At least six AUB trustees in addition to a trustee emeritus and the VP for Medical Affairs at AUBMC were named among the 500 most influential Arabs, according to The Arabian Business, a leading regional business magazine.
AUB trustees who were part of the magazine’s Power 500 list included: Ray Irani, executive chairman of Occidental Petroleum Corporation; Ayman Asfari, chief executive officer of Petrofac Limited; Abdulsalam Haykal, CEO of Transtek Software and founder and CEO of Haykal Media; Riad Kamal, founder of Arabtec Construction LLC; Ibrahim Dabdoub, CEO of the National Bank of Kuwait; and Carlos Ghosn, president and CEO of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd (also member of AUB’s International Advisory Council).
For the second year in a row, VP Mohamed H. Sayegh was also recognized in the list. Dr. Sayegh is a world leader in transplantation, renal medicine and transplantation immunobiology research. He has published over 200 original articles in addition to a large number of reviews, editorials and book chapters. Only 6 percent of those on the Power 500 list were recognized for their accomplishments in science, and Dr. Sayegh was among them.
One of only four Arabs selected by the magazine to receive the “Most Inspiring Arabs” award was Palestinian philanthropist Munib Masri, a trustee emeritus at AUB, who is set to receive an honorary doctorate from the University this year. Masri was one of a few who were asked to deliver a speech at the ceremonial reception in which several personalities were honored for their contributions and impact on society. The reception was held at Pavilion Downtown Dubai in the second week of June 2012.
In its first truly global survey, and after a study of about 6 months, the Arabian Business team looked into 37 countries all over the world, to select the Arab personalities that have had the biggest influence on others across a variety of sectors. The annual list, in one of the most widely-read weekly business magazines in the region, is considered to be among the most accurate publications on influential Arabs around the globe, and this year the survey covered countries such as the US, Brazil, including several African countries, Australia, Vietnam, China and Japan.
Lebanon has contributed the biggest number of names to the 2012 Power 500 list, which incluedes 85 people who hail from the Land of the Cedars; with Saudi Arabia contributing 67 and Egypt and the UAE 58 people each. Many US-based Arabs are originally Lebanese, according to the magazine. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud topped the Arabian Business Power List for the eighth successive year; with Emirates Airline chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum ranking second, followed by highest new entry Saudi Reem Asaad who launched a campaign that led to the instant creation of more than 30,000 jobs for women in Saudi Arabia.