HE Dr. Raja Al GURGMember of the Executive Committee - Dubai Chamber and President - Dubai Business Women Council
Dr. Raja Easa Al Gurg, Vice Chairperson and Managing Director of the Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group LLC (ESAG), is a well-known businesswoman in the region. She has achieved laurels for her stellar leadership of the Group under the tutelage of her father, the Chairman, H.E. Easa Saleh Al Gurg, KCVO, CBE. Her counsel and valuable insights have significantly contributed to the growth and expansion of ESAG.
A leading business woman in her own right, Dr. Al Gurg has carved a unique niche for herself in the region due to her support and encouragement of Arab women entrepreneurs. She is the President of Dubai Business Women Council; Board member of the Dubai Chamber Of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) and Dubai Women’s Association.
Dr. Al Gurg is the Deputy Chairperson of the National Bank of Fujairah and on the advisory board of Coutts Bank, the wealth division of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group. She is also on the Board of Trustees for the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives - one of the largest development and community foundations in the Middle East.
She is Vice Chairperson, Board of Trustees, for the Mohammad Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences and a member of the Board of Governors of the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University. She was awarded with an Honorary Doctorate at Queen’s University Belfast for economics and also conferred the Doctor of Literature (D.Litt.) honour by Amity University, India. Dr Raja Al Gurg is also the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Al Jalila Foundation, a non-profit organisation whose mandate is to promote the UAE as a centre of excellence for medical research and education. She is also on the Board of Directors of the Emirates Schools Establishment, an independent entity which oversees the implementation of policies, strategies, and standards related to the education sector.
In 2020, Dr Raja Al Gurg was awarded the Legion of Honor, Chevalier (Knight) by President of France Emmanuel Macron, in appreciation of her outstanding efforts in strengthening the exceptional partnership between France and the UAE.
She is ranked first in ‘The Middle East Power Businesswomen 2021’ listing of Forbes Middle East as well as the 2020 listing of the publication’s ‘100 Power Businesswomen in the Middle East’ and second in the 2019 listing of ‘Women Heading Family Businesses’. She was listed
89th among ‘The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women’ by Forbes for 2020. She also had second position in the Middle East’s Most Influential Women listing for 2018 by Forbes Middle East.
Dr Al Gurg has been ranked 28th in the Arab Power 2018 listing of the 100 Most Powerful Arabs, compiled by Gulf Business magazine rising from the previous ranking in 2017. She was the most powerful Emirati Businesswoman in Forbes Middle East’s 2017 ranking. She was ranked first in the Forbes Middle East’s ranking of ‘The 200 Most Powerful Arab Women in Family Business’ for 2014. She has earned several other plaudits and awards in recent years. These include the ‘World of Difference Award’ from the International Alliance for Women (TIAW) in 2009.
Dr. Al Gurg represents the U.A.E. at many international conferences and round-tables as a key-note speaker and is also part of the Government of Dubai’s official delegation for various trade and commerce meetings. She also hosted the first MENA Businesswomen’s Network Forum, in her capacity as the President of the Dubai Business Women Council.
Besides providing valuable counsel to various business groups and international trade alliances, Dr. Al Gurg spends considerable time in several philanthropic, social and charitable activities, notably with the Easa Saleh Al Gurg Charity Foundation and the Al Jalila Foundation, a UAE organisation with global aspirations dedicated to making lasting and significant contributions in healthcare to transform lives.