The Power List: Women Leading UAE Real Estate in 2026

Hala Matar Choufany serves as President for the Middle East, Africa and South Asia at HVS, a global consulting firm focused exclusively on the hospitality sector. Over two decades, she has advised on more than 5,000 hospitality and mixed-use projects across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, covering valuations, acquisitions, asset management, strategic investments, contract negotiations, and real estate advisory. Her work spans the full investment lifecycle, from feasibility and valuation through to asset management and strategic repositioning, across markets at varying stages of development. She is a board member of HVS Global and sits on the boards of the Harvard Business School Club of the GCC and the Hotel Investment Advisory Board. A regular speaker at investment and hospitality conferences, she addresses topics ranging from asset valuation and management contracts to women in leadership. She has authored more than 50 industry publications and her commentary has featured on Bloomberg, CNN, Forbes, Al Arabiya, and Abu Dhabi TV. Choufany holds an MBA in Finance and Strategy from IMHI (Essec-Cornell) in Paris and completed Executive Education at Harvard Business School. She is fluent in English, French, and Arabic. Earlier in her career she held roles at PwC, Arthur Andersen, Hard Rock International, and the Al Kharafi Group, across London, Bahrain, Beirut, and Kuwait.

Dounia Fadi's entry into Dubai real estate in 2005 was the beginning of a career that would span more than two decades in one of the world's most demanding property markets. Today, as Managing Director of eXp Realty Dubai, one of the world's largest independent real estate brokerages, she leads an operation built on the principles that have defined her career from the outset: trust, rigour, and relationships that outlast any single transaction. Known for her leadership and market influence, Fadi has built her reputation across luxury property, investment advisory, brokerage leadership, PropTech, and agent development. Her track record includes multimillion-dirham transactions, but her peers and clients are equally likely to cite her ability to navigate complex deal structures, build high-performing teams, and create environments where agents are genuinely equipped to grow. As an international speaker and global executive with deep UAE market knowledge, Fadi is a visible advocate for future-ready real estate strategy and for raising professional standards across the brokerage sector. She is known for her client-first instincts, her command of market dynamics, and an approach to leadership that combines commercial sharpness with a genuine investment in the people around her. Her belief is straightforward: lasting success in real estate is built beyond the transaction, through knowledge, integrity, and relationships with a longer horizon than the deal.

Tatiana Tonu brings over 20 years of expertise spanning banking, marketing, and real estate development to her role as CEO of Object1. She joined the company as its sole sales manager and advanced through Head of Sales and Managing Director before taking the top role, a trajectory that mirrors the company's own growth from a 10-person startup to an organisation of more than 500 employees. As Managing Director and Head of Sales, Tonu led her team to a 200% increase in sales within a single year, working closely with CEO and Founder Egor Maslennikov. She played a central role in the organisational restructuring that supported Object1's scale-up, working with the HR department to establish a management structure capable of sustaining that growth. In her current role, Tonu oversees key business divisions, develops and launches new residential projects, and manages the company's marketing and sales strategies. Her academic background, a Master's and PhD in Economics alongside certification in Business Development, combined with a foundation in mathematics and cybernetics, informs a distinctly analytical approach to leadership. She describes this grounding as central to her decision-making, enabling data-driven choices in strategic and investment areas while helping the company navigate risk with confidence.

Svetlana Politova began her career in Gulf real estate in 2008, during the global financial crisis, at a moment when the region's property sector was being fundamentally redefined. Where others saw uncertainty, she saw the foundations of something larger being laid. In 2010, she founded her own real estate company in the UAE, growing it through a period of rapid market development into a business with a strong reputation among local and international clientele. She subsequently sold the company and during this period also worked closely with British entrants to the UAE market, helping them establish and navigate the region's fast-evolving investment landscape. Today, as CEO of Whitewill Real Estate Abu Dhabi and Oman, Politova leads the company's expansion across two of the Gulf's most actively developing markets. Under her leadership, Whitewill has built a reputation as a trusted partner for international investors, with teams recognised through multiple industry awards. Her approach combines strategic market knowledge with a practical understanding of investor needs and regional development cycles, shaped by more than fifteen years at the forefront of Gulf real estate. Beyond her commercial record, Politova is known for developing future leaders and championing women in a sector that has historically been male-dominated.

Prathyusha Gurrapu is one of the UAE's most recognised real estate research leaders and serves as Director and Head of Research at Cushman & Wakefield Core, where she oversees market intelligence, strategic advisory, and thought leadership across the country's major asset classes. With 17 years of experience spanning real estate consulting, urban planning, and architecture, she advises developers, government entities, sovereign wealth funds, institutional investors, and family offices on investment decisions, development strategy, and market positioning. She joined Cushman & Wakefield Core in 2015 and established the firm's Strategic Consulting team before moving into research leadership, having previously worked with JLL, Dar Al-Handasah, and CDM Smith. At the core of her work is a conviction that data must translate into decisions. Where others saw momentum, she was among the first to call the shift, noting that Dubai's residential market was "transitioning into a more balanced phase" and forecasting price growth moderating to mid-single-digit levels in 2026. Clear-eyed about cycles and resistant to market noise, she consistently focuses on what the fundamentals actually say. A professional member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, she holds a Master of City Planning from IIT Kharagpur in India and a Bachelor of Architecture with Honours. She has authored more than 100 industry reports and is a regular commentator across regional and international media on capital flows, occupier trends, and the future of UAE cities.

Noor Al Muhaideb is the Founding Partner of Opaal Interiors, a Dubai-based design studio known for its contemporary, culturally rooted approach to residential and hospitality spaces. An Emirati entrepreneur, she established Opaal to bring her vision of timeless design, artisanal craftsmanship, and innovative functionality to the region's most ambitious projects. As the lead creative behind Opaal, Al Muhaideb combines a deep appreciation of Emirati heritage with a global design sensibility, delivering spaces that balance modernity with meaning. Under her direction, Opaal has been entrusted with the interior design of Amaal's debut project, Mansory Residences, a premium residential development that exemplifies understated luxury and considered living. Her aesthetic philosophy centres on spaces that feel authentic, refined, and deeply personal, a sensibility that has contributed to redefining high-end interiors across the UAE. Al Muhaideb holds a Bachelor's degree in Interior Design from the American University of Sharjah and brings over 22 years of professional experience to her practice. Passionate about empowering women in design and entrepreneurship, she is an active advocate for greater Emirati representation in the creative industries, and through her leadership at Opaal continues to set a benchmark for excellence in the region's design landscape.

Olga Sukhanova is an international entrepreneur and the Founder of COLABB, a Dubai-based commercial real estate investment and creative development firm that integrates acquisition, interior design, and digital strategy under one roof. Before launching COLABB, she spent over a decade in leadership at Solvers Estate, where she closed more than 300 million dollars in real estate transactions, including deals in Moscow City, Russia's largest business district. She then stepped away from a senior executive role, took a deliberate sabbatical, and re-entered the market as a founder. Her move to Dubai led to one of her most defining investments: the acquisition of commercial property in DIFC ahead of the market's significant appreciation. That decision gave rise to CODE, a premium corporate coworking space in DIFC where she serves as Development Partner and Managing Director. CODE has delivered rental yields of 16.3% annually and capital appreciation of 63.5% over 18 months. Through COLABB, Sukhanova works with private and institutional investors to acquire, design, and activate high-potential commercial and hospitality properties across Dubai and Abu Dhabi. She also leads COLABB's hospitality division, currently developing a tech-driven hotel concept she describes as the world's first performance hotel. Her philosophy is rooted in the belief that real estate is not simply a financial instrument, but a platform for ideas, culture, and lasting impact.

Alessia Sheglova is the Chief Executive Officer of Dacha Real Estate and one of Dubai's most visible real estate voices. With over 18 years of experience in the city's property market, she has built a career across brokerage leadership, client advisory, business growth and digital real estate communication. At Dacha Real Estate, an established Dubai agency founded in 2004, Alessia has played a central role in strengthening the company's market presence in one of the region's most competitive brokerage landscapes. Her work spans sales, leasing, property management, business development and agent mentorship, giving her a strong understanding of how Dubai's real estate ecosystem operates across market cycles. What makes Alessia's profile especially relevant today is her ability to bridge traditional brokerage leadership with modern digital influence. With over 310,000 followers on Instagram, she has become a recognisable public voice for buyers, investors, agents and Dubai residents seeking accessible insight into the property market. Her content often simplifies real estate trends, lifestyle considerations and investment conversations for a wider audience, making property discussions more engaging and easier to understand. As the industry becomes increasingly shaped by trust, visibility and education, Alessia represents a new generation of real estate leadership: commercially grounded, market-aware and digitally fluent.

Gemma Morris brings more than 20 years of HR experience to her role as Senior HR Business Partner at Savills Middle East, including over a decade building her practice in the UAE. At Savills, she partners with business leaders on the people decisions that underpin sustainable growth, balancing commercial priorities with fairness, integrity, and a genuine commitment to workplace culture. She is recognised for influencing through credibility and sound judgement rather than authority alone, helping leaders build high-performing, people-focused organisations where strong commercial outcomes and exceptional employee experience are treated as complementary rather than competing goals. Beyond her corporate role, Morris is a vocal advocate for inclusive leadership and neurodiversity in the workplace. Through speaking engagements and leadership podcasts, she contributes to wider industry conversations on accessibility, employee experience, and the future of work. She holds certifications as both a Neurodiversity Champion and Accessibility Ambassador, and her advocacy reflects a consistent belief that workplaces perform at their best when people are able to perform as themselves. Her approach to HR leadership is grounded in empathy, authenticity and purpose, qualities she brings equally to the boardroom conversation and to the broader industry platforms where she continues to shape thinking on what inclusive, high-performance organisations can look like in practice.

Sevil Ryshatova has built her career in Dubai's real estate sector on a straightforward conviction: exceptional teams are intentionally developed, not accidentally formed. Her entry into real estate was driven by a genuine curiosity about people, their motivations, ambitions, and the conditions that enable them to succeed. That curiosity evolved into a career centred on impact. Throughout her professional journey, Ryshatova has led key HR functions including recruitment, training, employee engagement, performance management, and operational strategy, contributing to the development of high-performing teams across leading real estate firms in one of the region's most competitive markets. Her approach balances strategic execution with human understanding, grounded in the belief that sustainable business growth is driven by individuals who are motivated, supported, and empowered to deliver their best. She operates at the intersection of leadership, sales performance, negotiation psychology, and organisational development, supporting real estate professionals in translating potential into measurable results. She has been recognised among the Top 100 HR Leaders in the MENA region, named L&D Champion of the Year, and honoured as the 2026 Women Leader in HR and Learning Excellence.

A strong advocate for continuous learning, she develops training programmes, workshops, and educational initiatives focused on leadership, emotional intelligence, and real estate excellence.