A recent entrant onto the high-profile list of Dubai’s real estate titans, Nadia Zaal has quickly become one of the UAE’s most influential names in the field, as the chief executive of Al Barari and Zaya Living. Zaal comes from a family of property developers, and carries 16 years of experience. She started her career working for her family at the $6.4bn Al Barari master development in Dubailand, before going on to co-found Abu Dhabi-based luxury real estate developer Zaya.

The latter has gone on to carve a name for itself with its private island project Nurai Island. A slick and chic location it is the result of designs by the architects of the Nam Hai in Vietnam, often placed on the list of the best hotels in the world. Zaal also led the initial public offering for the Abu Dhabi Energy Company and sat on the board of the Taweelah Asia Power Company.