Marwan Marzouk Boodai

Marwan Marzouk Boodai is a Kuwaiti business leader who has played a key role in opening up the aviation and services sectors in Kuwait. Born in 1960, he is the Chairman of Jazeera Airways, Kuwait’s first privately-owned airline, and serves as Vice-Chairman (and previously Board Member) of the family-owned holding company BoodaiCorp.

Raised in Kuwait within the Boodai family—well-established in construction, trade and services—Marwan absorbed an entrepreneurial mindset early on. He joined BoodaiCorp and helped transform it from a mid-sized local group into one of Kuwait’s most diversified private conglomerates, with interests spanning aviation, transport, media, building materials and logistics.

In 2004-2005 he oversaw the establishment of Jazeera Airways, marking a shift for Kuwait’s skies by challenging the state-owned carrier monopoly. Under his leadership, the airline grew its fleet, developed its own terminal, and expanded into regional destination networks.

Beyond aviation, he supports the group’s broader ventures: media outlets, transport companies, cement and construction materials firms. He is recognised in the region for combining bold sector-entry strategy with operational discipline and service quality.

Marwan Boodai has been featured among the leading travel-industry executives in the Middle East—Forbes Middle East ranked him among the “Top 50 Travel & Tourism Leaders” in the region.

In his view, business leadership is not only about building companies, but about creating durable institutions, introducing competition, and expanding opportunities for Kuwait’s private sector. His impact continues to ripple into the Gulf region’s services ecosystem.