The United Arab Emirates has topped the third edition of Forbes Middle East’s “Sustainability Leaders of 2025” list with 67 leaders, followed by Saudi Arabia with 23 leaders, and Egypt with 12 leaders. This year’s list includes a total of 126 leaders comprising CEOs, chairpersons, and chief sustainability officers from 15 different sectors, such as banking, energy and utilities, food and agriculture, investment and holding companies, renewable energy, and waste management and recycling.
Leading the tourism and travel sector is Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and the CEO of Emirates Airline and Group, while in the transportation and logistics sector, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, the Chairman and CEO of DP World, is at the forefront.
To compile this list, Forbes reviewed surveys, sustainability reports, as well as environmental, social, and corporate governance reports. Each sector was evaluated separately, with distinct metrics set for initiatives aligned with the various importance levels in each sector.
In 2024, major companies in the region made significant strides, as Masdar recorded a 62% increase in its total project portfolio capacity, reaching 51 gigawatts. Meanwhile, Emirates Global Aluminium completed 50% of the construction works for the largest aluminum recycling plant in the country. Additionally, Vodafone Egypt managed to operate all its operations with 100% renewable energy consumption. In this context, Infinity Power continues its progress towards its goal of generating 10 gigawatts of renewable energy.