Zeina Khoury has spent two decades shaping Dubai’s luxury real estate landscape, leading multimillion-dollar projects, advising high-net-worth clients, building companies and most recently becoming one of the most recognisable business personalities on regional television.

In many ways, Khoury has lived several careers in one lifetime; President and Chief Growth Officer of Zed Capital Real Estate, founder of fashion brand I Am The Company, London Business School graduate, media host and Netflix star. We asked her if she was to create her own TV show, what would it be called and what would it be about? Her answer goes straight to the core of who she is.

“I would create a show called Power Moves, a series that strips away the gloss and shows what leadership really looks like. Not the highlight reel, but the real decisions, pressure points, sacrifices and wins that shape founders and CEOs,” she says. “I want people to see the human side of building, leading and staying resilient in the face of challenges. It’s a show about ambition, grit and the reality behind success.”

Honesty

That desire to strip away the shine and reveal what ambition really looks like is the thread running through Khoury’s life. It’s also what gives her leadership style a distinct, disarming honesty. When she talks about the shift in how people treated her when she became a CEO, she doesn’t hide behind clichés or corporate polish.

“Yes, absolutely. The title changes how people perceive you, suddenly everyone assumes you have everything figured out,” she admits. “What most don’t see is that the pressure and expectations rise dramatically. Every decision carries more weight, and you’re constantly balancing leadership with vulnerability. The most important part is staying grounded and remembering that behind the title, you’re still human.”

This is the Zeina Khoury the public rarely sees – the one who feels the weight of expectations, the one who navigates private pressures behind a public persona, the one who believes that power doesn’t erase humanity.

Early spark

Khoury’s journey began long before cameras and high-profile boardrooms. Her early career at Palazzo Versace Dubai and D1 Tower saw her training executive teams, overseeing sales operations, and directly contributing to more than AED3 billion in deals. It was a crash course in luxury hospitality, leadership and the art of building a network that lasts. Zed Capital, the boutique real estate and investment firm she leads today, was not a spontaneous creation – it was decades in the making. “When I first arrived in Dubai in 2006, I didn’t come with a detailed roadmap, just a strong belief that real estate could be done differently: with credibility, integrity and real expertise at its core,” she explains.

The pandemic became her catalyst. With the world on pause, she finally had space to create what she always envisioned. “The idea for Zed Capital had been in the back of my mind for years, but the pandemic gave me space to put it into motion, to create a company rooted in trust, long-term relationships, and market insight rather than quick wins,” she says.

By 2023 the business launched with clarity, purpose and a blueprint that reflected everything she’d learned: resilience, adaptability and the belief that values outlast volatility.

Leader of many worlds

Khoury’s reputation extends far beyond real estate. She is a fashion founder, media personality and public figure whose responsibilities often overlap. But she doesn’t see these roles as compartments.

“I like to think all those hats come from the same place, they just express different sides of who I am,” she says. “At the core, I’m an entrepreneur. Whether it’s real estate, fashion or building a personal brand, it all stems from the same mindset: creating something meaningful, lasting and authentic.”

While she admits the lines often blur, she sees that as a strength, not a struggle.

“What matters most to me is that there’s alignment in everything I do. I don’t see these as separate hats, but as extensions of the same vision, to build with purpose, to represent women in leadership and to keep evolving.”

Khoury is vocal about women’s empowerment not as a branding exercise, but as a responsibility she takes seriously. “I think real change starts with visibility and access. You can’t aspire to what you don’t see, so the more women we have in leadership positions, the more we normalize it.

“What holds many women back isn’t capability; it’s opportunity and support systems,” she says. “Too often, women wait until they feel ‘ready,’ while their male counterparts are encouraged to take the leap and figure it out along the way.”

She believes real change hinges on visibility, representation and structural shifts in the workplace. “For me, moving the needle isn’t just about getting women into leadership, it’s about making sure they stay there, thrive there, and bring others with them.”

It’s an ethos reflected in her brand, I Am The Company, which champions female confidence, ownership and ambition.

The Dubai Bling Effect

Her appearance on Dubai Bling introduced her to millions, amplifying her influence but also complicating the perception of who she is.

“Reality television brings both acceleration and complexity,” she says. The visibility broadened her audience and strengthened brand awareness but required careful curation to ensure entertainment never overshadowed expertise.

Yet she rejects the idea that glamour and leadership are mutually exclusive. “I don’t see glamour and leadership as opposites, they can coexist beautifully when they’re both rooted in authenticity,” she says. “The version of me people see on Dubai Bling is real, but it’s just one layer.”

She carries the same conviction into business negotiations, team meetings and high-stakes investment discussions. “Women can be multifaceted, strong, strategic and feminine all at once.”

In a world obsessed with follower counts and virality, Khoury remains grounded. “For me, it will always be about impact, not numbers,” she says. “Follower count might open doors, but it’s the quality of your work that keeps them open.” For Zed Capital, the real metric is trust, measured in long-term client relationships and repeat investments.

What comes next

Khoury is building for the long term: expanding Zed Capital’s advisory services, deepening the investment portfolio, strengthening her fashion label, and mentoring women across the region. “In five years, I don’t want to pick one lane,” she says. “I want to build the space where all these worlds come together; business, culture and influence.”

Zeina Khoury’s story is not about fame, nor even about success. It is about clarity. It is about saying the truth out loud, even when the truth is that leadership is lonely. It is about showing ambition without apology. It is about being seen—not just as a CEO, but as a woman navigating pressure, passion and purpose.

She sums it up best herself, in the opening idea for the show she might one day create: “Power Moves…not the highlight reel, but the real decisions, pressure points, sacrifices and wins that shape founders and CEOs.”

It’s more than a show title. It’s her life.