From left: Iyabo Tinubu-Karch, CEO of Sidra Medicine; Lana Khalaf, General Manager of Microsoft Qatar; Leonie Ruth Lethbridge, COO & Executive General Manager of Commercial Bank; and Sheikha Anwar bint Nawaf Al Thani, CEO of Al Faleh Educational Holding
Doha, Qatar: Five women from Qatar made it to Forbes Middle East’s list of the 100 Most Powerful Businesswomen for 2025. This prestigious list recognises women from 32 industries and 29 nationalities who are seen as the most inspiring, impactful, and successful leaders shaping the region's future.
Women leaders in the banking and financial services sector dominate the 2025 list with 25 entries, followed by healthcare and technology with nine each. Leaders of family-owned businesses were excluded from this edition.
#32 - Mira Al Attiyah, CEO of QNB Capital
Mira Al Attiyah, Chief Executive Officer of QNB Capital, leads Qatar’s representation after securing the 32nd spot. The Qatari businesswoman has made a remarkable leap, rising from 68th place in last year's ranking.
Since taking the helm in 2014, Al Attiyah has guided QNB Capital, the investment banking arm of QNB Group, to become a key player in local, regional, and international markets. Under her leadership, QNB Capital has served as joint lead manager on sovereign, corporate bond, and sukuk offerings worth over $50 billion.
Before assuming her current role, Al Attiyah served as Assistant Undersecretary for Trade Affairs at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and held senior positions at ictQATAR.
#59 - Iyabo Tinubu-Karch, CEO of Sidra Medicine
Iyabo Tinubu-Karch, Chief Executive Officer of Sidra Medicine, claimed the 59th spot on Forbes Middle East's list of the 100 Most Powerful Businesswomen for 2025. She joined Sidra Medicine, a member of Qatar Foundation, in November 2022.
Under her leadership, Sidra Medicine achieved key milestones in 2024, including the successful completion of its first clinical trial on congenital hyperinsulinism patients in October and launching Qatar’s first cord blood bank in November. Just recently, it received the BRIO-8 award for excellence in imaging and for advancing findings in pediatric cancer research.
The American businesswoman is also the founder and CEO of 6M Geriatrics and Hospital Medicine. She made a significant jump on the list, moving up from 87th place last year.
#66 - Lana Khalaf, General Manager of Microsoft Qatar
Lana Khalaf joined Microsoft in 2006 and was appointed general manager of Qatar in 2018. She once again featured in Qatar’s entries on Forbes' ranking, returning to the list at 66th place this year.
Khalaf manages a team of over 200 people and has led national projects that transformed sectors such as health, education, transport, government, and employability. Under her leadership, Microsoft Qatar has helped more than 90 organizations, including Qatar Airways, QatarEnergy, Vodafone, and Ooredoo, transition from digital to AI.
With over 20 years of experience, Khalaf is also a board member of the US-Qatar Business Council. Before joining Microsoft, the powerful Lebanese woman worked at Samsung and Active Mania.
#74 - Leonie Ruth Lethbridge, COO & Executive General Manager of Commercial Bank
Leonie Ruth Lethbridge, COO & Executive General Manager of Commercial Bank, ranked 74 on Forbes' list.
Lethbridge has been in her current role since joining the Commercial Bank in July 2017. For the first nine months of 2024, the bank reported a net profit of $643.2 million and had $44.8 billion in assets. In October 2024, Commercial Bank signed a MoU with DHL Express Qatar to launch DHL4SMEs, a resource for SMEs needing guidance across multiple aspects of their operations. In September 2024, the bank issued its inaugural three-year Green Bond for $266.8 million.
Lethbridge, an Australian national, serves as a board member of Alternatif Bank and previously spent 15 years at ANZ, including as CEO of ANZ Royal Bank.
#77 - Sheikha Anwar bint Nawaf Al Thani, CEO of Al Faleh Educational Holding
Sheikha Anwar bint Nawaf Al Thani, CEO of Al Faleh Educational Holding, completes Qatar’s entries on Forbes’ list, ranking 77th.
Sheikha Anwar led Al Faleh Educational Holding's successful listing on the Qatar Stock Exchange's main market in January 2024, following its listing on the Venture Market in April 2021. For the fiscal year ending in August 2024, the group reported $30.9 million in revenue and assets totaling $94.6 million.
Previously, Sheikha Anwar was a member of the Qatar Supreme Education Council and served on the board of Reach Out to Asia.
This year’s list of the region’s most powerful businesswomen includes 27 newcomers, while the top seven spots remain unchanged from last year. The UAE leads with 46 entries, followed by Egypt with 18 and Saudi Arabia with 9.
Forbes Middle East followed a specific set of criteria when creating the ranking, such as the impact that the leader has had on the region and the markets that she serves; the achievements and performance during last year; the role within the company; the size of the business in terms of revenues, assets, AUM or assets under management, market capitalisation, and the number of employees; sustainability and CSR initiatives; the number of years of industry experience and the time the leader has served in their current role.
