MESHAL AL-SHAMARI
QGBC is working hard to create a platform that connects people, consultants, and clients with green product suppliers and manufacturers throughout the country.
BIOGRAPHY
Meshal Al-Shamari spent 13 years in the construction industry, accumulating invaluable experience in project management, leadership, and business development. His work as a lead project engineer at Qatar Petroleum proved vital to Qatar's oil and petroleum industry. Al Shamari has a BS in civil engineering and an MBA from Qatar University and has pursued numerous courses in project management at Arizona State University and the University of Texas. He is a member of SAVE International and the Project Management Institute and has completed management modules at HBS, Duke, HEC, and Oxbridge.
What is the role of your institution in transitioning to eco-friendly legislation?
Since its establishment, one of QGBC's main objectives has been working with the government to develop regulations and systems related to green buildings. We did works for ministries and governmental organizations. In 2019, we announced a new efficiency excellence evaluation system for buildings with KAHRAMAA, which started with hotels and the hospitality sector. We still have things to develop, especially with energy certification systems and materials. Starting 2018, we have been working with the Green Key certification system, which mainly targets the hospitality sector. Seven five-star hotels were awarded the Green Key certification after more than a year of work to achieve it. We are also developing the system for events and temporary venues, such as the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
What is the relevance of education when it comes to promoting green habits?
With the Green Key, we have a scheme called Eco-Schools, an international program involving more than 20 million students from around the world. The aim is to encourage and engage students to do initiatives. We are starting with 30 schools and have already awarded some the green flag. We are taking this initiative to push campuses and universities to go greener. We are also working with the Qatar Foundation to make the whole campus eco-friendlier. This mainly relates to water, energy, and waste. It is a development program within the school, so students feel loyal to it and develop the project themselves. Our target is to reach 30 schools by the end of 2019. We have trained approximately 300 teachers in the program.
How can increasing the health of the buildings directly impact society?
We also work with healthy cities, a program with the Ministry of Health, which is about healthy life practices, especially in diet and lifestyle. It also addresses how healthy our buildings are, for example, their air quality, ventilation, and lighting. Almost 80% of operational expenses for any company goes to human resources. Therefore, having a healthy building will affect the performance of employees. Better performance and production mean higher efficiency. Even controlling the air conditioning temperature and thermal comfort has an impact. To promote and raise awareness about healthy lifestyles, we launched Qatar Sustainable Week in 2016, which is not only about cleaning beaches or school competitions. Many gyms were opened for free during the week, and we had many campaigns and saw a great deal of participation from nutrition centers and food companies. It is about the people who occupy the buildings, not just the buildings themselves. We cannot succeed in this endeavor without contributions from the private sector. We developed an online directory three years ago called Qatar Green Directory that provides all the green services and products available in Qatar. And this list has grown and expanded significantly in those three years. We want this platform to connect people, consultants, and clients with the green products suppliers and manufacturers.
How has the blockade stimulated the ingenuity of Qataris to recycle more?
The blockade has in fact had a positive economic impact and created so many business opportunities for companies. The food sector has really developed over the past several years. Recycled pallets used to be imported and are now produced here, creating a new export opportunity. A plastics recycling factory has also been established, and there are new recycling centers for metal, electronic waste, paper, and wood. The government has supported this growth and assigned an area only for the recycling industry. It is good that we now have a hub for this industry. There has been a strong push in the market toward that, and we even have an annual conference to discuss these issues.
MESHAL AL-SHAMARI
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Interview
Yousuf Mohamed Al-Jaida, CEO, Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) Authority
Given its successful performance in the last few years, QFC is optimistic it will be able to capitalize on Qatar's ongoing efforts to create a world-class business environment and attract more global companies.
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Lolwah R M Al-Khater, Spokesperson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is focused on pushing forward Qatar's foreign policy, sharing information and perspectives that could be useful for regional security and advancing the Qatari narratives on many issues facing the world today.
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Richard O’Kennedy, Vice President, Research, Development, and Innovation, Qatar Foundation
The first country in the world to track its citizens' genomes, Qatar is on track to make one of modern science's biggest breakthroughs by personalizing medical treatment and precision care.
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Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti, Minister, Transport and Communications (MoTC)
With plans for a fully electric bus system and an impressive set of interconnected transportation options including metro, rail, and tram, the Ministry of Transport and Communication is shifting mobility into the next gear in Qatar.
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Sheikh Abdulla Bin Saoud Al Thani, Governor, Qatar Central Bank (QCB)
Encouraging local manufacturing, initiating self-sufficiency in dairy and farm products, expanding into new air and sea routes, offering select visa-free entry, and enacting fiscal reforms are but several of the successful reforms undertaken since 2017.
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Sean Kelly, Project Director, Place Vendôme
Place Vendôme is no ordinary mall: with 650 hotel rooms, a 6,000-sqm cinema with 18 screens, six slides, three toboggan runs, and an ice river opening in September 2020, it is looking to slide into Qatar's tourism infrastructure in time for the World Cup.
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Mehmed Zingal, General Manager, Turkish Airlines - Qatar
With its 30th year celebration of its Miles&Smiles club launch in Qatar, Turkish Airlines is acknowledging its continued diligence to provide the best customer service, with targets to increase customer happiness through innovative technologies and increasing tourism to Qatar for the future.
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Hassan Rashid Al-Derham, President, Qatar University (QU)
Ranked in the top-500 universities by the Times Higher Education, Qatar University improves students' academic success by supporting students throughout their academic lifecycle, from the pre-university stage to beyond graduation.
read articleFocus
A lesson learned
The international attention set to fall on Qatar over the coming years is significant only to the extent that it generates advances in human capital required by Qatar's blueprint, National Vision 2020, where local know-how and innovation advance the nation and promote wellbeing.
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Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, Minister of Public Health & Managing Director,, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC)
The health minister is committed to continuing the growth of Qatar's healthcare system, with plans for more than 20 new facilities specializing in pediatrics, geriatrics, and mental health.
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