Forbes Middle East has released two rankings for the “Most Powerful Healthcare Leaders in the Region for 2025,” categorizing them into founders and contributors as well as executives, showcasing the growing dynamism within the healthcare sector and the crucial role of leaders in shaping a more sustainable and innovative future for healthcare.
This year’s edition features 50 leaders from the founders and contributors list, alongside 100 top executives who head the most influential healthcare companies and organizations in the Middle East.
The United Arab Emirates leads the rankings with 70 entries out of 150 (approximately 43%), followed by Saudi Arabia with 43 leaders, while both Qatar and Egypt have 10 entries each, and Jordan and Kuwait have 4 entries each.
Hospital sector leaders topped the charts with 46 entries, followed by pharmaceutical companies with 38, and healthcare providers with 21.
To compile these lists, Forbes Middle East employed several criteria, including the company’s revenue, the leader’s influence in the regional healthcare sector, innovative initiatives and accomplishments over the past year, the leader’s experience in the field, operational diversity, transparency levels, as well as sustainability initiatives and corporate social responsibility, along with asset ownership percentages for the contributors’ list.
Leading the contributors’ list is Shaista Asif, co-founder and CEO of PureHealth based in the UAE.
In 2025, Asif spearheaded PureHealth’s acquisition of a 60% stake in Hellenic Healthcare Group, the largest healthcare provider in Greece and Cyprus, for $933 million.
In second place is Suleiman Al Habib, founder and chairman of Dr. Suleiman Al Habib Medical Group, followed by Said Darwazah, executive chairman of Hikma Pharmaceuticals, in third place.
On the executives’ list, Nasser Al-Haqbani, CEO of Health Holding Company, has secured the top position.
Since taking the role in January 2023, Al-Haqbani has been driving the government’s strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing investment and developing the healthcare infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.
Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Suwaidi, general director of Hamad Medical Corporation, ranked second, while Said Jaber Al Kuwaiti, CEO of Seha, follows in third place.
From PureHealth’s global expansion to the launch of Sipmaco Pharmaceutical, the first facility for the production of highly toxic medications in Saudi Arabia, the regional landscape is undergoing a phase of rapid growth.
Moreover, leaders in the pharmaceutical and technology sectors have strengthened their partnerships with governments, contributing to the realization of national visions and supporting localization objectives.