Forbes Middle East, a licensee of Forbes Media, recently hosted a glittering gala to in Dubai, UAE celebrate the Top Indian Leaders in the Arab World.

The event was attended by the region’s most influential Indian business tycoons and executives who have achieved phenomenal success in the Arab world.

Navdeep Singh Suri, Ambassador of India to the UAE, applauded the Indian expat community across the globe. He said: “The Indian community across the UAE holds key positions in every walk of life. The work Indian leaders are doing in the region displays the finest aspects of India and we are privileged to have these leaders being ambassadors to the UAE and bridging the gap between the two countries.

“Indian leaders have not only stood out in business successes in the Arab World but have also started contributing back to India across sectors like healthcare, retail, construction, hospitality and manufacturing helping to create jobs and better infrastructure in India.”

The Indian community is one of the most populous and successful expat communities in the Gulf. Indian billionaires in the Gulf have a collective net worth of around $26.4 billion. These business stalwarts are today investing heavily in the region as well as in India.

Khuloud Al Omian, editor in chief of Forbes Middle East, said: “It is very rare that we see these Indian business leaders come together under one roof to celebrate their success and set an example for the coming generation. These events lay a benchmark for the new generation to achieve even greater heights in their own journeys.”

This year’s list consists of 100 business owners and 50 Indian executives.

Yusuff Ali MA, managing director of Lulu Group international, leads the business owners’ category, followed by B R Shetty, founder and chairman of NMC Health and BRS Ventures, and Ravi Pillai, founder and chairman of RP Group of Companies.

The executives’ category is led by Sanjiv Kakkar, executive VP for Mena, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus at Unilever, followed by Kalyana Sivagnanam, president and regional VP at Nissan for the Middle East, Africa and India, and Adnan Chilwan, Group CEO at Dubai Islamic Bank.

The criteria for selecting top Indian owners were based on:

•    Financial impact – Revenues of the company irrespective of ownership stake as long as the owner is controlling the company
•    Employment impact – Number of employees
•    Age of the company
•    Transparency: On the basis of the quality and reliability of the information provided

The criteria for selecting top Indian executives were based on:

•    Financial impact – Revenues of the company irrespective of ownership stake
•    Employment impact – Number of employees
•    Experience – Total work experience and experience in the current role
•    Title – The importance of the role in the organization – TradeArabia News Service