17th February, Abu Dhabi:- For the seventh time among 23 Emirati Women, Nashwa Al Ruwaini, the leading media personality and entrepreneur was listed in Forbes Magazine. She was selected among the The Middle East’s 100 Power Businesswomen 2020 list for her achievements in the media field as well as her diverse business initiatives which are represented in Pyramedia Group and specifically her new ventures which involve being part of the ship owning and management business as well as starting up a company specialized in artificial intelligence. Alongside these initiatives her group of companies range from media production and consulting, investments, marketing and publicity, health and medical care, jewellery, and retail.
She is also the Founder and CEO of the Nashwa Charity Foundation that is dedicated to the cause of women and children in the Middle East alongside her CSR activities which involved hosting a Ramadan Fund-Raising Iftar last year for refugees in collaboration with UNICEF and the UAE Red Crescent. She was also one of the chosen social media influencers who promoted the Special Olympics for People of Determination and has worked on voluntary government projects as part of her commitment to the UAE and Abu Dhabi.
Al Ruwaini began her career very young at the age of 16 where she was a TV Presenter and she was extremely successful with her own personal show called Nashwa that was aired in Egypt and the UAE. Due to her choice of controversial and social justice topics she was later coined the Oprah Winfrey of the Middle East. She has also worked as a Producer of several shows for decades of which several of them are still being aired today and was a significant pillar in the establishment of MBC Group into the powerhouse that it is today. In 1999, she set up her Media Consulting and Production Company that pioneered seasons of The Millions Poet, the Prince of Poets and recently in 2019 a well-loved song contestant TV show that glorified the musicians and composers from the Golden Age of Arabic singing called Al Zaman Al Jameel. With her leadership her company also was the brain child behind the launch of the Middle East Film Festival that later transformed into the globally-recognised Abu Dhabi Film Festival that featured celebrities from all across the globe. She then expanded her business activities until she created a fully-fledged group of companies that she leads today.
On the occasion of being listed in Forbes this year Al Ruwaini said, “Being recognized by Forbes magazine is such an honour and serves as a reminder that hard-work pays off and is appreciated. I am proud to be chosen alongside all the exceptional other Arab women on the list and I believe that with business success comes a responsibility of serving as a role model to young women in the region to keep fighting for their dreams. Being an entrepreneur is something I highly recommend to the younger generation.”
She also added that she would not have been able to reach her goals and achievements if it was not for the visionary leadership of the UAE that always strives to empower and support women to achieve all heights and that this is evident in the fact that there are 23 Emirati women dominating the Forbes list in 2020.
Al Ruwaini has been acknowledged by Forbes magazine on more than one occasion and was coined among The Middle East’s Most Influential Women in 2018, Most Powerful Arab Business Woman in 2017, Most Powerful Women to Watch in 2012, was ranked 23rd on Forbes Most Powerful Arab Woman in 2014 and chosen amongst Forbes Arabia’s 50 Most Powerful Businesswomen in the Arab World, twice in a row.
