- 126 listees span 15 categories and the region’s largest companies.
- UAE-based leaders reign with 67 entries, followed by Saudi Arabia with 23.
Forbes Middle East has released its third annual list of the region’s sustainability leaders, recognizing the executives driving sustainable initiatives and impact across the Middle East’s largest industries.
This year’s Sustainability Leaders 2025 list highlights 126 executives spearheading sustainability strategies across 15 industries: banks, energy and utilities, food and agriculture, investment and holding companies, financial services, family businesses, healthcare, manufacturing and industrials, oil and gas, real estate and construction, renewable energy, telecom, transport and logistics, travel and tourism, and waste management. The list features CEOs, chairpersons, and chief sustainability officers.
For this year’s ranking, Forbes Middle East gathered information from questionnaires, sustainability or ESG reports, official disclosures, and recent news. Each sector was assessed separately, and initiatives were horizontally compared with special weight given to sector-specific efforts. The UAE leads with 67 entries, followed by Saudi Arabia with 23 and Egypt with 12.
In the past year, the region’s major players have reported strong progress: Masdar’s portfolio grew by 62%, reaching 51 GW; Emirates Global Aluminium reached 50% completion of the UAE’s largest aluminium recycling facility; Vodafone Egypt achieved 100% renewable on-grid electricity across its operations; and Infinity Power advanced toward its 10 GW renewable capacity target with new wind and solar projects across Africa.
