JEDDAH — At a time of challenging regional and global economic environments, a few business leaders have made all the right moves to drive their companies toward the path of growth and success. The Top 100 CEOs ranked by TRENDS and INSEAD Business School are among the leaders who have been able to sail their proverbial ship cutting through the tsunami of economic troubles not only safely but with élan. Thirty-six CEOs of Saudi Arabian companies, including seven banks and five insurance firms have been recognized at the Top CEO event co-hosted by TRENDS in partnership with INSEAD Business School. Fawaz Al Hokair was among the top in the Saudi group, followed by CEOs of Saudi Airlines and Catering Company, BUPA Arabia for Cooperative Insurance, The Saudi British Bank and Ma'aden (Saudi Arabian Mining Company) being the top five among the 36 Saudi companies in the Top 100. The prestigious event saw CEOs from Saudi Arabia walk away with the most number of trophies at 36, followed by 24 from the UAE, 21 from Qatar, 8 from Kuwait, 6 from Oman and 5 from Bahrain. These awards have set a new benchmark for business awards programs in the region by honoring only leaders from publicly listed companies. The companies were evaluated on the basis of their performance in 2014, when the combined market capitalization for stock exchanges in the GCC grew to AED3.78 trillion ($1.029 trillion). — SG
