QT_January 2011 by Oryx Group of Magazines

january 2011

contents

c ove r story

44 QT TOPS

Qatar Today presents the top things to look out for in 2011. Projects, products, entertainment, lifestyle choices... let this be the year that defines your professional and personal success. Check out the most comprehensive list of all that makes work and life tick in Qatar.

40 Destination Q The Next Gold Rush

A whopping $54 billion pledge by Qatar in planned projects to reinforce its infrastructure has made the Arabian peninsula the next gold rush for many. The United States, for one, is looking at a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;substantial piece of the business pieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; here, says David Hamod, President and CEO of the National US-Arab Chamber of Commerce (NUSACC), in an exclusive interview to Ahmed Lotfy.

65 CSR: Where money is not everything...

When experts from leading industries came together for the Qatar Today Round Table at the Knowledge Enrichment Centre, they tried defining elements of CSR in the local context. Concerns were raised regarding how far CSR has reached in the country.

published by oryx advertising co.wll, All rights reserved. qatar today is published monthly by oac, po box no. 3272, doha, qatar. subscription rate for qr. 240 per year. address for all subscription correspondence to qatar today, oryx advertising co.wll, po box 3272, al hilal area, doha, state of qatar. for single copies call us on + 974 44672139 or mail to qtoday@omsqatar.com. material in this publication must not be stored or reproduced in any form without permission. request for permission should be directed to qtoday@omsqatar.com. reprint requests should be directed to the info@msqatar.com. qatar today is registered trademark of oryx advertising co.wll

january 2011 volume 4 issue 1 www.omsqatar.com

contents

january 2011

96 74 Going beyond the Awards

Sustainable living is a commitment and organisations are rising to the challenge. Qatar Today revisits the winners of Qatar Today Green Awards 2010.

86 Taking the ‘bull by the horns

John Hunt explores Istanbul, the largest city in a transcontinental Turkey of 73 million people with 97% of its vast area in Asia, and the other 3% in Europe. Where the two continents meet across the Bosphorus strait sprawls the vast city of 12.5 million people which straddles Eastern and Western worlds.

34 World Cup: world stage

The days, of Qatar being an ‘undiscovered’ market are over. While the country has been punching far above its weight on the international economic and diplomatic scene for years, its ascendancy to household-name status throughout the world has undoubtedly come from its successful bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

32 Opportunities emerge from ‘Winter of Worry’

Barclays explains how even inclement financial weather can still leave you with a warm feeling inside. It’s time to talk Turkey.

36 The pull of Green tourism While tourism offers undeniable economic benefits, it comes with a steep environmental price tag. Travel can deplete or destroy local ecosystems and contribute to global climate change. Think Green Tourism...

60 What Really Drives Financial Success?

Do engaged employees drive an organization’s performance, or does success inspire engagement?

regulars News Bites.................................................10 Realty Check.............................................20 O & G O v e r v i e w. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 Bank Notes................................................26 Ar a b S n i pp e t s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 8 W o r l d V i e w. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 0 Br a k i n g N e w s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 0 Market Watch............................................82 D o h a D i a r y. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 0

january 2011

V o lu m e 3 7

issue 1

Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Chief Executive Officer Executive Vice President Vice President

contributors

Jurgen Ringbeck SR. Partner

Nabih Maroun Partner

Booz & Company

january 2011 Yousuf Jassem Al Darwish Sandeep Sehgal Alpana Roy Ravi Raman

Managing Editor Vani Saraswathi Deputy Editor Sindhu Nair Assistant Editors Ahmed Lotfy Ali john hunt Editorial Coordinator cassey oliveira FASHION &LIFESTYLE CORRESPONDENT ORNA Ballout Contributor shalinee bharadwaj Art Director Venkat Reddy Asst art Director – Production Sujith Heenatigala Assistant Art Director Hanan Abu Saiam Senior Graphic Designers Ayush Indrajith Sampath Gunathilaka Managers –Marketing Mohammed Sami Zulfikar Jiffry Senior Media Consultant Chaturka Karandana Media Consultants Victoria Ferraris hassan Rekkab Marketing Research & Amjeth Ali Support Executive Accountant Pratap Chandran Sr. Distribution Executive Bikram Shrestha Distribution Support Arjun Timilsina Bhimal Rai

Published by Oryx Advertising Co WLL, P.O. Box 3272; Doha-Qatar Tel: (+974) 44672139, 44550983, 44671173, 44667584 Fax: (+974) 44550982 Email: qtoday@omsqatar.com website: www.omsqatar.com Printed at: Gulf Publishing and Printing Co WLL Copyright © 2010 Oryx Advertising Co WLL

Qatar Today invites readers’ feedback Share your views on the magazine or any issue connected to Qatar. One lucky reader will win an exquisite Mont Blanc writing instrument.

Tansel Kilicarslan SR. Associate Booz & Company

Oliver Cornock The author is the Regional Editor of Oxford Business Group

Tim McAleavy

Graham Wolverson

The author is the Education Director, CfBT Education Trust.

Wolverson is an Independent Financial Advisor with Pinnacle Asset and Wealth Management

Khurram Jafree Head of Investment Advisory MENA, Barclays Wealth

Write to: The Editor, Qatar Today, PO Box 3272, Doha. Fax: (+974) 44550982, email: qtoday@omsqatar.com Qatar Today reserves the right to edit and publish the correspondence. Views and opinions expressed in the published letters may not necessarily be the publication’s views and opinions.

january 2011

from the desk

s we went to press last month, the suspense was killing US. Will we or won’t we? And the day after Qatar Today hit the stands, we did!

But as media and journalists we are supposed to maintain a level of decorum, and a degree of scepticism, but the whole atmosphere is such that we can’t help but gloat over all the naysayers, and keep our fingers crossed till 2022. As David Hamod, President and CEO of the US-Arab Chamber of Commerce says, the next gold rush is going to be right here, with companies from around the world competing for the multi-billion dollar projects that will be rolled out in the next few years. What will happen in the next few years is a total upheaval of business dynamics and a complete change in profile of companies and industries that come in. With that change will be a call for greater social responsibility. Though the phrase Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR is bandied about, corporates will now be forced to audit and measure their activities. The recent Qatar Today Round Table focussed on this issue – CSR: Not about charity, with representatives from some of the country’s prime players sharing their ideas and concerns. That interesting discussion is reported in this issue of Qatar Today. Meanwhile, we decided to start 2011 QT Top List – events, projects, investment tips, organisations, products etc. So you know exactly what to look forward to and what to sink your money into... I guess it’s stating the obvious – but we have overhauled the look and feel of the magazine, to make the entire reading experience not just intellectually but also visually stimulating. The content we always strive to better. We would like to hear your feedback on the new look Qatar Today, so drop us a line. Happy New Year folks, and be prepared to grab every opportunity that comes your way.

Vani Saraswathi

QATAR CELEBRATES...

letters feedback qtoday@omsqatar.com

Revisiting the year It takes a while to recollect all the happenings in a year, but Qatar Today made the job easy. The spread of events and major headlines for the year was a job well done! For the December month, you had posed a question: Who will host Fifa 2022? Well, we can proudly shout out loud that Qatar will bring football fever back here in 2022. Congratulations to the wonderful nation of Qatar and its thoughtful leaders, who have successfully brought Qatar into the global spotlight. Jassim Kareem

A cultural year

For the year 2010, Doha was chosen as the Capital for Arab Culture; and the capital didn’t let us down. Doha’s efforts to revive the culture and tradition of Arab region are laudable, as evident in the year long offerings of exhibitions, musical shows, festivals and cultural weeks. Adding to the cultural scene is the new museum Mathaf. The write-up on it was a perfect insight on what the museum has to offer to its patrons. I would love to see many such art institutions open up in the country, in the near future. Safeer Mullah

Green’s the word

Poll result is based on messages received till 20th of every month

qt poll - January

Qatar Today magazine has done a commendable job by launching the Qatar Today Green Awards. I have learnt through your magazine, that these awards recognise organisations who have taken initiatives for a greener environment. I believe such awards in the country will act as a driving force to encourage companies to indulge in better practices, and implement stronger steps in their way of functioning. Its time we realise the implications of our deeds. Benny Dayal

Peaceful Qatar

It was quite refreshing to have an article written on Qatar’s air force - a topic which is seldom touched upon. Qatar is one of the safest countries I have ever come across. As a nation, the country has advocated strongly for world peace and has had cordial relations with all its neighbouring states. I would take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude and respect for the country’s defence force for promoting peace and safety of its people. Rasha Sheikh

Cyprus Calling

Do you think the country will meet the infrastructure needs by 2022? SMS answers to +974 33072524 A lucky winner will win a NOKIa E63

Andy Watson

sponsored by:

Do you think the country is getting more environmentally conscious?

90% 10% Yes The winning number of the last QT poll is

Travelling has always been my all time pleasure activity. The article on Cyprus in Qatar Today magazine was a great guide to the beautiful country. I would love to read about places to explore in Qatar as well. Even the write-up on Digital Theatre was interesting. Technology has no limits, and with the passing years, we have come up with unbelievable innovations, like the digital theatre for example. It would be exciting to witness this new form of theatre.

Qatar Today invites readers’ feedback Share your views on the magazine or any issue connected to Qatar. One lucky reader will win an exquisite Mont Blanc writing instrument. Write to: The Editor, Qatar Today, PO Box 3272, Doha. Fax: (+974) 44550982, email: qtoday@omsqatar.com Qatar Today reserves the right to edit and publish the correspondence. Views and opinions expressed in the published letters may not necessarily be the publication’s views and opinions.

Check out all articles of Qatar Today on www.issuu.com/oryxmags follow us on www.facebook.com/qatartoday www.twitter.com/qatartoday

destination q:the next gold rush

NEWS BITES

SDC’s charity dinner raises QR28 million

QSI partners with FC Barcelona

all for a cause HH THE EMIR SHEIKH HAMAD BIN KHALIFA AL-THANI AND HH SHEIKHA MOZAH BINT NASSER AL-thani at sdc’s charity dinner

he Social Development Centre’s seventh charity dinner raised a staggering QR28 million which will benefit its Tarahom endowment project. The previous edition of the gala dinner raised QR17.6 million. The proceeds of the evening was dedicated to Tarahom endowment fund which will support families in need, including widows, debtors, the elderly, orphans and also outstanding academic students who will benefit from scholarships.

Qatar Health: A platform to exchange ideas 12 Qatar Today

january 2011

The event was attended for the first time by the Emir HH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, and HH Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Missned, together with a number of Board Directors of Qatar Foundation, dignitaries and those committed to social and charitable deeds. The evening titled Seven Letters of Rafidain highlighted the Mesopotamian civilisation in its Golden Age. The proceedings were also made special by a wonderful theatrical production directed by world famous Iraqi director Jawad Al-Assadi.

atar Health 2010, Qatar’s annual Health Congress & Exhibition, was held from December 10-15. Over 4,000 delegates and visitors attended five days of lectures and workshops to discuss and exchange advances in healthcare in Qatar, the GCC and around the world; and more than 60 exhibitors demonstrated the latest in healthcare related technology, products and services. HMC, Managing Director, Dr Hanan Al -Kuwari said, “Qatar Health provided a key opportunity for healthcare professionals within the region and around the world to

atar Sports Investments announced its new global partnership with FC Barcelona. The partnership will run for five and a half years until 2016 and is worth €166 million. The partnership will see Qatar Foundation (QF) as the club’s new shirt sponsor from next season. A spokesperson for Qatar Sports Investments, commented: “We are thrilled at the opportunity to become FC Barcelona’s new global partners. FC Barcelona is more than a football club. It is a global icon with the world’s most dedicated and passionate fans and accordingly, we nominated QF to have a brand presence on the front of FC Barcelona’s jersey.” FC Barcelona and QF also remain committed to the club’s existing relationship with Unicef. Unicef will continue to have a presence on the FCB shirt and receive significant contributions from the club over the next five years. FC Barcelona, Financial Vice President, Javier Faus commented: “QF is renowned throughout the world for the work it does to inspire people and change their lives through education programmes, scientific research and community development. This is a ground breaking partnership that is good news for FC Barcelona and good news for football.” exchange valuable knowledge and expertise that will contribute towards placing Qatar high on the international healthcare arena, advancing medical practice and healthcare standards.” Qatar Health 2010 was inaugurated by Qatar’s Minister of Health and the Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Health, HE Abdullah bin Khaled Al-Qahtani. Professor the Lord Darzi of Denham, one of the world’s leading surgeons and cancer specialists, gave a thought-provoking analysis of the current state of healthcare.

news bites

Taskforce formed to rebuild education at Haiti

New Planet discovered by Qatari astronomer

wise moves hh sheikha mozah bint nasser althani addresses the wise summit 2010

eflecting on the worldwide need to raise the standard of education with new ways to improve both access and quality, and inspiring practical initiatives which will help build a future of education, Sheikh Abdulla bin Ali Al-Thani, Chairman of WISE, opened the second edition of World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), in the presence of HH Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Missned, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation. Held from December 7-9, 2010 the WISE Summit witnessed a diverse range of innovations, experiences and emerging new ideas from around the world. Three main announcements from WISE 2010 were announced – The establishment of the WISE Prize for Education. This annual award will be the world’s first major international prize for education. Nominations for the first WISE Prize for Education will be invited from February 1 to April 30, 2011

Vodafone donates QR9mn to ROTA 14 Qatar Today

january 2011

new sighting QATAR-1B, THE NEW ALIEN PLANET DISCOVERED BY QATARI ASTRONOMER DR KHALID AL-SUBAI

and the prize will be awarded at the WISE Summit 2011. Selected by a jury of five distinguished personalities, the winner will receive an award of $500,000. The second recommendation was the launch of a WISE publication and web portal. WISE will create a publication that will, for the first time, record major achievements and initiatives in the world of international education, including those at WISE. Both should be launched between spring and fall 2011. The last was a call for the establishment of a taskforce dedicated to education system rebuilding in Haiti. The destruction by the devastating earthquake of Haiti’s entire educational system has been a focus of WISE 2010 and has resulted in an appeal for the creation of a taskforce. This taskforce will call for the global community to unite and build a new educational system in Haiti from the ground up. The taskforce will report back with a concrete action plan for education in Haiti.

odafone Qatar donated $2.5 million (QR9 million) to Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) to support projects in Nepal, Indonesia and Qatar. “Vodafone’s donation to Reach Out To Asia will strengthen Qatar’s efforts to build the capacity of Asian schools and educational facilities. We are proud to support Qatar’s commitment to improve the delivery of education for many thousands of children and countless

Qatari astronomer Dr Khalid Al-Subai has become instrumental in the discovery of a new alien planet, working in collaboration with scientists from the UK and the US. This ‘hot Jupiter’, now named Qatar-1b, adds to the growing list of alien planets orbiting distant stars, or exoplanets. Qatar-1b is a gas giant 20% larger than Jupiter in diameter and 10% more massive. It belongs to the ‘hot Jupiter’ family because it orbits 3.5 million km from its star – only six stellar radii away. The planet roasts at a temperature of around 1100 degrees Celsius. Dr. Khalid, leader of the Qatar exoplanet survey and a Research Director at Qatar Foundation teamed up with scientists from Universities of St Andrews, Leicester and Keele in the UK and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) in the US to discover a new alien world.

communities,” said Jan Mottram, HR Director at Vodafone. The Vodafone-ROTA partnership represents a full commitment from Qatar’s leading mobile phone operator to support the delivery of all three ROTA projects. Every month a joint steering committee will review project progress while Vodafone executives and staff will visit project schools to share their knowledge and expertise with ROTA project managers.

news bites

Research Innovation Rewarded

Best research programme in biomedicine Moza Khalifa Al-Kowari of Hamad Medical Corporation for her research presentation on the studies of gene mutation and hereditary hearing loss in the Qatari population.

Best research programme in energy and environment THE BEST OF RESEARCH THE WINNERS POSE WITH THE SENIOR EXECUTIVES OF QF, RESEARCH DIVISON

he inaugural Annual Research Forum organised by Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development recognised seven professional and student researchers for their excellence in innovative research. The award ceremony took place at the Sheraton Hotel in Doha following the closing session of the inaugural Annual Research Forum. The ceremony was attended by the senior executives of QF, the Research Division and the Forum’s corporate sponsors. Qatar Foundation’s Vice President for Research, Dr Abdelali Haoudi said, “With so many impressive and relevant projects at this year’s Forum, I am confident that Qatar is positioning itself as a leader in key regional research areas, and a hub of research innovation.” During the two days of the forum, many

cutting-edge and new ideas in research projects were presented and discussed. Of 166 abstracts accepted for presentation at the Forum, four research programmes and three student posters were chosen for special recognition in the fields of biomedicine, energy and environment, computing science, and arts, social sciences, humanities and Islamic studies. A major reflection of Qatar’s investment and commitment to research took concrete form when QScience.com, the digital publishing portal for research journals, was launched at the Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum 2010. Developed by Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Journals (BQFJ), the scholarly publishing partnership between Qatar Foundation and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, QScience.com publishes peer-reviewed research papers using open access which makes the material freely available to all.

New Arrivals terminal inaugurated

NEW FACILITY HE the Minister of State for Interior Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Thani, HE the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Urban Planning Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Khalifa Al-Thani, HE Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority Abdul Aziz Al-Nuaimi, and CEO of Qatar Airways Akbar Al-Baker.

“Smart solar reactor for co-production of hydrogen and industrial grade carbon under any weather conditions”, presented by Dr. Nezrin Ozalp representing Texas A&M University at Qatar.

Best research programme in computing science “What do drill strings and surgical threads have in common” by Dr Annie Ruimi representing Texas A&M University at Qatar.

Best research programme in arts, social sciences, humanities and Islamic studies “Qatari women and the internet: an analytical study for pattern of use and utilisation”, presented by Dr. Hesham Mahmoud Azmi representing Qatar University.

he new arrival terminal at Doha International Airport was officially inaugurated on the occasion of Qatar’s National Day. Akbar Al Baker, CEO, Qatar Airways guided the delegation through the new terminal, the opening of which will support forecasted increases in passenger numbers travelling through the country. The Doha Arrivals terminal received its first passengers on December 19. Following the opening of the terminal, work will begin on expanding the departures and transfer terminal to provide larger check-in and passenger facilities, as well as additional boarding gates and other amenities. Meanwhile, QA announced it will introduce a number of enhanced services at Doha International Airport.

january 2011

Qatar Today 15

All-NEw 2011

CTS COupE

DESIGNED FOR DISAGREEMENT

news bites

up for the cup if you thought that the asian cup was going to be the biggest football tournament to hit these shores then think again. the dynamic of the competition has now changed and it’s time to go to school...

by J ohn Hu nt

anuary 7th sees the start of football’s 2011 AFC Asian Cup competition here in Qatar. You may have noticed the odd billboard around town trumpeting what is now an imminent arrival. However, on December 2nd last year, with just a month to go until the first ball would be kicked (when Qatar host Uzbekistan at Khalifa), the parameters of the competition changed somewhat. The catalyst for change, obviously, was the astonishing decision from FIFA that will see the zenith of football competitions, the World Cup, take place in Qatar in 2022.

18 Qatar Today

january 2011

It had been assumed by many people – foreign and domestic – that while a 16-team, five venue international tournament would probably be as big as it would get for the peninsula in footballing terms, this is no longer the case. While 2022 is quite some time away, this month’s competition assumes more of a ‘test case’ role than the previous celebration it might otherwise have been. Many eyes – envious and otherwise – will be fixed on Doha and Al Rayyan to see how smoothly or otherwise things go in logistical terms. Rest assured that any even slightly high-profile mis-

news bites

7 january

32 16 games

countries

finals warning Feared Japanese striker Keisuke Honda (left)

hap will be gleefully reported on by a hungry media. For the Qatar Football Association and the 2022 Committee, the Asian Cup tournament and its myriad variables are going to be a steep learning curve on and off the pitch. On the pitch, a team whose current FIFA ranking of 114th needs to improve markedly if it is not to suffer ignominy when the big boys come to town in little over a decade – not a long time in international football at all. Off the pitch, everything else that it takes to adequately present a football match to the benefit of spectators, broadcasters, sponsors and, dare I say it, the written media, will be scrutinised. Satisfying the mostly undemanding written press is worthy of note for reasons already discussed, yet mentioned here because media arrangements at November’s Argentina v. Brazil friendly at Khalifa were pretty shambolic. We want... information The tournament then will be a mine for all sorts of valuable information. Extend the three-week event by a third, the size and scope of the competition tenfold and then factor in 50-degree heat to arrive at an approximation of the main event a decade later...

This month, the cream of the 46 countries that make up the Asian Football Confederation will descend to do battle over a total of 32 games for the right to hold the trophy aloft as champions of the 15th Asian Cup competition. The opening and Final games will take place at Khalifa and while six of the games will take place at Al Rayyan’s Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, the remainder will kick off in the capital. The big hitters will be in town to make up an exceptionally strong roster of competing nations – a trio of threetime winners in Japan, KSA and Iran will be here, as will current champions Iraq. The Socceroos from Australia join us, as do noisy neighbours North Korea, the latter doubtless lifting the cup after six consecutive 6-0 wins over the imperialist oppressors. Back in the real world, the experts strongly fancy Japan, South Korea or Australia to triumph. Rank outsiders India have qualified for the finals for the first time since 1984. Match tickets are available online at www.tickets.afcasiancup.com and from ticket booths at The Mall, City Centre, Landmark Mall and Villagio. Prices start from QR15 for adults and QR5 for kids so there’s little excuse not to get along and see your favourites in action.

january 2011

15 5

tickets priced from

for adultS

for kids

Match tickets are available online at www.tickets. afcasiancup.com and from ticket booths at

The Mall City Centre Landmark Mall and Villagio

Qatar Today 19

csr: where money is not everything 65

realty check

Construction boom

atar’s successful bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022 is set to launch a $60 billion construction boom in the state according to MEED the Middle East Economic Digest. In a detailed analysis of the impact of Qatar’s World Cup success on the country, MEED estimates that projects worth approximately $ 55 to 60 billion that had been planned, will now go ahead. A $ 4 billion stadium building programme will see the construction of nine new ecofriendly, cutting-edge football stadiums and the expansion of three existing stadiums. The stadium programme includes the construction of the 86,000-seater Lusail Stadium, which will host the tournament’s opening and final matches. Other new stadiums will be: Al-Wakrah Stadium, Al-Khor Stadium, Education City Stadium, Sports City Stadium, Al-Shamal Stadium, Doha Port Stadium, Qatar University Stadium, and Umm Sal Stadium. The existing AlRayyan, Al-Gharafa, and Khalifa stadiums will be upgraded. A $20 billion road improvements and ex-

Quick bites

$60

billion construction boom

stadiums

pansion programme will include the $687 million Lusail Expressway, Doha Expressway, Dukhan Freeway, and the Doha Bay Crossing; Another $25 billion rail network will cover the construction of a metropolitan railway in Doha, a high-speed rail link between New Doha International airport, Doha city centre and across the proposed Qatar-Bahrain causeway into Bahrain, in addition to a freight line that will link up with the wider GCC rail network. “Building towards the World Cup will inject a new dynamism into the drive by Qatar, and the region, to diversify its economy away from its dependence on oil and gas,” says Andrew Roscoe, Construction Analyst at MEED “Almost $60 billion-worth of projects that were planned will now definitely happen as a result of this success, giving a decade-long boost to the state’s projects industry that had reached a peak.” “It is an astonishing achievement for such a small country,” says Richard Thompson, Editor, MEED. “And it establishes not only Qatar, but the entire region, as a serious destination for international business and sport.”

$25

billion rail network

$687

million Lusail Expressway

Meeting housing demands

zdan Real Estate Company opened Ezdan Village No. 7. The opening ceremony held in Ezdan Village 7 in Al-Wakra included folklore dances, a press conference and tours around the village to showcase its different services and installations, and the size and number of its residential units. The ceremony was also attended by a group of businessmen, dignitaries from the local community, and real estate sector stakeholders; in addition to potential tenants. Visitors took a tour in the Village while Ezdan officials described to them the new village and its services and facilities. They stressed Ezdan keenness on building qualitative projects that hold quality as the key factor for building an urban residential environment for the middle class.

22 Qatar Today

january 2011

Milestone in “Green” constructioN

mou signing Eng. Issa Al Mohannadi, QGBC Chairman and Dr Yousef Mohamed Al-Horr, BQDRI’S Chairman & Managing Director

he Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC) and BARWA & Qatari Diar Research Institute (BQDRI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on December 8, 2010 at the QGBC Headquarters to advance the knowledge on green buildings. A milestone in the path of green and environment-friendly development, the MoU was signed by Eng. Issa Al-Mohannadi, QGBC Chairman and Dr. Yousef Mohamed Al-Horr, BQDRI’S Chairman & Managing Director. The agreement will establish mechanisms enhancing knowledge on sustainability through dissemination of knowledge on sustainability in the built environment, offering training workshops and undertaking research, furthering the sustainability in the built environment. “We are so pleased to sign such an MoU with BQDRI who share the same vision as us in promoting sustainability in Qatar through Qatar Sustainability Assessment System (QSAS) , said Eng. Al-Mohannadi, “The MoU is an example to all the organizations to join forces and collaborate to pursue the great Qatar National Vision 2030 for sustainable development. ”

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world cup:world stage

oil & gas overview

Qatar is the largest

producer of LNG

mILESTONE FOR THE COUNTRY HH THE EMIR SHEIKH HAMAD BIN KHALIFA AL-THANI ALONG WITH Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Industry, HE Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah AT THE 77MTPA celebrations.

Qatar

celebrated its milestone achievement with dazzling displays of acrobatics by aerialist teams, divers and light show with design inspired by an LNG tank at Ras Laffan Industrial City marking the country’s production capacity milestone of 77 million tonnes per annum (Mta) of liquefied natural gas (LNG). The milestone reconfirms the country’s position as the world’s leading producer of LNG with the largest production capacity by far. This momentous feat realises the vision of the Emir HH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, who set this target for the end of 2010. Based in Ras Laffan Industrial City (RLIC) Qatar’s 14 LNG trains, including six mega trains which produce 7.8 million tonnes each annually, are operated by the two companies Qatargas and RasGas Company Limited. Together they provide the full 77 Mta production capacity. Qatari LNG is now delivered to over 23 markets across four continents. The 77 Mta Celebration Event, which was the State’s highest profile energy industry event this year, was held at Ras Laffan Industrial City under the patronage and presence of the Emir and was hosted by the Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Industry, HE Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, who is also the Chairman of Qatar Petroleum (QP).

24 Qatar Today

january 2011

oil & gas

OIL & G AS ov e r v i ew

Based on 2009 consumption data, 77 Mta of LNG is equivalent to 3.6% of total world gas consumption

77 Mta would meet the consumption demands of

59 DAYS

47 DAYS

285 DAYS

77 DAYS

16.3%

13%

78%

22.9%

of US gas consumption

of North American gas consumption

77 DAYS

21.2%

of Asia-Pacific gas consumption

of South and Central American gas consumption

408 DAYS

111 DAYS

111.8%

30.4%

of Africa gas consumption

77 MTA would meet the consumption demands of

Some 1,200 VIP guests from around the world, including the 23 countries to which Qatar currently exports LNG, attended. The guest list included local and overseas ministers, industry leaders and senior executives from the world’s leading energy companies, as well as from the world of art, media, entertainment and sport. Al-Attiyah said: “The State of Qatar promised to realise the vision of His Highness the Emir for Qatar to reach LNG production capacity of 77 million tonnes of LNG per annum by the end of 2010. This milestone brings to fruition years of investment in infrastructure and expertise which has enabled us to go from zero to 77 Mta in a mere 14 years. Qatar, today, has invaluable

26 Qatar Today

january 2011

of European Union gas consumption

credentials as a key innovator in the global LNG market, with a reputation for delivering LNG to global markets safely, reliably and efficiently.” “No more LNG trains” Qatar has no plan to build a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) train, but process debottlenecking and revamping the existing ones is very much on the agenda, Al-Attiyah said after the celebration. “Process debottlenecking is very much in the agenda. For instance the production capacity of Qatargas I was 6Mta, then after process debottlenecking we added another four million tonnes. We are not going to build any new LNG train, but if in the future

of Middle East gas consumption

DAYS

A Q-Flex ship (with an assumed cargo of 210,000 cubic metres of LNG) contains enough energy to take a typical family car to the sun and back 5.48 times. 77 Mta of LNG contains enough energy to take that same car to the sun and back 4571 times!

we want to expand, it will only be though revamping and process debottlenecking, because in our calculations and studies it will be more easier, cost effective and to avoid building a grassroot project,” he said. Al-Attiyah was speaking at a news conference after the celebration of the country’s production capacity milestone of 77Mta of LNG. He also said the Golden Pass LNG Terminal off the cost of Texas in the US, a joint venture between Qatar Petroleum (QP), ExxonMobil, RasGas and ConoPhillips is expected to be operational in April, 2011. The terminal received its first shipment from Qatar in October 2010 for testing and commissioning, he added. feedback qtoday@omsqatar.com

destination green tourism

bank notes

QFC Court inaugurated

Islamic certificate deposits from QIB

striking the gavel The QFC Civil and Commercial Court and Regulatory Tribunal was officially inaugurated by the Prime Minister HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr Al-Thani

he QFC Civil and Commercial Court and Regulatory Tribunal would secure the best alternative means of resolving financial and commercial disputes, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr Al-Thani said at the inauguration of the Qatar Financial Authority Court on December 14. “I would like to confirm our steadfast willingness to extend the required support that would help the court fulfil their juridical mission,” he said. The QFC Civil and Commercial Court and Regulatory Tribunal was officially inaugurated by the Prime Minister by cer-

emonially striking a silver gavel at the new courtroom in QFC Tower 2. The event was attended by HE Yousuf Hussein Kamal, Finance Minister and Chairman of the QFC Authority, Ministers and senior Qatari lawyers. Proceedings were started by Sir William Blair, Chairman of the Regulatory Tribunal, who explained how the Civil and Commercial Court and the Regulatory Tribunal together form the QFC Judiciary and the legal infrastructure behind the QFC. In addition, a purposebuilt Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Centre also formed part of the Court’s structure. tion, including Dr Hassan Al Sayed, former Dean of the College of Law at Qatar University.

qinvest launches fund

s a continued sign of its clients’ appetite, QInvest, in collaboration with India’s financial services partner, Ambit, announced the launch of the Ambit QInvest India Fund, an open ended Sharia’a-compliant Indian Equities Fund. The fund is the region’s first and India’s largest Sharia’a-compliant equity fund with an investment strategy that will combine equity allocation to generate returns. Leveraging Ambit’s expertise, the fund offers nvestors to leverage the potential for long-term price appreciation underpinned by strong growth drivers in the Indian market. Commenting on this launch, QInvest’s CEO, Shahzad Shahbaz, said: “The Indian equity market provides investors with a highly attractive opportunity to invest in a diversified range of Shariah-compliant equities. The market capitalisation of Sharia’a -compliant companies within the Nifty, stock market index, is nearly 60 %.”

28 Qatar Today

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atar Islamic Bank SAQ plans to offer Islamic certificates of deposits as the country’s biggest sharia’a-compliant lender seeks to create a secondary market for such instruments. The transactions, which need approval from the central bank and the Bank’s sharia’a board, will be transferable and tradable, with possible tenors ranging from one to five years, informed Choudhry Mohammed Wasi, General Manager of Strategy and Marketing at the bank. The transactions will be backed by assets, he said. The United Arab Emirates’ central bank auctioned its first sharia’a-compliant certificates of deposits on November 10, offering tenors ranging from one week to one year. Bahrain, the only country in the Persian Gulf to sell Islamic debt due in six months or less, plans to issue additional securities, Central Bank Governor Rasheed Al-Maraj. “We are trying to create it as a retail product, as an interbank product, as a corporate product, for all segments of our customers,” Wasi said. “Our objective is to create a secondary market where such instruments could be bought and sold easily.” Demand for services complying with sharia’a is increasing about 15% annually and assets under management may almost triple to $2.8 trillion by 2015, according to Kuala Lumpur-based Islamic Financial Services Board.

In Numbers DEMAND FOR Sharia’a service:

Assets under Sharia’a management:

15%

increase annually 3 times to

$2.8

million by 2015

building a legacy for education

arab snippets uae

What an excess

Sponsorship rules eased in UAE

THE OPULENT TREE $11 million Christmas tree at the Emirates Palace hotel, in Abu Dhabi

n Abu Dhabi luxury hotel that boasted a $11 million Christmas tree decorated with gold and gems has admitted that it may have taken the holiday spirit a bit too far. A statement from the Emirates Palace hotel said it regretted ‘attempts to overload’ the Christmas tree tradition by adorning it with premium bling including gold, rubies, diamonds and other precious stones from a hotel jeweller. The tree was unveiled last week with full fanfare in a hotel that features its own gold bar vending machine and a one-week $1 million package that includes private jet jaunts around the Middle East. But the hotel management apparently had second thoughts after questions arose

about whether the opulent tree was innocent good cheer or unfortunate bad taste. The hotel regrets ‘attempts to overload the tradition followed by most hotels in the country with meanings and connotations that do not fall in line with the (hotel’s) professional standards,’ said a statement. The hotel even tried to distance itself from the 43-foot (13-mts) faux fir in one of its rotundas, saying a hotel-based jeweller was solely responsible for creating and decorating the tree. “The hotel is just a venue for exhibiting the tree,” the statement said. The hotel also claimed the tree was not a stunt, but rather an effort to boost the holiday mood for its guests based on the United Arab Emirates’ values of openness and tolerance.

bahrain

Naturalisation policy to be tightened

ahraini King Hamad bin Issa Al-Khalifa called for a toughening of the country’s policy on naturalisation, which the Shiite Muslim majority already considers beneficial to the ruling Sunni minority community. “Experience in matters of naturalisation has proven that it is illogical to grant Bahraini citizenship to a person who is not fully imbued with the national spirit,” the King told the opening session of parliament. “A naturalised citizen ‘must respect the law’ and be ‘loyal’ and the nation must have need of him,” he added, saying citizenship should only be granted in extreme cases. This is the first time the King has spoken about the qualifications for naturalisation.

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he United Arab Emirates has eased its tough rules for foreign workers who want to change employer, loosening the controversial ‘sponsor’ system in force in the region. An employee with an expired contract can obtain a new work permit and shift to another employer’ without having to wait six months and have his sponsor’s consent, the labour ministry said. “The new regulation takes effect this year and will replace the current formalities of transfer of sponsorship for expatriate workers,” it said in a statement carried by the Emirati state news agency WAM. It said, the measure applies only if the two parties in a labour contract have “ended their work relationship cordially” and the employee has “worked with his employer for at least two years.” However, if the employer fails to honour his legal or contractual obligations or if the contract is proven to have been prematurely terminated by the employer, the worker will have the right to change jobs. Bahrain was the first to abolish the sponsorship system in August 2009, while Kuwait said it will follow suit in February. The International Labour Organisation in early October urged Gulf countries to protect millions of migrant workers by reforming the sponsor system and introducing a minimum wage.

world view Powerful Absence

AFP PHOTO/ODD ANDERSEN

NORWAY, Oslo : The Nobel Peace Prize committee attend the ceremony for Nobel Laureate and dissident Liu Xiaobo at the city hall in Oslo, on December 10, 2010. With the guest of honour stuck in a Chinese prison, this year’s Nobel Peace Prize ceremony centred around an empty chair, as its celebration of dissident Xiaobo continues to infuriate Beijing.

The Greenest LEAF

AFP PHOTO/Kazuhiro Nogi

JAPAN, Yokohama : Nissan Motor Co. Chief Operating Officer Toshiyuki Shiga answers quesitons during a press preview to announce the launch of the all-new Nissan LEAF electric vehicle at the company’s headquarters in Yokohama, suburban Tokyo on December 3, 2010. Nissan said it will launch the Leaf, heralded as the world’s first mass-produced electric vehicle, in Japan on December 20 and in the US by the end of the month.

32 Qatar Today

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AFP PHOTO /CARL COURT

world view

Atlantis Again? MEXICO, CancĂşn : Ana Oposa (R) and Christopher Yu (L), members of delegations from the Philippines, share a table in the sea with Australian Ody Kamal (2-R) and Dominican Vanesa Taveras (2-L), both members of the NGO 350.org, representing a negotiation table of the islands in danger of disappearing due to the rising ocean levels caused by global warming, in the framework of the COP16 United Nations Climate Change conference on December 9, 2010 in Cancun, Mexico.

Unplugged UNITED KINGDOM, Diss : WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange speaks with journalists as he arrives back at Ellingham Hall in Ellingham, Norfolk, on December 18, 2010, after attending nearby Beccles Police Station to register as per his bail requirements. The 39-year-old founder of the whistle-blowing website is fighting extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over allegations that he sexually assaulted two women, which he denies. The two Swedish women who accuse Assange of rape, sexual molestation and coercion are a 31-year-old feminist activist and a 27-year-old admirer, various corroborative sources say.

AFP PHOTO/ATTA KENARE

Tankful of Woes IRAN, Tehran : Iranian motorists queue outside a petrol station in Tehran on December 19, 2010. Iranian petrol prices surged four-fold as the government started scrapping subsidies as part of a long-awaited overhaul of the economy, despite staunch opposition from conservatives.

AFP PHOTO / OMAR TORRES

january 2011

Qatar Today 33

view point

it’s time to talk turkey

spent a lot of last year discussing the merits of various count deficit (about 4% of GDP) recent data shows that capital asset classes that provide deflation protection, for ex- inflows have exceeded the current account deficit, every month ample, or take advantage of the witnessed corporate since April 2010. We, at Barclays Wealth, expect the lira to mainrecovery. During the first half of 2010, we favoured tain its value over the next year, allowing investors to earn a signifstocks, and then our recommendations evolved to favour both icant carry. Also, a strong domestic economic growth will continstocks and bonds together to benefit from the corporate growth ue to underpin positive investor sentiment towards the currency, globally and hedge against any shocks within the volatile market. as will external factors. Moving forward towards the end of last year, our views on asset Inflation in Turkey warrants ongoing monitoring as does the allocation shifted as the global cycle evolved. We currently favour current account financing, but we, at Barclays Wealth, feel that bonds and we suggest that investors include a large allocation of the relatively high interest rates currently available in Turkey long-term government bonds in their asset mix. more than adequately compensate investors for these risks. We remain sceptical and concerned that the developed econoHighlighting the second component of our investment recommies’ weakness will linger, that government bond yields will fall mendations, relative valuations make a convincing case to favour further, and the emerging economies will North Asian equities over South and continue to be the principal wellspring of Southeast Asian equities. Extending this attractive risk-adjusted returns. approach to other indicators and to the In the US, the Fed has announced a secwider emerging markets leads us to the ond bout of quantitative easing, but its same conclusion – on a broad range of ineffects should be limited and we still exdicators that include valuations, earnings pect a ‘growth recession’ there. In Europe, momentum, monetary policy and growth We currently favour bonds growth should slow soon, as fiscal tightenexpectations, north Asian equity markets ing and a stronger euro start to bite. Asia score higher than the largest emerging and we suggest that investors will continue to expand fast, but global immarkets in other regions. Korea and Taiinclude a large allocation of balances are unlikely to be solved quickly, wan, on average, have relatively inexpenlong-term government bonds despite some progress made on the intersive valuations and a higher pace of earnnational scene. ings momentum than their peers in Asia in their asset mix Even though we continue to foresee a and in other regions. Meanwhile, China ‘winter of worry’ with uncertainties likely onshore A-Shares are trading close to to dominate, there is still a bright light at one standard deviation below their histhe end of the tunnel. As part of the allocatoric mean price to earnings ratio; this tion to fixed income, and with an eye on emerging markets that is why we currently recommend expanding our investment idea are granting noticeable opportunities, we have set a number of that was introduced in June 2010 and focused on buying Korean tactical recommendations for investors. These include invest- Equities, to include China and Taiwan equities as well. ment in high quality Turkish lira-denominated debt as well as In pursuing this investment recommendation, investors need buying Korean, Chinese and Taiwanese equities. to take into consideration three risks. First, Chinese real estate The rationale behind the recommendation to invest in high prices represent a risk to Chinese policy; house prices that conquality Turkish lira-denominated debt lies in a combination of tinue to surge could create fears of much tighter government high yields that are available together with the overview on the policy than is currently priced in. Second is the outlook for the currency’s limited downside risk over the next year with further global technology sector; Taiwan in particular is susceptible to a support from strong domestic economic growth and external fac- deterioration in this. Finally, the pace of the global recovery; ultors. Currently, the yield on two-year Turkish lira denominated timately Korea and Taiwan in particular are cyclically sensitive sovereign debt is over 7.5%, while AAA-rated Turkish lira-de- markets, so a worse-than-expected outcome on global growth nominated debt of the same maturity issued by supranationals might not be positive for these markets. Nevertheless, we think is yielding over 7%. that Chinese, Korean and Taiwanese equities represent one of Even though Turkey is running a relatively large current ac- the most attractive ‘recovery bets’ an investor can make. feedback qtoday@omsqatar.com

By Khurram Jafree Head of Investment Advisory MENA, Barclays Wealth

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view point

World Cup: world stage

The

days of Qatar being an ‘undiscovered’ market are over. While the country has been punching far above its weight on the international economic and diplomatic scene for years, its ascendancy to household-name status throughout the world has undoubtedly come from its successful bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. This may seem incongruous for a nation with few natural patches of grass or one where daytime temperatures at the time of the tournament are known to touch 50 degrees centigrade. However, the vision of the Qatari leadership has managed to convince the FIFA leadership that these challenges, in no way, impede its ability to be a stellar host.

novation and buzz to become a destination on the international luxury shopping circuit. With such a high-profile move into the market in London, Qatar has certainly managed to attract the attention of this high-margin set, and may consequently see more people coming to explore retail options in Doha. The city certainly looks set to capitalise on this interest, with gross leasable area (GLA) of retail space set to double to 400,000 sq mts over the coming years.

Brazil-Argentina Football Match Held just before the 2022 bid results were announced, this game is widely credited with clinching the host position for Qatar. The timing could have hardly been better: the legendary South American rivals had been tied in a dead heat of 33 wins each over their last 89 encounters. The successful accommodation of 40,000 fans was touted as proof that the peninsula had the potential to support the estimated 400,000 fans that are expected to descend in 2022. This was far With such a high-profile from the first high-profile match played in Qatar – November 2009’s Englandmove into the market Brazil stands out – but it was the most in London, Qatar has certainly widely watched sporting event to date, managed to attract the airing on ESPN worldwide and giving many football lovers their first glimpse of attention of this high-margin the country. set, and may consequently

This isn’t news to everyone: Long before the much-anticipated announcement in December, Qatar had been racking up a list of top international events. Bold and ambitious, these events have turned out to be extremely successful business ventures. People outside the region/industry are unlikely to have noted that Qatar became the world’s largest producer (not just exporter, as it was formerly) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2010. Some may have noticed the country’s media presence – both as the base see more people coming to Stake In Santander of news network Al Jazeera and, through Already well-known for its high-profile the Qatar Foundation, the sponsor of the explore retail options in Doha investments in Europe, the Middle East, BBC’s Doha Debates, described on their and Asia, Qatar Holding made a splash website as a unique venture in the Arab when it announced in October that it world, providing a battleground for conwould acquire a 5% stake in banking giflicting opinions and arguments about the major political topics of the region. Here is a list of three of the ant Santander’s Brazil operations, making it the second-largest top headline-grabbers of 2010 and a more in-depth look at how stakeholder in the Latin American bank. The move lent credence to the country’s ambitions to be a truly global financial player, they have brought worldwide attention to this Gulf state. and set it up well to access further Latin American markets. It was also among Qatar’s most value-conscious investments to Acquisition of Harrods In May 2010, state-owned investment vehicle Qatar Holding date, with the bonds Qatar Holding bought to convert into shares bought the iconic London store, adding another key brand to its exchanging at Reals 23.75 a share, at the time below market valalready glittering roster. Few in the luxury retail business needed ue. In addition, Santander’s Chairman reported that the Bank exanother reminder that Qataris like to shop – but those unac- pects higher profit from Brazil than Spain this year. To those who quainted with the Qatari market reacted with a mix of befuddle- had doubts, this key acquisition proved that Qatar isn’t treating ment and curiosity. It takes a delicate blend of exclusivity, in- its investments lightly feedback qtoday@omsqatar.com

By Oliver Cornock The author is the Regional Editor of Oxford Business Group

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view point

getting the best out of safe investment ::: Q :::

Dear Graham, In a previous article you mentioned that there was a UK-based investment scam involving property. I have recently received an unsolicited email involving UK property that has huge discounts attached, being sold by a bank. The properties are already built and have rent paying tenants showing good investment returns. Is this a scam? ::: A :::

On the face of it, this does sound too good to be true. Normally, when a bank sells a property it is has been repossessed from someone that could not keep up the mortgage payments. The bank will then sell the property hoping that they recover enough money to clear the debt and if there is any surplus, this must be given to whomever the property was repossessed from. It is the bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legal obligation to make sure that they get the highest price possible for the property. Therefore, what you were offered does not make sense. However, based upon the information you provided, we investigated it and the offer is genuine. The properties the bank is selling are totally owned by the bank and they do have rent paying tenants. The bank owns the properties because of a joint venture with a property developer that went sour and the bank ended up with the properties. As the bank owns the properties, they can sell them for what they want. Unusually, this case sees no-one being evicted from their home or someone making a loss from a sale. The bank simply does not want to be a landlord any more. ::: Q ::: I am returning back home to the UK over the festive season. I have already used up most of my 90 days UK residency this year and want to stay longer. Is there any way, I can get an extension without there being any tax implications? ::: A :::

It is possible that you have unused days from previous years or you can take less days in the next three years. To explain better: To be regarded as non-resident for UK income tax purposes, over a four year period you are allowed to have a full year as resident in the UK providing that in any one year, your stay does not exceed six months. The 90 day rule is actually an average of 90 days per year. Taking this to extremes, I have not returned to the UK for five years so I could spend 180 days there this year, 180 days next year and then stay away for a further two years to be exempt from paying UK income tax. This exemption from income tax does not apply to income derived in the UK, rental income

for example, although there are methods to reduce this liability. Interestingly, this allowance is actually a concession not a regulation and it is documented that if the tax authorities see fit, they will not allow it providing the revenue they receive is worth the potential legal costs. In a nutshell, if it looks like a lot of money is involved, they will put up a fight. ::: Q ::: I regard myself as a cautious person when it comes to my money and I generally prefer to keep it in a bank. Interest rates are low at the moment and as gains, I make are lower than the rate of inflation, I calculate that I am actually losing the spending power of my money. Are there any alternatives to bank deposit accounts that are still regarded as low risk? ::: A ::: There are, and some banks offer them. Typically, they will offer an absolute guarantee to give you your money back after a given term, with the potential of making gains in excess of what the banks are paying in interest. One recent offering gives 8.5% per annum guaranteed for three years with your money back at the end. Conditions have to be met but they are still regarded as low risk.

Warning Someone recently received a Skype message from a mutual friend of ours that told her that he was stranded in Malaysia after he had been robbed of his money and passport. He was requesting that she send him money using Western Union so that he could leave the country. The same woman actually thinks that the word gullible has been removed from the dictionary. She and others from his Skype contacts sent the money that was collected only to later discover that he was safe and well at home and had not travelled for some time.

feedback

graham@yourmoney-matters.com

By Graham Wolverson Wolverson is an Independent Financial Advisor with Pinnacle Asset and Wealth Management with over 20 yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience. He welomes enquiries for financial advice. Peruse the website at: www.yourmoney-matters.com

january 2011

Qatar Today 37

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destination

green tourism

Amount spent By travellers per day

billion

11% 260

of global GDP is attributed to travel and tourism industry

employed in the TOURISM SECTOR

while tourism offers undeniable economic benefits, it comes with a steep environmental price tag. Travel can deplete or destroy local ecosystems and contribute to global climate change.

The

global travel and tourism industry has witnessed a surge in investment over the last decade, marking it as a significant contributor to economic growth for many countries worldwide. Each day, travellers spend more than $2 billion; the travel and tourism industry accounts for about 11% of global GDP and employs more than 260 million people. The United Nations World Trade Organization estimates that 1.6 billion tourists will travel the globe in 2020 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; nearly twice as many as today. But while tourism offers undeniable economic benefits, it comes with a steep environmental price tag. Travel can deplete or destroy local ecosystems and contribute to global climate change. This fact has not been overlooked by the international community, which is demonstrating increased concern about global warming and greenhouse gas emissions, including the adverse effects of air travel and other activities related to the tourism sector. As a result, the travel and tourism industry â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as well as

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governments that hope to draw tourists within their borders – vesting in the preservation of their natural assets. By borrowing against their future, they trade long-term health must cater to high-end, environmentally conscious, international tourists who seek sustainable, eco-friendly tourism activities and for short-term gain. Instead, destinations should strive for meandestinations. Major tourism destinations around the world are ingful change by pursuing sustainable environmental policies pledging to become environmentally sustainable and carbon effi- and practices. If they fail to do so, mounting environmental costs cient within the coming decade-including Sri Lanka, Vancouver, may soon outweigh tourism›s economic benefits. Capturing the Sydney, Melbourne, Manchester, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, economic benefits of tourism’s while limiting undesirable environmental consequences is the ultimate and Sharm El-Sheikh. For these destinagoal of a successful green strategy. By tions, becoming green entails much more crafting such a strategy, policymakers than reducing or offsetting greenhouse gas and industry leaders in the tourism secemissions. Rather, it requires a compretor can ensure that the whole is greater hensive plan for environmental sustainthan the sum of its parts, and at the same ability that achieves carbon-efficiency, as time ensure that no part of the system is well as water sustainability, waste reducdestinations that turn neglected. tion and management, and ecosystem a blind eye to sustainable Building a comprehensive blueprint for preservation. practices risk depleting sustainability begins by addressing four key environmental issues: reducing carTourism should go green their resources and bon emissions, conserving biodiversity, Doha should consider joining the ranks of shortsightedly managing waste properly, and protecting green destinations. Qatar had ambitious under-investing in the and conserving water. It also requires an plans to develop its tourism sector even analysis of the underlying systems that before the announcement that it would be preservation of their a destination must have in place to enhosting 2022 FIFA World Cup; with this natural assets. able change: regulations and governance, event drawing no less than half a million stakeholder participation, funding and fiforeign visitors, tourism infrastructure will nancing, capacity building and education, be under significant pressure. The country marketing, and public relations. Sustainhas already begun public infrastructure able tourism will only become more releexpansion in transport, energy, and water to support, among other sectors, tourism properties that may ex- vant as the effects of climate change continue to intensify and the ceed 90,000 hotel rooms in the coming decade, up from just 6,000 growing middle class in emerging nations creates a larger tourism market. Destinations that hope to remain competitive will come hotel rooms today. Certainly, Doha will be able to reach its goals without going to realise that pursuing a policy of sustainability is not just good green. But destinations that turn a blind eye to sustainable prac- for the environment but essential to attracting visitors and reaptices risk depleting their resources and shortsightedly under-in- ing the economic benefits of tourism

Once policymakers and tourism leaders have thoroughly analysed these environmental issues and enabling systems, they can develop a truly holistic green strategy for their destination, using three steps.

S t ep 1

Step 2

Assess environmental health: Policymakers must first determine the strengths and weaknesses of their location as a destination ecosystem, comparing its current environmental performance to global best practices. This baseline analysis will be a starting point for understanding issues that need to be addressed immediately as well as those that may become obstacles on the road to green transformation.

Map out the green journey: Policymakers must determine how aggressively they can move forward. They may choose a basic approach centered on simply preventing the destruction of natural assets and the environment, using proven yet affordable technologies. With greater economic or political capital, however, they may be able to pursue radical, innovative options that stake a powerful claim to leadership in green tourism.

Step 3 Realise the green vision: The implementation of the chosen strategy should begin with a sustainable master plan that frames specific strategy projects, aligns projects with proper investment, and sets up long-range planning steps. This plan must be linked to existing infrastructure and commercial initiatives, including property development. At this stage especially, destinations must get community buy-in, with the energetic involvement of the government, private sector, and civil society.

by Jurgen Ringbeck, SR. Partner; Nabih Maroun, Partner; Tansel Kilicarslan, SR. Associate Booz & Company is a leading global management consulting firm, helping the world’s top businesses, government ministries and organisations.

january 2011

Qatar Today 39

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Building a legacy for education Now is the time for Qatar to exploit the full potential of THE situation, linking plans for the 2022 World Cup to its recent tremendous spurt in education.

Gaining

Qatar’s huge potential was experienced from the time CfBT the right to host one of the global mega-events Education Trust worked with Qatar Supreme Education Counlike the Olympics or cil assisting in the development of K-12 curriculum standards World Cup has become in Arabic, English, Mathematics and Science. The introduction the equivalent of win- of the standards began in 2005. In educational reform, it norning the event itself: the mally takes a long time to see positive results. The recent PISA promise of showcasing the nation to the world and its potential international test ratings have made a real impression on educationalists internationally because of the as a driver for economic growth is a rearemarkable rate of progress of Qatari son for euphoria. students between 2006 and 2009. There But while the extent of financial reare still challenges ahead for Qatar to wards remain questionable, dependent get from ‘most improved’ to ‘high peron the scale of initial investment informer’ – but 2022 may be exactly the volved, more countries are beginning to platform it needs. see mega-events as being an even more fundamental building block to developResearch into the Need for training ment by using the opportunity to creeducation legacy of megaResearch into the education legacy of ate a powerful legacy for education and mega-events has highlighted what can skills training. A mega-event such as the events has highlighted what be achieved. For example, increased 2022 World Cup presents a once in a gencan be achieved participation in school sport and physieration opportunity (if not far longer). It cal exercise, the chance to promote valprovides a focal point for setting targets, ues of teamwork and friendship, and for initiating campaigns to address specific curriculum development around related attainment and skills issues, and most skills of communication, collaboration importantly as a means of raising aspiraand citizenship, culture and creativity, tions. A mega-event is a means of bringenterprise and internationalism. Largeing an edge of motivation for schemes scale events also create new requireand particularly in terms of helping govments in a variety of industries, from construction to broadernments get to the ‘hard-to-reach’ groups in society. Now is the time for Qatar to exploit the full potential of its casting, and many events have tied these into existing needs situation, linking plans for the 2022 World Cup to its recent tre- and supplied training, initially for a specific event-related role, mendous spurt in education development, marked by the Pisa but with the idea that this training would then provide skilled educational standards results released last month (December labour in short-handed sectors. The Sydney Olympics in 2000, 2010). Qatar is well placed to learn from the successes and fail- for example, provided the catalyst for customer service trainures of previous education legacy schemes, and to start plan- ing for up to 50,000 people through the ‘Welcoming the World’ ning early to ensure its population extracts the greatest possible programme. Mega events offer a variety of legacy opportunities – capital (facilities) and revenue (employment) for educalong-term benefit.

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Manchester 2002 and its volunteer protional institutions. After the Albertville gramme. 19 further education colleges in Winter Olympics in 1992, the Organising the north were signed up, getting more Committee’s offices became part of the than 10,000 people onto education proLycée Professionnel de Grand Arc, algrammes to learn new skills in event lowing that institution to expand. There management, large-scale hospitality, needs to be early planning. If possible, security, and health and safety. Voluneducation should be part of the pre-bid education should be part of teers found permanent jobs on the back work, and be a means of embedding the the pre-bid work, and be a of the programme and their work at the connection between the event and the means of embedding the conGames, many still get called up to work legacy, tackling any obstacles early and alon major events in the region, and all low for a longer running time. Vancouver nection between the event and felt an increased sense of being part of a 2010 tied its education project to the Cathe hoped-for legacy, tackling community and benefited from a memonadian Olympic Education programme any obstacles early and allow rable experience. from 1988. Advocacy and accountability Legacy projects succeed when they needs to be happening at the organising for a longer running time spark excitement and a change in atcommittee level, as well as the relevant titudes about what education can lead national government departments. Legto. Other schemes – which demonstrate acy work needs to make sure that teachhow small-scale activities might be, but ers and tutors themselves don’t just see a are at least have a direct impact on peomega-event as just another initiative, but understand the one-off potential. Organisers need to link their ple’s lives and local areas – include a Neighbourhood Renewal plans into current education targets, for closing the attainment scheme (Victoria 1994) where after-school activities were run gap or involvement in particular learning schemes, and once tar- in a disadvantaged area; and a construction training scheme to gets are agreed the right kind of scale can be determined for the improve employability (Atlanta 1996). Qatar is currently the envy of many nations across the world, event. There should also be clear measures of the real impact on people’s lives so the education community and the public can at but more than just hosting a spectacular, well-run, highly popular event, the success of the 2022 World Cup should be judged last understand what the role of mega-events can be. and specifically measured in terms of what it brings to the broader population and the legacy it delivers for ordinary lives, aspiraMore than an event One of the best examples of successful education legacy was from tions and achievements

feedback qtoday@omsqatar.com

by Tim McAleavy The author is the Education Director, CfBT Education Trust. A copy of the newsreport, What lasting educational benefits can be created from mega-events? can be downloaded from www.cfbt.com

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Qatar Today 41

listening n e w s b i tpost es

Destination Q The Next Gold Rush FOLLOWING THE WIN OF the hosting rights of FIFA World Cup 2022, QATAR IS TURNING INTO A GOLD RUSH FOR MANY...

$12

US is AMONG THE TOP TEN exporting nations to Qatar

Washington

New York

Texas

Nebraska

other states

topS US CITIES EXPORTING TO QATAR - $1.2 billion (QR4.3 billion)

EXPORTS knowledge economy TO QATAR

oil and gas

33 % of Nebraska exports heading to the Arab world land in Doha

fabricated metals, computers, machinery

33%

by a h m e d lo ft y

Arabian peninsula the next gold rush for many. It looks like FIFA’s bold decision was steered towards picking up a few economies from financial doom and hardship, rather than ‘taking the game to new lands.’ The United States, for one, is looking at a ‘substantial piece of the business pie’ here, says David Hamod, President and CEO of the National US-Arab Chamber of Commerce (NUSACC), in an interview to Qatar Today.

atar winning the hosting rights of the FIFA World Cup 2022 has stirred the ambitions of a financially-depressed corporate world. A whopping $54 billion pledge by Qatar in planned projects and undertakings to reinforce its infrastructure has made the

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What are the highlights of your recent undertakings and activities round the GCC? We are the only business entity in the United States that is recognised or authorised by the Arab League in Cairo and the General Union of the Arab Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Beirut.

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“There’s nothing wrong about diversifying ties, but at the end of the day I believe my country (USA) has much more to offer Qatar.” Indonesia and Malaysia are comfortable because they are Muslims and people like to go there with their families. One of the biggest beneficiaries of the 9/11 was Malaysia who picked up a huge amount of tourism from the US. It is very positive for the Arab world to build good relationships world over – Asia, Europe and elsewhere. But I believe the best products, services, managerial systems and education models come out from the US. There’s nothing wrong about diversifying ties, but at the end of the day I believe my country has much more to offer Qatar.

So that’s the mother ship for all chambers of commerce in the Arab world. Just like you have the Arab-British Chamber, the Arab-German Chamber. So our relationship is official, and I am happy to say that we have a very close relationship with the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCI). We have brought major delegations over the years – including US companies that manage in excess of $ 2 trillion. Are you planning a permanent presence in Qatar? We have no plans at the moment to open an office because our sister Chamber – QCCI is here. We may do this at some point, but we value that relationship. Any recent figures about the total volume of trade between US and Qatar? In 2009, US exports to Qatar were about $2.7 billion (QR9.8 billion). US imports from Qatar were a little over $500 million (QR1.8 billion). So we’re exporting more to Qatar than Qatar is exporting to us. Qatar is in the top five export markets for the US in the Arab world. Who are your top five Arab partners? The whole of the Arab world. Now some of them are disproportionately large, Emirates and Saudi are the two biggest players in the region. But Qatar, albeit small, is punching above its weight. It has a substantially bigger impact than any other country its size. In terms of US exports, they’re sort of neck-neck. The US is one of the top exporting nations to Qatar. If you look at the top 10 US states exporting goods and services to Qatar: Washington is on top – $1.2 billion (QR4.3 billion) – my feeling is it’s mostly Boeing. Then Texas (oil and gas), New York (knowledge economy), and then other states that produce a lot of different things

David Hamod President & CEO the National US-Arab Chamber of Commerce

(fabricated metals, computers, machinery). About 33 % of Nebraska’s exports heading to the Arab world land in Doha – possibly corn, beef and other things. There is a perceived shift of fortune East-wards. How do you re-align your business accordingly to tap into the budding opportunities in the GCC? After 9/11 tragedy, the Arab world decided to look East. Though 9/11 wasn’t the only reason for it, it was a major catalyst. In reaction, people in the region said our relations with the US are strained and difficult, so we’ll roll out the red carpet for Asia, specially China. China is a juggernaut. It’s a huge market; so are India, Indonesia and Malaysia. They are big and comfortable.

Some pessimistic forecasts ask: how long can that exist? The East is moving very fast and the West has got a considerable lot of problems. So how do you realign your business or try to re-invent your image and offerings? I think all relationships go through phases– a little bit like a marriage, sometimes it’s a honeymoon, sometimes arguments, sometimes you don’t see eye-to-eye with your spouse. But it’s still a long-term bond. We’re committed for the long-term. It’s in our commercial, strategic and cultural interest to continue building those relationships. So from my perspective, the Asian countries, particularly China and India, have developed some comparative advantages over the US for industry and labour. But when you talk about the 21st century economy and what’s going to create jobs here in Qatar, I don’t think you have to look East – you have to look West to the US. Even here the pie of inbound international education shows an incisive US representation vis-à-vis other global providers... I would tell you that our country is built on the entrepreneurial spirit. We believe in

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“... our country is built on the entrepreneurial spirit. We believe in giving everybody a second chance. I know failure here is frowned upon, but that’s changing with the new generation” giving everybody a second chance. So you failed, try again and again and again until you succeed. If you look at the biggest success stories in the US, they’re mostly about people who failed multiple times and finally got one right. That’s part of our culture and that’s one that I hope we can share with our colleagues in the Arab world. I know failure here is frowned upon, but that’s changing with the new generation. Wikileaks? I don’t know if I can answer that, but I’ll try. Wikileaks – how might they affect your business relations in general terms? I know that Turkey is outraged, and have threatened a cut-off of some commercial relations... It is possible that we will suffer a negative impact from the Wikileaks experience. So far I don’t see any indication of that in the Arab world. It is regrettable that so much information can be made available publicly, while some of it was shared in confidence and was expected to stay in confidence. This is after all a reflection of today’s world that anything can be hacked. Our society today is much more inclined to make things available than ever. Ten years ago, it would not have been possible to share things with the world as we do today. I hope this experience would not impact the private sector. But it may have an impact on the public sector, the governments. Personally speaking, are you with detaining those persons who leak ‘confidential’ information? I don’t have a personal opinion. It’s not anything our Chamber is involved in. The diversification drive taking hold around the GCC, how do you perceive it? What sectors hold the right potential and promise for you?

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We are looking at downstream opportunities. In the past, countries were happy to just export oil or gas, and that was it. Today, they’re far more sophisticated, and are reinvesting the money they get from those energy profits back into the country. They’re putting it into downstream activities. Perhaps, there is no better example than what has been done in Qatar – all the polyethylene, plastics, melamine and all the downstream stuff. Another example is the knowledge economy. Qatar’s shift of focus from total reliance on hydrocarbons to a diversified interest in education, knowledge-based industries and sectors. This important trend we see all over the Arab world. Qatar has been a pioneer because of the work His Highness and Her Highness did with Qatar Foundation. That was remarkable, nobody else did it. We see other relationships being formed with education institutions, with ICT high-tech companies and ultimately, I think that can revolutionise relationships with the world. Can you give some information on your partner countries around the region in light of the opportunities each and every Arab state brings to the table... The Chamber is responsible for working with the 22 countries of the Arab world – recognised by the Arab league. We try to treat every country with equality, but it’s not really equal. We try to respect the economic opportunities every country offers. Most of the big markets for US exporters are here in the gulf. But far and away, the largest markets lie in North Africa – from Egypt to Morocco. But a lot of the biggest economic opportunities are happening right here. Some incredible projects are being undertaken – be it infrastructure, ports, airports, railways, hospitals, schools. And in my humble opinion, they are all supported by the knowledge economy. We met Dr Sheikah Hessa (of ictQatar) who told us Qatar needs to have a strong ICT backbone to do anything anymore. If

you want success at airports, in railways, or wherever, it is the ICT. For businessmen to come here, or go elsewhere, besides economic incentives, they look at the quality of life. Does the bid win itself spur your business and urge fresh initiatives from your side? We are in the midst of the 2022 gold rush. A lot of jockeying is taking place within Qatar. Companies in the region are anxious to win contracts here, because they recognise there will be a very large amount of construction, especially in infrastructure. So it is a remarkable opportunity for Qatar to build out its land, strengthen infrastructure, and make it even more geared toward receiving international visitors. Where do you fit in this gold rush? I hope US companies will receive a substantial piece of the business here. We believe that we have the best management, products, services and practices, let alone our long-standing, close working relationship with Qatar. I really regret what our President said about Qatar’s win being wrong. I think it was inappropriate. The most important point is that we are proud of Qatar, and what it has achieved against all odds. Your role as a chamber? How would you facilitate this? Are you planning on something, or will it be just the ordinary job? We are bringing delegations in the near future to Qatar, and expect to receive a key delegation to the US from here. We will support the Qatar Chamber at the World Chambers Congress. So I see many interesting opportunities ahead. And of course, on a one-to-one basis, we are bringing companies all the time. We educate companies about the market, and help them identify reputable partners. I believe some US companies who didn’t look at the region before, now look at Qatar feedback qtoday@omsqatar.com

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QT TOPS You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t start the year on a higher note than this, SO Qatar Today presents the top things to look out for in 2011.

Projects, products, entertainment, lifestyle choices... let this be the year that defines your professional and personal success. Check out the most comprehensive list of all that makes work and life tick in Qatar.

C o m pi le d by S i ndhu Na ir, J ohn Hunt, Ahmed Lotfy and Casse y Ol ivie ra

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Business Basics

Here is a summary of top projects, events and partners that businesses need to keep an eye on.

Oil & Gas In December 2010, Qatar celebrated a milestone achievement, of producing 77mtpa and on the day of the celebrations, the Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Industry HE Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah said that there were no further plans to build a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) train, but process debottlenecking and revamping the existing ones were on the agenda. This in-effect means that there will be no new oil and gas projects that will go onstream but there are two projects to look forward to:

Clean energy to the world

he first phase of Shellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s $18 billion Pearl GTL, project in Qatar will start up in the first of 2011. When fully operational, the GTL plant will produce around 140,000 barrels a day of gas-to-liquid products like naptha, kerosene and paraffin.

Pass to the Americas

olden Pass LNG Terminal off the coast of Texas in the US, a joint venture between Qatar Petroleum (QP), ExxonMobil, RasGas and ConocoPhillips is expected to be operational in April 2011. The terminal received its first shipment from Qatar in October, 2010 for testing and commissioning.

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tops Infrastructure enhancements 2011 will see numerous infrastructure projects that were stalled earlier due to numerous reasons, begin with a new spurt of life. Though work will progress for almost all the stalled projects, most of them are huge projects which will be completed only by 2014. Some which will be complete in 2011 are:

The first step for NDIA

irst phase of the QR40 billion New Doha International Airport is expected to be complete in 2011 and with the completion of the first phase, the airport will be able to handle 24 million passengers.

First tenants in Energy City

nfrastructure for Qatar’s Energy City, a QR9.46 billion property development aimed at attracting international energy companies, will be completed this year. First tenants will move in at the end of 2011, with the project to be completed in full in 2012, according to Hesham Al-Emadi, the project’s Chief Executive Officer.

Relief for truck drivers

truck park, Barwa A Baraha, which includes the construction of living quarters and amenities for up to 53,000 overseas workers, located in the industrial area, next to street 52, will be built in two phases. Phase one will cost an estimated QR500 million and the bill for phase two has been put at QR2.2 billion. In addition to accommodation quarters, the campus will feature sports facilities, places of worship and shops. With family visitors in mind, a motel has been incorporated into the project’s design. A massive truck parking area will accommodate a total of 4,200 vehicles of various sizes. The first phase of this huge development aimed to serve the needs of those who have been over-looked for years, is expected to be complete by June 2011.

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A city gets built

arwa City, a housing scheme is expected to meet the needs of the middle and the low-middle-income population and is an offering from Barwa. Phase one of the QR4.88 billion Barwa City is expected to be complete in June 2011 and would house approximately 25,000 residents. Barwa City occupies 2.7 million sq mts of land at Musaimeer, near Doha. It will house 20,000 families within a purpose-built community offering amenities, shops and public services. It will have its own district cooling system and total wireless internet coverage.

More Intersections

he Mall (Nuaija) roundabout and the one after it on D-Ring Road will be converted into traffic intersections in 2012, according to Public Works Authority (Ashghal). Ashghal will open Al-Shamal road by the third quarter of 2011 at a cost of QR2.2 billion. The main part of Al Shamal road which extends from 43km to 60km (up to Al Zubara traffic interchange) will be opened during the coming three months.

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Hospitality boost This year will see a huge increase in total number of rooms and an overall boost to the hospitality sector.

Hilton Doha was supposed to be open by the end of the 2010 so the date of launch can be anticipated any moment. A five-star facility owned by Sheikh Khaled Bin Hamed Al-Thani (New Doha Hotels Company), Hilton will open shop in West Bay and will have 310 rooms to offer.

st regis St Regis is another beautiful property that will open in 2011 in Doha New District, with 322 rooms, 394 units and 18 villas.

Merweb Grand

RenaiSsance another property in Dafna by New Doha Hotels Company, will have its doors open by February 2011. It will have all the works, five-star facilities, and 249 rooms.

shangri-la

in Dafna by the same owners is a four-star-plus property with 256 rooms and 97 units.

aspire

In July 2011, Shangri-La, five-star-plus property will open in Dafna with 271 rooms and 42 units. It is also owned by New Doha Hotels Company.

Located in the Aspire Zone, the much anticipated Torch Tower, Aspire will open in March 2011. It is supposed to be a luxury boutique hotel.

rotana five-star-deluxe, will open in Dafna this year with 287 rooms and 94 units.

jumeirah dubai towers Jumeirah Dubai Towers Doha is a five-star hotel coming up in October in the Dafna area, owned by Dubai Towers, Doha. It will have 235 rooms and 22 units.

Who to board? Middle East carriers will see their profits shrink from $700 million in 2010 to $400 million in 2011 as the fragile global aviation industry continues to flounder, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said recently. Despite a drop in profits, Middle East airlines will remain the fastest-growing carriers against struggling western airlines, IATA said in its annual report. in an era when flying is not the top eco-friendly activity that you would indulge in, airlines have found the next best step to counter this argument. Some are developing environmentally friendly fuel while others are looking at smarter, inventive ways to use lesser fuel and thereby emitting smaller quantities of carbon dioxide. If we look at airlines and the best of them in 2011, you can be sure who the winners are:

Qatar Airways

lready growing at a break-neck speed, there is no looking back for this locally made but internationally -known brand. Five years ago, Qatarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s national carrier comprised a fleet of 40 aircrafts. In 2010, the size has doubled to 80. The expansion is still going strong with ongoing orders for more than 220 aircraft worth over $40 billion (QR146 billion). By 2013, it aims to operate a fleet of 120 aircrafts and the current global network of 86 destinations is also expected to rise to 120. But what puts this carrier on the top of our list is its pioneering study of the potential commercial use of jet fuel derived from natural gas as a means of reducing the impact of aviation on local and global air quality. This is in addition to its other fuel-saving techniques that QA deploys as a matter of routine. The airlines is also planning an IPO within the next couple of years.

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On a Firm Footing Post its reshuffle, Qatar Exchange (QE) is placing itself on the map of global stock exchanges. Analysts expect it may launch new products and instruments in 2011, to solidify its regional standing. QE Index is made up of 20 securities, so the capitalisation weight of the market will eventually depend on these big 20 players. In the year ahead, a fair idea about where Qatar’s economy is heading can be taken from the behaviour of the 20 stocks:

Barwa Real Estate

Qatar Electricity & Water

The Commercial Bank of Qatar

Qatar Gas Transport

Doha Bank

Qatar Islamic Bank

Al Khalij Holding Company

Qatar International Islamic Bank

Gulf International Services

Qatar National Bank

Industries Qatar

Qatar Navigation

Al Khalij Commercial Bank

Q-Telecom (Q-Tel)

Masraf Al Rayan

Salam International

National Leasing

United Development

Qatar Insurance

Vodafone Qatar

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Emirates

f we went by numbers, or even by service, Emirates would emerge the winner. With a fleet of 137 aircraft, Emirates currently flies to over 100 destinations in 60 countries around the world. Nearly 700 Emirates flights depart Dubai each week on their way to destinations on six continents. Environmental issues are also not left far behind with it investing in one of the ‘best flight planning systems available’, to carefully plan flights and optimise routes. By working with their partners at Airservices Australia (ASA) to use non-fixed (flexible) air traffic routes that are optimised for the prevailing weather, Emirates claims to save time, fuel and emissions – every day. Emirates is the only airline using flexible routing on flights between Dubai and Sao Paolo in Brazil. The results are impressive in terms of reduced fuel burn, emissions and time savings. Using iFlex technology on flights from Dubai to Sao Paolo, Emirates saves up to 18 minutes of flight time and 7,700kg of CO2. Emirates is currently working with IATA to implement these kinds of flexible routing systems across the world, as standard operating procedure.

Ethihad Airways

tihad Airways has, in just under seven years, established itself as one of the world’s leading airlines. It has 56 aircraft operating close to 1,000 flights per week, serving 66 destinations in 43 countries. Etihad is fully committed to conducting its business in ways that ensure the responsible management of the effect that on environment. Through the adoption of their environmental policy, through their partnership with the Masdar future energy initiative and the make-up of their fuel efficient fleet, Ethihad is also focused on abiding by the principles of ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’.

British Airways

ritish Airways has surprisingly good Business and First Class and consistently ranks among the best in the sky. Planes are well maintained and communication from the flight deck is often characterised as ‘excellent’. BA is sometimes taken for granted but its First Class is now rated among the world’s best. Increasing luggage problems and delays at Heathrow are not a plus for those connecting to points in Europe. British Airways has also made a commitment towards the environment and has entered a contract that will see Europe’s first waste-to-biofuel conversion plant specifically for jet aircraft fuel constructed at a site in London. The plant will eventually be able to process a good 500,000 tonnes of waste per annum – sufficient to create millions of gallons of alternative jet fuel. It is anticipated that this new renewable fuel facility will be up and running in around four years time and – once it is – just half its fuel output will be enough to power all BA flights from nearby London City Airport – the airline said in a statement. Its fuel output will only be enough to cover approximately 2% of its London Heathrow Airport operations, however.

Budget Best – Air Arabia

t a time when low-cost flying was considered as uneconomical in the Middle East, Air Arabia, the first low-cost carrier in MENA was announced. It now has been named ‘Low Cost Airline of the Year’ at the Aviation Business Awards (ABA), in recognition of the airline pioneering the low-cost model. The award acknowledged the success of Air Arabia’s new regional and international routes, its investment in aircraft, and its track record for excellence and innovation. The ABA also gave a personal accolade to CEO Adel Ali. Ali has overseen the creation of the region’s largest budget carrier, which now flies to over 67 destinations.

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5 Financial Resolutions for 2011 by G r a h a m Wo lv e r so n

01 M

anage your debts. Debts come in many forms and credit cards are the main source of expensive debt. For many people, this time of year is particularly dangerous for credit card spending with impulse purchases made at the last minute soon pushing the balance up. If you are in a position to clear your balance at the end of the month then that is fine. Unfortunately, if the balance carries over into the next month and so on, the charges are very high and credit card companies are making huge profits. You are getting charged interest on interest! Mortgages are another main source of debt and as lenders regard the loans as low risk because they are secured against a property, the rates are low. However, competition to provide the loans are high and you are likely to be able to negotiate a better deal elsewhere, so make it a point to review and shop around.

02 A

n emergency cash fund is essential and this should represent at least three months’ salary for unforeseen circumstances. However, there’s little sense in having a bank full of cash if you have maxed out your credit cards. The return on the bank deposit account is going to be far lower than the fees you pay for the privilege of having a credit card. This fund should also include Critical Illness Benefit Insurance in case you fall seriously ill and are unable to work, perhaps ever again even.

03 T

hink long-term. We find ourselves here typically having found a better quality of life. What we overlook is that ‘back home’ there would normally be some form of compulsory pension scheme set up for us. End of service settlements that are sometimes provided for us in this region are no replacement for a properly-funded pension and it is up to us to make provision for our retirement as no-one else will! Property is often regarded as a ‘safe haven’ for long-term savings as you have the potential for the asset to increase in value and also you have potential rental income. If, however, you don’t have tenants and no money in the bank, you can’t eat bricks. Historically, over any 25-year period since the end of WWII, property has increased 10-fold but so have shares. Practically for long-term planning, a portfolio should include a balance of each type of investment. Long-term savings plans are very useful for this purpose but make sure the payments are affordable and sustainable for the whole term of the plan as exiting early can have expensive consequences.

04 G

et your estate in order. We are not immortal and it is inevitable that one day we will pass away. Having been involved with cleaning up estates for people that have died in this region, I can assure you that it is difficult even when a correctly-written ‘Will’ was involved (which we all need). Giving written instructions to someone to make clear what should happen to your estate if you die is a great start and that is all a ‘Will’ does. It also helps if you explain in writing where the estate is. Some form of balance sheet showing assets and liabilities is practical, and this should also include bank statements.

ay yourself first. All too often, we fall foul of confusing two words: ‘want’ and ‘need’. Work out what you ‘need’ to pay for each month, which will include debt repayment and long/short term savings, and set that to one side. From the remainder, look at how much you ‘want’ to spend each month and stick to it. If you ‘want’ to spend more, then you must reduce your ‘need’ payments, which is typically debt.

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Wheels OFFROADER Toyota Land Cruiser

offroader (PREMIUM) Porsche Cayenne Turbo

FAMILY Hyundai Sonata

UVs are ubiquitous in every Gulf country and Qatar is no exception. Here is the omnipresent, safe and steady Toyota Land Cruiser. You’ll know the 2010 Land Cruiser from a distance, with its characteristic and classic styling and of course, its size. It’s not surprising or inspiring like some of its rivals, but as the benchmark for the class, it doesn’t need to be. The technology-heavy presentation occasionally seems at odds with the rough-and-ready nature of the vehicle itself. With only one engine available for the 2010 Toyota Land Cruiser, it is still a brawny 5.7-litre V8 engine rated at 381 horsepower and 401 lbf of torque. The same engine is also found in the Tundra pickup. Here it’s mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, and though the hefty 5,700lb curb weight doesn’t do the Land Cruiser any favours in acceleration, the engine still feels strong in freeway merges and hauling or towing duty. The six-speed auto makes easy work of the necessary gear changes, operating quickly and smoothly.

orsche isn’t making any apologies for the way its new, secondgeneration Cayenne looks, or, for that matter, how much it costs. It’s QR 471,700 (starting price) investment in its Turbo form, and a tally of luxurious extras. Porsche once again delivers performance that’s positively indecent for a car of such scale. With a new direct-injection V8 petrol engine under its bonnet, and 494 horsepower to hand, the Cayenne Turbo dashes to 62mph in 4.7 seconds, matching a 911 Carrera off the line. The new Cayenne looks tidier, sexier and, impressively, smaller. The Panamera-inspired front fascia and racier, tauter bodyline give the SUV a far more appealing demeanour. The proportions have never been more perfect.

here is not a huge deal known about this model in the Qatari market but that might be about to change with the newly-facelifted 2011 model which is earning rave reviews and selling in numbers, particularly next door in KSA. In that market, a Hyundai employee told us, the Sonata is ‘killing’ the Toyota Camry, its main rival. The Sonata is also up against the Honda Accord, Nissan Altima and Volkswagen Passat. So why the Sonata and not another? For one, while Hyundai is not a ‘legacy’ name, it does have a reputation for economy and the Sonata is cheaper (in some cases, considerably more so) than the others mentioned here. Secondly, it looks good and there’s more than a hint of the Mercedes CLS in the Sonata’s profile. “It looks like a proper luxury car from the outside, and gets pretty close on the inside,” writes USA Today. “Not only is the Sonata better looking, bigger inside, more fuel-efficient and better to drive than most of its competitors, it also retains its value just as well.”

dealer: Abdullah Abdulghani & Bros

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dealer: Porsche Centre Doha, Al Boraq Automobiles

Hyundai Sonata from QR71,000, showroom on C-Ring and Salwa Road

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Public transport doesn’t really exist in any meaningful sense in Qatar, and with petrol as cheap as it is here, the car is king. Even a cursory look around will tell you that on Doha’s roads there is a deep relationship between man and machine, regardless of the origin of the driver. Here we cast our eye over six automobiles from five market sectors: sports, luxury, offroader, family and budget. Of our picks from the five sectors mentioned; granted, a quizzical eyebrow might be raised in the direction of a couple of cases but if the emphasis were solely on the ‘best of the best, money no object’, then this would be a much different line up. That is to say, value for money was an important factor, and there is really only one ‘fantasy’ car here.

BUDGET Kia Picanto

hile we take it as read that most of us would like to be driving one of the other cars featured here – especially one in particular – one has to have the money to indulge. If money is tight, then the budget or ‘city car’ segment is worth a look, filling up as it is with models from more and more manufacturers entering an expanding market. The need to find value for money is a consideration in this sector but not remarkably more so than the rest of the market, with the probable exception of the luxury bracket. People want more for less nowadays, and it’s not just the economic weather behind this thinking; it’s a credo that’s here to stay. The cheery-looking Picanto delivers fourdoor motoring for ridiculously low prices. Cheap to buy, cheap to run, cheap to insure – we’re talking dirhams per mile, not riyals. What Car? wrote, “The Kia Picanto looks good and, with its five-door practicality and decent equipment, is cracking value for money.”

Kia Picanto from QR32,000, showroom in Al sadd, opposite hamad hospital

LUXURY BMW 7-Series

SPORTS Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

he first three words what came into my head when I saw the 2010 BMW 7-Series for the first time were: ‘who’s your daddy?’ and the first impression still remains; this is a car with a presence that borders on the intimidating. The flagship of a world-renowned premium auto manufacturer means that we take a jump well into six digits to get your hands on one of these. A lot of money should get you a lot of car, and it certainly does in the physical sense of the word as it’s enormous, yet still looks sprightly due to the clean, flowing lines from back to front. There’s little else to be said about this car – it’s not at all coy about its intentions to seduce and dominate. Performance goes from adequate at the 730 entry level up to alarming in the range-topping 6-litre, 544bhp, v12 760. Top Gear magazine describes the latter model as, “luxurious, yet brutal in intent. A driver’s car, but also a car for people with chauffeurs. There’s something about sitting in the seat of a big BMW that feels right.”

e were at the ‘unveiling’ of this model last year and when the sheet was pulled off this car there were audible gasps from the assembled throng. It really is a staggeringly beautiful automobile and pictures alone cannot do it justice. The car is the first entirely designed and built by Mercedes’ tuning/sports arm AMG and is described as a successor to the legendary 300SL Gullwing from the 1950s. This new imagining has the gull wing doors and a similar look but it’s a completely different beast, which is no surprise after half a century. A 6.2-litre engine lurks under the elongated bonnet capable of blasting the all-aluminium chassis from 0-100kmh in 3.8 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 315kmh. CNet UK wrote, “The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is a fabulous supercar. It matches, and in some cases even surpasses, many of its more established thoroughbred rivals.” If you have QR950,000 to spare, you can see if you agree with them.

BMW 7-Series starts at QR329,000 for the 730; pictured 760 is QR765,000 Alfardan Automobiles, West Bay

Nasser Bin Khalid showroom ON salwa road

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sports watches

Rolex

Omega

henever the finest watches are discussed, the Rolex name is never far away. With good reason, many would say, as the brand has become synonymous with luxury timekeeping, status, quality of manufacture, purity of image and... a hefty price tag. For over a century, Rolex has been producing luxury timepieces while building annual revenue and a brand both valued in the billions of dollars. That Rolex is by far the most counterfeited watch could perhaps be viewed as a positive – it’s the watch everyone wants to own, whether or not you can afford to do so legitimately or with fidelity. The Rolex Submariner here is one of the most recognised luxury products in the world. Little changed since its 1954 debut, the model was tweaked in 2010 with a slight change in shape and the addition of a ceramic bezel in place of the previously metal one. The ever-popular Submariner perhaps best sums up the company’s ongoing quest for understated style and timeless luxury.

Steel Submariner Date. Available from Rolex Boutique, City Centre. QR25,100

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ounded in 1848 and now part of the massive Swatch Group, Omega watches come at the market from a slightly different angle to their fellow Swiss’ Rolex. Certainly their sports watches are chunkier, more likely to incorporate elaborate technical functions and use contemporary materials in manufacture such as carbon fibre and titanium. The target market is a younger, more fashionable crowd, though these are not fashion watches by any means. Omega’s Speedmaster model was the first and, so far, only watch worn on the Moon when it beat out all comers to become NASA’s timepiece of choice after rigorous testing and in 1969 was on Buzz Aldrin’s wrist during the Apollo 11 flight. The Seamaster Chronograph here is from Omega’s diving watch range and, since 1996, the choice of James Bond, one of many promotional tie-ins that Omega favours and which saw it as the Olympic timekeeper on numerous occasions. Half the price of Rolex, not so very far removed in terms of prestige...

Seamaster 300m Chronograph. Available from Rivoli, City Centre. QR12,750

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Tag Heuer

Seiko

ith this Tag Heuer, we’re now - just about – moving into the realm of the ‘deluxe’ watch. Not top-end, but very far from ‘budget’. However, if the QR9,000 that this piece costs is still a little too ‘deluxe’ for you then next up is the Seiko... However, if Rolex represents timeless luxury and Omega is just that little more dynamic then Tag Heuer’s ethos is 100% sports, preferably involving something that goes very fast. Tag has a long association with motorsports, especially Formula 1; Steve McQueen wore a Tag Heuer model ‘Carrera’ in the film Le Mans – one imagines the then marketing manager would have been pleased. One of Tag’s most popular current models is the watch it designed for the McLaren F1 team. Skiing, too, and other extreme sports seem to be Tag’s playground and the ‘young, affluent professional’ its base clientele. The Aquaracer is a sturdy and stylish watch for, Tag tells us, the ‘adventurous gentleman’. Saucy!

Aquaracer 500m. Available from Tag Heuer Boutique, City Centre. & the mall. QR9,000

Casio

hough we cross the globe from Switzerland to Japan for our remaining brace of watches, Seiko’s history also begins in the 19th century and it’s a road studded with milestones. One of them coming in 1969, when Seiko released the first production quartz watch, the ‘Astron’, costing $1,250 at the time, more than the cost of a new Toyota Corolla. It has been the official timekeeper at numerous Summer and Winter Olympics and football World Cups. It was also, like Rolex and Omega, once the watch of choice for James Bond in four films across the 1970s and 80s. In the 1990s, Seiko introduced its ‘Kinetic’ technology which did away with the need for a battery to power the quartz timekeeping mechanism but used the movements of the wearer to charge a capacitor to provide power. The Kinetic Diver’s watch here shows what Seiko is about: handsome, exceptional quality, reasonably priced. Seiko makes, arguably, the best value watches on the planet and this model, from the lower end of the ‘deluxe’ niche, is no exception. Kinetic Diver 200m. Widely available in Doha and online. QR1,500

on’t be surprised to see the name of Casio among the other, more exalted brands in this quintet. A history of producing remarkable timepieces is the only requirement for a place here and Casio fits the bill with ease. Unerringly accurate, attractive, reasonably cheap and, because of the latter, easily replaced if something untoward happens, indeed, a good few people will own a high-end watch or two and a Casio or similar for ‘day wear’ or if travelling somewhere where an ostentatious timepiece might bring you unwanted attention (somewhere like the UK, for example). Casio’s Waveceptor series uses a radio signal to periodically readjust itself for accuracy so it’s never telling the wrong time. Sadly, this feature only works in Europe, Japan and North America but it will be needed in Qatar before the World Cup arrives. Besides, these watches keep great time anyway as previously mentioned. For this watch, however, you’ll need a battery and a change of the same every couple of years.

Waveceptor Edifice 100m. Widely available in Doha and online. QR850

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tops FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT... Things to do in Qatar For a country that’s just a speck on the globe, Qatar may not boast of a plenitude of attractions. Nevertheless, you can still keep yourself occupied...

Ride up the sand dunes Why not enjoy the bounty of a desert land? If you are adventurous enough, you can take a bumpy ride on the dunes either in your own vehicle (provided it’s a 4x4!) or there are drivers who can be hired to help you in your thrilling ride. Try the dunes at Khor and Al Udaid.

Hit the beach Plan an overnight stay at the beach. Light a bonfire, start a barbeque and under the starlit skies, enjoy quality time with friends and family and have an occasional dip in the cool waters. Sealine beach, Al Wakra beach and Al Khor beach are highlights.

A walk on the Corniche Unlike the bustling traffic in Doha, the Corniche is a perfect spot to bask in the city’s calm and quiet. While the cool breeze from the sea brushes across your face, the picturesque sight of unwavering blocks of glass buildings across the bay gives you company.

Visit the souqs Air-conditioned malls may have sprung up across the country, but the essence of a traditional market can still be felt at the souqs. Souq Waqif is the most famous of the lot, keeping visitors intrigued by its imposing maze-like architecture and an array of shops and restaurants offering you the best of Qatar’s tradition.

Let’s party Clubs and lounges are in almost all of the top hotels in the country. Ring up a few friends and hang out till the wee hours of morning, while drinks and music do the rounds.

Weekend breaks It’s the weekend, and you want to get away from the city. But with just a two-day break, you wouldn’t want to spend half a day on the flight itself. So here’s a list of short-haul trips to save every precious minute...

Abu Dhabi

When it comes to UAE, Dubai springs to mind. But if you are not a party animal, it’s best to head to AD. Sample the multi-cuisine restaurants; take belly-dancing classes, enjoy a desert safari or visit some old forts while you tour the city. Where to stay Hilton Corniche Hotel Apartments, InterContinental Abu Dhabi, Hala Arjaan by Rotana.

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Flights with Qatar Airways & ethihad daily duration: 55mins

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Manama

Oman

The literal translation of Manama would mean ‘sleeping place’. But its scintillating night-life is sure to keep you awake. Latenight shopping, lively bars, nightclubs, fine dining – a perfect stop for nocturnal beings!

A desert at heart – be greeted by sandy beaches and beautiful sand dunes. In the Sharqiya Region you’ll discover some of Oman’s main attractions, like the beautiful beaches of Sur, turtle nesting sites in Ras Al-Jinz and the desert dunes of Sharqiya Sands.

Where to stay Qatar Today recently stayed at the Radisson Blu Diplomat Hotel. not only was it exceptional, but great value for money, too. it comes Highly recommended.

Flights with Qatar Airways start from QR890, duration: 25mins

Where to stay Holiday Inn Muscat-al Madinah, Crowne Plaza Muscat and of course, the world famous Al Bustan Palace Hotel.

Flights with Qatar Airways start from QR1,400. duration: 1h 20mins

Riyadh

Kuwait City

The city of the conservative Kingdom of Saudi Arabia boasts handsome hotels, fabulous fine-dining and cosy cafés. Don’t forget to visit the state-of-the-art National Museum with rich displays of Arab culture, heritage and art. While you are out shopping at the souqs and malls, there is a Kingdom Tower mall which has a floor for women only!

The city’s landmark ‘triple towers’ are not the sole reason to visit this place. A clean corniche; a first-class aquarium, excellent museums; stunning pieces of marine and land architecture; the choicest of malls and souqs, and a selection of restaurants offering savoury dishes are some of the other reasons why you must visit Kuwait City during the weekends.

Where to stay Four Seasons Hotel, Riyadh Marriott Hotel, Riyadh Palace Hotel, Al Faisaliah Hotel.

Flights start from QR1,560. duration: 1h 20mins

Where to stay Swiss-Belhotel Plaza Kuwait Hotel, Sheraton Kuwait Hotel, Holiday Inn - Downtown, Kuwait Continental Hotel

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Flights start from QR1,510. duration: 1h 15mins

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tops Artistic Crazes in Doha What’s your true calling? Or a passionate hobby? 2011 could be the year for you to explore new horizons...

Finance your dream movie or be a film investor

re you a fan of storytelling? Do you have some intriguing ideas that you dream of watching live on the screen? Or are you an investor willing to worm your way though the emerging film in Doha? If so, Doha Film Institute (DFI) is the place. DFI is supporting Doha-based filmmakers in their storytelling, with the aim to unlock creativity, connect regional and international talent. Why don’t you join its film financing model? DFI is planning a series of filming financing and training opportunities to be unveiled in early 2011. If you got the bucks and cinema is your passion, don’t wait, knock their doors now. They have ready stories, talent and equipments to put your dream on screen.

Take a look at the unrivalled book/manuscript trove in Doha

he Cultural Development Centre, member of Qatar Foundation, is set to open the doors of the Heritage Library that houses 85,000 books and manuscripts. That will be a real treasure trove on the history of the Arab region, Persia and Asia at large. The Heritage Library now operates from a temporary location near Al-Jawazat roundabout, but will shortly move to a new building at the Education City. The Library has been compiling its rare collection over years, and it includes books handwritten from 700 years back by own authors and renowned calligraphers, manuscripts from Khalifs, Sultans and Shahs to superiors and affiliate towns and territories, editions of the earliest newspapers published in Egypt and Lebanon, handwritten memoirs and commentaries of leading intellectuals, among others.

Watch for Katara’s hot happenings

he glamour and glitz Katara had added to the second version Doha Tribeca Film Festival was a telling story of brilliance and success. Katara is Doha’s full-fledged cultural village. It hosts arts hotspots, cultural corners, event-hosting venues, delicate food courts and cafe shops. The place is ready to host cultural and arts happenings of any scale. Thus it houses a bunch of culture-specific headquarters and buildings such as Doha Plastic Arts Association, theatre rooms, amphitheatres, cinema displays areas, you name it. For 2011, Katara promised a comprehensive agenda full of events that appeal to all senses. Get in touch with them for your next visit.

Join the Doha animation community they’re just starting...

or the first time in Doha, Doha Film Institute has announced a proper training on 3D animation for aspiring filmmakers and beginning cartoonists. The course is set to start around March 2011 and will select a few talents to form the core and base for much fun to come.

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Be a fashion designer or an educated fashionista

oin an internationally-respected fashion design school for a brief course in January or April 2011. You don’t need to travel any far – Virginia Commonwealth has a school here. Through its community classes, VCU-Q provides educational, cultural and design opportunities to the various communities in Doha. Its programme for 2011 includes courses on 2D/3D graphic design, interior design and fashion design. All classes are open to women and men and taught in English and Arabic, just you need to visit their website: http://www.qatar.vcu. edu/programs-courses/community-classes/

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Hotels to check out The hotels in Qatar define luxury beyond limit. With a chain of five-star hotels catering to the hospitality sector, Qatar knows how to serve its guests well. We share with you what five of them have to offer:

W Hotel

might stand for ‘wow’ as the hotel promises to do just that with its signature interior style. Every room is fitted with the state-of-the-art technology and amenities to make your stay perfect. Satiate your tingling taste buds with the three vibrant restaurants serving dishes of delight. Making your nights crazy is the Crystal Lounge playing the hippest music and serving the tastiest cocktails. You can either relax at the Bliss Spa or you can get into shape at the Sweat Fitness centre then cool off in a pool at the hotel’s urban oasis.

Grand Hyatt Doha

he hotel is located on the shoreline of the West Bay lagoon district, offering a breathtaking view of the Arabian Gulf. The range of services includes 249 guestrooms and suites complete with round-the-clock facilities. Guests can be treated to a soothing time at the Jaula Spa, hit the gymnasium, take a dip in the swimming pools, or whet their appetite with a broad selection of international cuisine and local flavours from the hotel’s restaurants and lounges.

InterContinental

Four Seasons

ithin a 20-minute (hopefully...!) drive from DIA you reach the magnificent InterContinental Hotel, offering 257 guestrooms with a variety of sea view, suites and club floor rooms; business-meeting rooms and a grand ballroom. Feeding your taste buds are eight restaurants and bars serving International cuisine, Italian, Greek, Middle Eastern, Far Eastern, Mexican Tex-Mex and seafood specialties, as well as a kids buffet on Saturdays. Apart from housing the largest free-form swimming pool in Doha, the hotel also invites guests to its renowned Bay Club loaded with outstanding recreational facilities.

t the centre of the West Bay Lagoon complex, stands the elegant Four Seasons Hotel. It offers 232 spacious guest rooms, including 57 suites, most featuring a stepout private balcony to take in the splendid view of the Corniche and Arabian Gulf. While staying at the Hotel, one can enjoy a fitness centre, a lavish oasis-like pool side, two flood-lit tennis courts, special amenities for children. You can also purchase a gift certificate for dining or spa treatments, to gift that special someone.

Ritz-Carlton

et on its own exclusive island, the Hotel houses 374 well-appointed guestrooms, 61 suites and 42 club rooms. There are eight fancy restaurants and bars featuring fine local and international cuisine, a luxurious spa and modern fitness centre, indoor and outdoor swimming pools; enough to keep you intrigued during your stay. The hotel also includes two ballrooms, seven meeting rooms and a fully equipped business centre along with a 235-slip marina with clubhouse for boats and an eight-slip marina for jet-ski.

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Malls to splurge in Have money, will splurge! Shopping in Qatar is one of the favourite pastimes out here; and the best part about malls is that they have gradually evolved into a perfect family destination catering to the pleasure of every member - shopping for the ladies, restaurants for the men and gaming zones for the kids. We explore five such malls

Landmark Mall

City Centre

ocated in Gharaffa on the outskirts of Doha, Landmark Shopping Mall is home to many middle and high-end international brands like Mango, Stradivarius and Esprit to Zara, Massimo Dutti and Mexx. Apart from shopping one can enjoy a snack or a meal at the numerous restaurants in its food court or relax and chat with their friends at any of the speciality cafes. Entertainment for children is in the form of an indoor mini theme park, Circusland, which features carousels, dodgems, arcade games, and a soft play area. On the other hand, movie enthusiasts can treat themselves to the latest international and regional movies at the multiplex cinema that features state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment.

Villagio Mall

Hyatt Plaza

ith its imposing structure at the Aspire Zone, the Villagio Mall boasts of many famous brands from US, UK, Italy and Germany. The first thing that you spot, when you step into the mall is the Grand Canal, complete with gondolas, that runs through the heart of the building. When there are not many people around, try shouting your name, you can actually hear your echo at this spot. If you suddenly have an attack of the nibbles, there is huge choice in terms of restaurants and take-away food. Gondolania theme park is a must-visit for kids to be enthralled. The entire décor of the mall is styled like an Italian mini-village (hence the name). Probably the best mall in Qatar.

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mong the line of glass buildings that adorn the Al Dafna area, one can easily spot the massive City Centre Mall. An exciting feature of this mall is its ice-skating rink for enthusiasts to exhibit their talent, or perhaps just to learn the art of balancing. There is a Carrefour supermarket for your household needs. There are also several branded stores out here and there is a high probability of you getting lost. The food court is a popular hangout zone for grabbing a meal – you have all the fast food joints under one roof! You can keep your kids engaged with a variety of games and activities at the amusement area. During the weekends, finding a place to park at the basement often becomes very tricky.

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nother mall fitting cosily in the Aspire Zone is the Hyatt Plaza. This family shopping centre comprises of 74 local and international retailers, entertainment outlets and restaurants. It also houses Qatar’s popular indoor theme park: Jungle Zone. Giant Stores present at the mall offers you a variety of options to fill your trolley. Hyatt Plaza Dining is a casual and elegant family avenue that caters the flavours of the world with exquisite savour through a variety of dishes from Arabic, Indian, Western, Chinese cuisines and more. The spacious food court is frequented by shoppers and visitors, who sit, eat and enjoy the mouth-watering meals with comfort and coolness. Offering a friendly, cosy ambience, a pleasing green landscape and hassle-free, shaded parking, the mall also boasts the best international brands under its roof.

Porto Arabia

ot a mall as such, but head down to The Pearl to discover some of the finest shopping in the Gulf– this is no exaggeration. Wander along the harbour, window-shopping in winter and visit the same stores from the inside track while the sun beats down in summer. What’s on offer reads like a who’s who in luxury retail: Alexander McQueen, Calvin Klein, Emporio Armani, Hermes, Hugo Boss and Italian/US shoes and bags emporium Salvatore Ferragamo. There’s even a Ferrari showroom here so you can pick up a 458 and a pair of sunglasses from Sunglass Hut within about 50 yards of each other. When the weather is as it is at present, quayside dining can be enjoyed with a host of top names: Maze by Gordon Ramsay, Les Deux Magots, Carluccio’s and Pampano. All the cuisines of the world are here and it’s just so much more civilised than the bustle of the mall.

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Financial Success:What drives it? Two researchers, Jim Harter, Gallup’s chief scientist of workplace management and well-being, and Dr Frank L Schmidt, Professor of management and organisations at the University of Iowa, were determined to answer thIS question – WHETHER engaged employees drive an organisation’s performance, or does success inspire engagement? (THE LAST PART OF THE ARTICLE ON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT CARRIED IN QT DECEMBER)

Take, for example, one of the Q12 items: knowing what’s expected engaged employees drive an organization’s performance, of you at work. If you know what’s expected of you, you’re more likeor does success inspire en- ly to do things every day with a sense of clarity. You know what your purpose is, and you know what the outcomes are that you’re trying gagement? Do engaged employees create to achieve. If you don’t understand those things, you have a sense financial success, or does fi- of hesitancy or confusion, and that difference affects what you do nancial success spark engage- every day, whether it’s serving customers and making them engaged ment? That’s the kind of daunting question that academics love or showing up to work. “On average, people come to work wanting to make a difference. to ponder but rarely get to answer. Jim Harter, PhD and Frank L Not everybody does, but on average, people Schmidt, PhD were determined to answer do want to make a contribution. So clarity this question. of expectations affects whether people do Ultimately, they found that engaged emwork every day that benefits the organisaployees cause high retention rates, better fition, serves customers, or produces quality nancial performance, and customer loyalty. work. Over the time, an employee’s percepThis is crucial news for business leaders and tion affects whether the business is successmanagers. Understanding the relationship clarity of expectations ful or not. It will affect whether customer between employee engagement and organiaffects whether people buys something. It will affect turnover. It sational performance can help leaders and do work every day that will affect lots of things. managers take the right steps toward creat“Here’s another example: When people ing engagement and, eventually, a high-perbenefits the organisation, perceive that they’re cared about at work, forming organisation. serves customers, or they’re more likely to show up, and they’re produces quality work more likely to do things that benefit the orSo how do employee perceptions influganisation in the longer term. And if people ence performance? feel that someone at work encourages their Dr Schmidt: “When employees have favordevelopment, they’re more likely to pay atable perceptions of their work situation and tention to customers. The data suggest that their organisation and the support they reif employees feel that someone’s looking out ceive from their managers and supervisors, for their best interest, they then reciprocate they are more motivated to provide good and look out for the best interest of the orcustomer service, to work more diligently, and to be identified with the mission of the organisation. High ganisation.” levels of employee engagement contribute to employee retention – employees are much less likely to quit because they are engaged What can companies do to encourage positive perceptions -to good customer service and to good performance all the way or alter them to create the ones they want? Dr Schmidt: “All of the Q12 items are designed to be actionable by around.” Dr Harter: “Exactly. Organisational performance comes from a lot management. If there is an average or below-average level of perof little behaviours that accumulate over time. If the ultimate out- formance in a business unit on any one of these items, the manager come of a for-profit organisation is sales and profit, the first ques- can examine the content of the item and take action to improve on tion for a researcher is ‘How do employee perceptions cause sales that dimension. Improvement would depend on what the item was. If a substantial number of employees are saying they don’t have the and profit?’

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materials and equipment they need to do their jobs – this is one of the Q12 items – then that tells the manager what he or she needs to work on to improve that component of employee engagement. “That’s why it’s important to have good evidence as to the direction of causality, which we get from this study. If employee perceptions are the main cause of financial performance rather than the reverse, we know that managers can take action to improve employee perceptions and therefore have an impact on the bottom line. But if the causal direction were in the opposite direction, it’d be a different story. We would be saying to managers that what you have to do first is improve your financial performance, and then maybe your employees’ perceptions of their work will improve. That’s a very different prescription, and that’s why it’s important to know the predominant direction of causality.”

ment or organisational commitment and so on – are substantial and tap into one basic thing, which is employees’ positivity, such as positive attitudes toward their work and their jobs. The unique thing about the Gallup Q12 is that it doesn’t just measure how employees feel; it measures their attitudes toward specific things that are actionable and can be changed to improve their attitudes and their perceptions. It’s important to have an instrument that gives you actionable advice on what to do if you need to improve employee performance. Most of the metrics don’t do that; they just ask how you feel in general. In general, are you very satisfied or moderately satisfied or not satisfied, or low in satisfaction or high in dissatisfaction? That doesn’t tell managers what they need to know to improve the situation.”

So how can organisations improve their financial performance? What actions can managers How big is the linkage between perceptake to have an impact on financial pertion, performance, and profit? formance? Dr Harter: “In other studies we’ve done, Dr Harter: “The first thing you must meawe’ve found associations of one to four persure is employee perceptions. Second, you centage points difference in profit when you must measure issues that employees and compare the top quarter of most engaged managers can do something about. Then, business units to the bottom quarter of you must have good education about how least engaged units. We’ve also found 25% Managers can provide great managers create change. You must to 50% differences in turnover between individualised training have a long-term commitment to say, ‘This top-quartile and bottom-quartile busiand development that’s is not going away – it’s part of how we evaluness units. In our large-scale meta-analysis ate management in our organization.’ that covered 32,000 business units in 152 aligned with the talents Then, there are a lot of practical things organisations, we found that top-quartile of their employees within each of the Q12 elements that manand bottom-quartile units differ by 16% in agers can do something about. Managers profitability. That’s how much all the things can work to clarify expectations by helping that people do each day affect profit. Managemployees see the outcomes the organizaers can do things that benefit people in their tion is working to achieve – and how emlives while at the same time improving the ployees can play a role in achieving those business. outcomes. A lot of times, this seems to be “And that’s also an important point for overlooked. In fact, only a little over half the managers. As managers, you can do things that benefit people in their lives in general at the same time you’re people we’ve studied around the world really know what’s expected improving the business. For example, we know that engaged work- of them at work. “Managers can provide individualised training and development ers are about twice as likely to be thriving in their overall lives in comparison to actively disengaged workers, and we also know that’s aligned with the talents of their employees. They can provide timely and specific feedback when employees achieve outcomes so they’re much more productive. Furthermore, the path is clear from engagement at work to cus- they know what they contributed and why it’s important to the ortomer perceptions. Our Q12 meta-analysis showed that there’s a dif- ganisation. Managers can provide goals and metrics that assess qualference of about 12% on customer engagement or loyalty metrics ity so people know what quality is and how they’re held accountable between top-quartile and bottom-quartile business units. In large for it, which in turn improves morale and a sense of equity. These are all things that great managers do, but they are often organisations, that affects thousands of customers.” overlooked in average organisations because managers think that What additional research do you think needs to be done on their job is to tell people what to do. But that’s really only a small part of the role of a manager. Great managers give employees directhis topic? Dr Schmidt: There is much research being done in this area by a tion, of course, but they also understand where their employees variety of people in different universities. One developing idea that are at right now and how they can help them become great in seems to have a lot of promise is that the correlations among differ- their current role – and they help them see where they can be ent employee attitudes – whether it’s job satisfaction or engage- in the future.” check out www.omsqatar.com

Interview by Jennifer Robison

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Transferable Skills in the Workplace Transferable skills are those skills that employers look for when they are interviewing you

Your

transferable skills are the in your career and acquire added skills and expertise. While highly arsenal that ensures your specialised skills may be essential to building your own personal marketability, increases competitive advantage and ensuring success in a particular role your professional competi- or organization, it is the transferable skills that ensure you do not tive advantage and eases become professionally redundant or obsolete over the long-term. your transition into any new role. No matHow Do You Acquire Transferable Skills? ter how specific, specialised and limited you Everyone has transferable skills and they may think your past or present role to be, are acquired all through a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life you are likely to have a set of highly valufrom infant and grade school through to able skills that are transferable across workcollege via formal courses, informal eduplaces and hence essential to your career cation, personal reading, social activities, success. Transferable skills are the skills professional activities and life in general. that employers look for when they are interManagers can provide Once you have identified the set of essenviewing you so it is essential that you take individualised training tial skills that you can take with you and stock of these and are able to cultivate them, apply anywhere you go, you can embark add to them and recite them freely and conand development thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on a dedicated mission to cultivate these fidently at job interviews. aligned with the talents skills further and add to their inventory. of their employees Definition of Transferable Skills: How Do You Identify Transferable Skills? Very simply explained, transferable skills Self-awareness gained through rigorous, are those versatile skills that you can apply systematic and ongoing self-assessment is and make use of in a number of different essential to ensuring your marketability. roles. There are plenty of sophisticated self-assessment tests that allow you to analyse your Why are Transferable Skills Important? Transferable skills are the inventory of assets that help you transi- own personal strengths and weaknesses. You can also go through a tion into and excel in a new role. They ensure your professional re- skills checklist and tick all the ones that you are confident apply to silience and the robustness and longevity of your career. Moreover you. Enlist the help of your boss or peers or professors or family if they allow you to more easily and readily explore lateral dimensions you would like a sounding board or external feedback and advice.

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While the laundry list of transferable skills is huge, they can essentially be broadly consolidated under five main categories:

Soft S k i l ls Also known as interpersonal or people skills, these entail the set of skills that allow you to positively relate to, communicate with, influence and inspire others. Some examples:

Delegating skills, Coaching skills, Listening skills, Presentation skills, Co-operation skills

a na ly tica l skills These are the intellectual skills that enable you to identify and analyse problems and find creative, innovative and feasible solutions. Some examples:

Research skills, Data gathering skills, Data analysis skills, Creativity, Risk analysis

te c hni c a l sk i lls These are the practical hands-on skills like computer proficiency, ability to work with specific machinery, softwares, hardwares, ability to build or repair etc. Some examples:

++ Programming, HTML coding, SQL knowledge, Flash, Photoshop, Illustrator proficiency

o rg a ni sat i o na l s k i lls

p e r s o na l s k i lls

These are the skills that allow you to sort data, plan, arrange projects or resources, maintain accurate, effective and user-friendly records and coordinate multiple resources or tasks. Some examples:

These are the set of skills to do with workplace character. Some examples:

Integrity, Reliability, Punctuality, Diligence, Decision-making ability

Prioritising, Time management, Task management, Resource management, Coordination.

bookmark www.issuu.com/oryxmags

About Bayt.com: Bayt.com is the #1 job site in the Middle East with more than 30,000 employers and over 4.75 million registered job seekers from across the Middle East, North Africa and the globe, representing all industries, nationalities and career levels. Post a job or find jobs on www.bayt.com today and access the leading resource for job seekers and employers in the region.

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tag this

Corporate Social

Responsibility

Where money is not everything... How often have you come across an organisation that capitalises its responsibility rather than profits? Or perhaps an organisation that emphasises on keeping customers happy rather than shareholders? by casse y o l i v e i ra

UNITED EFFORT (seated from l-r)Maryam Al-Mansoori, Fatma Ali AlKhater, Luisa Gentile, Cindy Dickman, Ahmed Habib (standing l-r) Ashraf Hamouda, Alberta Stevens, Arif Zaher and Gabriel Salome.

his may not transcribe as an average business strategy of organisations minting money; but of late several corporate houses are moulding their core business policy in a way to amalgamate ‘elements’ of social responsibility into their way of functioning, paving the way for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This change in business trend according to a study by the Institute for Business Value proves that when companies comply with their CSR strategy, they will be more competitive, attract and retain the best talent, and gain access to new business opportunities.

When experts from leading industries came together for the Qatar Today Round Table at the Knowledge Enrichment Centre, they tried defining these elements of CSR in the local context. Concerns were raised regarding how far CSR has reached in the country. To avoid CSR being restricted within the corporation alone, what is required of every corporation is to showcase and share their initiatives with others to produce a ripple-effect across the consortium of stakeholders – employees, customers, suppliers and stakeholders. Moreover, for sustainability to thrive alongside CSR strategy, sync between the organisation’s goal

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tag this and that of the CSR initiative is a prerequisite. Engaging employees to share the same passion as that of the organisation will further aid in assuring a concrete foothold for CSR within the organisation. Sharing their experiences, knowledge and commitments were the eminent group of panellists comprising: Maryam Al-Mansoori, Human Resources Manager, Dohaland; Luisa Gentile, Head of CSR, Vodafone Qatar; Ashraf Hamouda, Senior Partnership & Business Development Manager, United Nations World Food Programme (WFP); Ahmed Habib, Head of Communications, MADA; Cindy Dickman, Student Development Coordinator, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar; Fatma Ali Al-Khater, Community Relations – Group Communications, QTel; Simon Winetroube, Director, British Council; Gabriel Salome, Country Operations, Manager, THE One; Alberta Stevens, Head of Reach Out To Asia (ROTA), Qatar; and Arif Zaher, Director, Al Mana and Associate. The session was moderated by Vani Saraswathi, Managing Editor of Qatar Today.

Where to begin?

The fact that every organisation comes across an entire thesis on CSR doesn’t help when it comes to adopting a policy practically. The question is: How does one begin a CSR initiative? The experts shared their insights on the stepping stones to an effective CSR policy.

Integrating CSR into corporate culture Many felt that the best way to have a successful CSR approach is by aligning your organisation’s mission and vision with the needs of the community and customers you deal with. Says Gentile who launched CSR in Vodafone Qatar in March 2009, “As a corporate we believe CSR has to be embedded in our company’s mission and values. Our company value is to ‘make a difference’ to the people in Qatar, and we do believe in it.” the best way to have a successAccording to Al-Mansoori, engagement of employees and ful CSR approach is by aligning corporate culture plays a very your organisation’s mission important role. “If employees and are not engaged in the company’s purpose and mission, vision with the needs of the company will not be able the community and to engage itself with the comcustomers you deal with munity and also not be able to have a successful CSR programme.”

What is CSR? There are several ways of looking at CSR. The most inappropriate description is looking at CSR as charity – donate a part of your profits for a noble cause and you have suddenly turned socially responsible. Unfortunately, charity is less of doing good and more of an easy way out to build a good image of your company in the market. Or maybe some would consider CSR as philanthropy, which is a step ahead ofcharity. In philanthropy, one tries to tackle a particular cause by endowing financial aid and simultaneously imparting the right resources to eliminate the cause of concern. There are a few who even consider the word CSR to be an ‘oxymoron’ – after all, corporations are innately not supposed to be socially responsible. How much of it is true, is for us to decide?

And there are some who refuse to use the word CSR as such. Consider THE One, who prefers to call it ‘Socially Responsible Investment’. Why? “Because all our Do Good initiatives are investments, be it in our people, communities or the future of our children and the planet. Besides doing it from our heart, we believe it makes perfect business sense as customers will rather shop with a company that cares than with a soulless corporation,” says Salome. In the case on non-profit organisations like ROTA and British Council, the word is ‘civic responsibility’ because it involves the community. Stevens says, “We

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work on a platform where organisations can partner with us to make a direct impact on the community. But the bottom line is about integrity. How much ever engaged you might be in charity or philanthropy in the community, if your organisation’s or your employees’ practices and policies don’t reflect that; the community is not happy.” Conceptually, CSR engulfs everything – charity, philanthropy, investment and responsibility. It’s incorporating elements of human rights, ethical issues, environment and transparency into your core business strategy to better serve the objectives of the society as a whole.

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Linking CSR with HR policies Embedding CSR activities in corporate culture requires the right resources – the best being employees themselves. Having them passionately engaged with every step is vital for a successful CSR within the company. And taking a step further to contribute to the society voluntarily, even if it crosses the boundary of your actual work is a crucial way of igniting passion. ROTA, for instance, is involved in a lot of volunteering. And being a part of Qatar Foundation, it shares a similar vision of developing the Qatari community in terms of education. But Stevens feels that there is a difference between taking up volunteering as a job and taking up volunteering by your self. “Until you engage people’s hearts and minds in that process it doesn’t become conviction.” Hence during Ramadan, ROTA staff takes up volunteering within the community themselves. The staff need to understand the emerging trends of the community, though this is outside of our work. THE One shares the same idea of engaging em-

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Making the disabled accessible

very individual deserves an equal opportunity of employment irrespective of his or her shortcomings such as disabilities. Despite being a basic human right, organisations are sceptical in terms of productivity when it comes to hiring disabled people. “How can I hire him, if he’s blind?” is the question surfacing the minds of organisaAccessibility issues tions says Ahmed Habib who has Ahmed habib of worked in areas related to advoMADA speakes of the cacy for people with disabilities, challenges earlier from Toronto, and now faced by the disabled from MADA. community “Sometimes companies might come to you for PR purposes when it comes to hiring disabled people, but you procurement policy is such that they don’t buy can take this opportunity to discuss about the abil- any web solutions that are not accessible. We are ity of people with disability to become leaders in also working on accessibility policy for the entire country,” says Habib. their workplace or communities. Apart from the web platform, Habib also voices Unless we start implementing these principles ourselves, it will be difficult for people to do it,” his concern over the accessibility of the country’s infrastructure, especially transport. says Habib. Mosalawat, which is country’s leading transThe launch of MADA can be perceived as a solid proof of one of the CSR goals of employee satisfac- port-service provider, has only two cars for chaltion and investment. It is the region’s first Assis- lenged people which are often booked for a month tive Technology Centre which helps people with or given for maintenance. disabilities to maintain abilities that they possess or gain new ones. They aim to connect disabled So how does Habib plan in making transport with people to the world of information commu- accessible? “We could work with Mowasalat and chip in to nication technology in order to develop an accesbuy sets of accessible vans. We could tell them how sible ecosystem. MADA has been working in partnership with to train staff to better serve challenged people, and ICTQatar, Qtel and Vodafone Qatar to enforce ac- also could have a dedicated hotline for people with disabilities,” he suggests. cessibility. Habib says, “One of the important steps to develop an effective CSR policy is to change the way “Infrastructure is developing rapidly in Qayou conduct business yourself as a company. Since tar, but seeing it not correspond to accessibilwe work in the areas of disability, we ensure that ity is painful.” In the forte of equal opportunities, THE One also our workplace is accessible, that we are actively employing disabled people, and that we are try- advocates this initiative through their CSR policy. ing to use our leverage with our partners to ensure “Our purpose is to integrate those with challenges into the workplace, encouraging greater social that they are accessible as well.” integration while providing them with a sense of Even though MADA has contributed a lot to purpose, empowerment and independence, not to empower people with disabilities, is it happy mention an income. In our experience, these individuals have a trewith the way the country is shaping up in mendous amount to offer, inspiring staff and custerms of accessibility? “One of our main concerns is the accessibil- tomers alike,” says Salome. THE One currently ity the worldwideweb in the country. So we are employs 16 challenged individuals all over its working with ICTQatar to make sure that their stores, four in Qatar itself.

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Where to begin?

Identify the CSR activity you are passionate about. And then build a team with the right entrepreneurial principles to start this project just as you would start your business Arif Zaher Director, Al Mana and Associate.

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Where to begin?

ployees in CSR activities. “Our employees get to choose which causes they wish to support in their local market through local volunteering initiatives and all members of staff are encouraged to take part. Furthermore, all SRI Initiatives are documented and updates shared with all staff (via our intranet) and the world (via our website). This generates pride in the hearts of staff.” Even Dohaland has started a recent CSR activity which requires employees to adopt a plant. Says Al-Mansoori, “By engaging employees, they become empowered and volunteer to come up with ideas and contribute on how to execute a number of CSR initiatives as part of Dohaland’s commitment towards the community.”

Linking CSR with work Since every company deals with a particular domain of service, another perfect way of enforcing CSR is to link the CSR policy with what your organisation is involved with. According to Zaher, the best CSR is the core CSR that you do everyday. “Al Mana and Associate are in the construction sector, so we could think of investing in labourers’ benefits. Being in a particular field, first you focus on your core business strategy and then to other opportunities that arise with partnerships along the way.” Moreover, most organisations are bound to have an impact on the environment or even the community, owing to the processes they are involved in such

We were successful in following our company’s CSR vision. We are ready to teach people about CSR, but it’s necessary to get support Gabriel Salome

DEBATING SESSION QTRT in progress

Country Operations, Manager, THE One

Youth: The future of CSR? Where to begin?

The youth of any country are definitely heralds of CSR Alberta Stevens is of similar opinion too. “Our investment is in young people. Being the custodians of the future, they are changing the world. We train them so that they can advocate responsibilities without the need of funding. Our new development strategy includes four different programmes that are engaging at least 400 young people across Qatar. We now have 11 youth organisations that are focussing on various international and local issues,” says Stevens.

Mentor young people for such initiatives and share your success story as an individual as well as an organisation with others

The educational sector is highly effective to steer the course of youth engagement. Says Dickman, “The Education City in Qatar is home to several top universities in the world that train 1000 plus students, and these students will finally be employed by organisations. Hence we are trying to instil CSR awareness in the students from the first year of their course itself. Even before they get employed by companies who would want to train them in CSR, we would have already instilled a personal value regarding CSR in them. This may have a greater impact since they already have the knowledge.” “So the next time they go for any interview, they would easily find out if a particular company incorporates the same values as of theirs. It’s a passion of ours to move our students in the direction of social responsibility,” she says. Though CMUQ is pretty recent in its foray into CSR-building, they do have a few service initiatives locally and internationally through which they are collaborating with companies, local institutions and NGO’s to weave CSR into those projects as well as into the curriculum. This year, they have started working with QA and Vodafone Qatar to initiate CSR activities.

Alberta Stevens Head of Reach Out To Asia (ROTA), Qatar

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as the construction industry, aviation industry or oil refuse the amount, even though it could make a huge and gas companies. “Every company has an elemen- difference.” And the dual intelligence process has been successtal problem that it is part of, and we have to think on how to solve it,” says Stevens. “Rather than pointing ful in evading a particular case of human rights abuse, fingers at others for a particular problem, we’d rather says Hamouda. The case involved a certain company find solutions. What you do has a ripple effect. People who wanted to engage in charity but was marred with will start competing on goodwill rather than market the fact that they were involved in hiring child jockeys. “When we cautioned them about the way the share.” Meanwhile Hamouda believes that there are ways UN deals, the whole country stopped hiring children ahead of us, to choose how we want to engage our- from Bangladesh for jockeys within two months in selves. Maybe one could try tying two initiatives to- addition to implementing strict rules and fines.” According to Stevens, since people are emotionally gether, take education and school feeding, he says. WFP who is primarily involved in fighting hunger tied to ROTA because of the kind of work they are inworldwide has initiated one of it’s biggest programmes volved with, it makes it all the more necessary for the – ‘school feeding programme’. Through this, almost organisation to be perceived as dealing with the right 20 million students are provided with meals on any people as it finally reflects their activities. Even THE One, whose stores primarily deal with given day. “Firstly, you are empowering children with education. Secondly you are taking them out of the furniture, are very cautious in terms of the source of labour market. Thirdly its cost-effective - when you all their materials. “We work with a carpet company feed a child, you’re actually fixing the problem at the called RugMark who go around Asia to ensure that no child labourers are being core.” employed. Even a portion of Gentile made a point that the money we pay them goes in some cases, one doesn’t for educating the children of even have to look further to workers who make these carincorporate CSR into work pets. Eventually, the profit of culture, because there are alour shareholders goes to the ready existing initiatives withCSR banks on awareness. community.” in the organisation. “Look at what is existing, appreciate Unless the word spreads A wider audience it, and build on what you alacross all strata of CSR banks on awareness. Unready have. Appreciate what the society, any social less the word spreads across employees are doing in their all strata of the society, any everyday job and then build a initiative will gradually social initiative will graduCSR from that.” take a backseat. ally take a backseat. What is required is that people be Do shareholders comply? informed about the organisaOften, when an organisation tion’s commitments towards tries promoting CSR initiaa social cause, they relive evtives, other than employee ery CSR experience simply by engagement, it has to ensure learning about it through the that the other stakeholders organisation’s profile. (contactors, suppliers, partTo spearhead awareness, organisations can lay ners) associated with it also meet its CSR demands in their marketing campaigns strategically for other especially in areas of ethical sourcing of materials. organisations to come forward and speak about the How necessary does it then become to involve social concerns, not on a company-basis, but more on a community-basis. shareholders in your CSR strategy? Stevens believes the best way to raise awareness In Dohaland, Al-Mansoori says, common competence and interests with their partners is ensured. They is by showcasing best practices. “We need to realise share the same commitments for the community and that the community we serve are very intelligent people. With the internet, it is easy for people to learn the initiatives in the future. While for the WFP, the UN has strict guidelines re- about your company’s policies or image in the margarding who ‘not to work with’. Says Hamouda, “We ket. Hence, we need to be cleverer in how we solicit don’t deal with tobacco, alcohol or defence compa- goodwill.” Meanwhile Al-Khater also believes that along nies, or any company having even a slightly questionnable reputation. In fact, they have a dual intelligence with raising global awareness, there is a need to raise process that keeps a tab. Hamouda recollects, “Once awareness locally. “When we launched our ‘backa big multinational electronics company wanted to to-school’ campaign, we learned that there were give us $150,000 (QR546,000). For us that is a lot of approximately 35 kids per school that relied on the money because QR10 can actually feed a child for two school for food, bus fees, books and stationery. Unless weeks. But then we found out that it faced humans we exhibit a transparent statistic of the community’s rights abuses and defence dealings; hence we had to concern, people will not be aware of the concerns pre-

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Where to begin?

Organisations need to understand their vision and goals. They need to integrate CSR with their business strategy as well as the hearts and minds of the people. Maryam Al-Mansoori Human Resources Manager, Dohaland

Where to begin?

Like individuals, every organisation has to be true to its core values too. Your CSR programme reflects how you are as an organisation. Simon Winetroube Director, British Council

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Challenges in a nutshell... Where to begin?

Integrating CSR strategy into your whole business culture and stakeholders – from suppliers to the end users, is the best way Fatma Ali Al-Khater Community Relations - Group Communications, QTel

The experts shared their opinions on what challenges organisations generally face when it comes to adopting a CSR strategy. CSR doesn’t fit a corporate image

Since CSR involves philanthropy – it ideally suits NGOs or charitable organisations. For a corporate whose main objective is profit, it gets tricky to convince them to involve in something like that.

IS CSR a PR stunt?

Some companies engage in CSR to market themselves. This might even be an indirect attempt to overshadow their contribution to the environmental impacts. But large-scale advertising, in turn, makes people believe that they are committed to the society.

Who to please?

Every organisation is associated with stakeholders and shareholders. Sometimes they might be the same, but generally its not quite so. Therefore, altering company policies to manage both together, may be difficult.

How to start?

Many companies are a novice in CSR and don’t know where to begin. There is a need to commence free workshops for companies to learn how to start CSR programmes based on their corporate culture.

A louder awareness

Several of the CSR initiatives and programmes are on a low-scale. People need to be made more aware about the impact of a sustainable CSR stratergy and how they can support it.

Hiring the differently abled

Convincing companies to hire disabled people might not be that easy. As a result, many of the disabled are left hiding in rehabilitation centres and refuse to use their abilities to work. Making them accessible is the need of the hour.

Auditing suppliers

When suppliers are based abroad, regulating and auditing their way of functioning is problematic. Also, countries abroad adhere to different laws and regulations, which might be contradictory to the ones prevailing in Qatar.

Where to begin?

In partnership, the main objective should be how to fit your projects to the CSR of the corporation. We are flying under your wings and not the other way round.

Where to begin?

To create CSR from scratch, you require a compelling vision that has to be integrated into your business. Secondly it’s not about projects; it’s about passionate people who want to make a difference Luisa Gentile Head of CSR, Vodafone Qatar

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Ashraf Hamouda Senior Partnership & Business Development Manager, United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)

vailing within the community itself.” In the lines of local awareness, many people perceive ROTA as a body which promotes volunteering in Asia and not particularly in Qatar itself. While dismissing this misconception, Stevens says, “ROTA’s volunteering initiatives often require Qatari locals to visit other nations. Our aim is provide locals with a global exposure of what is going on in other parts of the world. This helps them in becoming enriched global citizens who learn to value and appreciate what they already have, and at the same time we are creating a sustainability plan that goes back in their education.” Al-Mansoori added, “A company’s CSR should not only be linked to its vision but also the local need of the country. We need to survey the needs of the com-

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munity and come up with initiatives to bridge the gaps in the society and also promote awareness in these aspects.” “There is also a lack of awareness within the community in terms of sustainability and green initiatives,” she says. One of the main pillars of Dohaland’s vision is sustainability, and it sponsored several activities and programmes within the organisation to promote sustainability and green activities on daily basis and share the knowledge with the community. What seemed like a popular vehicle to accelerate the pace of awareness, for some, was the ‘web’. “Every single staff has access to the internet from where they can learn about the company’s projects and its experience. The only way to encourage par-

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Qatar Today Round Table Qatar Today Round Table (QTRT) aspires to bring together captains of industries and key decision-makers, and engage them in a debate on topical issues. Past QTRTs have witnessed vibrant and dynamic discussions on topics ranging from penchant for white collar jobs and Islamic finance to best eco-practices and healthcare reforms.

Where to begin?

DOHALAND’s Knowledge Enrichment Center A new landmark moored off Doha Corniche, DOHALAND’s Knowledge Enrichment Center serves as a link between Qatar’s rich heritage and the promising future. It celebrates and enhances the country’s traditions and culture and initiates knowledge-enrichment exercise, such as the Qatar Today Round Table, among people in Qatar

ticipation is to bring people together and show them what is happening in other nations. Show people why they have to help,” says Salome. Gentile also feels using Facebook is yet another great vehicle - it’s free, simple to use and has millions of active users. And the word is spread quite effectively. Sustaining CSR Even if an organisation adopts a successful CSR strategy, how does it ensure sustainability? “Unless the CSR approach fits well into your organisation in a broader sense, it will not be sustainable,” feels Winetroube. “The CSR policy has to be part of the company’s strategy. We need to apply commercial business entrepreneurship in CSR as well.” Speaking about entrepreneurship, CSR is more like ‹social entrepreneurship’, professes Zaher. When new companies start up, they are guided by entrepreneurship skills and strategy. The same holds true for CSR implementation. “For a successful sustainable CSR initiative, it has to be entrepreneurial. You need to have the proper strategy, vision, passion and marketing and partners. And the key is empowerment – changing people’s attitude to make a difference.” Gentile also agrees that by simply engaging in core business, you can till do good. “Maybe your investment may not be in terms of cash; but investment can be more in terms of customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction and satisfaction of stakeholders and shareholders,” she says. So adding social entrepreneurship to your CSR might work. Is there any other way to propel one’s CSR policy towards sustainability? According to Winetroube, partnership is another step towards sustainability. “Start small collaborations, build mutual understandings and gradually grow from there. The British Council too is looking forward to work with commercial partners and deploy their CSR agenda in various fields like arts, languages, social development, etc.” “Initially companies used to see us as sponsorship opportunities for any event. But now partners are

looking for opportunities to undertake projects and engage their employees to be a part of this project. “There is a lot of strength in coordination,” says Habib. “When corporations talk about social responsibility, it’s about tackling a common issue in the society – workers condition, environment or accessibility. Rather than a corporation tackling this issue individually, there has to be a wider discussion as to how all can contribute to it.” “Even in terms of accessibility, our organisation for example, brought in different sectors like telecommunications, IT sector, banking sector around the table and spoke to them about accessibility. This is a better approach than saying we will talk about it individually, and set policies individually and force other corporations to follow suit,” he says. Given the fact that two organisations are addressing a common issue; wouldn’t one try to compete with the other to portray themselves as a better contributor to the society? “There is no competition,” claims Al-Khater. For instance Vodafone and Qtel are two competing industries in the telecoms sector, but setting competitive demands aside, they still work together for a social cause. “Companies should come together and partner to work on a particular focus area.” Apart from extinguishing competition, forming a partnership, is not necessarily about money, advocates Hamouda. “It’s to be able to serve or provide. There are thousands of companies who want to do undertake initiatives, but refrain from indulging due to lack of resources and knowledge.” And partnerships can aid in this respect. “A call for action would be to start workshops for small and medium companies on how to implement CSR campaigns in their companies. Everybody can come in together and choose what they would like to do,” he says. Would it be beneficial to make CSR mandatory? Hamouda doesn’t think so. “A strongest heart is a heart of a volunteer! If you mandate somebody to do something, the effort is lost. CSR should be voluntary for it to be passionate.”

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january 2011

Students are passionate about doing things for the community, and we have to harness that passion. Partnerships are vital for propagating CSR in education Cindy Dickman Student Development Coordinator, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar

Where to begin?

Greater dialogue is required for us to come together to work. Discussing a problem may not be a best approach, as discussing a solution Ahmed Habib Head of Communications, MADA

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TECHTALK

by John Hunt

Bringing the newest gadgets and global tech stories to you each month…

Dell Delights

MODEL: DELL STREAK SCREEN SIZE: 5”, 800X480p 1 GHZ SNAPDRAGON PROCESSOR ANDROID OS WLAN BLUETOOTH GPS STORAGE: 16 GB PRICE: QR2,299

ell’s Streak is a new arrival at Carrefour in City Centre. Is it a scaled-up smartphone or a smaller netbook or iPad rival? Your choice, I guess, but the device claims to be all things to all men. Looks-wise, it is slim and dense, but not too heavy. It is also not so large that it cannot fit in a man’s suit or shirt pocket. The 800 x 480, five-inch screen is crisp, clear and bright. The 1GHz Snapdragon processor running Android is blisteringly fast, as is the HSDPA 3G and WiFi, making the browsing experience similar in speed to that of a netbook. WLAN, Bluetooth and GPS also come as standard. With 16GB storage, there is plenty of space for downloading films, and the playback quality is superb. The ‘gorilla’ glass on the model we tested scratched a little too easily and the software bundle with the phone isn’t great but despite these niggles, the Streak is an excellent device. It is big enough to be easy to read, watch or interact with for extended periods but small enough to be highly portable, with all the other benefits of a high-end smartphone. Priced at QR2,299.

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january 2011

you can’t touch this

he iPod Touch has been the world’s premium MP3 player for some time now, and with the launch of the new iPod touch 4G model (available in Doha since November, 2010), that doesn’t look like changing. Despite the new Touch being even thinner than 2010’s model, Apple has managed to squeeze into it the super-sharp ‘Retina display’, two cameras and the A4 processor that powers the iPhone 4 and iPad. These key hardware upgrades mean you can now make FaceTime calls (video calling via WiFi) and record and edit HD video. With a feature-set that’s so close to the iPhone 4, comparisons are inevitable, even though, ultimately, one’s a phone and the other is a media player with a whole load of extras. Importantly, there’s no ongoing cost involved with the iPod touch, which there is if you sign up for an iPhone with a contract... Available in 8, 16 and 32 models, as Qatar Today went to press the 8gb model was on special offer at Carrefour for QR969.

samsung’s screen queen

io n b e a n a pp l ic at se n sati on

ere we are in 2011 but, if you will, remember the halcyon days of the early 2000s, when flat-screen televisions were the latest thing and the must-have gadget. As with the majority of must-have, latest things, the price tag often gave pause for thought with a Samsung 42” set costing in the region of QR11,600 just a few years ago. Staying with Samsung, the Korean giant has forged a reputation as a manufacturer of note in the TV sector with some of the most expensive and technical models on the market but with the snappily-monickered LA32C400, Samsung is fusing what has usually been seen as a premium product with the budget-conscious market. How so? Because this 32” LCD screen set is HD ready, has 30,000:1 contrast ratio, 2 HDMI ports, JBL speakers and a swivel stand for the very keen price of QR1,495. Available now in Carrefour City Centre.

communication breakdown

icrosoft Gulf has announced the start of a competition with the official launch of the MEA Windows Phone 7 Challenge, a student technology contest which has been conceived to attract entries from students across the Middle East and Africa region to develop Windows Phone 7 compatible applications. Contestants need to send innovative contest entries based on Microsoft Windows Phone technologies that address the theme: ‘Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems’. This will involve the creation of an original XAP Application (a web application building technology) package in Silverlight or XNA Game Studio. The last date for entries is on April 20, 2011. A panel of judges with knowledge and experience in software development will review all eligible entries received and select the winning teams based upon criteria revolving around originality and innovation, Visual XAP Appeal, Consumer XAP Appeal and unique mobile-oriented features. For more information visit www.meawp7challenge.com

kype suffered an outage lasting several hours late last year affecting millions of users of the internet communications service. In a blog post, Skype explained that computers known as ‘supernodes’ had been taken offline by an unspecified problem affecting some versions of Skype. Skype, which was founded in 2003, bypasses the standard telephone network by channelling voice, video and text conversations over the Internet. The company announced plans in August 2010 to raise up to $100 million (QR364 million) in shares by listing on the Nasdaq stock exchange. The service has millions of users around the world and many took to Twitter to complain about the outage in a variety of languages. Technology blogger Om Malik said the outage was a serious issue for a company that is “...starting to ask larger corporations for their business. If I am a big business, I would be extremely cautious about adopting Skype in the light of this current outage. Skype needs to ensure that it doesn’t go down. Even for a few minutes.”

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G R EEN SCENE

Going beyond the Awards Sustainable living is a commitment and organisations are rising to the challenge

Qatar Today revisits the winners of Qatar Today Green Awards 2010

by si nd h u na i r

oing Green is serious business. The gravity of which was reflected in the third edition of Qatar Today Green Awards (QTGA). The Awards recognises the efforts of green initiatives in the country. According to Dr Benno Boer of UNESCO, who has been judging the QTGA since its inception, “The nominations are getting better each year reflecting the growing awareness of environmental hazards.” But there is room for more ingenuity, he stressed.

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Katrin Scholtz-Barth, also from the QTGA judging panel and the brains behind Sustainable Qatar, is a strong advocate of spreading the word of intelligent and green construction. She, too, expressed her pleasure after the screening process and said that the efforts of the nominations varied from a few amateurish inputs to several clever and pioneering ones which clearly showed the levels of commitment. “It was very encouraging to find a number of sincere companies trying to tackle

G R EEN SCENE

Innovations Unlimited implemented a solar power system in Ras Laffan to generate electricity used for lighting the area, “thereby a fully sustainable and eco-friendly solution which is very easy to implement”

GREEN INNOVATION AWARDS

runners-up

BEING PRESENTED TO KHALID CEMENT INDUSTRIES COMPLEX

Green innovation category went to INNOVATIONS UNLIMITED

their entire operation, motivating staff and rewarding environmental consciousness,” she said. Dr. Nobuyuki Yamaguchi from Qatar University, Kanchan Ghoshal, KPMG and Deena Al-Abdullah were the other members of the judging panel of QTGA. Applicants were first short-listed by the judges and short listed applicants were then requested to provide detailed information on their initiatives, based on which the judges made their final decision. Qatar Today talks to the winners of QTGA to know more about the initiatives and the motivation behind them.

Green Innovation

he winner for the Green Innovation Award at QTGA was Khalid Cement Industries Complex (KCIC). KCIC, R&D Manager, Hussein Kondakji said that, the Company manufactures environmentally friendly concrete with low carbon dioxide emissions to promote energy saving construction. The Company also adopts waste water treatment and has a very efficient waste management system in place with a recycling target of zero waste. “KCIC is not only a member of the Qatar Green Building Council but also leads the field with the promotion of green sustain-

able concrete by introducing materials that represent a 70% saving on carbon dioxide emission against the more traditional type of conventional concrete made from Ordinary Portland cement,” said Kondakji. The efforts go much beyond adopting best practices to include awareness programmes to educate and inspire the employees. “KCIC conducts periodic training programmes for raising the level of awareness among employees and educating them on the latest procedures of treating waste material in a sustainable manner. “Our experience has demonstrated that being an environmentally responsible corporate citizen has rewarded our company with loyal employees and customers and has brought about positive changes in our entire industry,” he said.

Unlimited Efforts

ollowing closely behind KCIC were the first runners up Innovations Unlimited. Winning the QTGA has helped this new Qatar-based company justify its investment in leading technologies to offer comprehensive green technological solutions locally by representing global leaders. “This is by far the greatest incentive for us to continue to promote the application

of Alternative Energy Solutions as a means to safeguard the environment for future generations, every minute of every day,” said Amr Belal, Managing Partner at Innovations Unlimited. Their winning project was the implementation of a Solar power system in Ras Laffan to generate electricity used for lighting the area, thereby a fully sustainable and eco-friendly solution which is very easy to implement. “Equally important has been our efforts to raise awareness, and the sharing of expert knowledge that we’ve done over the past period. With the award, we have the validation that we are contributing in the right fashion,” said Belal.

Community development

atargas Operating Company was the runners-up in the Green Roof and Green Building Design category for their commitment in ensuring a green environment at the Al Khor Community (AKC). And to achieve this, 30% of the 200,000 sq mt of the AKC was landscaped. According to AKC Director, Nabil D Makarem, since the projects were planned a year ahead of implementation, the challenges were many but this has not deterred them from their responsibility and they

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G R EEN SCENE

Doha Bank is a leader in the field of Green Banking, encouraging both the public and private sectors to support various environmental efforts and implementing initiatives that aim for a long-term positive impact to the environment

DOHA BANK

MES Indian School

Qtel

WAS THE WINNER OF GREEN LEADERSHIP AND THE RUNNERSUP IN BEST PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

received the second runners-up for the category Environmental Leadership in the Education sector.

was the winner in the Green Retailer Award

have also planned several projects for 2011. “We are creating some projects in Al Khor Community that should be inspirational to others such as our new Japanese Garden using Zeolite to reduce water consumption and increase plant production,” he said.

Leading the Green way

oha Bank was the winner of the Green Leadership category. They were also the second runner-up in the Best Public Awareness Campaign. The Bank has always shown a deep-rooted commitment in spreading the “green” word. “The relevance of eco-consciousness is critical in building-up an ideal green culture through increased environmental awareness which could motivate everyone towards protection, preservation and conservation of our environment. This is in line with Doha Bank’s Green Vision. Doha Bank continuously endeavours to develop green products and services, launch green campaigns and promote green activities / initiatives as part of the Bank’s dedication to the environmental cause,” said Herald Moras of Doha Bank’s Green Banking Task Force Committee.

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According to Moras, “Doha Bank is a leader in the field of Green Banking, encouraging both the public and private sectors to support various environmental efforts and implementing initiatives that aim for a long-term positive impact to the environment and make a difference. “Doha Bank was also recognised globally for its efforts and has been awarded the Golden Peacock Global Award for Sustainability 2010. Doha Bank’s efforts are many. Some of them, as highlighted by Moras are “Green Accounts for zero paper usage, green credit cards to donate a percentage to a worthy cause, Al Dana Green Run for health, green system for zero e-waste, Green Quiz for knowledge-building exercises, tree planting and beach clean-up activities to support environmental needs, Recycling initiatives for proper waste management, green websites to increase awareness, eco-school programme to encourage children to become environmental advocates at a young age and a whole lot more.” Doha Bank’s Green Banking initiatives primarily involve the concept of paperless banking and the concept of 3 R’s: Reducing, Re-use and Recycle. Moras feels that the Doha Bank Group CEO, R Seetharaman, is the driving force behind the Bank’s green banking initiatives and activities.

“He supports environmental sustainability and education by reaching out to both the public and private sectors to act together on domestic and global environmental issues, key challenges and sustainable development.”

Starting from education

or their efforts in creating an awareness among the most integral part of the community, the youth, MES Indian School received the second runners-up for the category Environmental Leadership in the Education sector. The recognition was for the formation of a Campus Care Force (CCF), in which a group of students from Grade I to XII with a guide teacher Sasthaa Mujibullah, as the Chief coordinator of CCF. “This CCF tried to bring changes in the mind-set of students, teachers and staff, bring awareness regarding a healthy and clean environment in the School Campus in general and thereby in the society in particular,” said Mujibullah. The constraints in putting up such a task force were many, according to Mujibullah with, “lack of awareness and non-cooperation by some teachers and authorities

G R EEN SCENE

The winner Qtel’s programme was a new e-waste recycling programme, “providing an immediate and convenient disposal and recycling service to keep the country clear of contaminants in discarded electronic equipment”

being just some of them.”

Selling Green

n interesting category in QTGA was the Green Retailer Award. Competitors in the telecom sector, Qtel and Vodafone, took the winner and the runner-up award respectively, showing that competition paves way for greater innovation even in responsible behaviour towards the community. The winner Qtel’s programme was a new e-waste recycling programme, providing an immediate and convenient disposal and recycling service to keep the country clear of contaminants in discarded electronic equipment. According to Qtel, Executive Director of Group Communications, Adel Al-Mutawa, “Qtel is the first company in Qatar to launch a comprehensive recycling system for e-waste, inclusive of both large – refrigerators, TVs and computers – and small – discarded mobile phones, mobile batteries and accessories – electronics.” Qtel launched the programme in partnership with the Ministry of Environment and the Qatar National Campaign for the Recycling of Mobile Phones, Mobile Batteries and Accessories. “Other corporate partners, including Enviroserve, Aramex and Qatar Vinci Development Company (QDVC), are helping to drive the initiative,” he said. Through the programme, e-waste is collected and shipped to a Basel Convention certified recycling facility in Singapore to be safely repurposed. “Prior to this programme, Qtel’s green efforts included reducing the use of paper both internally and externally, paperless billing, and the introduction of biodegradable scratch cards. Qtel was also the first to introduce eco-friendly transmission towers, powered by solar energy. The company built the first of these in 2006, and now has

Other Inspiring Intitiatives “In certain countries, the extra power generated in a house can be fed back into the network for a fee. So essentially you can also sell power for others to consume. An inspiring incentive “ Amr Belal Managing Partner at Innovations Unlimited

“The latest GHG reduction effort will reduce 40,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent in the internal metro link in Gurgaon, in India, connecting Sikanderpur to NH-8. It will keep 7,000 cars off the road when the project gets operational in the next 24 months. The project is registered with the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) for prior consideration which is required for earning carbon credits” Dr Bomi Patel General Manager, TCE-QSTP LLC

“Wataniya Telecom, part of the Qtel Group, launched a similar effort in Kuwait this October. EnviroDrop boxes have been set up at all Wataniya stores and, eventually, at other authorised dealer outlets, fuel stations or shopping malls where customers can drop off their used mobile phones and accessories” Adel Al-Mutawa Executive Director of Group Communications

“The Qatari Government is importing humus soil for plantation along the roadsides and roundabouts. Also on every occasion related to environment, the Ministry has extended full cooperation in growing greenery on the School Campus by providing saplings” Sasthaa Mujibullah

Senior Teacher, MES School

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G R EEN SCENE

Ebn Sina Medical

TCE QSTP-LLC

were the runners-up in the Green Retailer Award

was the runners-up in the Best Public Awareness Campaign

four such towers,” he said. “Going forward, we are planning to launch a paper recycling programme internally, and to expanding the footprint of the e-waste recycling programme.” “Corporate partnerships on environmental programmes have yielded great benefits, and we hope to do more of this. By partnering with Enviroserve and Aramex at the start of the recycling programme, we enhanced our chance of success considerably. Partners QDVC and United Development Company (UDC) entered the project shortly after launch, greatly increasing the number of collection points in Qatar. We are discussing partnering opportunities with our corporate customers, with the hope that programme collection points, and with them, environmental awareness of participating companies’ employees and customers, will increase exponentially.”

Another retailer or Ebn Sina Medical, winning the Green Retailer Award in 2009 encouraged the Company to incorporate eco-planning into their strategic business plan thus initiating further ‘green’ steps. This resulted in the Company winning the Award in 2010 too. This time, they were the second runners-up in the same category. The green action plan for Ebn Sina was in the total ban of harmful plastic bags in its retail outlets, a bio-degradable bags project, usage of LED lights, promoting Baltimore products, us-

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ing Pharmaworx products and creating awareness. “Although LED lighting choice was three folds more expensive than conventional lightings, we decided to try this option, because it reduces energy consumption and minimises heat emission. It also saves money, as the life span is longer and utility invoice values will be much less,” said Grazyna Szymanska, Customer Service & Communications Manager, Ebn Sina.

Awareness is most important

“B

eing a part of larger TATA group, TCE QSTP-LLC employees too got bitten by the ‘societal responsibility bug’, at an individual level. We started thinking, “What is it that that this young company’s executives can do in its new geographical operations, that would be in line with the CSR activities and the Climate Change Policy of the Group?” We also wanted our initiative to address the tenets of The Qatar National Vision 2030 which focuses on society, economy, environment and human development. Hence drawing on the knowledge bank of the employees here, it was thought fit to disseminate key information on the environment. We, at TCE QSTP - LLC, embarked on the programme to bring awareness among the future citizens of the world on the dangers of living a lifestyle that may be detrimental to the environment,” said Dr Bomi Patel, General Manager–Business Development, TCE

QSTP-LLC, the runners-up in the Best Public Awareness Campaign. The award-winning campaign, according to Dr Patel, was more of a voluntary commitment. “The Tata Climate Change Initiative conceived and hugely successful in India cannot be construed as one campaign that has a start and a finish. It has many phases, but it is a continuing endeavour. TCE QSTP - LLC, taking the cue from this group initiative, conceived a methodology, to make the people change some of their irresponsible actions in their daily living accounting to a large-extent the country’s carbon footprint, which is the highest per capita carbon footprint. This educative programme targets high-school students through an impressive medium of audio visuals, giving opportunity for interaction in line with their comprehensibility. “That this interaction is effective, meaningful and creates an impactful in the minds of the youngsters is ensured by a review of their class curriculum. We had also conceived a five-minute demonstration capsule which points to the unconscious wasteful habit of excessive use of tissue paper and water. The message is driven home about the individual contribution of such reduction in usage. The meaning of ‘One tonne of recycled paper is equivalent to 17 trees’ is thus brought home. Thus everyone gets a message that if you want to contribute to greening by planting trees, then prevent excessive use of trees by judicious use of paper.”

MA R KET W ATCH

braking news

taking the ‘bul by the horns

BMW ‘Joy’ at Losail International Circuit

MW invited its customers to experience the ‘Joy’ of driving at its first ever ‘M meets X’ driver training session at the state-of-the-art Losail International Circuit. More than 100 VIP customers and members of the media took part in the event, in which BMW driving trainers guided attendees through the wide range of driving options on BMW M and X

vehicles. Guests at the event had the opportunity to drive the full range of new vehicles from ‘M’, BMW’s exclusive, sporty and dynamic sub-brand, including the BMW M3, X5 M and X6 M. They also experienced the all-wheel drive ‘X’ range, including the BMW X5 and X6 in situations highlighting the vehicles’ on-road and off-road capabilities. “BMW is not just about aesthetics and design, but driveability based on dynamism, power and performance. Our customers were able to get a better understanding of the full capabilities of the powerful M Series vehicles, the versatility of the ‘X’ range, and the Joy of driving a BMW, whether on track or road,” said Mohamed Kandeel, General Manager at Alfardan Automobiles. Alfardan Automobiles and BMW are committed to promoting road safety through regular BMW Driver Training sessions at world class venues.

2010 Cadillac SRX Awarded Top Honours

adillac’s commitment to quality, design and innovation was recognised by high profile Middle East media outlets Automobile Magazine and Future TV’s Automobile Program me by the awarding of the prize for Best Elegant and Ergonomic SUV to the 2010 Cadillac SRX. The recognition comes as part of their annual motoring awards, at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Motor Show. “The recognition that 2010 Cadillac SRX is receiving from the highly regarded motoring media outlets demonstrates Cadillac’s success in creating a crossover that aims at the heart of one of the industry’s strongest categories - the luxury crossover segment,”

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said Fadi Ghosn, Chief Marketing Officer at GM Middle East, “Being recognised by a regional motoring title proves that we are catering to our audience here, and continuing our international standards in the ever important Middle East market, something that makes us very proud.” Middle East customers are increasingly demanding the quality and performance associated with a Cadillac vehicle, with the sales increasing by 22% in the first 11 months of 2010 compared to the same period in 2009. The star performer in terms of sales volume has been the Escalade, followed by the CTS entry level luxury sedan and the SRX luxury mid-sized crossover vehicle.

Double Win for Chevy

n November 21, Chevrolet won the Manufacturers’ WTCC title in Macau, while Yvan Muller was officially declared Drivers’ WTCC Champion. This double success, the first of Chevrolet and GM in a FIA-sanctioned world championship, seals a perfect finale to the outstanding campaign of the Cruze throughout the season. Rob Huff and Muller took a double win in Race 1, after a faultless flag-to-flag performance. In Race 2, the Chevrolet duo had to fight hard to pass Farfus, finishing 3rd and 4th, which means that Chevrolet has been on the podium in 21 of the 22 races this year. Back in the Chevrolet garage after the race, amid accolades and toasts, the team had a long night of well-deserved celebrations. Once back in Europe, work will resume, with a new challenge in sight: getting the new Cruze 1.6 turbo as competitive as the current race car in 2011.

Chevrolet has been on the podium in

of the races in 2010.

VIP Launch Event for 2011 Cadillac models

elebrities, VIPs and members of the media attended an event to celebrate the launch of the all-new 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe and CTS-V Coupe at Mannai Automotive show-

room on Salwa Road Doha, on December 11 ,2010. Mannai Automotive, the exclusive Cadillac dealer and distributor in Qatar, unveiled the 2011 CTS Coupe and CTS-V Coupe, the latest and most dramatic of the brand’s series of new designs. Boasting a

B R AKIN G NE W S

competitive QR 206,500 starting price, the CTS Coupe is a new luxury sports coupe designed to become the centerpiece of the brand’s enhanced lineup. “We built on the very successful CTS Sports Sedan, extending its potential in order to develop a compelling new alternative for luxury and performance minded drivers, and created the CTS Coupe and CTS-V Coupe,” said Mohammed Helmy, GM Mannai Automotive Group. “The addition of a Coupe provides an entryway for new consumers to experience the Cadillac Arts & Science philosophy of the brand.” Mannai Automotive Group has been selling the world’s leading car brands for almost 60 years and is established as one of the premier motor groups in Qatar, supplying new and certified pre-owned cars to many loyal, satisfied customers. “The CTS Coupe is the new focal point of Cadillac, reinforcing the brand’s leadership with bold designs, dramatic presence and striking detail,” added Helmy, “The CTS-V Coupe, especially, is a combination of visual and technical attributes designed to create a very compelling choice for luxury sports car consumers.”

Ferrari 458 Italia Bags another Accolade

he award-winning Ferrari 458 Italia has taken another international prize, winning the coveted title of ‘Car of the Year 2010’ and ‘Supercar of the Year 2010’ from Car Middle East magazine, one of the most respected automotive monthly magazines in the region. “This is currently one of the most desirable cars on the planet and a future classic for sure. It offers a stunning physique, exquisite detailing, pulverising performance, astonishing ride and handling and surprising usability. It is the ultimate superhero car and manages to vanquish all-comers with frightening ease” said Shahzad Sheikh, the Editorial Director of Car Middle East.

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MARKET WATCH

mathaf opens its doors

Lagoona Reaches Fashionable Heights

n a meeting with prospective tenants on December 12, Lagoona management shed light on the latest developments that are taking Qatar’s first upscale boutique centre. Leased by Darwish Holding, and set at the heart of the prestigious West Bay neighborhood, Lagoona will offer discerning customers a unique, stylish, modern and elegant shopping lifestyle in comfortable and fashionable luxurious interiors. Lagoona will host a gamut of local, regional and international retailers with anchor tenants such as Fifty One East, Marina Home Interiors and Carrefour Market. “In a region that is becoming accustomed to world-class shopping avenues and boulevards, Lagoona stands out with its unique air of timeless elegance and glamour,” said Ronald Meiers, Management Consultant, Lagoona project, who sees Lagoona as an opportunity to expose visitors to the rich

cultural heritage of the country combined with elements of style that are far beyond the ordinary. Lagoona will also house a one-of-a-kind piazza, an exceptional destination for entertainment, with a plethora of casual fine dining and gourmet outlets.

Panerai Hoists Its Sails in JeddaH

talian high-end watch making company Officine Panerai returned as Supporting Partner in the second edition of the Saudi International Boat Show. The prestigious event, in partnership with Platinum Sands, a company in the Ali Bin Ali Group, Qatar, took place at the Al Furusya Marine & Yacht Club in Jeddah from December 8 to 11. Following the astounding success of last year’s inaugural event, the 2010 edition was set to attract an unprecedented audience of luxury connoisseurs, collectors, and marine enthusiasts from around the world. Officine Panerai, Managing Director MENA, Turkey and India, Milvin George says, “The Panerai’s foundations are built on its deep appreciation and understanding of the precise workings of the sea and its surrounding elements. This is very much in keeping with the spirit of the Saudi International Boat Show, in which the most influential names in the industry will come together to showcase the best of their expertise in the nautical industry.”

L’Eau Pour Homme by Armand Basi

ature increasingly pervades Armand Basi. If nature was insinuated in the brand’s early fragrances, in the more recent ones, it is expressed with greater intensity. Idesa Parfums presents a new masculine fragrance, ARMAND BASI L´EAU POUR HOMME, a contemporary men’s fragrance, fresh and natural. Although it is impossible to capture the immensity of the sea, Armand Basi has designed a box which evokes it. Completely bathed in blue, it reveals the characteristics of the fragrance: the freshness and

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transparency of the Mediterranean Sea. On the case, the embossed name sparkles like the back of a gleaming fish cutting its way through the water. ARMAND BASI L´EAU POUR HOMME. The bottle’s design breathes pure shapes with straight edges. With a rectangular and vertically styled shape, the glass bottle is divided, like the box, in two sections. At the top, a blue stripe and bright and opaque, at the bottom, the transparent purity of the glass exquisitely reveals the fragrance’s clear blue tones. The name, L´EAU POUR HOMME, in silver letters, is cradled over a blue watercolour background.

MA R KET W ATCH

Customers win in Jumbo

he second draw of the ‘Mercedes Benz - Shop for QR 300 & Win 3 Cars - Offer’ launched by Jumbo Electronics & LG was conducted on December 1, 2010 at the LG Lifestyle Gallery at City Centre. The Winner of the second Mercedes Car was Sunil Tamang. In addition to the grand prize of the Mercedes Benz, 100 other prizes comprising Notebooks, Window ACs, Home-theatre systems, 32” LCDs, 42” Plasma TVs,

Washing Machines, Portable DVD Players, Refrigerators, SD Cards and Mobiles were won by customers who purchased products from Jumbo Electronics & LG Lifestyle Galleries during the last month. The ‘Mercedes Benz - Shop for QR300 & Win 3 Cars - Offer’ gave the customers of Jumbo Electronics and Video Home the opportunity to win three cars by purchasing products worth just QR 300. The promotion runs till January 10, 2011 and is valid at all the 15 Jumbo outlets in Qatar including the newly opened showroom at Barwa Village. The third and final draw will be held on January 12, 2011. Customers could log on to www.jumboqatar. com website or visit any Jumbo showroom to check the winners’ list.

Corum – Festive Apparel for Haute Horlogerie

he watchmaking brand crowns a festive year marked by two major anniversaries, including the 30 years of its legendary Golden Bridge baguette movement, by presenting two models in the Corum Bridges collection. The Miss Golden Bridge, launched for the first time at the watchmaking fair in Basel, is adorned with diamonds for Christmas time. With its contemporary dimensions (43 x 21mm), the diamond set Miss Golden Bridge case is presented in 18ct red or white gold; available in a limited production only. Corum dresses its new Ti-Bridge Tourbillon with a black coat – colour of understated elegance – for the Christmas celebrations. The model is delivered with two bracelets, one in black rubber and one in leather. The Ti-Bridge Tourbillon Black will be issued in a limited edition of 83 pieces.

LG Launches World’s Biggest 3D TV

G Electronics (LG) announced the launch of the 72-inch LZ9700, the world’s biggest 3D FULL LED TV. At 59 inches wide and 40 inches tall, the LZ9700 will give viewers the chance to see life-sized action on a beautifully crisp picture. “The LZ9700 combines the ultimate in LG’s 3D picture quality with our latest developments in connectivity and smart technology,” said HS Paik, President of LG Electronics Gulf. “With the LZ9700, LG is poised to take the lead in the 3D TV market with a clearer, bigger screen that delivers a truly outstanding 3D experience.” But the LZ9700 isn’t just about a clear, big screen. This state-of-the-art TV is also fitted with LG’s latest smart technologies, making it possible to access information about travel, health and anything else by using the contents cube feature. Viewers can also enjoy video streaming from YouTube and photos via Google’s free web photo service, Picassa. Thanks to LG’s intuitive and easy-to-use Magic Motion Remote Control, all of LZ9700’s functions are simple to find and operate. Further, connectivity options come in the shape of a smart DLNA function, which lets users wirelessly access files stored on other media devices to enjoy them on the big screen. The LZ9700 is now available at the introductory price of QR 37,999.

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MA R KET W ATCH

CGC & QA celebrates

elebrating Qatar’s historic win to host the 2022 FIFA Football World Cup, Consolidated Gulf Co. (CGC) and QA launched an exciting Nokia winter offer where purchases of selected Nokia mobile phones come with free economy class return tickets to one of 22 destinations in GCC, ME and Indian sub continent. This offer is valid from December 28, 2010 to January 31, 2011 or until stocks last and customers have chance to travel till March 31, 2011 and includes Qatar Airways destinations: Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai, Kuwait, Muscat, Amman, Beirut, Damascus, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram, Colombo, Dhaka and Kathmandu.

Anil Mahajan, COO, CGC, and Ehab A. Fattah Amin, Vice President, Qatar Airways, jointly rolled out the unique Nokia winter bonanza at an exclusive press meet at the CGC Corporate office. “We are pleased to bring this fabulous scheme to celebrate Qatar’s extraordinary feat of achieving the rights to host the FIFA World Cup. Making it big, we are offering nine top-of-the-chart Nokia mobiles, including latest hit Nokia N8, E5, E63, E72, C7, C6, C3, X3-02 and Nokia 6120. Altogether 11 countries are included under the scheme and there is no limit on number of Nokia purchases. We take this opportunity to thank the national carrier for once again joining hands to offer customers a wonderful opportunity to fly with the world’s 5-Star airline along with Nokia,” said Mahajan.

Vacheron Constantin Launches Calibre 2460 QRA

he resolutely contemporary Quai de l’Ile collection launched by Vacheron Constantin in 2008 is now enriched with a Retrograde Annual Calendar model. This complication is revealed through the new Vacheron Constantin Calibre 2460 QRA and housed within a 43 mm case offering unique opportunities for personalisation. Clothed in pink or white gold – or both if the customer so wishes – this model, with its dynamic lines, houses a new mechanical self-winding complicated movement designed, developed and crafted by Vacheron Constantin: Calibre 2460 QRA, bearing the prestigious Hallmark of Geneva. The annual calendar is undoubtedly one of the most useful complications, since it takes account of the essential calendar ir-

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regularities over a full year. The masterwatchmakers and design engineers of Vacheron Cosntantin have conceived, developed and crafted the new Calibre 2460 QRA, complying with technical specifications that included the need to meet the high finishing and construction stipulations laid down by the Hallmark of Geneva regulations.

Piaget Lights Up The Festive Season

splendidly elegant parade of Piaget watches and jewellery creations form a glittering escort for year-end parties. While the men’s timepieces convey a sense of tradition and expertise, sparkling watches and jewellery surround women with a glowing glamour that makes them shine like stars on a winter night. Piaget brings you some beautiful pieces this season. First, there’s the LimelightEmbroidery Inspiration – 78 gemstones form an arabesque pattern, a pear-cut diamond sparkles against a dipping neckline. A lacework inspired ring with gossamer-like motif coils around the finger. The Limelight Magic Hour is a watch which conceals three styles. Three ways of wearing this piece and as many types of time read-off are revealed on its flinqué white dial. Applied hourmarkers appear and disappear according to the mood of the gem-set rotating bezel. The oval shape is classical at horizontal position; at an oblique angle it is fanciful while the vertical option reveals the jewellery watch set with gold numerals. The Piaget Altiplano 43mm is ultra-thin at just 2.35 m thickness. Self-winding, it is extremely reliable. The sapphire crystal case-back reveals blued screws and circular satin-brushed wheels whirring away. The Altiplano is the smallest in the world in its category.

globe trot

Taking the ‘bul by the horns dubai claims to be the city where ‘east meets west’. they are only out by about 1,500 miles, as istanbul wears that particular crown...

by J ohn Hu nt

stanbul is the largest city in a transcontinental Turkey of 73 million people with 97% of its vast area in Asia, and the other 3% in Europe. Where the two continents meet across the Bosphorus strait sprawls the vast city of 12.5 million people which straddles Eastern and Western worlds The majority of Istanbul’s most popular ancient sites are located in the Sultanahmet area in the centre of the ‘old town’, easily navigated with the city’s public transport system of buses and trams. Both are very frequent and cheap (c.QR4 per single trip, of any distance). Taxis are plentiful and reasonably priced if

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you don’t want to slum it. Atop Sultanahmet’s testing topography sits Topkapi Palace, formerly home to the Ottoman Sultans and, since the establishment of Turkey as a republic in 1923, a museum. It’s enormous, and was once home to 4,000 people who lived and worked there in the Sultan’s service. It now houses some fascinating exhibits, including the cloak and sword of the Prophet Muhammad. Ever popular is the Armoury, where jewel-encrusted swords, daggers, thrones and other priceless items are to be found. There are some amazing things to see here but the presentation is appalling – battleship-grey secure

globe trot

weather report

summer june – august High: 410c

autumn september – november HIgh: 230c

the only way is up the blue mosque is a tourist staple, and rightly so

boxes with security glass have been wedged into the alcoves and the treasures within have been lit with all the luminescence of a burning cigarette. While it is understood that a good many people would like to get their hands on Topkapi’s priceless goodies and that the building’s age and location overlooking the Bosphorus make security an issue, a better balance needs to be struck for the benefit of the customer. In addition to not being able to properly appreciate the exhibits due to their poor displays, security guards patrol the lines of shuffling patrons barking ‘No Pictures!’ at the people bringing tens of billions of dollars a year into the Turkish economy. No pictures? Why not? I know that flash photography will bleach a famous painting over time but what will it do to gold and diamond on the other side of inch-thick glass? Nothing. Entrance to Topkapi costs the equivalent of QR52 with a further QR38 payable to enter the Harem, a palace within the palace. Why not make entry a flat QR90? It looks money-grubbing to try and disguise the price of seeing the whole thing. You don’t even get a map unless you fork out another QR38 for the audio guide. But, annoyances like this and those above aside, it’s a must-see – both parts.

Blue period A short walk through Sultanahmet takes you to the Blue Mosque. Its name stems from the 20,000 blue tiles which adorn the interior, which is atypically elaborate for the style of building. The 400-year-old mosque is free to enter for all and it combines being a ‘working’ place of worship with being a tourist attraction. Striking inside and out, it’s an Istanbul staple for the enquiring visitor. From the Blue Mosque it’s only a few hundred yards to the Hagia Sophia, a former cathedral, then mosque and now religious museum after being secularised in 1935. The building is remarkable for its size considering that it was built 1,500 years ago – it’s enormous even by today’s standards – and was the largest cathedral in the world for almost 1,000 years. The interior is picturesque with a highly unusual mix of Christian and Islamic imagery sitting cheek by jowl. Entrance is QR52, which is a rip-off, despite the quality of the attraction. Leaving Sultanahmet behind for a spell, we headed down to the water for another tourist staple, the Bosphorus Boat Trip. Being a city on several shores, there’s a good deal of maritime activity (moving freight, oil, commuters) and at least a dozen com-

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winter december – february High: 120c

spring march – may high: 210c

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globe trot

WHERE TO STAY

getting there

pooling assets the palace overlooks the pool – a ‘bracing’ dip in october’s weather

Doha to Istanbul direct is possible with two carriers: Qatar Airways (QA) and Turkish Airlines (TA). At the time of booking, the latter was cheaper than the former. TA’s ticket cost QR1,850 in September and remains the same today but at time of writing, QA’s cheapest price is down to a bargain QR1,320... Regardless, TA was on time both ways, the food was surprisingly tasty for an airline and the service was very good also.

flight duration

4.00 h o u r s

e stayed in the Ciragan Palace Kempinski Hotel just on the edge of the city centre. Suites in the original palace (above) can cost up to QR30,000 a night so we stayed in the slightly more economical main body of the hotel. Situated right on the Bosphorus, the room had a fantastic view of the strait and the boats and supertankers that chugged up and down, passing just a couple of hundred metres from our balcony. The Spa in the basement was first rate and we used this extensively for relaxation after each day of pounding Istanbul’s pavements. The outdoor panies that also offer boat trips for sightseeing. We opted for local outfit Turyol for our 90-minute trip (QR26 – a bargain) up and down the strait. Photo opportunities were limited as it was grey and raining on the day of our trip. Such is life. Undoubtedly worth it though, to get a feel of the city from the water. In the district of Beyoglu is to be found Istanbul Modern, the first gallery of its kind (Modern Art, oddly enough) in the country. Having been raised on a diet of Tate Modern, Pompidou Centre and MoMA, this was always going to struggle to impress but, despite its small-ish size, there was some superb work on display here. Well worth a look if you’re at all interested in the genre. Entrance is QR26 – free on Thursdays. Back to Sultanahmet and the Istanbul Archaeology Museum (admission QR26) which is adjacent to Topkapi. There are nearly a million exhibits from all over the world including the famous ‘Alexander Sarcophagus’ crammed into three buildings and, much like Topkapi, while the content is certainly here, the narrative and presentation are weak. Cistern addict What was intended to be the penultimate but turned out to be the last of our historic adventures was at the Basilica Cistern underneath the city. This vast chamber, built 1,500 years ago, reportedly by 7,000 slaves, was once a freshwater reservoir for the city centre.

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pool was fun also, but in mid-October it was just a fleeting dip... The buffet breakfast is the best I have seen anywhere, with an array of tables and cooking stations offering literally hundreds of options. Breads, meats, sushi, cheeses, juices, etc. and as much of this as you can stick away of a morning. Also unlimited champagne, if you fancy a bucks fizz. The Ciragan Palace is, by many accounts, the finest hotel in Istanbul. Based on our stay that seems fair comment and the price reflects that with a standard double room with Bosphorus view and breakfast costing from QR2,300 a night. Now all but empty and lit with an eerie orange light, a walkway takes you on a circuitous route through the 336 marble columns that hold up the roof. The remaining couple of feet of water is home to numerous fish dodging the avalanche of coins flipped in with wishes made in the near-darkness. Atmospheric and worth seeing. Entrance is QR26. The Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar should be on every Istanbul itinerary. Both are labyrinthine, extensive covered and uncovered markets, the former selling mostly jewellery, clothes and accessories, the latter spices, foods, beverages and souvenirs. The voracity of the stallholders has to be seen to be believed. Even making eye contact is tantamount to an offer. The Grand Bazaar stalls groan under the weight of fake Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada and artisans patrol the walkways proffering counterfeit perfumes. I thought the pricing would be keener and a bit of low-level haggling took place over a fake Louis Vuitton wallet but we were miles apart on an item that you can get at markets in any number of Asian cities for a third of his ‘best price’. I also declined several offers to buy fake Rolexes – the quality of which ranged from atrocious to exceptional. I did ask one merchant what need I would have of a fake Rolex when I own a real one. That stumped him. The Spice Bazaar was no less restrained with one vendor asking us to “let me sell you something you

globe trot

uptown top ranking the topkapi guards will behead anyone who tries to enter without a ticket

must know

luggage airport to city is a bit of a trek. take a taxi if you’re flush

mou signing Eng. Issa Al Mohanndi, QGBC Chairman and Dr. Yousef Mohamed Al-Horr, BQDRI’S Chairman & Managing Director

taxi available 24hrs and reasonably cheap

all cisterns go

this is just bazaar

‘how much more black could it be? None. None more black’

shisha pipes, ceramics and fake louis Vuitton...

don’t need”. No doubt he used this line a hundred times a day but it sounded fresh, and made me laugh. Mountains of Turkish Delight bulged out of cold cabinets alongside industrial quantities of spices and hennas which jostled for space alongside souvenir ceramics, nick-knacks and t-shirts. We would probably have spent a bit more time in both of these places if the pressure hadn’t been as intense – for us it made you less, not more, likely to buy anything.

we’d wasted so much time that insufficient remained before our flights to wait in another queue, so we got a refund on our QR52 ticket and called it a day. I make mention of the abortive trip to Dolmabahce as I think it exemplifies a lot that is wrong with the logistics and administration of tourism in Istanbul. Popular attractions often mean queues but when you arrive at the front of a hundreds-strong line to find just one person selling tickets then it’s hard to come to any other conclusion that the government body which owns and runs most of the sites mentioned here doesn’t care about its customers. Also, the childish attempts to disguise the prices at Topkapi and the treatment of the visitors therein also left a bad taste. The customer is king most everywhere else and Istanbul, impressive as it is, does not have the right to exempt itself from such responsibilities. The analogy made at the time was that Istanbul has all the ‘ingredients’ in place to become an outstanding tourist experience (decent climate, great natural beauty, amusing locals, drenched in history, great attractions, not expensive) but the ‘chef’ in the kitchen is incompetent and avaricious. I had a great time. It’s undoubtedly a great city. I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who appreciates architecture and history. But here is the caveat: expect your custom to be treated with a certain amount of disdain by the authorities

Do you even care? Our final day in Istanbul offered the opportunity to do something until the early afternoon and time to head to the airport and back to our respective points of origin. We decided on the Dolmabahce Palace, situated on the banks of the Bosphorus. Online travel forums spoke in glowing terms of the palace’s lavish décor, the 4.5 ton chandelier – a gift from Queen Victoria, the banisters made out of Baccarat crystal, the 14 tons of gold leaf gilding the ceilings; this was going to be a treat. What a disaster. Having gone through a security check we joined an enormous queue for tickets that moved at a snail’s pace. We reached the front of the queue to find one person selling tickets. Paid and went in, turned another corner to come face to face with the palace and... another queue, this one motionless as those assembled waited to be taken in groups on the compulsory guided tour of the palace. By this point,

january 2011

photography topkapi stewards need to learn some manners

must carry October wasn’t too cold, but it was wet. Pack a brolly

Qatar Today 91

qatar celebrates national day

doha diary

Mathaf opens doors to the publiC

CULTURAL HOTSPOT MATHAF WAS INAUGURATED BY HH THE EMIR SHEIKH HAMAD BIN KHALIFHA AL-THANI AND HH SHEIKHA MOZAH BINT NASSER AL-THANI

n the presence of His Highness the Emir, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa AlThani and HH Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Thani, international dignitaries, leaders and artists, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, was inaugurated on December 14, 2010. An unprecedented new centre for Arab culture and creativity, Mathaf opened the door to the public on December 30, 2010. The first institution of its kind in the region, Mathaf fosters creativity, promotes dialogue and inspires new ideas about modern and contemporary Arab art. The 5,500sqmt (59,000 square-foot) Museum, located in a former school building in Doha’s Education City, has a collection that represents the major trends and sites of production of modern Arab art spanning the 1840s through the present. Offering a rare comprehensive overview of modern Arab art, the new museum is presenting three inaugural exhibitions, including the first survey of its unparalleled collection of more than 6,000 works. It also presents programmes, engaging local and international communities, which will contribute to the cultural landscape of the Gulf Region, the Middle East and the Arab Diaspora.

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Mathaf is the outgrowth of more than two decades of activity by the Vice-Chairperson of the Qatar Museums Authority (QMA), HE Sheikh Hassan bin Mohammed bin Ali Al-Thani. The collection was adopted originally by Qatar Foundation, which safeguarded it for four years before QMA took on the Museum as a project in partnership with Qatar Foundation. As the catalyst of this project, HE Sheikh Hassan has encouraged creativity in Qatar and throughout the region with his longtime commitment to Arab artists. “With the opening of Mathaf, we make Qatar the place to see, explore and discuss the creations of Arab artists of the modern era and our own time,” stated QMA Chairperson HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. “We are proud that Qatar is now revealing these artistic achievements in unprecedented depth and breadth, just as our Museum of Islamic Art opened vast new perspectives on our centuries-old heritage.” According to HE Sheikh Hassan, “We warmly welcome the people of our own country and region, and visitors from around the world, to a center of knowledge and creativity that has long been needed. Collectors and curators are increasingly

drawn toward the work of contemporary Arab artists, which is a very welcome development. But today’s artistic activities can truly flourish only if they are connected meaningfully to the important history that lies behind these achievements. Mathaf deepens the conversation about Arab art and helps advance the creativity of the Arab world.” “Mathaf aims to become a resource for its visitors – physical and virtual, local and global – to learn about modern Arab art,” said Wassan Al-Khudhairi Chief Curator and Acting Director, Mathaf, “We are proud to follow HE Sheikh Hassan’s lead as pioneers in this growing field, and to honor the seminal artists who have profoundly impacted the art of our time.”

MODERN ART HH the EMIR TAKES A TOUR AROUND MATHAF

D OHA D IA R Y

Hyatt Plaza pledges tO support Qatar

D OHA D IA R Y

New Italian Restaurant at Pearl

TASTY TREAT Carluccio’s is THE LATEST addition to The Pearl-Qatar.

PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION HYATT PLAZA ORGANISED A PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION FOR THE NATIONAL DAY CELEBRATION

wo major events were organised by Hyatt Plaza on the occasion of the National Day Qatar to pledge their support to the leadership of Qatar. One was the inauguration of a unique photography exhibition and the other was a grand scale National Day celebration which was planned by the Hyatt Plaza Management. The Photography exhibition titled ‘Al Majd’ which ran from December 15 to December 19, offered the customers and visitors a visual insight into Qatar’s rich heritage and culture and showcased the works of the renowned Doha-based photographers, including Khalifa Al-Obaidly and Naushad Ahmed. The inauguration also marked the launch of Hyatt Plaza’s exclusive coffee table took, titled Al Majd after the pictorial exhibit. The grand scale National Day celebration was organised by the management of Hyatt Plaza on December 18 which included entertainment programmes by popular Qatari entertainers like Abdulrahman AlHarami and Ahmed Al-Jarbi. The event was sponsored by Hamad Medical Corporation and co-organised by Media Space Multimedia Solutions.

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arluccio’s – a new Italian style Café, Restaurant and Food shop will celebrate its launch officially in January 2011 at Pearl Qatar. Already open for public, the café is a perfect spot for all those who enjoy fresh Italian cooking in a family friendly-atmosphere at value prices. Young and urban, Carluccio’s is the perfect spot to either enjoy a healthy breakfast outside, simply have a good cappuccino, or gather with friends for a real Italian dinner. The Pearl-Qatar’s master-developer UDC’s, Executive Vice President Fash-

ion and Retail Leasing, Kirk Martin commented: “Carluccio’s is the perfect addition to The Pearl-Qatar. With so many diverse flavours from around the world located on the Island, Carluccio’s will be one of the cafes and restaurants that visitors and residents will visit on a very regular basis. It is an open and welcoming place. You can relax and enjoy the tastes of authentic Italian cooking right in the Middle East – Carluccio’s brings the tastes of Italy to the heart of Porto Arabia at The Pearl-Qatar.” Carluccio’s will seat 210, with 130 seats located inside for alfresco dining.

QU discusses ‘Women in law practice’

atar University (QU) held a panel discussion recently on ‘Women in law practice’ to discuss the difficulties and obstacles women legal professionals face in this region and on an international level. The objective of the discussion was to provide students with information about the professional opportunities available to lawyers. Participating in the panel were Qatar’s first woman judge Hessa Al-Sulaiti, As-

sistant Director for the Center of Law and Judicial Studies, Mariam Yousef; WOMEN Arab Vodafone IN LAW Director of Legal QU ORGANISED A PANEL DISCUSAffairs DepartSION ON WOMEN LAWYERS AND ment Nouf AlTHE DIFFICULTIES Sulaiti, and pracTHEY FACE tising private lawyer Hend AlSafarr. QU President Prof Sheikha Abdulla Al-Misnad, VP and Chief Academic Officer Dr Sheikha Bint Jabor Al-Thani, Dean of Law Dr Hassan Okour, faculty and students marked their presence at the event. In her remarks, QU President Prof Sheikha said: “This event serves to prove that the State of Qatar gives rights to individuals from both genders to engage in domestic and international affairs without discrimination which discourages transparency in the society.”

D OHA D IA R Y

Dohaland celebrates National Day

NATIONAL DAY CONSTRUCTION WORKERS JOIN IN FOR THE NATIONAL DAY CELEBRATIONS AT DOHALAND

ohaland actively participated and hosted a bunch of activities to be the part of the double celebration of the National Day and the 2022 World Cup winning bid on the occasion

of Qatar’s National Day. Dohaland, who strongly supported the 2022 World Cup bid, also commissioned a special song for National Day, sung by popular Qatari singer Fahad Al-Kubaisi. The song entitled ‘I am Qatari’ reflected the strong and proud tra-

ditions of Qatar, the ambitions and dreams of its people, and the joy of all Qataris during this wonderful era. Dohaland had partenered with the Qatar National Day committee to exhibit a rare collection of antique daggers and swords belonging to the founding father, and also screen documentaries charting the life and times of the founders of Qatar at the Knowledge Enrichment Centre. A six-day exhibition for children was held outside the Knowledge Enrichment Centre from December 15-20 where a collection of works by children from over 58 schools, who participated in the ‘Paint the Doha of our Dreams’, Dohaland’s first CSR campaign, was displayed. Activities for its employees as well as workers involved in the construction of its signature project Musheireb, the new Doha downtown generation project was organised.

book review

court esy : virgin m e ga s tore

Leadership Wisdom

Screw It Let’s Do It

The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable

By Robin Sharma

By Richard Branson

By Nassim Nicholas Taleb

The most anticipated sequel of the phenomenal bestseller The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma, a renowned speaker and leadership maestro, shares a system that will help restore your faith and commitment towards your organization while transforming the way you lead your life. With simplicity the author has given a timeless wisdom for visionary leaders in eight practical steps that the managers, employees and entrepreneurs can apply immediately to boost morale, maintain loyalty and hence a more fulfilling life. Leadership Wisdom inspires you to become a leader who touches the lives and adds true value to the world.

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“S

crew It Lets Do It” is one of Richard’s favourite saying. The book of the same name reveals the lessons that helped him get through the difficulties he faced in his business and personal life. Like believing in what you have started, and to keep trying until you succeed and to love what you do. Screw It is a quick read book which will take less than half a day to read cover-by-cover, but the wisdom it contains is priceless.

ntil the 19th century when the black swans were discovered it was believed that all the swans were white. The Black Swan is a phrase for the widely unexpected events that are more likely than we think. Events like 9/11 or sales of Harry Potter and the turkey which is well treated for thousand days and is killed on the thousand and one day are among many of the examples that have been mentioned in the book. Taleb takes a look at the human psychology which lacks the skill to evaluate the risks and the uncertainties we may face. The book is recommended for those who are curious about uncertainties and the way they are approached.

D OHA D IA R Y

Qatar celebrates national day

The National Day celebration this year was resplendent and with Qatar winning the hosting rights of 2022 World Cup, made it even more special. In the presence of His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani and the Deputy Emir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al- Thani, the celebration started in the morning with the grand civil-military parade held at the Corniche, which was all decked up for the grand event. The acrobatic parade of fighter planes and naval ships and an exhibition showcasing Boeing C-17 that juxtaposed against the traditional dhows held the audience spell-bound. The event was a mixture of modern and traditional, where the demonstration of vintage cars and the parade of horses and camels added to the flavour of the show. Dazzling fireworks in the evening provided a grand finale to the event.

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