THE MIDDLE EAST’S

7. Hisham Alrayes
Designation: Group CEO
Company: GFH Financial Group (GFH)
Nationality: Bahraini
Headquarters: Bahrain
Alrayes assumed his current position in 2011. GFH was formed in 1999 and had raised over $22 billion in assets and funds under management as of December 2024. It is listed on four stock exchanges in the GCC: the Bahrain Bourse, Boursa Kuwait, the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, and the Dubai Financial Market. In October 2024, the group announced that its $500 million five-year international Sukuk had closed its final order book at over $2 billion, representing an oversubscription of more than four times. Alrayes is also the chairman of Esterad Investment Company and Khaleeji Bank.