Since 2011, Palms Sports has grown from a Jiu-Jitsu training provider serving government authorities into one of the foremost sports companies in the MENA region, delivering the full spectrum of sports services from program design and marketing through to record-breaking events and facilities management. Fouad Darwish has led that expansion since joining as General Manager in 2015.
Forbes Middle East has now named him to its Top 100 CEOs 2026, his second consecutive year on the list. The annual ranking assesses chief executives of companies headquartered in the Middle East and North Africa on their regional impact, tenure, company scale, performance over the past year and the initiatives they have introduced.
The recognition follows a year of expansion across the business. In January 2026, Palms Sports and the Abu Dhabi Sports Council signed a memorandum of understanding to work together on the Open Masters Games Abu Dhabi 2026. In the first quarter of 2026, the company reported total assets of $278.4 million and revenue of $78.6 million. Together with its subsidiaries, Palms Sports now employs more than 14,000 people.
Darwish serves as Chairman of Al Qudra Sports Management, and Vice Chairman of the Institute for Art & Culture in Lahore, Pakistan, among other senior management positions.
Palms Sports is one of eight listed companies under International Holding Company, whose Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Syed Basar Shueb, ranks fifth on the same list.
Source: Forbes Middle East
