30 UNDER 30 2023

Meet the Middle East’s Class of 2023. The region’s 120 most impactful young
innovators, determined to change the world around them.

Our Judges

1. Saeeda Jaffar

Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager for the GCC at Visa.

1. Sherif Beshara

Group CEO of Mohamed & Obaid Almulla Group and American Hospital Dubai.

1. Tariq Chauhan

Group CEO and Cofounder of EFS Facilities Services

1. Anthony Nakache

Managing Director of Google MENA

1. Dalia El-Baz

Executive Deputy Chairman at the National Bank of Egypt (NBE)

1. Hady El Hajjar

Cofounder of HuManagement

1. Hoda Mansour

Chief Operating Officer Asia Pacific, Japan, Middle East & Africa at IFS

1. Hossam ElGamal

Vice President of North Africa at Anghami

1. Lana Khalaf

Country General Manager at Microsoft Qatar

1. Leila Serhan

Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager for North Africa, Levant, and Pakistan at Visa

1. Mohamed Al Sharhan

Managing Director at World Governments Summit

1. Moon Baz

Creator Partnerships Lead, Africa, Middle East, and Türkiye at Meta

The inspirational young leaders, dreamers, creatives, and athletes on our 30 Under 30 list are at the forefront of driving change in the MENA region, expanding their influence into untapped areas. This year, our list features 120 entries across four categories, with 30 entries each, shedding light on the individuals who are leading the way in the social impact and green energy field, disrupting the financial market, shattering barriers in arts and sports, and harnessing the cutting-edge technologies to create groundbreaking inventions and medicines.

The 2023 list features 145 individuals representing 22 nationalities. Egyptians feature the most, with 44 individuals, followed by 15 Saudis, 14 Lebanese, 13 Emiratis, and 10 Jordanians.

They are based across 20 countries. Of the 145 individuals, 43 are based in the U.A.E., 36 in Egypt, 14 in Saudi Arabia, nine in Lebanon, and six in Jordan. The average age of all individuals on the list is around 26.6 years old, with the youngest being just 15 years old.

While each category has 30 entries, the Commerce & Finance category has the highest number of individuals with 44, followed by Science & Technology and Social Impact with 34 each, and Entertainment with 33 individuals.

Methodology

To find the region’s most promising young talent, we scanned the Middle East markets for outstanding young achievers and collected online nominations, whereby applicants could put themselves or someone else forward for consideration.

We initially received around 600 applications. The Forbes Middle East research and editorial teams evaluated and debated all candidates, conducting several rounds of assessments to shortlist 240 candidates. We then turned to our external judges, all experts in their respective fields. They conducted their own research, deliberated the criteria, and shared their insights on who they thought should make the final cut.

In making our judgments, we took into account qualitative information, such as the impact that candidates have had on their industry, market, or society and their future potential. We also looked at quantifiable data such as funds raised, awards won, revenues achieved, the value of deals, the number of people impacted, the number of customers, and the number of followers on social media.

· Age eligibility: To be eligible for the 2023 list, the applicant had to have been under 30 years old on December 31, 2022. This means that anybody born in 1993 or later was eligible. All ages given in the list are as of December 31, 2022.

· Geographic focus: Candidates could be from anywhere but had to have their business or initiatives based and dedicated to the MENA residents.

· Entries count: If one business had two cofounders or more under 30, they were counted as one entry.

The 30 Under 30 listees are presented in alphabetical order.