Two sections: the leaders we feature, and the brands nominated for Premier Brands whose story we've told in full.
From resort-style apartments and private pools to international expansion, branded residences and vertical integration, Imran Farooq has turned SAMANA Developers into one of Dubai’s fastest-rising property businesses — and is now building for a much larger stage.
Imran Farooq · SAMANA Developers · United Arab Emirates
Aman Mehta · Torrent Pharmaceuticals From strengthening India’s chronic-therapy leadership to integrating major acquisitions and shaping a broader growth agenda, Aman Mehta is emerging as one of the key next-generation leaders in Indian pharmaceuticals.
Dr. (CA) Ankur Aggarwal · BNW Developments From chartered accountancy to creating one of the UAE’s fastest-scaling luxury development platforms, Dr. (CA) Ankur Aggarwal is combining financial discipline, branded residences and ambitious expansion to build BNW Developments for the next phase of Gulf real estate.
Abhyuday Jindal · Jindal Stainless From expanding global stainless-steel capacity to advancing green hydrogen, renewable energy and high-value manufacturing, Abhyuday Jindal is helping position Jindal Stainless for the next phase of India’s industrial growth.
Rashed Ahmadyar · Ahmadyar Developments With a billion-dirham development portfolio, fast-moving projects and a disciplined approach to growth, Rashed Ahmadyar is positioning Ahmadyar Developments as one of Dubai’s emerging real estate names.
Shashank Kumar · Razorpay From solving online-payment friction for startups to helping businesses manage money through payments, banking and AI, Shashank Kumar has spent more than a decade building the rails beneath India’s digital economy.
Hazza Zaal · Al Barari Real Estate Group At Al Barari and through his own venture, Elemental Developments, Hazza Zaal is advancing a different vision of Dubai real estate — one where luxury is measured not only by architecture and address, but by how a place makes people feel.
Adwaita Nayar · Nykaa From taking Nykaa offline to building its fashion business and now scaling House of Nykaa, Adwaita Nayar is helping transform one of India’s most recognised digital-first companies into a portfolio of enduring consumer brands.
Amira Sajwani · PRYPCO With one foot inside one of the Middle East’s best-known property groups and another building an independent PropTech platform, Amira Sajwani is challenging the traditional rules of how real estate is bought, financed and owned.
Alisha Moopen · Aster DM Healthcare GCC From expanding hospital networks to digital health, AI-enabled care and a growing Saudi footprint, Alisha Moopen is helping transform Aster DM Healthcare from a traditional provider into a connected healthcare ecosystem for the GCC.
Navneet Mandhani · Karma Developers From technology and global business to real estate and venture investing, Navneet Mandhani has built his career around one recurring idea: spotting opportunity early and scaling it across markets.
Manisha Raisinghani · SiftHub From co-founding LogiNext to launching SiftHub, Manisha Raisinghani is using AI to solve one of enterprise sales’ oldest problems: too much information, too little usable context.
Maggie Ng · HSBC Five years after joining the bank, Maggie Ng took charge of HSBC in Hong Kong — the market that matters most to the group, at the moment the group is being taken apart and put back together.
Margaret Kao · Marketech International Founded in 1988 and still standing after every downturn since, Marketech International occupies the part of the semiconductor supply chain almost nobody outside it can name — and Margaret Kao has run it from the start.
Priya Nair · Hindustan Unilever Three decades inside one company, and a career built in the categories that reach almost every Indian household. Priya Nair now runs the business she joined as a management trainee.
Kuok Hui Kwong · Shangri-La Asia Eight years as chairman before taking the chief executive’s office, Kuok Hui Kwong now leads one of Asia’s most recognisable hospitality groups through a period of deliberate renewal.
Akbar Moideen Thumbay · Thumbay Healthcare At the intersection of hospitals, medical education, research and patient experience, Akbar Moideen Thumbay is helping shape the next chapter of one of the UAE’s most distinctive healthcare ecosystems.
Alakh Pandey · Physics Wallah From a YouTube classroom in Prayagraj to building one of India’s most visible education platforms, Alakh Pandey has created a business around a simple idea: quality learning should not be limited by geography or affordability.
Jeet Adani · Adani Group With airports, artificial intelligence, data centres and advanced industries increasingly defining his mandate, Jeet Adani is emerging as one of the most closely watched young leaders in Indian business.
From continuous glucose monitoring and smart rings to blood biomarkers, women’s health and real-time biointelligence, Bengaluru-based Ultrahuman is attempting something far more ambitious than building another wearable. It wants to create a computing platform that understands the human body continuously.
Ultrahuman · Health-tech and wearables · India
Yalla Group · Digital social networking and gaming From voice-led social networking and culturally resonant gaming to a growing ecosystem of digital entertainment, Yalla Group has built one of the Middle East’s most distinctive technology brands by proving that global-scale digital products can succeed when they begin with local behaviour, language and identity.
Enerwhere · Clean energy and utilities From desert construction sites and quarries to islands, industrial facilities and oilfield operations, Enerwhere has built its reputation by taking renewable energy where conventional grids often cannot go — combining solar, storage, intelligent controls and flexible power systems to reduce diesel dependence without sacrificing reliability.
ShopBack · E-commerce Founded in Singapore in 2014, ShopBack spent a decade turning a browser cashback habit into Asia-Pacific’s largest rewards network, reaching unicorn status in 2026 on the back of quiet profitability. Its next move is harder: standing at the actual point of sale, not just after it.
Cred · Fintech Cred built its business on a contrarian idea — reward India’s most creditworthy consumers, not the underbanked majority. In 2026, that bet drew a $900 million investment from Meta, a $4.5 billion valuation, and sent its founder to run WhatsApp worldwide.
New insights, by email. The call for entries, the shortlist, and the stories that follow.
