Forbes’ list of the “Middle East’s Most Powerful Businesswomen” now includes two Pakistanis
According to Forbes, a global business publication, two Pakistani women have made it into the top 10 list of the most prominent female CEOs in the Middle East.
Shaista Asif is the co-founder and group chief executive officer of PureHealth Holding, a UAE-based healthcare network, and was ranked fourth in “The Middle East’s 100 Most Powerful Businesswomen 2024.”
Asif co-founded the healthcare company in 2006, according to Forbes, and was named the organization’s CEO in December 2023. The company raised $986 million for its initial public offering (IPO) in the same month that it offered 10% of the capital of its issued shares on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange’s first market (ADX).
The professional subscriber tranche of the IPO was oversubscribed 54 times, while the retail tranche was oversubscribed 483 times. In January 2024, the company paid $1.2 billion before debt to purchase Circle Health Group, the largest independent hospital operator in the UK.
In addition, PureHealth paid $600 million to purchase Sheikh Shakbout Medical City, the biggest healthcare facility in the United Arab Emirates, which brought in $585.4 million in sales.
General Manager of Unilever in Iraq, the Levant, and North Africa Due to her considerable experience working for multinational organizations, Shazia Syed, who is also the Arabia Senior Customer Development Lead, is ranked ninth on the list.
The former CEO of Unilever Pakistan held the positions of director of the Pakistan Business Council and president of the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce & Industry. In 2021, she took over as general manager of Iraq, the Levant, and North Africa.
Syed, a resident of Abbottabad, began working for the British multinational consumer products corporation in Pakistan in 1989 as a management trainee.
According to Forbes, she had previously been on the boards of Pukka Tea and Pepsi Lipton. “She also sits on the board of United Bank Limited in Pakistan, is a member of the Board Risk & Compliance Committee, and is the chairperson of the Board Audit Committee.”
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