Muna Al Gurg
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Muna Easa Al Gurg | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Muna Easa Al Gurg |
| Nationality | UAE |
| Alma mater | London Business School |
| Occupation(s) | Vice Chairperson and Director of Retail at Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group |
| Years active | 2001-present |
| Parent | Easa Saleh Al Gurg |
Muna Easa Al Gurg is an Emirati businessperson and philanthropist. She is the Vice Chairperson and Director of Retail of Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group, a conglomerate headquartered in the United Arab Emirates. [1]
She ranked amongst the 50 most influential Arab women in the Middle East by Arabian Business magazine in 2021.[2][3][4]
She is the founder of Meem Foundation, one of the first charitable foundations in the Middle East that addresses the unique challenges of women and girls.[5]
Education and career[edit]
Al Gurg obtained her BA in Business Administration from the American University in Dubai and her Executive MBA in Business Administration from London Business School.[6]
She started her career with Saatchi & Saatchi in Dubai. In 2001 she joined her family's business, the Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group, a conglomerate based in the United Arab Emirates, as director of marketing and communications. She worked closely with her father and founder of the business Easa Saleh Al Gurg and her eldest sister Raja Al Gurg who is managing director of the business.[7][8] Since 2009, she has been a board member of the company and Director of Retail, responsible for strategy and operational development of the group’s international and local retail brands.
In July 2020, Al Gurg joined the board of HSBC Bank Middle East Limited.[9]
Philanthropy[edit]
Al Gurg is the Founder of Meem Foundation, a self-funded philanthropic foundation launched in 2024 to address challenges faced by women and girls in the Middle East & North Africa, with an emphasis on economic empowerment and healthcare.[10]
In 2015 she launched the Muna Al Gurg Scholarship at London Business School, supporting female students studying on the school’s MBA and Executive MBA program.[11]
Al Gurg has served on the board of several non-profit organizations, such as the Emirates Foundation for Youth Development. At the Easa Saleh Al Gurg Charity Foundation, she is responsible for strategy and initiatives in the UAE and internationally, including primary education support for underprivileged children in Zanzibar. She is a member of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees sustainability board, which is mandated to provide innovative and sustainable solutions to refugees in the MENA region.[citation needed][3]
Al Gurg is a founding board member of Endeavor UAE, the UAE-branch of a non-profit organization promoting high-impact entrepreneurship in emerging and growth markets.[12]
Other activities[edit]
Al Gurg is a Fellow of the Middle East Leadership Initiative of the Aspen Institute and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.[13] She is an opinion columnist for Gulf News, a Dubai daily English newspaper.[14]
In 2012, she was a member of the judging panel on the UAE business reality show The Entrepreneur.[15]
Al Gurg invested in the Middle East's largest technology startup Careem which was acquired by Uber in March 2019 for $3.1 Billion.[16]
Since 2008, Al Gurg has been chairwoman of Young Arab Leaders UAE, which promotes education, entrepreneurship and youth development in the UAE.[17]
In 2024, Al Gurg, along with female director Nayla Al Khaja, co-produced the movie 'Three', the first feature movie by an Emirati female director, that starred Jefferson Hall.[18]
Al Gurg is an advocate for a greater role for women in business.[19] Within Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group, she started the Al Gurg Women's Empowerment Forum, a program providing a platform for women to voice their opinions to company board members.
References[edit]
- ^ "Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group Leadership". Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group. 2 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- ^ "Women of Influence in the Arab World 2021". CEO Magazine/Arabian Business. ITP Media Group. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- ^ a b Zaher Bitar (2 June 2010). "Emirates Women's Award honours outstanding achievers". Gulf News. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
- ^ "Revealed: Winners of first Arabian Business StartUp Awards". Arabian Business. 4 December 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
- ^ "Who we are". Meem Foundation. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
- ^ "Emirati businesswoman Muna Al Gurg on the importance of giving back to society". Emirates Woman. 2021-04-01. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
- ^ Gillian Duncan (16 December 2012). "Muna Al Gurg: elder sister was my role model". The National. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
- ^ "Muna Easa Al Gurg". UAE. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
- ^ "HSBC Bank Middle East Limited Annual Report and Accounts 2020" (PDF). HSBC. 24 April 2021.
- ^ Release, Press. "Meem Foundation donates AED 3mln to Al Jalila Foundation". www.zawya.com. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
- ^ "Scholarship boost for London Business School". London Business School. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
- ^ "Global NGO Endeavor opens in Dubai". Emirates 24/7. 16 January 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
- ^ "'Job Shadow Day' (Young Arab Leaders)". Aspen Global Leadership Network. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
- ^ "Gulf News Thinkers: Muna Al Gurg". Gulf News. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
- ^ "Muna Al Gurg: elder sister was my role model". The National. 2012-12-16. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
- ^ "The Careem investors set to share in the $3.1bn Uber windfall - in pictures". The National. 2019-03-27. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
- ^ "Collector's Eye: Muna Al Gurg". www.theartnewspaper.com. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
- ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (2023-06-21). "Jefferson Hall Unveiled As Lead Actor In Emirati Director Nayla Al Khaja's MENA-Set Thriller 'Three' + First Images". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
- ^ Muna Al Gurg (March 2014). "Opinion: Beyond the glass ceiling". Vision. Retrieved 28 November 2015.