SHEIKHA ALANOUD BINT HAMAD AL-THANI
QFC will focus on increasing the number of media outlets, sports, and digital firms on its platform as part of its 2022 strategy.
BIOGRAPHY
Sheikha Alanoud bint Hamad Al-Thani was appointed Managing Director of business development of the QFC Authority in 2017. Previously, she was associate director of economic affairs for the MENA region and vice president of strategic alliances. Prior to joining QFC, Alanoud served as the Qatar Country Director for Silatech. She has also held other positions working with various UN agencies and international organizations. Alanoud has been a board member of a number of organizations, including vice chair for the Bedaya Centre for Entrepreneurship and Career Guidance, Tomouh, How Women Work, and others. She is a proud recipient of honors and awards including Young Arab Achiever in 2011 and His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani Education Excellence Awards in 2008 and 2012. She earned a BSc (joint honors) in economics with government from the London School of Economics and Political Science and an MSc in economics for development from Oxford.
As the onshore business and financial center, QFC provides an excellent platform for firms to do business in Qatar and the region. What are your main areas of focus as managing director of business development?
A successful business development office must be able to develop and increase awareness, generate new opportunities, stay up to date with trends and the competition, and build and maintain relations with key stakeholders. So far, these have been the focus areas of our office, which has enabled us to create long-term value for QFC. It has a clear mandate to help develop and diversify the Qatari economy, and we have demonstrated significant success in fulfilling that role. In line with QFC's 2022 strategy, the business development team is focused on identifying business opportunities within the digital, media, and sports sectors, each of which are poised for growth.
What international companies is QFC looking to attract to Qatar or facilitate agreements with?
QFC's objective is to diversify the economy and position Doha as the region's leading financial and commercial capital. A critical part of that objective is attracting foreign investment and encouraging businesses to expand to Qatar as the gateway to the Middle East and beyond. QFC has been successful in attracting some of the most influential players across a broad range of industries, from professional services firms such as Bloomberg and Thomson Reuters to global banking powerhouses like JPMorgan Chase Credit Suisse, Barclays Bank, and Bank of China into Qatar. We have also signed MoUs with a variety of firms, including B-Hive and Qatar Development Bank (QDB) to support the establishment of a fintech ecosystem; Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF) to establish Qatar as the region's first-ever sports business park; and Paris EUROPLACE to support the development of the digital industry in Qatar. We are now placing a more targeted focus on sports and digital—key clusters we expect will continue to attract leading firms.
As a social entrepreneur, with numerous businesses in different sectors, how do you assess the capacity of Qatar to create a solid and diversified business community?
I have made multiple investments in Qatar across sectors because I see numerous actionable opportunities. Qatar as a market is rapidly developing, and commercial opportunities abound as we continue to mature. There are a wealth of attractive opportunities in Qatar, many of which leverage the world-class infrastructure Qatar has erected in recent years, starting with our new seaport, airport, and 5G network. We are now in an advanced stage of the country's physical development, and this presents a whole host of commercial opportunities for firms to actualize. Start-ups and entrepreneurs are also gaining a foothold in Qatar's business environment and the QFC is taking an active role in that space. We are working together with QDB and other entities on Sport Accelerator – Qatar Business District, a pioneer sport business hub dedicated to creating new business opportunities for the private sector, attracting foreign investment and supporting entrepreneurs.
What are the priorities for business development at QFC in the coming years?
QFC business development's overwhelming priority in the years ahead is to execute QFC's 2022 strategy. As part of that effort, we will concentrate on increasing the number of firms in media, sport, and digital on our platform. In tandem, QFC is also aggressively pursuing asset managers, fintech, and wealth advisors to set up operations. Collectively, we are working to execute our vision of maturing our already-vibrant financial center to include over 1,000 companies employing 10,000 high-skilled staff. Also, one of the biggest mandates of business development at QFC is to host international roadshows, known as investment roundtables, around the world to strengthen ties with international business communities and seek out areas for cooperation. We will continue pursuing opportunities within key markets in an effort to strengthen the presence of international firms here in Qatar.
SHEIKHA ALANOUD BINT HAMAD AL-THANI
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.
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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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