCB
- Mohamed Abdelbary — Group CEO, ADIB
- Jayesh Patel — CEO, Wio Bank
Tourism Leader of the Year
- Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi — Group CEO, Miral
- Issam Kazim — CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM)
- Phillipa Harrison — CEO, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA)
- Haitham Mattar — Managing Director, India, Middle East & Africa, IHG Hotels & Resorts
- Saeed Al Kuwari — Director, Qatar Tourism/Hayya
Hospitality Leader of the Year
- Marloes Knippenberg — CEO, Kerten Hospitality
- Joe Nassoura — General Manager, Fairmont Dubai
- Bani Haddad — Founder & Co-CEO, Aleph Hospitality
- Kabir Mulchandani — Chairman & Chief Executive, FIVE Holdings
- Monther Darwish — Chairman & Founder, Palazzo Hospitality
Retail Leader of the Year
- John Hadden — CEO, Alshaya Group
- Yusuff Ali M.A. — Chairman, Lulu Group
- Sima Ganwani Ved — Founder & Chairwoman, Apparel Group
- Michael Chalhoub — CEO, Chalhoub Group
- Sunil Kumar — CEO, Spinneys
Transport Leader of the Year
- Shadi Malak — CEO, Etihad Rail
- Eng. Mohamed Abdulla Al Ali — CEO, Parkin
- Mansoor Rahma Alfalasi — Group CEO, Dubai Taxi Company
- Rahul Singh — Managing Director, Thrifty & Dollar Car Rental
- Mudassir Sheikha — CEO & Co-Founder, Careem
Healthcare Leader of the Year
- Dr Craig R. Cook — CEO, The Brain & Performance Centre
- Hein van Eck — CEO, Mediclinic Middle East
- Marc Zora — CEO, Philips Middle East, Türkiye & Africa (META)
- Shaista Asif — Group CEO, PureHealth
- Dr Shamsheer Vayalil — Chairman & CEO, Burjeel Holdings
Energy Leader of the Year
- Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi — CEO, Masdar
- Jasim Husain Thabet — Group CEO & Managing Director, TAQA
- Dr Yasser Zaghloul — Group CEO, NMDC Group
- H.E. Mohamed Al Hammadi — Managing Director & Group CEO, Emirates Nuclear Energy Company (ENEC)
- Ali Alshimmari — Managing Director & CEO, Global South Utilities (GSU)
Technology Leader of the Year
- Owais Mohammed — Regional Lead & Sales Director, Middle East, Africa, Turkey & Indian Subcontinent, Western Digital
- Nadia Rinsky — Head of GTM, MENA, JetBrains
- H.E. Dr Tariq Bin Hendi — CEO, Botim, CEO & Board Member, Astra Tech
- Federico Pienovi — CEO, MENA & APAC, Globant
- Sérgio Monteiro — Chief Technology Officer, CARMA
- Dawn Thomas — Founder, Cygnus GRC & Senior Partner, Crowe MAK Technology
Investment Leader of the Year
- Khalil Fadel Al Mansoori — Executive Director, Abu Dhabi Exports Office (ADEX)
- H.E. Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak — Managing Director & Group CEO, Mubadala Investment Company
- Prateek Suri — Founder & CEO, MDR Investments
- H.E. Rashed Abdulkarim Al Blooshi — CEO, ADGM Registration Authority
- H.E. Arif Amiri — CEO, DIFC Authority
Logistics Leader of the Year
- Ronaldo Mouchawar — Vice President, Amazon Middle East, Africa & Turkey
- Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi — Managing Director & Group CEO, AD Ports Group
- Amadou Diallo — Group CEO, Aramex
- Kami Viswanathan — President, Middle East, Indian Subcontinent & Africa, FedEx
- Tarek Sultan — Chairman, Agility
Resilient Business Leader of the Year
- Tareq Al Jabbarin — CEO, TalentOne
- Dev Maitra — Founder & Managing Director, Savington International Insurance Brokers
- Jasbir Bassi — Owner & Chairperson, Car Fare Group
- Mazen Nahawi — Founder & CEO, CARMA and RAIYN
- Rahul Singh — Managing Director, Car Rental Division, A.A. Al Moosa Enterprises (Thrifty & Dollar)
Sustainability Leader of the Year
- Salmeen Alameri — Managing Director & CEO, Agthia Group
- Athmane Benzerroug — Chief Strategy, Transformation & Sustainability Officer, ADNOC Distribution
- Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi — CEO, Masdar
- Khaled Al Huraimel — Group CEO & Vice-Chairman, BEEAH Group
Conglomerate Leader of the Year
- Capt. Pradeep Singh — Owner & Chairman, Karma Group
- Dr Navin Valrani — Vice Chairman & Group Managing Director, Al Shirawi Group
- Salmeen Alameri — Managing Director & CEO, Agthia Group
- Kabir Mulchandani — CEO, FIVE Holdings
- Vidya Manohar Chhabria — Chairperson, Jumbo Group