When you combine creative objectives, guidance, and targeted investment in artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure and smart cities, the UAE has evolved into a global tech icon in record time.
At the heart of this transformation are a new generation of dynamic CEOs who are disrupting industries: fintech and e-commerce, AI and cloud computing.
In this article, we highlight the Top 10 Tech Company CEOs in the UAE, based on their leadership impact, innovation, company growth, and industry influence.
1. Hatem Dowidar
Hatem Dowidar is an Egyptian businessman, and currently the group chief executive officer of e & and of etisalat. The firm is headquartered in the UAE.
It was a telecoms company in that it did local phone stuff, but he has made the firm into a global technology group with revenues coming from 38 markets. And by the end of March 2026, Dowidar will relinquish his role as CEO.
Key facts
- Full name: Hatem Dowidar
- Born: December 6, 1969 (Egypt)
- Current role: Group CEO, e& (since 2020)
- Successor: Masood M. Sharif Mahmood (April 2026)
- Education: B.Sc. Communications & Electronics Engineering, Cairo University; MBA, American University in Cairo
Career and leadership
Dowidar became Group COO at e& (then Etisalat Group) in 2015, and has held senior positions previously with Vodafone, where he served as both Group Chief of Staff in London and then as group CEO of Vodafone Egypt & Vodafone Malta.
He was appointed Group CEO of e& in May 2020, and headed the rebrand of e&’s in 2022 by diversifying into digital services, fintech, AI, and enterprise technology.
2. Peng Xiao
Peng Xiao is a Chinese -born technology executive and investor best known as Group Chief Executive Officer of G42 an artificial intelligence and cloud computing conglomerate company headquartered in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
We can say that the UAE AI and the digital innovation ecosystem come from him by initiating the giant projects in technologies and infrastructure.
Key facts
- Position: Group CEO, G42 (since 2018)
- Board roles: Chairman, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi; Trustee, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence
- Council membership: Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technology Council
- Education: B.S. & B.A., Hawaii Pacific University; M.A., George Washington University
- Residence: United Arab Emirates
Career and leadership
Xiao is the Group CEO of G42 and manages a stakeholding in a multi-sector investment portfolio within G42, which extends across areas such as cybersecurity, cloud computing, data centers, healthcare, energy, and smart cities & transportation. Under his guidance, G42 has been established as one of the key anchors of the UAE’s vision to develop its comprehensive sovereign AI capabilities and data infrastructure.
Key ventures include Stargate UAE- an AI supercomputing cluster, one-gigawatt collaboration center envisaged with companies like OpenAI, Oracle Corp., Cisco Systems Inc., SoftBank Group, and NVIDIA, and will be ready in 2026.
3. Mudassir Sheikha
Mudassir Sheikha has proven himself as a successful Pakistani and co-founder and CEO of Careem, the first technology super app in the MENA and Pakistan.
He has been the one to spearhead its re-development from a unique ride-hailing company to a large-scale digital services platform in more than 100 cities and with tens of millions of people.
Key facts
- Born: 1977, Karachi, Pakistan
- Education: B.A. Economics & Computer Science, University of Southern California; M.S. Computer Science, Stanford University
- Career milestone: Co-founded Careem in 2012 with Magnus Olsson
- Major transaction: Careem acquired by Uber Technologies for ≈ US $3 billion (2020)
- Residence: United Arab Emirates
Early life and education
Sheikha spent her childhood in Karachi before she moved to the United States to pursue her college studies. He earned the best academic award, summa cum laude at the University of Southern California before earning his master’s degree at Stanford University.
His research interest in both technological development and business growth strategies were formed by his educational background in economics and computer science.
While technology is reshaping the future, traditional sectors like energy still hold massive influence—explore our list of the Top Oil & Gas Industry CEOs in the GCC to see how leadership across industries compares.
4. Ronaldo Mouchawar
The first e-commerce in the Middle East that Amazon acquired in 2017 is Souq.com, created by the Syrian businessman and technology executive Ronaldo Mouchawar.
His present role at Amazon MENA allows him to manage all regional activities and digital commerce development activities on behalf of the company.
Key facts
- Born: 1966, Aleppo, Syria
- Education: B.S. Electrical & Computer Engineering; M.S. Digital Communications, Northeastern University
- Founded: Souq.com (2005)
- Acquisition: Sold to Amazon in 2017 for ≈ $580 million
- Current role: Vice President, Amazon MENA
Early life and education
Mouchawar developed his business skills through his family background and his technological interests.
He completed his engineering studies in Boston before joining U.S. tech companies, including EDS, and later worked with Maktoob, the Arabic web service which Yahoo! acquired.
Founding Souq.com
In 2005, he launched Souq.com in Dubai as an auction site within Maktoob.
He realized the limits of scalability and, in 2011, launched a B2C marketplace. Souq.com became the leading online retailer in the Gulf, selling millions of products in various categories and operating in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.
In 2016, the platform achieved a $1 billion valuation, the Arab world’s first ‘unicorn
5. Magnus Olsson
Magnus Olsson is an entrepreneur, engineer, and Co-Founder of Careem where he was CTO. Careem is a Dubai-based company that was and is one of the most influential ride-hailing and urban mobility services in the Middle East until it was acquired by Uber Technologies in 2020 at US 3.1 billion.
Olsson has been credited with the capability to expand the businesses in the emerging markets in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia.
Key facts
- Full name: Magnus Olsson
- Role: Co-founder & former CTO, Careem
- Founded: 2012, with Mudassir Sheikha and Abdulla Elyas
- Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Acquisition: Uber, 2020 ($3.1 billion)
Early career and founding of Careem
Olsson is a former and self-educated computer scientist who holds a master’s degree from Lund University.
He started his professional trajectory as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company. Following a serious health issue, he left consulting services to try his luck in entrepreneurship and technology.
In 2012, an episode that led him to leave consulting, he entered the business with other ex-McKinsey consultant, Mudassir Sheikha, and established Careem—a localized platform built to address transportation needs in the Middle East.
6. Hasan Haider
Hasan Haider is a Bahraini venture capitalist. He is the managing partner and founder of Plus Venture Capital, which is one of the most active early-stage investors in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Haider is attributed to building up the startup ecosystem in the region by investing in and mentoring hundreds of technology firms.
Key facts
- Nationality: Bahraini
- Role: Founder & Managing Partner, Plus Venture Capital (+VC)
- Founded: Plus VC in 2020
- Prior roles: Managing Partner, MENA at 500 Startups; Co-founder & CEO, Tenmou
- Notable portfolio companies: Breadfast, Foodics, TruKKer, Eyewa, Rain
Career and Background
He started his career at the Securities and Investment Company (SICO), before moving into finance and investment banking, and then entrepreneurship and venture capital. He was one of the co-founders of Tenmou, Bahrain’s pioneer business angel organization in 2010.
This received an exemplary case study for the World Bank and is also being used as a case study at Babson College. Under his guidance, Tenmou created the first early angel funding institutional frameworks in the Gulf Cooperation Council.
The UAE’s leadership landscape is also becoming more diverse, with powerful female executives making their mark – check out our feature on Women Leaders 2026.
7. Khaled Helioui
Khaled Helioui is an investor, entrepreneur, and former technology executive. Born in Tunisia, who is currently based in London.
Helioui is a partner at Plural, a European early-stage venture capital firm, and was previously CEO of the online game developer Bigpoint GmbH.
Key facts
- Born: June 1983 (Tunisia)
- Current role: Co-founder and Partner, Plural (since 2021)
- Former role: CEO and Managing Director, Bigpoint GmbH (2013–2017)
- Education: Télécom SudParis; Aalborg University
- Notable position: President, Investment Committee, Armenian National Interests Fund (from 2019)
Career and leadership
Charly Helioui started his career in finance as an analyst at UBS and an associate at TA Associates, both in charge of technology investments.
He joined Bigpoint GmbH in 2008, successively as Chief Games Officer and CEO, orchestrating the strategic turnaround of the Company and its sale to Youzu Interactive. Charly focused on the company leadership in the free-to-play online gaming industry and international diversification.
8. Omar Kassim
Omar Kassim is a Dubai-based Emirati entrepreneur and technology founder, most notably of the maker of e-commerce marketplace JadoPado, acquired by Noon.com in 2017.
Headlines marigold him among other major business innovators in the Middle East region for his service enterprise that combines finance, commerce, and advanced technologies.
Key facts
- Notable venture: Founder and CEO of JadoPado (acquired 2017)
- Current role: CEO and founder of Nomod, a fintech payments platform
- Other ventures: Founder of Esanjo Ventures Ltd.
- Base: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Focus areas: E-commerce, fintech, blockchain innovation
Early career and JadoPado
JadoPado, a consumer marketplace for electronics, fashion, and homewares, was established in 2010. Kassim established JadoPado as one of the most well-known e-commerce players in the UAE after focusing on customer experience and business efficiency.
In 2017, it was bought by Noon.com, one of the region’s landmark e-commerce purchases, further testament to the increasing power of Gulf e-commerce.
9. Abdulla Al Nuaimi
Abdulla Al Nuaimi is a senior government executive in the Emirati leadership of Digital Dubai, the leading agency delivering the emirate’s digital transformation and smart city strategy.
He is involved in supporting Dubai’s digital infrastructure, innovation programs, and data management and governance strategies.
Key facts
- Role: Senior leader, Digital Dubai
- Sector: Digital transformation and smart city development
- Base: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Focus areas: Smart services, digital policy, innovation strategy
Leadership at Digital Dubai
Digital Dubai is the government agency responsible for turning Dubai into a completely digital and paperless city driven by data and technology.
Abdulla Al Nuaimi is one of the government leaders responsible for aligning the capabilities of the Government and Service to Dubai’s Smart City Vision, a Government of Dubai program to make Dubai the smartest, most sustainable, and most productive city on earth.
To understand the mindset behind modern business leadership, don’t miss our exclusive Monday Man interview with Wasif Mazhar, where he shares insights on growth, strategy, and innovation.
10. Talal Bayaa
Talal Bayaa is a Palestinian-American businessman and entrepreneur who is the CEO and cofounder of Bayzat, which is one of the largest technology platforms in the UAE that offers cloud-based HR, payroll, and employee benefits services.
Besides being the fastest-growing technology company in the Gulf region, it is also among the largest work-life technology companies in the Gulf with more than 1,500 companies working with 127,000 employees.
Key facts
- Born: c. 1980s; Palestinian-American background
- Education: B.S. in Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles
- Certification: Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
- Company founded: Bayzat, 2013 (with Brian Habibi)
- Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Early career and education
Before Bayzat, Bayaa was in the private equity industry and corporate finance at different firms, such as Dar Al Mal Ltd and SGI Advisory.
He has two technical and financial backgrounds (graduated with a degree in bioengineering at the University of California, Los Angeles, and is a CFA Charterholder) to his entrepreneurial pursuits.
