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- U.A.E.-based leaders constitute over 46% of the two lists, with 70 entries.
- Saudi Arabia follows with 43, while Qatar and Egypt are home to 10 of the entries each.
- Hospitals represent the biggest sector with 46 leaders, followed by Pharmaceuticals with 38.
Dubai, U.A.E. – Forbes Middle East has revealed its annual rankings of the region’s Top Healthcare Leaders for 2025, through two rankings. The first recognizes 50 founders and shareholders redefining the Middle East’s healthcare ecosystem, while the second highlights the 100 executives and CEOs leading its largest and most influential companies.
To curate the two rankings, Forbes Middle East evaluated several factors, including the size of the company, the leader and the company’s impact on the region’s healthcare sector, innovative initiatives and achievements over the past year, the experience of the leader in the sector, diversity of operations, level of transparency, and sustainability and CSR initiatives, and ownership percentage in the company for the shareholders list, among others.
Topping the founders & shareholders list is Shaista Asif, Cofounder and Group CEO of U.A.E.-based PureHealth Group. In 2025, Asif led the completion of PureHealth’s $933 million acquisition of a 60% stake in Hellenic Healthcare Group, Greece and Cyprus’s leading private healthcare provider. Sulaiman Al Habib, Founder & Chairman of Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Services Group (HMG), ranked second, while Said Darwazah, Executive Chairman, Hikma Pharmaceuticals, ranked third.
In the Executives list, Nasser Al Huqbani, the CEO of Health Holding Company (HHC) since January 2023, ranked first. Health Holding is a government-owned entity responsible for investing in and developing the health sector across Saudi Arabia. Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Suwaidi, Managing Director at Hamad Medical Corporation, placed second, and Saeed Jaber Al Kuwaiti, Group CEO at SEHA, ranked third.
In the 2025 ranking, the U.A.E. retained its dominance, being home to 70 out of the 150 entries, followed by Saudi Arabia at 43, while Qatar and Egypt are home to 10 of the entries each, followed by Jordan and Kuwait have four each. Hospital giants lead sector-wise with 46 entries, closely followed by leaders from pharmaceuticals at 38, and healthcare providers at 21.
From the global expansion of Abu Dhabi’s PureHealth to the launch of Saudi Arabia’s first high-potent pharmaceutical manufacturing facility by Riyadh’s SPIMACO, regional players are scaling up. Pharmaceutical and technology leaders have strengthened partnerships with governments, fostering the advancement of national visions and localization objectives.
To view the complete Middle East’s Top Healthcare Leaders 2025 - FOUNDERS & SHAREHOLDERS list, click here.
To view the complete Middle East’s Top Healthcare Leaders 2025 - EXECUTIVES list, click here.
Top Healthcare Leaders In The Middle East 2025
FOUNDERS & SHAREHOLDERS
- Shaista Asif
Cofounder & Group CEO, PureHealth Group
Sector: Healthcare Providers
Residence: U.A.E.
- Sulaiman Al Habib
Founder & Chairman, Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Services Group
Sector: Hospitals
Residence: Saudi Arabia
- Said Darwazah
Executive Chairman, Hikma Pharmaceuticals
Sector: Pharmaceuticals
Residence: Jordan
- Mazen Fakeeh
President, Fakeeh Care Group
Sector: Healthcare Providers
Residence: Saudi Arabia
- Alisha Moopen
Managing Director & Group CEO, Aster DM Healthcare GCC
Sector: Healthcare Providers
Residence: U.A.E.
- Shamsheer Vayalil
Founder & Chairman, Burjeel Holdings
Sector: Diversified
Residence: U.A.E.
- Moutaz Al-Khayyat
Chairman, Estithmar Holding
Sector: Diversified
Residence: Qatar
- Ayman Tamer
Chairman, Tamer Group
Sector: Pharmaceuticals
Residence: Saudi Arabia
- Haleh Hamedifar
Chairperson, CinnaGen
Sector: Pharmaceuticals
Residence: Iran
- Nassir Sultan Alsubaie
CEO & Vice Chairman, Mouwasat Medical Services Company
Sector: Hospitals
Residence: Saudi Arabia
Top Healthcare Leaders In The Middle East 2025
EXECUTIVES
- Nasser Al Huqbani
CEO, Health Holding Company (HHC)
Sector: Healthcare Providers
Residence: Saudi Arabia
- Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Suwaidi
Managing Director, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC)
Sector: Healthcare Providers
Residence: Qatar
- Saeed Jaber Al Kuwaiti
Group CEO, SEHA
Sector: Hospitals
Residence: U.A.E.
- Majid Al Fayyadh
CEO, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC)
Sector: Diversified
Residence: Saudi Arabia
- Dimitris Moulavasilis
Group CEO, M42
Sector: Healthcare Providers
Residence: U.A.E.
- John Sunil
CEO, Burjeel Holdings
Sector: Diversified
Residence: U.A.E.
- Sherif Beshara
Group CEO, American Hospital Dubai
Sector: Hospitals
Residence: U.A.E.
- David Hadley
CEO, NMC Healthcare
Sector: Hospitals
Residence: U.A.E.
- Khaled Ateeq Aldhaheri
CEO, The National Insurance Company – Daman
Sector: Health Insurance
Residence: U.A.E.
- Yasser Joharji
CEO, Nahdi Medical Company
Sector: Pharmacy Chains
Residence: Saudi Arabia
About Forbes Middle East
Forbes Middle East is a licensed edition of Forbes for the Arab world, championing inspiring business journalism and entrepreneurial capitalism. Its online and social platforms break news covering billionaires, business, investment, technology, economy, entrepreneurship, leadership, and luxury lifestyles. The monthly magazine, featuring in-depth interviews with the Middle East’s most influential and innovative leaders, is published in print in English and Arabic, with digital versions available to both regional and global audiences online. Forbes Middle East extends the Forbes brand of journalism across the Arab world, conducting its own comprehensive research to publish original lists that adhere to strict methodologies. Its content attracts business leaders, investors, active and potential entrepreneurs, and a wide audience of ambitious and influential executives.
Media contact: Basma Aly Sadek – basma@forbesmiddleeast.com
