Muna Al Gurg
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 |
| Website | https://www.algurg.com/ |
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 was 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.[5]
Background and career
[edit]Al Gurg was born in Dubai. She is the daughter of Sir Easa Saleh Al Gurg, a businessman and former Ambassador to the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, and Soraya Kazim.
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]
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]
In 2022, Al Gurg was appointed Vice Chairperson to the Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group.
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, for economic empowerment and healthcare.[10]
In 2021, Al Gurg donated AED 1 million to a neonatal intensive care unit in the Palestinian city of Jenin, in the West Bank.[11]
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.[12]
Al Gurg has served on the board of non-profit organizations, such as the Emirates Foundation for Youth Development and Young Arab Leaders UAE. At the Easa Saleh Al Gurg Charity Foundation, she is responsible for initiatives including primary education support for underprivileged children in Zanzibar.
Other activities
[edit]In 2010, Al Gurg became a Fellow of the Middle East Leadership Initiative of the Aspen Institute and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.[13]
In 2012, she was a member of the judging panel on the UAE business reality show The Entrepreneur.[14]
Al Gurg invested in the Middle East's largest technology startup Careem which was acquired by Uber in March 2019 for $3.1 Billion.[15]
Al Gurg was a founding board member of Endeavor UAE, the UAE-branch of a non-profit organization.[16]
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.[17]
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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Swan, Melanie (2021-01-12). "Emirati businesswoman donates Dh1m to neonatal unit at West Bank hospital". The National. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ "Scholarship boost for London Business School". London Business School. 31 July 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Global NGO Endeavor opens in Dubai". Emirates 24/7. 16 January 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
- ^ 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.