Qatar Today April 2012

april 2012

Qatar Today 1

contents

april 2012

cov er s to ry

46 Compromising our children’s future?

The Supreme Education Council (SEC)’s surprise decision last year to switch the language of instruction for some key disciplines at Qatar University from English to Arabic last year caused waves of discontent and bemusement around the campus. What is perceived throughtout the region as a well-established and respected institution, could the SEC be about to bring it back 15 years with a decree that betrays little sense of research, or is it a necessary move at a strategic time to stabilise the country’s cultural identity?

Qatar Today investigates...

38 Directing the National Vision

Qatar Today met Qatar Statistic Authority (QSA)’s Chairman, HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jabor Al Thani, to talk about the QSA’s role in the implementation of the National Development Strategy 2011-2016.

41 We are a serious business

“It’s not all play at Vodafone Qatar as we try to solve our network issues,” says Richard Daly, the new CEO at Vodafone to Sindhu Nair, in his first interview with the local media after taking the role.

46 38

41

19 Converting your Company to Islam

In Bank Sarasin’s third Islamic Wealth Management Report, launched recently, the bank reviews the complexities of converting a business to Islam, a topic which is rarely discussed or written about.

Conversion is complicated by the need to address every aspect of a business, the lack of broadly accepted standards and regulations, and differences in the Muslim world itself.

published by oryx advertising co wll, All rights reserved. qatar today is published monthly by oac, po box no. 3272, doha, qatar. subscription rate qr 180 per year. address 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 a registered trademark of oryx advertising co wll

april 2012 volume 38 issue 4 www.omsqatar.com

april 2012

Qatar Today 3

contents

april 2012

76 HEALTHCARE TODAY: A WEALTH OF HEALTH

From the country’s first hospital that opened 50 years ago, Qatar’s healthcare industry has expanded to encompass the most advanced medical equipment, a countrywide network of hospitals and healthcare centres, and institutes that promote education in healthcare.

21 Back to the future

As an expat worker, you alone are responsible for saving for retirement. Fail to save enough during your most productive employment years, and you will be staring down the barrel of a very bleak lifestyle in your twilight ones, warns David Russell, Senior Executive Officer, Guardian Wealth Management Qatar LLC.

76 92

64 The Cost of Evolution

Will you be alive in 2050? Would you want to be? Seminal research by one of the world’s most decorated physicists, Michio Kaku – where he interviewed 300 of the world’s top scientists – reveals how the world will be in 50 years. Rory Coen wonders what we will be trading for such advancements.

83 Qatar’s World Cup dream gets closer Qatar’s heroic draw in Tehran last month guaranteed them a place in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) fourth-round draw for qualification for World Cup 2014 in Brazil.

64

32 GOING PUBLIC – THE COMPLETE LOWDOWN ON IPO

Facebook’s $5 billion IPO later this year is likely to become the biggest Internet IPO in history. “Going public” involves a vision of success and a motive for expansion.

58 ARE ORGANISATIONS MAKING THE MOST OF THEIR WORKFORCE?

Is employee engagement being forgotten. A company’s workforce is afterall its most important asset.. What can managers and leaders do to foster more employee engagement in the workplace?

4 Qatar Today

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regulars News Bites.................................................12 O & G O v e r v i e w. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6 Bank Notes................................................18 W o r l d V i e w. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6 braking News..............................................84 Market Watch............................................90 D o h a D i a r y. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0 4

Volume 38

issue 4

Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

Chief Executive Executive Vice President Vice President

april 2012

Yousuf Jassem Al Darwish Sandeep Sehgal Alpana Roy Ravi Raman

DEPUTY Editor Sindhu Nair

Editorial Coordinator cassey oliveira

CORRESPONDENTS RORY COEN EZDHAR IBRAHIM FASHION &LIFESTYLE CORRESPONDENT ORNA Ballout

Art Director Venkat Reddy Assistant Art Director Hanan Abu Saiam Senior Graphic Designer Ayush Indrajith Graphic Designer maheshwar reddy Photographer R obert F Altamirano Manager–Marketing Zulfikar Jiffry Senior Media Consultant Chaturka Karandana Media Consultant HASSAN REKKAB

MARKETING RESEARCH & SUPPORT EXECUTIVE EMILY LANDRY 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 © 2012 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.

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. 180 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@Omsqatar.com. qatar today is registered trademark of oryx advertising co wll reprint requests should be directed to the info@Omsqatar.com. qatar today is registered trademark of oryx advertising co wll reprint requests should be directed to the info@Omsqatar.com.

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.

april 2012

from the desk

When

the recent directive from the Supreme Education Council to change the medium of education at Qatar University (QU) to Arabic was announced, the twitter platform erupted with protests. a local daily expressed the views of students from the University and then there was nothing about it. Like all news, it was pushed to the back shelves.

There were no clarifications or counter arguments and there was no in-depth analysis on why this directive was issued or why it was opposed. It was around the same time that another interesting study surfaced. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development came out with a fascinating little study mapping the correlation between performance on the Programme for International Student Assessment, or PISA, exam – which every two years tests the maths, science and reading comprehension skills of 15-year-olds in 65 countries – and the total earnings on natural resources as a percentage of GDP for each participating country. In short, how well do children do in the schools in relation to how much oil a country pumps.

Predictably, Qatar and most of the oil-rich countries stand out with a combination of low PISA scores and high natural resources. Reiterating the fact that how a country is going to do in the 21st century, won’t depend on its oil reserves but on its highly effective teaching systems, involved parents and committed students. Qatar might be producing low scores but to say the country is not investing in education is irrational. About 15% of the budget in the year 2010-2011 was allocated to the education sector, with QR7.5 billion being set aside for creating new facilities and constructing academic buildings. But the challenge is not investing in education but how to use the resources to really change the education experience, and if the recent directive is meant to meet these challenges, there are still gaps that need to be filled – and discussing them are students from QU in Qatar Today’s cover story, which gives you an in-depth look into the country’s education sector.

Mapping the resources and the demographics of the nation is the Qatar Statistics Authority and its Chairman, HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jabor Al Thani, talks in detail to Qatar Today about its role in the implementation of the National Development Strategy 2011-2016. Vodafone is going in for some streamlining, starting from how its office space looks to focus on its services, and directing this change is their new CEO, Richard Daly.

For all this and more on QITCOM – the technology event that made us all sit back and think whether we really need technology and education to take us to the point that everything in the world, from domestic toilets to human brains, will have micro-chips installed in them.

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letters feedback qtoday@omsqatar.com

Au Revoir I have been closely following the Oryx group of publications and am amazed by the contents and ideas that permeate the magazines. It was therefore with some sorrow that I read the last edit note where the editor of the magazines, Vani Saraswathi, bid goodbye to the readers. We wish this prolific journalist all the best and hope that the magazine strives to reach more journalistic pinnacles.

Ramesh Kurian

Numbers or more?

My friend recently expressed her desire to visit Qatar when she read the Forbes report that the country was now the richest in the world. She was weighing the probabilities of visiting either Doha or its tourist-rich neighbour, Dubai. She chose Dubai, of course, the reasons for which are quite evident as Dubai has much more to offer its visitors. Reading Qatar Today’s cover story on tourism baffled me. Do we really have as many visitors as the QTA implies?

qt poll – april

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

Christine Owell

Q

Country connections

I loved the country report that was included in Qatar Today’s March issue. I have learnt so much about the country and its initiatives, especially the Sofia Platform that tries to help the Arab countries cope with the trauma of change in leadership systems by drawing parallels with the experience of East European countries in their tryst with communism before joining the European Union. Keep educating us, Qatar Today.

Ryman

Knowledge and Youth

The interview with the CEO of Silatech touched on topics that are pertinent and the interviewee’s answers were candid and intelligent. We loved the article and the issues it brought to the table. We are proud of initiatives like Silatech that try to act while others harp about promises that are not met in the long run.

Hamid Al-Nasser

Will the private sector be lucrative enough for the new workforce?

SMS answers to +974 33072524 A lucky winner will win a NOKIa C5-03

CAN DOHA REPLACE ITS UAE RIVALS AS THE MICE DESTINATION OF CHOICE?

62% 38% Yes

no

The winning number of the last QT poll is 3374528

12 Qatar Today

april 2012

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

Check out all articles of Qatar Today on www.issuu.com/oryxmags/qatartoday

Write to: The Editor, Qatar Today, PO Box 3272, Doha.

Fax: (+974) 44550982, email: qtoday@omsqatar.com

follow us on www.facebook.com/qatartoday www.twitter.com/qatartoday www.qatartoday.tumblr.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.

qsa: directing the national vision 38

NEWS BITES

Health Insurance Scheme for all by 2014

t

he Social Health Insurance (SHI) scheme, which will be rolled out in phases to cover all residents in Qatar as well as visitors, will be fully implemented in the country by the end of 2014.

The draft law for the scheme has been sent to the Council of Ministers for consideration.

At its first stage and beginning from this November, the scheme will cover some 75,000 Qatari women aged from 15 years who will start to enjoy free medical care in obstetrics and gynaecology. More services will be available to the group under the scheme much later.

Other stages of the implementation of the scheme will be as follows: second stage – July 2013 (coverage for all nationals for all medical services in primary healthcare and private sector), third stage – October 2013 (all nationals enjoying services from all providers in the country), fourth stage – May 2014 (all nationals for all services in private sector and some 50% of outpatient services).

It is expected that all residents, including expatriates, will be included in the SHI, with the majority enjoying a basic benefits package of healthcare services at both primary and secondary levels during its fifth stage by the end of 2014.

According to the draft law, the gov-

ernment shall be liable to pay the health insurance premium for Qataris while employers are liable for their expatriate workers.

The scheme, which will be made mandatory for all, will be linked to the issuance of residence permit for expatriates including those on family and visiting visas.

“Employers and sponsors shall not be issued with residence permits for employees or sponsored persons unless they have subscribed to the SHI and employer or sponsor may not collect any part of the health insurance premiums required to be paid by him from the employees/sponsored persons”, the draft law states.

QR4.5 billion contract signed for New Port Project

m

EDCO (Middle East Dredging Company Q.S.C.) was awarded a contract to dredge the approach channel for the ‘New Port Project’ by the New Port Project Steering Committee, under the Government of Qatar.

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The contract also includes the dredging of the basin as well as the land reclamation for the Naval Base of approximately 400 ha and the construction of the two Outer Breakwaters at both sides of the Channel. The New Port is located between Al Wakrah and Mesaeed, south of Doha. The

contract represents a value of about QR4.5 billion.

The QR27 billion New Port Project will cater for the expected growth in container traffic as well as general cargo traffic, vehicle imports, livestock imports, bulk grain imports, offshore support vessels, cruise vessels, coastguard vessels and a marine support unit. A new base for the Qatar Emiri Naval Forces will be built offshore the New Port, providing berthing for Qatar’s Navy and visiting naval vessels from around the world.

The New Port will be developed in several phases to include three Container Terminals with a combined annual capacity in excess of six million containers per year and a Railway Station connected to the GCC Railway Network, thus ensuring connecting the New Port to neighboring Countries and opens horizons to serve the joint market of the Gulf States.

The work is expected to be completed early 2016.

news bites

Arabic must be primary language on billboards

h

H the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani has issued a law which seeks to impose new terms and conditions on those who wish to erect billboards or hoardings or any form or display for products and services in public places.

The law also contains some important stipulations, such as an application for putting up a billboard should be submitted 15 days in advance in the prescribed form to the concerned municipal authority; the text of the display should be essentially in Arabic but any other language may be included if permitted by the concerned municipality in accordance with the regulations; the text to be displayed should not in any manner degrade Islam or any other religion and neither should it be offensive to public feelings, sentiment or cherished traditions and values; the size and design should not be similar to the traffic signboards.

Apart from the municipal authorities, permission for erecting billboards may also be granted by the following government agencies: the Civil Aviation Department, Qatar Media Corporation for Print and Visual Media, the Qatar National Olympic Committee, Qatar Ports Authority, Qatar Postal Corporation and the agencies overseeing the investment zones.

Anyone who violates this law is liable to pay a fine of QR20, 000.

First Radio spectrum policy issued

T

he Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology (ictQATAR) issued Qatar’s first comprehensive Radio Spectrum Policy, which is aimed at managing the country’s valuable spectrum resources, while encouraging innovative uses of spectrum for economic and societal benefits. The policy balances the allocation of spectrum between the public and private sectors, and includes radio spectrum allocation and national frequency allocation.

“Radio spectrum is one of Qatar’s most valuable resources. It makes possible the many forms of communication we enjoy today and management of spectrum is essential for new and emerging technologies. ictQATAR has worked with stakeholders in both the public and private sector to ensure the country is well-positioned to utilize its spectrum for critical communications needs, such as air-traffic control and emergency services, but also allows for innovative new uses of spectrum, including advanced mobile services such as 4G and beyond,” said Christa Maria Cramer, Assistant Secretary General, ictQatar.

Six Qatari Entrepreneurs Shortlisted

E

nterprise Qatar and Ernst & Young have successfully joined efforts to bring one of the world’s prestigious business award programmes to Qatar for the first time. Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur Of The Year recognises outstanding entrepreneurs for their vision, innovation, courage, and leadership in building and growing successful businesses that influence the way we live, the products and services we depend on, and the economic vibrancy of our local com-

munities and global markets.

Six visionary entrepreneurs were shortlisted as finalists for Ernst & Young’s Qatar Entrepreneur Of The Year Award (EOY) 2011. The six finalists are Abdulaziz Al Dolaimi of National Petroleum Services, Zeyad Al Jaidah and Abdullah Alansari of Techno Q, Ashraf Abu Issa of Abu Issa Holding, Jassim Al-Mansoori of iHorizons, Mohammed Al Emadi of Al Emadi Enterprises and Omran Al-Kuwari of GreenGulf Inc.

Silatech and Kiva to Support Arab Youth

a

gainst the backdrop of a rapidly changing Arab world fuelled by young people’s demand for jobs and economic opportunity, Kiva and Silatech have partnered to offer an innovative approach for funding thousands of young Arab entrepreneurs.

Kiva, the world’s largest online micro-lending platform, and Silatech have partnered to launch Kiva Arab Youth: a campaign which allows visitors to its web-portal to make online loans (of as little as QR91 ($25) to young Arabs of their choice. To double the campaign’s impact, Silatech is matching up to QR455,000 ($125,000) of loans made by Kiva lenders. Micro-enterprise initiatives by Silatech have already supported thousands of young Arab entrepreneurs, creating more than 30,000 jobs in the process.

“Charity has traditionally played a large role in the social fabric of Arab societies,” said Ramakant Vempati, Senior Advisor in Silatech’s Microenterprise Unit. “Through Silatech’s partnership with Kiva we are offering new, innovative and technological ways to direct that sense of social responsibility toward young Arabs struggling to build a sustainable future.”

“Kiva provides opportunities for everyday people to lend their support to Arab youth, and contribute to a larger vision of an Arab world where everyone has the financial resources they need to truly succeed,” said Premal Shah, President of Kiva. “Kiva’s partnership with Silatech doubles the impact of your loan and enables a vibrant, ambitious and hopeful generation of Arab youth to participate in our global economy.”

Rizon Jet launches its VIP terminal Qatar and UK-based business aviation Services Company Rizon Jet, a subsidiary of Ghanim bin Saad al Saad & Sons Group Holdings (GSSG), inaugurated its VIP terminal in Doha in March.

The inauguration was under the patronage of H.E. Abdul Aziz bin Mohamed Al Noaimi, Chairman of Qatar Civil Aviation Authority.

The event was attended by Ghanim bin Saad Al Saad, the founder of GSSG; Ibrahim Fakhroo, Group CEO, GSSG Holdings; and Captain Hassan Al Mousawi, CEO, Rizon Jet, as well as officials from both companies and VIP guests.

april 2012

Qatar Today 15

news bites

QF hosts Gambia President

IQ reports record earnings

i

President of the Republic of The Gambia, Yahya Jammeh and QF’s Deputy Director of Communication, Rashed Al Qurese

t

he President of Gambia, Yahya Jammeh visited Qatar Foundation (QF) for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) in March.

The Gambia Head expressed his approval of QF’s commitment to move Qatar beyond a carbon based economy. “Most of the countries in the world that have petroleum have no plan without petroleum,” he said. “Once it dries up, they have nothing else to fall back on, but Qatar is transcending innovation and isn’t basing its country entirely on carbon.”

ndustries Qatar (IQ) reported record revenue of QR16.5 billion for 2011 at its Annual General Assembly in March. All key segments recorded positive annual growth compared to their respective performances in 2010 and the high performance was perpetuated by the 28.4% increase in prices across its product line.

In a report presented, IQ revealed that petrochemical revenue for 2011 was QR6.5 billion; a positive year-on-year variance of QR 1.8 billion, or an increase of 38.6%, and was primarily due to low production volumes recorded last year due to extended methanol and MTBE plant shut-downs, the addition in 2011 of Qatofin’s LLDPE products and an average 12.9% price increase across all products. The fertiliser segment closed the year with revenue of QR 4.3 billion (up QR1.4 billion or 47.3%) on the same period in 2010.

“Almost all of this annual increase can be attributed to an ammonia and urea price rally that began in the last quarter of 2010 and has now resulted in the products’ prices rising by over 70%. Ammonia and urea production volumes and utilisation rates were consistent with 2010 levels, as the plants continued to operate at full capacity and were affected by a similar number of shutdown days as last year,” the report said.

Full-year revenue from steel for the year was QR5.8 billion, which shows an increase of QR1bn, or 21.9% on 2010. Key product prices grew during this period by 18%, giving the segment a QR 1.1billion price variance. Key production levels also grew during the year, but by a modest 4.5 percentage points, to 100% utilisation, IQ said.

ARABS VOTE TO DISCOURAGE CLOSE FAMILY MARRIAGE

T

he Doha Debate threw themselves into one of the Arab world’s most sensitive social issues, arguing the rights and wrongs of inter-marriage between blood relatives and voting overwhelmingly to discourage the practice.

In a lively session on March 20, that featured geneticists and cultural commentators, speakers grappled repeatedly with the scientific and religious aspects of consanguineous marriage - the union of two biologically-related people, including, most controversially, first cousins.

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Such marriages are especially prevalent in the Middle East and woven deeply into the social fabric of Islam. However, in the end, the motion ‘This House believes marriage between close family members should be discouraged’ was overwhelmingly carried by 81% for and to 19% against.

British commentator and broadcaster Sarfraz Manzoor and Israeli geneticist Ohad Birk - chief at the Kahn Genetics Research Centre at Ben Gurion University - said these types of marriages prevented integration in society and increased the

risk of children being born with severe physical and mental disabilities.

On the other side, Saudi Arabian writer and columnist Samar Fatany disputed the level of risk to children of consanguineous marriages and argued the social benefits outweighed the health problems.

Fatany pointed out that marrying a stranger outside of the family in parts of the Middle East was frowned upon and that marriage between blood relatives brought a family together and promoted social integration.

QITCOM 2012: THE COST OF EVOLUTION

64

O & G overview

OIL WEALTH ABUNDANT

g

ulf hydrocarbon producers sit atop nearly QR236.6 trillion ($65 trillion) worth of recoverable oil and gas resources, as much as 47 times their 2011 GDP, according to a Qatari investment firm.

The wealth accounts for nearly a third of the total value of the world’s proven hydrocarbon resources, estimated at QR728 trillion ($200 trillion), said QNB Capital, an affiliate of Qatar National Bank.

At current oil and gas prices, the hydrocarbon wealth controlled by the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries is estimated at $65 trillion, nearly 47 times their 2011 GDP and 93% of the world’s GDP, QNB said in a study published this week.

It said the estimated wealth is almost 125 times the $521 billion earned by the GCC from oil and gas exports in 2011.

A breakdown showed In Numbers Saudi Arabia accounts for almost half the GCC total.

“These estimates are only indicative as hydrocarbons prices are volatile and hard to predict given that they are influenced by a number of factors.

These factors include world economic growth, geopolitical risk, energy efof the world’s total proven crude deposits ficiency and technological advancements.”

Official data showed Saudi Arabia, the world’s dominant oil power, controls around 266 billion barrels trillion cubic metres of proven gas wealth of proven oil deposits and nearly 7.5 trillion cubic metres of gas resources.

Qatar has around 15 billion barrels of oil and the GCC’s largest gas wealth of nearly 25 trillion cubic meof the world’s total tres, the world’s third after Russia and Iran. Qatar’s gas deposits are concentrated in its gigantic offshore North Field, the world’s largest single reservoir of non-associated gas.

Oil and gas deposits in the UAE are estimated at 98.7 billion barrels and seven trillion cubic metres respectively, while those in Kuwait are put at 101 billion barrels and three trillion cubic feet.

R

Rasgas delivers to KOGAS

asGas Company Limited (RasGas) announced the successful delivery of the first Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) cargo by Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited (3) (RL3) under the new long-term LNG Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) with Korea Gas Corporation (Kogas). Under the terms of this SPA, RL 3 will deliver 2 million tonnes of LNG per annum to Kogas for 20 years.

QU organises Gas Symposium

Total GCC oil reserves

495

billion barrels

36% 42

22%

18 Qatar Today

april 2012

t

he Third International Gas Processing Symposium, organised by Qatar University, drew intensive participation from government, academia and the industry to discuss and debate the crucial global topic of natural gas and, more specifically, the theme of “Diversity in Natural Gas Utilisation”.

The symposium was organised under the patronage of HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Qatar Shell was the elite sponsor of the event as part of an ongoing partnership developed with QU over years and covering a whole range of joint activities.

Qatar Shell organised a pre-symposium workshop on Gas to Liquids (GTL), giving an overview of the GTL business and process. Five Shell experts detailed the value chain of GTL from “Well to Wheels”, offering insight into GTL’s position in today’s energy landscape; the Pearl GTL project in Qatar; the production process; product applications; and marketing.

They drew heavily on the successful partnership between Qatar Petroleum and Shell in developing Pearl GTL – the largest GTL plant in the world.

Qatar Shell Executive Vice President and Chairman Wael Sawan said: “Qatar was blessed not only with enormous natural resources but also with clear vision for the energy industry, strong leadership and transparency.”

vodafone: we are a serious business

41

bank notes

QNB launchES NFC Payments Service

Michael Miebach, President, Middle East and Africa, MasterCard Worldwide; Ali Rashid Al Mohannadi, Executive General Manager and CEO, QNB; Waleed Al Sayed, CEO, Qtel Qatar.

t

he launch of Qatar’s first mobile Near Field Communication (NFC) payments programme was announced at QITCOM 2012 as the result of a strategic collaboration between Qatar National Bank (QNB), Qtel, Oberthur Technologies and MasterCard.

QNB and Qtel customers will soon be able to easily turn their mobile phones into credit cards as the programme will allow them to make payments with a tap of their NFC-enabled device. QNB customers eager to adopt this latest innovation can visit the bank’s branches at City Center Mall, Villagio or Landmark and get set up for free with the service being activated within an hour.

“We believe that consumers and mer-

chants in Qatar deserve a secure, convenient and flexible payments option wherever they go,” said Ali Rashid Al-Mohannadi, Executive General Manager and COO, QNB. “This mobile NFC programme is part of our commitment to enhancing the customer experience and supporting Qatar’s vision of becoming a digital economy. We are delighted to spearhead the advancement of the payments landscape in Qatar together with Qtel and MasterCard.”

Waleed Al-Sayed, Chief Operating Officer, Qtel Qatar, said: “As one of the markets with the highest mobile penetration in the world, Qatar offers tremendous opportunities in mobile innovation and we know that there is strong customer demand for a range of services.”

QFCRA appoints its third-term Board of Directors The QFC Regulatory Authority announced its new Board of Directors following their appointment by the Council of Ministers. The Directors of the Regulatory Authority serve threeyear terms, and the new Board will constitute the third Board to serve the Authority since its establishment in 2005.

HE Sheikh Abdullah Bin Saud Al Thani, Governor of the Qatar Central Bank, joins the Board of Directors as the new Chairman. The Council of Ministers also re-appointed Jean-FranCois Lepetit and Robert O’Sullivan, both of whom have served on the Board since its establishment. In addition, the Council appointed three new members: Jeffrey Carmichael (former Chairman of the Australian Prudential RegulatION Authority), Michael Ryan (CEO of the Regulatory Authority) and Mr. Nasser Al-Shaibi (CEO of the Qatar Financial Markets Authority).

It was also announced that Phillip Thorpe will step down as Chairman after seven years of leading the organisation. Thorpe will continue to serve the Authority as Advisor to HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Saud Al Thani.

Commenting on the new appointments, HE Sheikh Abdullah Bin Saud Al Thani said: “The QFC is an important strategic initiative for the State and I look forward to its continuing development and success. The breadth and depth of experience of the Board of Directors is a significant asset to the Regulatory Authority.”

QIB honoured by IFN Magazine

Q

atar Islamic Bank (QIB) has been named for the second consecutive year the Best Islamic Bank in Qatar for 2011 at the Islamic Finance News (IFN) awards. QIB also won the Best Turkey Deal of the Year 2011 for its role as joint co-manager for the $350 million KT Sukuk Varlik Kiralama deal.

These two awards reflect QIB’s commitment to its customers and stakeholders, and

20 Qatar Today

april 2012

reinforce QIB s position as one of the principal Islamic banking pioneers in Qatar, in the region and across the world.

The annual Islamic Financial News Best Bank Poll, established in 2006, recognises the best providers of Islamic financial services across a series of markets and sectors as voted by the readers of IFN. Islamic finance issuers, investors, non-banking financial intermediaries and government bodies

from around the world are invited to participate by casting their votes. A panel of experts from non-competing organisations then examine and sort through all submissions during the elimination process until just one transaction in each category remains.

Hassan Sultan Al-Jafali, Assistant General Manager, Personal Banking, received the two awards on behalf of QIB at the ceremony, held in Dubai.

bank not es

Converting your Company to Islam THE Bank Sarasin’S third Islamic Wealth Management Report reviews the complexities of converting a business to Islam, a topic which is rarely discussed or written about.

Conversion is complicated by the need to address the lack of broadly accepted standards and regulations, and differences in the Muslim world itself.

Converting

a business to Islam can increase the value of a company by 18-25% due to the scarcity of genuine Islamic investments. But the conversion process is arduous, extending from the design to distribution and beyond, to how the company spends its profits. The market potential is massive, with the global Muslim population expected to increase by 26% by 2030, to 2.2 billion, rivalling China and India in terms of market size. The Muslim market segments in India and China alone are larger than some countries’ populations, estimated at 140 million and 40 million respectively.

Demographics are also compelling, with 43% of Muslims under the age of 25.

Sarasin calls for unified GCC regulations The report also calls for the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) to take a leadership role by establishing standards for the registration of Islamic investment products, with one of the regulators recognised by all in the GCC. This would allow asset managers to market products to clients across the Gulf without the lengthy and costly registration process now required,

since products must currently comply with different regulations in Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. The report notes the leadership demonstrated by Malaysia, not only in terms of Islamic finance but also with regard to halal production.

An overview of Islamic finance in 2011 Despite a challenging market environment, progress was made, driven by vigorous underlying trends. Volume, geographic reach and quality all increased in 2011.

Many new economies joined the Islamic finance market, including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, in central Asia; Ethiopia, Kenya, Gabon, Nigeria, South Africa and Somalia in Africa; as well as India, Sri Lanka and even Switzerland.

It was noted that criticism of such structures as the Tawarruq (purchasing a commodity with a deferred payment and selling it to a third party for cash, thus replicating a loan), continued. Regulations need to be adjusted to allow financial institutions to engineer products that fit the spirit of Islam while meeting legal and regulatory requirements. While this debate has run for years, some progress is being made. One example is the recent cooperation between the halal industry and Islamic finance, resulting in the Thomson Reuters SAMI (Socially Acceptable Market Investments) Halal Food Index,

which comprises 200 companies listed in Muslim-majority countries representing a total market capitalisation of more than $100 billion(QR364 billion).

The path to corporate transformation – converting a company to Islam A businessman wants his company to be Sharia-compliant as a matter of identity and faith and for economic reasons, given the effect on valuations and potential business opportunities. However, the major reason is one of faith, since a person who lives following the guidelines of Sharia, which regulate his inheritance and civil status, would naturally ask how he can conduct his financial and business activities in conformity with the Sharia as well.

To convert a company to Islam requires a comprehensive review of every aspect of the business, including market, governance, legal, financial and marketing issues spanning the entire design, production, distribution and sales chain, as illustrated in the chart over-leaf.

The degree of transformation required depends on the current conduct of the business and its location. It may also be affected by the target market, since Muslim consumers are not homogenous, given different languages, cultures and degrees of observance.

The nature of Islam also creates fundamental issues related to social, politi-

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ban k n ot es Aspects to be considered when converting a company to Islam External

Internal

Governance Sales

Group Company

Market

Legal

Status

Production

Marketing

Public Relations

cal and financial risk. Muslim consumers will shun those products and services they deem insincere, those making a token attempt at Sharia compliance. Political risk may result from regulations governing Sharia compliance. A company may face substantial losses if its brand values are eroded by serving Muslim consumers badly, constituting financial risk.

Organising an Islamic company requires a holistic approach, which may require a drastic overhaul of its operations.

To be truly Islamic, a modern corporation needs to apply Islam’s moral code to its governance. Its profit-making must be exercised in accordance with its moral and humanistic standards. The company should therefore adopt a specific company act setting forth its commitments. Under Islam, three dominant institutions dictate these laws and guidelines – shura, hisba and religious audit.

Shura defines how decisions will be reached. Shura intends to foster collaborative decision-making in which just decisions are made through honest, respectful deliberations. This also protects from selfishness, since one person cannot dominate others to get what he wants, or because he thinks he is superior, which are both unacceptable under Islam.

Hisba governs economic, commercial and social matters, providing a divine code of conduct. It applies in three ways: First, commerce and transactions must be conducted in compliance with Sharia law.

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Financial

Advertising

Sales

Finance

“To those who believe and do good deeds of righteousness hath Allah promised forgiveness and a great reward.” (Surah 5:9)

Second, the moral principles and values of Islam must be observed. Finally, a muhtasib should be appointed to enforce hisba.

The muhtasib should ensure a fair and free market; police fraud and illegal transactions; and ban price manipulation. For good governance, a corporation should adopt an internal muhtasib who effectively acts as the Islamic conscience.

Finally, good governance requires an independent religious audit to test a company’s internal controls and performance.

Companies need specifically trained staff across a number of disciplines, as well as specialised IT systems, to assist with compliance, which may create higher cost structures.

An Islamic religious audit comprises three areas: Prior to the audit advice – the company’s management and board of directors consult a specialist body which advises on conformity.

After the audit monitoring – an audi-

tor reviews whether the advice has been heeded and implemented, and whether the business is compliant.

Shareholders and consumers are then informed of the results.

Audit of the zakat (Islamic tax for the poor). Not dissimilar to a tax audit, but applying Islamic regulations, the audit ensures that zakat is being properly calculated and distributed, as required by the Qur’an. Zakat funds require both financial and religious audits which should be reported in the company’s annual report.

There are two types of religious audit. One is direct, in which the religious auditor’s report is published with the company’s financial reports. The other is indirect, in which the religious auditor’s report is submitted to a financial auditor who then testifies to the company’s compliance with Sharia law.

An Islamic audit extends far beyond the financials, back through research and development; design, procurement and production; distribution, sales and retailing; and finance, through to the treatment of employees and the environment and the corporate and social activities that the company undertakes.

But the Islamic audit looks further, into the future, and the impact of the company’s activities on society. If a company wishes to be Islamic, it cannot focus only on business but on making its business right in the eyes of Allah.

Bank not es

Back to the future When it comes to retirement planning, most expats drag their heels over saving for what can all too often seem like a distant imaginary event - particularly nowadays, as many of us are fitter, healthier and have the potential to work longer into our sixties. Couple this with the fact that few of us are blessed with a natural inclination to save for the long term.

As

an expat worker, you alone are responsible for saving for retirement. Fail to save enough during your most productive employment years, and you will be staring down the barrel of a very bleak lifestyle in your twilight ones.

While it is the norm for expats in Qatar to earn a tax-free salary and receive an end-of-service benefit (equivalent to a lump sum payout of one month’s salary for each year of employment), it is not common whatsoever for employers to make any sort of provision towards an employee’ pension plan. Therefore it becomes more important than ever to set aside a portion of income from the outset and this should become habitual from the get-go.

The good news is that by planning early, you will not necessarily have to forego that top-of-the-range car you have had your eye on for years; after all, success and happiness are the journey, not the destination. The key in all of this is to take advantage of the myriad regular savings and investment vehicles specifically designed for the international market.

The first step is to analyse the size of pension you require to maintain your desired lifestyle in later years, while at the same time taking into account taxation and inflation considerations. In order to illustrate this, let’s take a 35-year-old expat who wishes to receive the equivalent of £30,000 per annum at retirement. He should anticipate that this amount requires initially to increase by 3% each year prior to retirement to at least keep pace with inflation and maintain purchasing power. If our expat plans to retire at 60, without compounding inflation, he must add 75% to this figure.

The equivalent sum he would require would be £52,500.

Assuming tax of, say, 20% on this annual income, the gross amount would need to be £63,000. A typical retirement of 20 years thus requires a multiplying factor of 20 on the £63,000, which thus results in a target pension pot of £1,260,000.

The second step is to work out how this sum can practically be achieved, by saving over the available time-frame (with a realistic annual growth-rate of say 6%). It is important that you assess what assets, savings and pensions you currently hold. You may have a number of company schemes already built up from working in your home country, or have a property portfolio which could then feedback qtoday@omsqatar.com

be sold or utilised to pay out an income from rents. While these should all be taken into account, do not fall into the trap of basing your hopes for retirement solely on either, as this can be risky and much too speculative.

In conjunction with other assets, the most reliable way to take control over future pension provision is to apportion a comfortable amount of any surplus income each month and invest in a flexible, long-term investment plan. This diversifies your savings across a range of geographies and asset classes such as equities, property, alternative investments, bonds and commodities. This method of saving for retirement can not only be managed in line with your own risk profile and changing circumstances; it offers a better way of making sure your savings are not eaten away by inflation. It also helps avoid the need to boost retirement plan shortfalls, often when you can least afford to.

So what type of suitable retirement plans are on offer for today’s expat? One of the most efficient vehicles is a long-term investment plan which qualifies as a life assurance policy. These plans offer expats control and flexibility. As well as offering a wide range of investment options, in the eyes of the vast majority of tax authorities they are treated as non-declarable entities for income tax purposes until such time as what is called a ‘taxable event’ occurs – this is most commonly when the plan holder withdraws funds.

It is also worth noting that such plans only incur income tax based on the amount withdrawn each year, and in the jurisdiction in which you are a tax resident at the time of withdrawal – typically the jurisdiction you retire to.

Further considerations include choosing a plan which is flexible. The vast majority of investment plans will have an Initial Contribution Period which must be paid. After this time, changes can be made to the level of contributions. A ‘payment holiday’ is advantageous if you are between employment contracts and are thus unburdened by payments during this time.

Finally, ensure that your chosen plan is geographically portable, in that you can continue paying in while living and working in various locations and that it is also placed with a custodian based in a safe, secure international jurisdiction, such as the Isle of Man

BY David Russell Senior Executive Officer, Guardian Wealth Management David Russell joined Guardian Wealth Management in Geneva, helping from inception to establish an office which is now regarded as one of the leading providers of independent financial advice to the employees of many international organisations.

With the expansion of the company into the Middle East, David was elected to take over the reins as the Senior Executive Officer for Qatar. He brings a wealth of experience to the Qatar office as well as a sound legal background, which stands him in very good stead in ensuring the team bring the best in financial advice to theIR many expatriate clients.

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FULL COFFERS ENCOURAGE BOLD STRATEGY 30

realty check

QGBC celebrates Women in Architecture

Q

atar Green Building Council (QGBC) hosted a conference with the theme ‘Women and the Sustainable Built Environment: Qatar Prospects’ along with key partners Qatar University, the National Association of Women in Construction-Qatar (NAWIC) and the Royal Institute of British Architects-Gulf Chapter (RIBA) to mark International Women’s Day at the Qatar Foundation Student Centre, Education City.

Melanie Robson, Chair, NAWIC-Qatar, opened the event and introduced internationally renowned architect Kathryn Findlay, who is currently designing the Doha Art Foundation and Official Residence for the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Qatar, as well as working with Arup on the

ArcelorMittal Orbit for the Olympic Park in the UK, designed by artist Anish Kapoor with Cecil Balmond.

The rich and wide ranging repertoire of talent was rounded off by Doha-based South African architect Ana Maria Nomico who shed light on ecological architecture. The event was closed by Professor Ashraf M Salama. Dr Salama is Professor of Architecture and Founding Head of the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning at Qatar University and a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts in the UK. He called on his students to build careers in engineering and commended the efforts of the high-profile speakers in inspiring such a change in Qatar, where a steady increase in the percentage of women studying architecture and engineering is already being witnessed.

Qatar in focus at MIPIM

W

ith more than 3,500 visitors in its first two days, the Qatar Pavilion garnered a great deal of attention at March International des Professionnels d’Immobilier (MIPIM) 2012, a leading international real estate fair hosted this year in Cannes. Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company and Msheireb Properties, alongside Lusail Real Estate Development Company, showcased their top projects, with a special focus on Lusail City, to visiting industry professionals and VIP guests at the pavilion.

While touring the interactive stand, CEO of MIPIM Paul Zilk commended the Qatari companies on the success of their pavilion, a first-of-its-kind structure at the main entrance of the Palais des Festivals.

“Qatari Diar and Lusail are at MIPIM to promote our signature projects in Qatar and across the globe, while helping to drive the dialogue on sustainable urban development within the global real estate industry,” said Eng. Essa Mohammed Ali Kaldari, CEO

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of Lusail Real Estate Development Company. “We are featuring Lusail City at this key property event as the embodiment of our vision for a progressive, sustainable development that improves quality of life and contributes to the community.”

For the first time in the event’s history, MIPIM staged a national pavilion for Qatar as well as a groundbreaking thought lead-

ership event, the two-day Qatar Urban Forum. Only London, Paris and Germany have hosted similar pavilions at MIPIM. The venue was a showcase for Qatar’s pioneering investment in urban planning, which combines traditional methods and modern technology aimed at safeguarding both the environment and cultural identity.

THE COMPLETE LOWDOWN ON IPOS

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arab snippets uae

saudi

Debt burden to be reduced for nationals

T

he United Arab Emirates’ Central Bank has directed lenders in the Gulf state to help reduce the debt burden of nationals, with some bankers saying banks may have to write off certain personal loans.

The Central Bank, after a review of personal loans, found that UAE nationals were paying high repayment installments, it said in a statement.

“To alleviate the financial burden on UAE nationals, the board instructed further study and more cooperation and coordination from concerned agencies in order to find solutions,” the statement said.

It did not specify how the burden should be reduced.

Shabbir Malik, a banking analyst at EFGHermes, said: “This is in line with other measures taken by the government to help UAE nationals in terms of debt.”

In January, the UAE government said it would settle DH2 billion ($544.5 million) of debt owed by nationals, including some who were detained for defaulting on loans.

“I don’t expect a massive negative impact; it won’t be large as the provisions standards for retail loans are quite stringent,” said Malik.

But bankers speaking on condition of anonymity said banks may have to write off some debt relating to personal loans.

In the boom years, UAE banks extended huge personal loans to UAE nationals and expatriates, surpassing even the limits set, but after the financial downturn and real estate crash in the UAE, many lost jobs, finding it difficult to repay loans.

Personal loans in the UAE, which has the largest Arab banking sector, surged by at least 35% during 2006-08 before they sharply slowed over the next three years following the 2008 global financial crisis and regional debt default problems, according to the Central Bank.

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Oil exports from Saudi rising

S

audi Arabian oil exports rose 143,000 barrels per day (bpd) in January month-on-month, according to government data published recently, as the world’s leading crude seller increased supplies to the United States.

Saudi Arabia produced 9.871 million bpd crude in January, 61,000 bpd more than in December, while exports rose more than twice as much to 7.507 million bpd, according to the Joint Oil Data Initiative.

Contrary to expectations that the modest rise in the kingdom’s output would be mostly sold to Asian or European consumers looking for alternatives to Iranian oil, US government data showed Saudi shipments to North America rose sharply in early 2012.

TheUS has urged Saudi Arabia to cover potential shortages when new US and European Union sanctions aimed at reducing Iranian oil exports hit from July.

kuwait

Strike snags Kuwait Airways flights

K

uwait Airways, the Gulf state’s national carrier, cancelled flights for a second day on March 18, as it scrambled to cope with a strike by workers.

The action by Kuwait Airways employees followed a work stoppage by customs officials that began a week before and was blocking truckloads of goods from entering the country. Workers were demanding higher pay and other benefits.

Kuwaitis are used to well-paying government jobs and a cradle-to-grave social security system that is increasingly becoming a burden on the state. Calls for better working terms have grown louder as the past year’s Arab Spring uprisings reverberated across the region.

Kuwait Airways grounded its flights starting March 17 and 18, according to airline spokesman Adel Boresly.

Kuwait Airways operates a fleet of 17 jetliners and focuses mainly on flying to Middle Eastern, European and Asian destinations. It has struggled financially for years, in contrast to the turbocharged growth of regional rivals such as Dubai’s Emirates.

world view

BELGIAN TRAGEDY BELGIUM, Lommel: March 15: A little girl stands next to a tribute of flowers, candles, toys and poems left on the gate of the Stekske primary school in Lommel.

Belgians were in mourning after 22 children died in a bus crash in Switzerland, with newspapers bemoaning the national tragedy. “Belgium Weeps for its Children,” read the headline in the French-language newspaper la Derniere Heure.

AFP PHOTO / GEORGES GOBET

CELEBRATION OF IRELAND JAPAN, Tokyo: March 17: Participants dressed as Leprechauns take part in a St Patrick’s Day Parade in Tokyo. More than 1,000 people took part in the parade to commemorate the Irish patron Saint Patrick, while parades also took place in other major cities around the world, including New York, Chicago and Moscow.

AFP PHOTO / Yoshikazu TSUNO

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world view

IRANIAN ELECTIONS IRAN, Tehran: March 2: Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei casting his ballot during a parliamentary vote in Tehran. Iran voted for a new parliament in the first nationwide elections since a bitterly contested 2009 poll that returned President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power, posing a new test of his support among conservatives.

AFP PHOTO/LEADER.IR/HO

ESCAPE FROM SYRIA TURKEY, Antakya: March 14: Syrian refugees go about their daily lives at the Reyhanli Refugee Camp.

International mediator Kofi Annan called for an immediate halt to the killing of civilians in Syria as he arrived in Turkey for talks on the crisis.

Activists said that the Syrian army launched a new assault in the restive northern province of Idlib and the city itself, where residents are suffering “indescribable” humanitarian conditions.

AFP PHOTO/BULENT KILIC

CAPTURE KONY UGANDA, Gulu: KONY 2012: the hugely popular internet site calling for the capture of rebel commander Joseph Kony. Tens of millions of people worldwide have watched the Kony 2012 video on the internet since it was released in mid-March, but the video has drawn criticism from inside Uganda. The Acholi region was at the epicentre of a brutal two decadelong war between Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army and the Ugandan government.

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Qatar Today 29

v i e w p oi n t

E-health: Governments and Telecom Companies need to collaborate Technology has improved many products and services over the past decade, yet healthcare remains a stubbornly analogue industry.

This

must change. The digitisation of health services through new information technologiesbroadly known as “e-Health” has the potential to dramatically improve the healthcare experience for patients. These programmes can also deliver benefits to providers and payers in the form of greater efficiency and better access to patient information.

In Canada, for example, a national Electronic HealthCare Programme is projected to offer gross savings of more than QR291.2 billion ($80 billion) over a 20-year period. In Saudi Arabia, the national Electronic Health Record could save the country in excess of QR109 billion ($30 billion), with healthcare payers and providers benefiting most. While these programmes typically

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require a substantial up-front investment, they deliver cost advantages that grow over the long term, as more people join the system.

In Qatar, e-Health features high on the state’s leadership agenda. The National Health Strategy (2011-2016) and the National ICT Plan 2015 both underscore e-Health as a key aspect of nurturing a healthy population, both physically and mentally.

As a result, the Supreme Council of Health has outlined Qatar’s national e-Health programme, focusing on healthcare policy, a national health card, data warehousing and analytics services, a data centre, a shared imaging strategy, and information systems that link hospitals and clinics. Efforts are already under way to build a unified system to maintain health records, along with training medical staff on its use, integrating hospitals into the

vie w point

system, and making participation a formal requirement for all new hospitals.

Despite this progress, e-Health programmes are complex and require a number of different capabilities, and many GCC governments do not yet have the expertise to implement them and capture all the benefits. These ventures call for extensive technological expertise and capabilities in such highly specialised fields as coding, standards, and system integration and interoperability. The implementation process lasts for years and requires substantial investment from governments.

Canada launched its national initiative in 2001 and implementation continues today. Germany’s Health Electronic Card initiative began in 2005 and is still unfinished, although the programme’s focus has changed. These less-than-ideal outcomes are partly the result of governments being ill-suited to implement such large-scale, technically challenging programmes.

Private sector players, particularly telecom companies, can help. These companies are uniquely positioned to strategically partner with government health authorities in order to develop national eHealth programmes. Telecoms have sufficient resources to make large-scale national investments and possess a deep understanding of both public and private sector operations. They have a proven track record in designing, deploying and operating large-scale ICT infrastructure, and in providing end-to-end programme management and handling customer care. They can leverage their extensive existing large-scale national connectivity infrastructure. And they have the tech-

nical, financial and human capital capabilities needed to support governments in national-scale digitisation initiatives.

One form of collaboration is the public-private partnership (PPP), which lets governments retain control of the regulatory responsibilities while off-loading the financial and operational risks of building and maintaining the necessary systems to private sector players. PPPs are frequently used in large-scale infrastructure projects, though they have been increasingly applied to healthcare as well. The United Kingdom, Portugal and Greece all used PPPs to create national healthcare programmes.

Collaborative efforts needed And as the world shifts to digital technology, telecoms are increasing their focus on health-related PPPs as well. In Italy’s Lombardy region, for example, the government entered into a public-private partnership with telecom operators and other private sector players in order to launch a national health and social services electronic card. In the Middle East, Etisalat signed a strategic memorandum of understanding with the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD) to jointly develop innovative e-Health services.

While this partnership offers clear benefits for governments, the e-Health opportunity makes sense for telecom operators as well, given the current challenges in their market. Legacy phone services are being steadily commoditised, with eroding profit margins. Digitisation programmes such as e-Health now represent the next big wave for growth – a new way

for telecoms to leverage their existing infrastructure and capabilities.

In addition to immediate revenue gains, e-Health ventures create several other benefits for telecoms. For example, they generate captive demand for their broadband infrastructure investments, in the form of a national customer base that will last for years, potentially decades. These initiatives also give telecoms the inside track on developing other digitisation opportunities for the public sector in their local market or abroad (such as e-Government, likely to be a growth area in the Middle East over the coming years). And these programmes offer telecoms a way to capture and retain a share in the growing IT services market.

As with any collaboration, success will hinge on both entities getting what they want from the partnership. For the government, this means improved healthcare and welfare for its citizens, along with shared risks in implementation. For the telecommunications operators, success will equal a profitable return on the company’s investment.

In summary, the future of e-Health is collaborative. These programmes offer substantial benefits for all stakeholders of the healthcare ecosystem – specifically patients, providers and payers. The significant and long-term investments at stake, as well as the required level of technical expertise, mean that governments will increasingly need to partner with the private sector to make their e-Health ambitions a reality. For telecom operators, this is a genuine opportunity to apply their capabilities to a new market

Visit

www.booz.com and www.booz.com/me

By Bahjat El-Darwiche, Partner, Jad Bitar, Principal and Dr Nikhil Idnani, Senior Associate with Booz & Company

About Booz & Company: Booz & Company is a leading global management consulting firm, helping the world’s top businesses, government ministries and organisations. Our founder, Edwin Booz, defined the profession when he established the first management consulting firm in 1914. Today, with more than 3,300 people in 60 offices around the world, we bring foresight and knowledge, deep functional expertise, and a practical approach to building capabilities and delivering real impact. We work closely with our clients to create and deliver essential advantage.

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v i e w p oi n t

Full coffers encourage bold strategies At a time when bankers in Britain are being praised for achieving smaller-than-expected losses, Qatari banks are making the kind of percentage gains that their European counterparts can only dream of. Confidence is high and the outlook is bright.

Year

-end 2011 saw International Bank of Qatar (IBQ) post a 25% rise in net profits to $157.4 million (QR573 million), compared to $125.8 million (QR458 million) for 2010. Across the board, the picture is remarkably similar: Commercial Bank of Qatar, which is the second-biggest lender in the Gulf, posted a 22% rise over the same period, while Qatar National Bank (QNB) saw a 32% rise in profit last year.

More generally, the total assets of Qatar’s commercial banks grew by 22.3% to $190.6 billion (QR694 billion) in 2011 from 2010. Credit facilities to customers rose by 28.2% to $103.5 billion (QR377 billion) in the same period, and customer deposits increased by more than 18.5% to $100 billion (QR354 billion) Qatar is proof that global economic downturns are not all doom and gloom, especially for those who can weather the storm and seek out opportunities. While European banks are pulling out of emerging markets to meet tightening capital requirements at home, the strength of the Qatari economy is encouraging banks to expand their overseas portfolios.

In recent years, QNB has established a presence in 24 countries including France, Kuwait, the UK and Singapore. Now QNB – Qatar’s biggest lender – is eyeing Turkish bank DenizBank, in a proposed takeover which is expected to be worth up to

$6billion (QR22 billion), and one which could go through by the end of this year.

By mid-February, potential competition for the bid had all but fallen away, with HSBC Holdings and OAO Sberbank withdrawing. Few banks in Europe are in a position to make such acquisitions.

In an effort to expand its presence in Africa, particularly in the wake of the ongoing sovereign debt crisis in Europe, QNB has also signed a partnership agreement for the Morocco-based Union Marocaine des Banques, with plans to acquire a majority. And identifying the hitherto largely untapped potential for Shariacompliant banking in Asia, Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB) is looking to penetrate the Indonesian market with a takeover. With the local Islamic banking segment growing at a yearly average of 33% during the last five years, according to Bank Indonesia, QIB is reported to be considering a number of possible acquisitions.

In another marked contrast with the nations of Europe, Qatari state finances are also in good shape. A number of states are facing the ongoing threat of creditrating downgrades and defaulting on their debts, yet the Qatari state budget turned a huge surplus of 25.6% in the second quarter of the 2011/12 fiscal year, according to preliminary estimates published by QCB. The rise in revenue, which dramatically jumped 61% to nearly $21.4 billion (QR78 billion) in July-September over the previous year, is largely the result of

rising oil prices and expanded gas production. Moreover, Qatar is widely expected to continue posting surpluses for the next five years, amounting to around $75 billion (QR273 billion), which will shield the economy from the impact of the European financial crisis.

This will go some way towards allaying fears that, with Qatar’s economy showing signs of slowing and GDP growth expected to fall to 5.1% for 2012 (from around 19% in 2011), Qatar won’t be able to finance the ambitious range of infrastructure developments in the pipeline. A significant number of these projects form part of the country’s World Cup 2022 preparations, estimated to amount to $150 billion (QR546 billion), including some $50 billion (QR182 billion) on transport infrastructure, which will take up around 40% of the government’s budget until 2016.

The news of the state budget surplus is welcome given that the previous three years had seen the government overspend. But with oil now averaging over $100 per barrel, the 2011/12 state budget forecast – which was formulated $55 per barrel – looks conservative.

Although lending for projects in Qatar has traditionally been largely taken on by the private sector, the next decade will see increased funding from the public purse.

Of course, with Qatar’s banks in such a strong position, they will be ready to take up the inevitable opportunities when the money filters down to the private sector

feedback qtoday@omsqatar.com

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

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v i e w p oi n t

Going public

The complete lowdown on IPO Since the year 1602, when the Dutch East India Company was the first company in the world to issue shares in an Initial Public Offering (IPO), to 2012, when Facebook is likely to be the biggest internet IPO in history, “going public” has involved a vision of success and a motive for expansion.

facebook’s

$5 billion IPO planned for later this year will no doubt involve a significant windfall for its founders and existing investors, so it is easy to take a sceptical view of IPOs in general, but the commercial motives behind IPOs may stretch much deeper than this. In his letter to prospective shareholders, Mark Zuckerberg notes the importance of global connectivity, information sharing and the need to continue enhancing the social network. Some analysts may believe that the cash raised from its IPO is likely to be spent on technical infrastructure and people, which is value-enhancing, while others think that a company making $1 billion profit a year should already have enough cash to fuel its growth and as such, the IPO could be overpriced.

It is important to understand that the market sees things differently and sets expectations accordingly. Deloitte have advised on the IPOs of 14 of the 17 companies listed on the Qatar Exchange since 2003 and in our experience, effective planning, diligent implementation and robust valuations are key ingredients for a successful IPO. Before deciding to embark on an IPO, it

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is crucial to know the what, why and how, as the process involves careful planning and execution, plus an understanding of what it means to be a public company.

What is an IPO? An IPO is the first sale of a portion of a company’s shares to the public to raise cash. After that, the company lists its shares on a stock exchange and becomes a publicly-traded company. Companies generally seek the help of professional advisers including investments banks, legal advisors and reporting accountants for this process as it involves a series of compliance, preparation, filing, underwriting and valuation work. The graph on the next page shows the number of IPOs/listings in Qatar between 2003 and 2010.

There are two exchanges where a company can list its shares; the main market (Qatar Exchange, formerly known as Doha Stock Market) and the recently-launched, QE Venture Market (“QEVM”) for Small and Medium Enterprises (“SMEs”).

Being eligible to list shares on the main exchange requires a company, amongst other things, to be a Qatari Shareholding Company with a minimum subscribed share capital of QR40million, have three years of audited financial statements (showing profit which is at least 10% of share capital) and at least 30

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National Leasing

Mawashi, Gulf Warehousing

Nakelat Dalala

Barwa, Masraf Al Rayyan, Qatar Oman, Khaliji Holding

Khaliji, Mannai Corp, Aamal

Ezdan, Islamic Holding, Gulf International Services

Vodafone

Mazaya

4

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

3

2

1

0

shareholders (of which a maximum of 25% can be non-Qatari). The rules for the secondary market are less stringent, with a minimum subscribed share capital of only QR5 million, only one year of audited financial statements and at least 20 shareholders being required.

In January this year, the Qatar Financial Markets Authority (QFMA) which regulates listings and IPOs, announced new listing and IPO rules specific to the QEVM. The new rules will help strengthen the local financial market by encouraging more companies, in particular SMEs, to list shares on the Qatar Exchange and QEVM. The new rules will help create a new pool of investors from which SMEs can raise equity through the sale of publicly-traded shares.

Going through an IPO or listing process is one of the most strategic decisions for a company and its shareholders. The decision to go public is even more challenging for family-owned companies. Before embarking on an IPO, companies and shareholders should ask themselves the following questions: What are the future plans of the company and its owners?

What is the optimal capital structure of the company? and What is the current ability of the company to comply with listed company regulations and rules?

Why IPO? The reasons for going public vary for each company and are largely driven by its shareholders’ circumstances and commercial motives. There are various pros and cons of being a public company. Some of the key advantages are as follows: Raising cash through equity and diversification of the equity base; Public shares can be a relatively cheap way to access more capital, and they offer more liquidity to the shareholders; Separation of ownership and management through good corporate governance; Listed companies carry prestige and an enhanced image; Conversion from a family-owned business to a listed company provides more stability and supports business continuity; Post-IPO, a public company can issue more shares and become fully listed.

This may also help facilitate mergers and acquisitions in future; and Going public requires business enhancement through transparency. As companies are open to scrutiny, they are encouraged to perform better.

As for the disadvantages of going public, some of the key ones are as follows: There are significant legal, accounting

IPO listings in Qatar, 2003-2010

and publicity-related costs involved which need to be incurred at the start and as a normal course of business; The disclosure requirements for public companies are strict and full transparency of material affairs is required.

This also means that competitors, customers and suppliers will also have access to the company’s information; Maintaining compliance for public companies requires time and due consideration from senior management and the board of directors; and Family businesses are no longer private business, requiring decisions to be taken in the interest of all shareholders and not just the majority shareholders.

IPO-readiness Readiness includes performing a gap analysis between the current state of the company and what is required by the QFMA to satisfy listing/IPO requirements. In order to complete a successful IPO, some of the key aspects of a company which should be particularly assessed include the following: Legal restructuring – having a clear holding company structure; Historical financial information – a track record of maintaining historical financial records; Future outlook – the company’s

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Valufacturing Equity Value

Potential Value Future

Financial Restructing

Performance Improvement

Health check and diagnosis

Current Value

Working Capital Improvement

Now Time

objectives, existence of a business plan and robust forecasts; Corporate governance - an established corporate governance framework in the company; Financial reporting procedures - existence of adequate financial reporting policies and procedures; Management information – capability of management to be able to provide timely and good quality information; Remuneration – incentives and remuneration policies which are standardised and reflect shared objectives ; and IPO prospectus – preparation of a comprehensive prospectus which details the information required and reflects the future outlook of the company.

In essence, IPO-readiness does not

only mean ensuring that regulatory requirements for the QFMA are satisfied, but it also involves satisfying market requirements and expectations being the best in class. Besides this, going beyond the minimum IPO requirements no doubt inspires greater confidence from potential investors which may support better market perception and therefore pricing of its traded shares.

Companies planning on going public should consider “Valufacturing” as part of their IPO-readiness process to ensure that the value of the company is organically enhanced by the time the IPO takes place. Ultimately, this will help increase the value of the company and its shares which no doubt should be one of the key concerns for any company, regardless of going public.

Valufacturing for IPO success Companies should take deliberate measures to improve their financial performance and therefore their value. We call this “valufacturing”, a process which requires review and improvement of performance and key value drivers such as working capital, trade performance cycles, cash flows and financial structure. This is illustrated in the diagram above.

Summary Successful listings or IPOs require careful planning and implementation. The purpose and objectives for the listing need to be clearly understood. Companies are encouraged to follow a disciplined readiness process ensuring that regulatory, governance and listing requirements are fully satisfied and that companies are ready for the next stage of their evolution

Visit

mkhair@deloitte.com

BY Robin Butteriss Managing Director, Financial Advisory Services | Deloitte Qatar. robutteriss@deloitte.com AND Mohammed Khair Barhoumeh Principal, Capital Markets and Assurance | Deloitte Qatar

ABOUT DELOITTE: DELOITTE REFERS TO ONE OR MORE OF DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU LIMITED, A UK PRIVATE COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE, AND ITS NETWORK OF MEMBER FIRMS, EACH OF WHICH IS A LEGALLY SEPARATE AND INDEPENDENT ENTITY. PLEASE SEE WWW.DELOITTE.COM/ABOUT FOR A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE LEGAL STRUCTURE OF DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU LIMITED AND ITS MEMBER FIRMS. DELOITTE & TOUCHE (M.E.) IS A MEMBER FIRM OF DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU LIMITED (DTTL) AND IS THE FIRST ARAB PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FIRM ESTABLISHED IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION WITH UNINTERRUPTED PRESENCE FOR OVER 85 YEARS. DELOITTE IS AMONG THE REGION’S LEADING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FIRMS, PROVIDING AUDIT, TAX, CONSULTING AND FINANCIAL ADVISORY SERVICES THROUGH 26 OFFICES IN 15 COUNTRIES WITH OVER 2,500 PARTNERS, DIRECTORS AND STAFF. IT IS A TIER 1 TAX ADVISOR IN THE GCC REGION (INTERNATIONAL TAX REVIEW WORLD TAX 2010, 2011 AND 2012 RANKINGS) AND WAS RECOGNIsED AS THE 2010 BEST CONSULTING FIRM OF THE YEAR IN THE COMPLINET GCC COMPLIANCE AWARDS. IN 2011, THE FIRM RECEIVED THE MIDDLE EAST TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT EXCELLENCE AWARD of THE INSTITUTE OF CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS IN ENGLAND AND WALES (ICAEW).

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Globalisation and the Economic Crisis: How will Europe cope?

In the year 1500, Western Europe represented 15% of the World GDP. In 1950, the proportion reached 55%, for the Western Europe and the United States taken together. It decreased to 43% in 2000 and to 40% in 2010.

Large

populations were drawn out of poverty. Some frictions did occur in the West, but the apparition of a vast number of new customers seemed to more than compensate the adjustment costs. Globalisation was widely viewed as positive.

The economic crisis, started with the 2007 financial meltdown of US subprimes, was a call back to reality: in the same way as the initial rebalancing, from East to West, involved exploitation of and impoverishment in the hitherto dominating economies, the modern rebalancing

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would involve suffering. Because of political fragmentation and of the existence of a great economic divide, the likelihood is high that Europe will be the great loser.

Buying power had been shifting for some time: pre-2007 growth in the West was no longer the natural outcome of increasing income of individual households. It hinged upon a rise in private indebtedness in the US and in several European countries, stimulated by public policies. The latter aimed at beefing up demand, while competition from emerging countries, combined with a move out of unionized industries into non-unionized

services, were exerting pressure on labour income. With Central Banks maintaining artificially low interest rates, private borrowing was replacing salary increases, and the debt to disposable income ratio kept increasing. Over 2000-2008, it grew from 100 to 140% in the US, 80 to 140% in Spain, and 110 to 180% in the United Kingdom (by comparison, France and Italy stayed at more reasonable levels, between 40 and 60%). Sub-prime loans granted to non-solvable families to allow them to purchase houses, at prices themselves inflated by the very same Federal Reserve low interest rate policy, epitomized the

vie w point

contradictions of an economy based on ever higher levels of indebtedness.

The burst of the sub-prime bubble could have brought a brutal adjustment of Western GDP. It did not. Substituting public debt to private debt mitigated the recession in the West, and allowed for growth to be maintained in the emerging world. There was no abrupt rebalancing but a continuation of the previous gradual pace.

There were however differences.

In the United States, liquidity flooding and continued budgetary expansion maintained modest economic growth, thereby allowing domestic players to gradually adapt to the great economic rebalancing.

Emerging countries provided the financing: the alternative would have been a fast depreciating US dollar at the expense of both their exports and the value of their dollar reserves.

In Europe, the lenient monetary and budgetary policies followed before the crisis had been in line with a German economy where wage moderation prevailed, combined with careful industrial positioning. In the South, the very same policies led to artificial, debt-induced economic growth, fostering increases in labour costs, industrial de-localisations, and shrinkage of the industrial fabric.

Ironically enough, German export-led prosperity was thus partly fed by the artificially inflated purchasing power of its southern neighbors.

With the subprime crisis, and the ensuing substitution of public to private debt, the artificial character of the monetary union got suddenly exposed.

The path followed henceforth in Southern Europe is budgetary austerity and deflation of labour income to restore

industrial competitiveness and the ability to service public debt. This has come at the cost of a great social suffering, and with limited support from the North, with the latter also focusing on restoring fiscal equilibrium. Many question whether this was the right policy.

Leading an austerity policy while everybody else is doing the same exposes great dangers: reduced public spending, deflated income and unemployment reduce demand, hence reduce economic activity, hence increase taxes. More likely than

Leading an austerity policy while everybody else is doing the same exposes great dangers: reduced public spending, deflated income and unemployment reduce demand, hence reduce economic activity, hence increase taxes.

not, this leads to a vicious circle, with an aggravated budget deficit. This is the case in the United Kingdom, in spite of the flexibility derived from the Bank of England’s unlimited support to the public debt and from the floating of the British Pound.

One would think the medicine to be even less advisable for Eurozone countries, with the associated lack of flexibility.

Letting Greece or others out of the Euro is likely to produce even greater damage: it’s not sure the Euro itself will resist, thereby leading to an economic disorder which is in the interest of no one. It’s also unlikely that the ensuing devaluation for the outgoing country would lead to restored competitiveness: for the latter to exist, there needs to be an industrial fabric. This ‘fabric’ either did not exist prior to joining the Union, or was badly damaged by de-localisations which will not be easily reversed.

As many have come to realize, budgetary austerity, even tampered by an accommodating monetary policy, cannot restore fiscal equilibrium, without introducing a factor of economic growth. It is doubtful that the emerging world has sufficient economic weight yet to play that role. Nor is it likely that growth in America has enough momentum to contaminate Europe. Germany has some lee-way to let salaries increase, thereby stimulating demand, but part of the effect will be to increase imports from emerging countries, rather than pull distressed European countries out of the hole.

Economists and politicians have advocated pooling, at least partially, European debt in the form of Eurobonds, and developing investment in infrastructures at the European level. Both policies would most likely have a positive impact, but both imply a transfer of sovereignty in fiscal matters to the European level. It seems this has become the vision behind the German call for discipline: it would help to more smoothly pilot the European economy into finding its place, probably a smaller one, into the great rebalancing currently happening. It is not sure this will happen without first incurring great amounts of suffering

Professor Antoine Hyafil, Academic Dean of HEC Paris in Qatar.

Professor Hyafil was appointed Acting Dean of the Faculty, HEC Paris in Qatar, as of July 1st, 2010. He was previously Deloitte-Societe Generale Professor of Finance & Energy at HEC School of Management, Paris. He was involved in the successful launch of HEC’s Executive MBA in Beijing (2006), St Petersburg (2009) and in Shanghai (2010) He has been an officer of The First National Bank of Chicago and an Academic in Residence with Merrill Lynch Investment Banking Department.

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listening post

Directing the National Vision Generating accurate and dependable data from various social and economic segments plays a significant role in providing a country’s citizens with their requirements, concentrating spending where it’s needed most and reducing it where it’s being wasted. It is for this reason the QSA has been ramping up its efforts to garner a satisfactory statistical reflection of Qatar.

t

by e z dhar i bra h i m

he Qatar Statistics Authority (QSA) is the official source of statistical data and information, and is responsible for producing, analysing and publishing official demographic, socioeconomic and environmental statistics. It plays an important role in the country’s national development process by providing statistical information so that policies can be formulated on the basis of facts. It also coordinates the integration of statistics produced by other agencies and works with regional and international bodies. Qatar Today met the QSA’s Chairman, HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jabor Al Thani, to talk about the QSA’s role in the implementation of the National Development Strategy 2011-2016.

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Do you believe the QSA has an accurate database of statistics to reflect the current situation in Qatar?

The QSA is working to modernise and develop various databases into a new system that will meet the general objectives of both the statistics strategy and the development strategies for 2011-2016, by providing an integrated database of information sources containing real-time, relevant and reliable statistics, data and information, and making them easily accessible to all decisionmakers and users. We have been working hard to achieve our objectives: improving communication with users and their access to the database by strengthening and finding new ways of publishing; providing a stable environment for the database’s operating system by using modern tools and methods for gathering, verifying and scientifically analysing them.

What has happened since the results of the last population census in Qatar were announced?

As a result of the census we now have an upto-date framework of information on family households (Qatari and non-Qatari) and also on all the workers’ quarters, and we are currently extracting from this what is called the ‘core sample’. This sample will form a basis for conducting specialised field studies, such as manpower research or household income and expenditure studies when required. Meanwhile, economic research is being carried out using the outline information obtained through the census of installations. The QSA is currently carrying out the scientific research needed for national development, in cooperation with scientific and research bodies and other government agencies. so getting accurate results from the general population and housing census is important for a number of economic, social and developmental areas. The census results are characterised by transparency, as the QSA had meetings and visits with most of the country’s ministries and corporations to discuss how they could use the information in their area of work. Knowing the demographics of the country and trends in population growth has helped to make projections of future population growth and labour market requirements. We are currently working on in-depth analytical studies based on the census results.

Are there plans to extend the QSA’s work from preparing data and statistics to putting forward recommendations, solutions and proposals?

Work has been done on drawing up a unified plan of work for the QSA’s own household and economic surveys together with those of other state agencies that need field surveys done, so as to avoid duplication, provide the maximum amount of statistical data for both public and private sectors, and broaden the scope of their coverage. The plan also aims to provide statistical indicators and develop databases for the various sectors with the aim of making it possible to compare performance levels in each sector and to shorten the reporting period for these indicators, in addition to tightening deadlines for providing and publishing the various data. This is not just a matter of the quantity and scope of the data but also of ensuring its quality in terms of accuracy and reliability. The availability of social and economic statistical data within a known timeframe is a sign that it is making a useful contribution to the process of research, study, decision-making and problem-solving for all plans and strategies and coming to clear and effective views in policy-making.

Qatar is involved in international and regional sporting events. What are the QSA’s plans in the area of sports statistics?

Comprehensive plans have been drawn up to provide detailed and accurate sporting statistics. The QSA has just finished work on a comprehensive framework in cooperation with the relevant international and local bodies, drawing on the help of international experts in this field. We expect to begin the work of gathering and compiling data from next April to strengthen the database, and to carry out a number of electronic and field surveys.

Comprehensive development in Qatar has been accompanied by an increase in population growth. What projections are you making?

The population has grown rapidly since the turn of the millennium, by more than one million people - annual growth averaged 13.8% between the 2004 and 2010 censuses. A number of factors have contributed to this, such as large-scale urban development, investment projects and increased

government spending, which have led to an increase in the number of expatriate workers. As for population projections, the QSA in cooperation with the General Secretariat for Development Planning (GSDP) has issued a report giving population and employment projections for the country for the period 2011-2030. This is with the aim of providing a common framework enabling both public and private sectors to carry out evidence-based planning, as well as helping with development planning for a number of services. We are currently in the process of updating these projections in the light of

The population has grown rapidly since the turn of the millennium, by more than one million people – annual growth averaged 13.8% between the 2004 and 2010 censuses.

the new findings of the 2010 general census on population and housing, and of projects due to be carried out over the coming years.

We expect to bring out a new report on population and employment projections at the end of March 2012.

There has been a marked increase in prices in Qatar. Do you have any statistics that differentiate between the past two years?

The figures show that the overall consumer price index (CPI) in Qatar went up by 2.9 points in 24 months to reach 109.6 in January 2012 (2007 = 100) compared with 106.7 in January 2010.

When we look in detail at the different

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categories of consumer spending we find that ‘miscellaneous’, which covers personal care items, precious objects and spending in restaurants and cafes, saw the greatest increase, at 14.5 points, followed by clothing and footwear at 14.0. Foodstuffs have gone up by 9.5 points over the past 24 months.

Do you expect the figures for consumer prices to go up as a result of the increase in salaries?

The salary increase came into effect from September 2011, and looking at the general CPI for October 2011 to January 2012 we

Qatar succeeded in attracting foreign investment totalling QR171.4 billion in 2009 (equivalent to 48.1% of GDP), including approximately QR94.3 billion of direct foreign investment (26% of GDP), compared with QR125.6 billion in 2008 (29.9%).

find that it rose by only about 0.2 points, which means that the effect was negligible.

Any increase in salaries usually leads to an increase in spending, and thus in demand for the goods and services on offer. Unless there are efficient market mechanisms to match the increase in demand with an increase in supply we would expect a rise in the price of goods and services. In terms of numbers the impact has been negligible, meaning that supply has responded and accommodated the demand, which is natural for the Qatari economy. On the other hand, it could have something to do with the efforts of the Consumer Protection Department at the Ministry of Business and Commerce, and the setting up of a high-level ministerial committee to curb price increases.

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The QSA carried out a survey of foreign investment in the country in 2008 and 2009. To what extent is foreign investment contributing to the Qatari economy?

The aim of the foreign investment survey is to build up an accurate database on this kind of investment, to standardise the criteria for comparing the scale of foreign investment in line with the international criteria of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and to find out the distribution of foreign investment by economic sector and its impact on those sectors, as well as identifying the sources of foreign investment and its geographic distribution by country of origin. Public sector investments are therefore not included in this study.

As for the significance of foreign investment, the QSA, for the first time, has carried out a survey of direct foreign investment in line with the latest international concepts. Its headline findings were that the country had succeeded in attracting foreign investment totalling QR171.4 billion in 2009 (equivalent to 48.1% of GDP), including approximately QR94.3 billion of direct foreign investment (26% of GDP), compared with QR125.6 billion in 2008 (29.9%), an increase of 36.4%. Despite the liquidity squeeze in global markets at the time as a result of the global financial crisis, the country succeeded in attracting net foreign investments worth QR45.7 billion, including roughly QR29.6 billion in direct foreign investment.

Could you explain the national atlas?

The national atlas gives a complete socioeconomic picture of Qatar, displaying data and information in the form of thematic and geographic maps by using geographic information systems (GIS) technology to compile and process the statistical data into maps. These are then linked to different stages of growth and geographic spread at various administrative levels, along with information relating to Qatar such as its geographic location in the world and its main topographical and natural features, geology and climate, in addition to the locations of public facilities and their infrastructure.

The QSA is currently compiling the latest national atlas, which will set out the main findings of the 2010 census along with other information gleaned from various sources to create a picture of present-day Qatar.

Is there coordination and cooperation between the QSA and the government bodies concerned?

The objectives of the National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) cannot be achieved unless a genuine partnership is forged with the relevant bodies in terms of producing data or carrying out surveys and analytical studies with the aim of drafting and formulating plans and programmes for the future in a scientific manner. There was full cooperation on the general population, housing and installations census of 2010 with the Ministry of the Interior (MoI), the Ministry of Business and Commerce and the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning’s Centre for GIS. It was carried out by applying technology at every stage that was the very first of its kind in Qatar and the region, like using palmtop computers for the process of gathering data in the field, preloaded with the primary data on individuals and companies, issued and authorised by the bodies producing this data, like the MoI for data on individuals and the Ministry of Business and Commerce for data on commercial establishments, and streamed electronically to the QSA by means of an electronic data link. GIS technology also came into play, with geographic base layers being called up through Qatar GISnet at the Centre for GIS. What does the Al-Khawarizmi Committee, which you chair, do, and why is it important?

The Al-Khawarizmi Committee of the International Statistical Institute seeks to develop and encourage cooperation between the Institute and statistics authorities in the Arab region in the pursuit of excellence in statistical applications and the building of databases.

The Committee aims to promote excellence by means of broadening the role of statistics in meeting the needs of data users and the formulation of evidence-based national development strategies in Arab countries and to encourage Arab statisticians to take part in the activities of the Institute and its associated groups.

The Al-Khawarizmi Committee held its first conference in Doha in December 2010, which issued the Doha Declaration on statistics in the Arab region. Its second conference is due to be held in January 2013

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We are a

serious business “It’s not all play at Vodafone Qatar as we try to solve our network issues,” says Richard Daly, the new CEO at Vodafone, to Sindhu Nair, in his first interview with the local media after taking the role. “We are in a serious business here, and we take our responsibility quite gravely.”

w

hen my colleague lucidly portrayed the Vodafone Qatar office interiors in Qatar Today (August 2011) as playfully aesthetic, no one, not any of our readers or any Vodafone employee, would have imagined that they would one day shift to more sombre surroundings.

But as the old maxim goes, change is the only constant, and changing perceptions is what Richard Daly, the new CEO at Vodafone Qatar, perceives to be the topmost priority for the telecom operator as he leads it to further heights.

And to change perceptions, Daly feels the Vodafone headquarters at Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) will need a new, “more corporate”, look.

Richard Daly CEO at Vodafone Qatar.

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Customer experience Centre will be the new Vodafone Corporate Office in West Bay “This will be A visible place in Doha where our customers, partners and visitors will meet us in a central area where we bring to life the Vodafone global experience.”

“We are in a serious business here and we take our responsibility quite gravely. People expect a high-quality product from us. Their businesses and livelihoods depend on Vodafone. I don’t think they want to hear that we are having a playground here. I think they want to hear that we take our responsibilities seriously, that we are professional and we deliver what we promise. We have shareholders who have invested a lot in the company and we cannot take that responsibility flippantly,” says Daly.

So will that mean the conglomerate - renowned for its work culture - will change the very tradition which makes it such a likeable brand globally?

“No,” countered Daly. “I describe our culture as uniquely accessible to our customers. We have complete transparency; we are uniquely non-hierarchical; we are one team working together. We will always remain true to these ideals.”

Daly touches on the four P’s of the global Vodafone culture that he tries to bring into the workplace here.

“Professional, passionate, playful and personable. Having all this in perfect harmony is what we strive for,” he says.

But then will this playfulness be a thing of the past, we contemplate?

“Playfulness is not about having a playground; it is having smart intelligent humour, and I promise you, we have fun, but after the job is done,” he reiterates.

All work and no play So there’s a sense there’ll be little or no fun around its QSTP office for the near future as it tries to become profitable and challenge Qtel, but Daly is pragmatic as he looks back on its journey thus far.

“It’s been almost four years since we were issued our licence and we’ve had two and a half years of trading,” he continues. “We are still an infant but we have achieved a lot in this time; from having nothing at all to rolling out our network, then establishing an employee base and increasing the customer base. We have a customer base of 800,000, growing each day; and a 20% market share.

If you benchmark that performance against other mobile start-ups in the world, it is a good, steady performance. But that said, our

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expectations here are very high and there are some areas where we are behind schedule.”

In the next phase, moving from start-up to maturity, Daly’s priority will be to meet and then to exceed these expectations.

“The one thing we always get questioned about is our network. When we started, a lot of customers signed up, but they found gaps and weren’t satisfied. They haven’t tried us since. However, customers who are currently using our product don’t feel this challenge any more, while the others still bring up this issue.”

Daly is going to be “obsessive” about the quality of Vodafone Qatar’s network, and he aims to change the perceptions of those who hesitate to come back and try Vodafone services.

“We monitor the calls to our support centre. We have test drives conducted all around Doha, on-call set-up success rates, calls dropped, call quality, and data download speeds. We know exactly how we perform and we are doing well.

“We have set up base stations and constantly improved their quality over the past two years, so we are ready for those cautious customers to return.”

The Vodafone financial sheets don’t look too encouraging, with some deficit in the figures, but Daly is quick to dampen any concerns about these early figures.

“Vodafone Qatar is profitable at EBITDA, which means that our revenues more than cover the operational running costs of the business. We continue to make a net loss mainly due to the amortisation of the mobile licence over 20 years. The cost of the mobile licence was QR7.716 billion. Our ongoing net loss is also due to the depreciation of the significant investments that we have made in our mobile and fixed networks, but as our revenues continue to grow we will move into profitability.”

Customer counts Vodafone’s next target is the Qatari population and the customers from elsewhere in the region.

“Qatar’s population is relatively small and this is a real “word of mouth” society. My belief is that as we start to change perceptions, by improving our network and through our

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communication in Arabic, word will spread through the majlis.”

Vodafone Qatar has received a lot of criticism from social media users, but Daly takes this in his stride.

“I welcome any form of customer reaction and we have always responded well to complaints. There has been nothing to say we have been dramatically wrong. We also monitor the social buzz and we have noticed that the positive comments are significantly higher than the negative ones. Being in a customerbased business, we have to be obsessive about what people are saying about our brand.”

Competition is important Vodafone has opened up competition in the mobile market, which was once rigid and highly-priced. What sort of relationship do they share with Qtel?

“None at all, we see each other as competitors. We work with them on a number of cross-industry issues where we work in the national interest, but other than that we don’t have any other relationship with them.

We respect them, they are good competitors, but that’s it. Their response to Vodafone coming to the market has been good and Qatar is seeing a much more customer-friendly, value-for-money market than it was before we arrived on the scene,” he says.

Daly is “super-excited” to take on the role of challenger in Qatar, growing from a zero to 20% market share in what is an entirely different situation from what Vodafone enjoys in other countries.

“There’s a huge difference being in a market for a long time to being the new incomer.

However, being the fresh entry we get to hear the customer’s needs and be the innovator.

Personally, I find that very challenging, but exciting at the same time,” he says.

Progress on track What are the challenges for Vodafone that Daly and his team will focus on in 2012?

“We have 99% population coverage, so the final 1% is very important to us. We are going deep into the country where the network has not been so clear. Indoor coverage will also have to be stepped up.

“Equally important for us is the launch of our post-paid billing service. The busi-

ness community is waiting for it and we will launch it between the second and third quarter of this year.”

Daly stresses that it is not the launch time but the quality of the product that Vodafone will stress.

“Our mobile market share is 23-24%. This is a strong market share within the pre-paid sector, but if you look at post-paid we don’t have much at all. When we have the billing product and innovate on that, we open up a whole new market for Vodafone. Applications that make businesses operate in an efficient way will be another priority. Our aim is to have an excellent network before opening up post-paid services and business applications, whilst all the while being a global innovative company with local roots.

“Fixed-line will also happen for us this year. Achieving success in this segment and working in partnership with the Qatar National Broadband Network are key factors in our plans to continue to grow our profitability into the future.”

Vodafone Qatar had predicted in the August interview to have parity with Qtel in the near future. So how is this progressing?

“The competition has been here for 20 years and it is absolutely impossible to have parity with Qtel. Right now, the challenge is to meet the customer’s need and that will be our focus.”

“Our aim is to have an excellent network before opening up post-paid services and business applications, whilst all the while being a global innovative company with local roots.”

Richard Daly, CEO, Vodafone

Local connect ‘Personable’ is one of the P’s that is stressed at Vodafone, and for Daly, a quarter of his time is spent with his customers.

“Connecting and listening, not just to those customers in West Bay, but those in the deep in Doha, through the Al Johara sales cells and the ladies selling Vodafone products from their homes. Al Johara is also one of the initiatives that Vodafone is very proud of,” says Daly.

“There is nothing more local than Al Johara. Women moving out of their traditional roles, taking Vodafone products to the community and making an income for themselves. It is great for us, as it allows us to sell our products where we are not well known and because it feels so good to know we have been able to touch lives and improve them too”

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cover story

Compromising

our children’s future

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The Supreme education Council (SEC)’s surprise decision last year to switch the language of instruction for some key disciplines AT QATAR UNIVERSITY (QU) from English to Arabic caused waves of discontent and bemusement around the campus. could the SEC be about to bring what is perceived THROUGH-OUT THE REGION as a well-established and respected institution BACK 15 years with a decree THAT betrays little sense of research, or is it a necessary move at a strategic time to stabilise the country’s cultural identity?

B y

RORY

COEN

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ffective last autumn, the disciplines of law, international affairs, media and business administration must be taught in Arabic going forward. The directive effectively scraps any English-language pre-requisites for freshmen in these disciplines, and there is no decisive comment coming from the SEC that the transition will end here.

Qatar Today spoke to a group of QU students to get a sense of how they feel about this directive by the SEC and what it might mean for their prospects post-graduation.

We also caught up with Prof. Sheikha Abdulla Al-Misnad, President of QU to resolve some of the key talking-points surrounding it.

QU’s global accreditation was largely achieved – amongst other tremendous achievements – because of its decision to switch its language of instruction for all disciplines to English a decade ago. It was seen as a bold but necessary move to bring the country’s workforce to the level stipulated in the National Vision 2030.

Shaima*, a senior International Affairs student, argues that there hasn’t been enough thought or research put into the decision. She has been a student at the university since 2007, and the first she heard about the directive was in a newspaper article last spring.

“I’m not for or against this directive,” she says. “I’m highlighting the fact that the

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proper tools and resources for the students should be in place – and a sufficient amount of research achieved - before decisions like this can be made. They seem to have made this one in a hurry. There are a number of reasons we think this.”

Education structure In the past, all levels of education – primary, secondary and third-level – were delivered in Arabic, but as changes began to be made to address flagging standards in education, first QU and then the secondary schools changed their language of instruction to English.

“I think you have to look at the structure of the educational system here,” Shaima continued. “I studied in Arabic for 12 years before I entered state university where I was taught in English. However, I was lucky; I was good at English, but the majority of students were obviously having difficulty, till they changed the medium of education in independent schools to English. This raised the standard of the students entering the university, but the students coming from Arabic schools were still struggling.

Now they are changing the university system back to Arabic! They are flipping the resolution - the next generation is going to suffer now. They really haven’t studied this properly.”

Rabea*, a Business Studies undergradu-

ate, wonders why so much investment by parents and the country should go to waste.

“The majority of us knew we were going to be studying in English since 2001,” he said. “Parents have spent thousands of riyals – the country has spent millions – investing in English, and now they are going to switch it back to Arabic. My own professor is saying that his subject has no books and no references in Arabic whatsoever, so how can we study the material if we don’t have primary texts?”

Lack of proper resources A big issue, as both Shaima and Rabea pointed out, is the lack of resources in Arabic. The students claim they will be unable to write to the same standard in Arabic as they are capable of in English, due to the fact that they can’t get the quality required in Arabic. Shaima claims that they are told to translate their primary research from English into Arabic.

“There’s no safe assigned programme in Arabic. Everything can be “copied and pasted” from the Internet in effect – after it’s translated from English. None of our papers can possibly be 100% plagiarism-free. I was also reading some arguments in favour of this directive: the Japanese and Chinese were doing fine without any English resources. That’s because they have their own resources in their own languages after years and years of input. We don’t have that in Arabic. It’s a simple basic equation.

“They should first invest in translation.

As a college student, I would not know what to do to write an article in Arabic to an international accredited standard. There are not enough translated updated Arabic books on subjects such as International Affairs, Business and social sciences.”

What about Non-Arab students?

Another major issue is the sizeable number of non-Arab students in the university. If a number – or the majority – of disciplines are going to be taught in Arabic, what will

become of the students coming from Asia, Europe and further afield?

“Half my family are Qatari,” added Mariam*, a Computer Science undergraduate.

“And when the news came through, everyone was so happy because we could all get into college without having a proficiency in English. I argued for the non-Arabic speakers and wondered what would happen to them, but they countered that Education City was there for these students.”

However Education City is not so cheap, so not everyone can necessarily afford it. It might teach its disciplines in English and have the finest resources and staff in the world, but it has a limitation that even the

most resourceful and innovative student might not be able to overcome.

“My idea is to have two sections and run them in parallel, English and Arabic,” Mariam continued. “You can’t force somebody to do a course in a language they are

Qatar University has been successful in meeting these standards and in achieving accreditation...as long as we sustain and continue to improve our quality standards, I am confident of our ability to remain on a par with the best universities as evidenced by our accreditation achievements.”

Prof. Sheikha Abdulla Al-Misnad QU President

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not confident with. Maybe this would be a solution?”

They should first invest in translation.

As a college student, I would not know what to do to write an article in Arabic to an international accredited standard.

There are not enough translated updated Arabic books on subjects such as international affairs, business and social sciences.”

Shaima* QU Student

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Sense of realism required The students are pragmatic in that they are staunchly proud of QU and of the Arabic language in general but their sense of realism transcends this. They know they will get a better education in English, and they know they will be better prepared for further education or employment should they study in English.

“Qatar deserves a state university that teaches in Arabic – this is fair, but they should not destroy something which is really good and something which so many people have worked so hard to achieve,” said Shaima. “Qatar University paid millions for the best online database. I don’t know how much we have spent on our new library, which is the best in the Middle East.

Are all these books going to waste? It’s as if they’re just giving up.

“As an International Affairs student in the twenty-first century wanting to be seen in a global context, how are we going to be able to perform and enter this arena without the basic language skills? Some majors I can understand, but International Affairs?

Qatar University is trying to teach us that we should share our ideas, not keep them bottled up, so how can we share them if we cannot articulate them in the world’s language? I’m not pro-western or pro-English; I’m just saying there’s a balance to everything. We have to accept that the global context is English and not Arabic.”

QU: Accreditation not affected The students were quick to point out that the university would lose the global accreditation it worked so hard to achieve - and thus leave their qualifications in limbo - but the President of QU, Prof. Sheikha Abdulla Al-Misnad, said this is not the case. They were keen to bring some clarity to matters regarding the directive.

“Language of instruction does not

directly impact a university’s accreditation,” she said. “Accreditation is based on a set of standards that the accrediting agency expects the institution to meet regardless of the language of instruction. Qatar University has been successful in meeting these standards and in achieving accreditation and membership in some of the world’s most competitive and most prominent accreditation commissions, such as ABET for engineering and AACSB for business and economics and many others. As long as we sustain and continue to improve our quality standards, I am confident of our ability to remain on a par with the best universities as evidenced by our accreditation achievements.”

So the ball will be firmly in QU’s court to maintain the rich standards it was able to achieve through English. The students pointed out that they felt their current lecturers and professors were of an exceptional standard and raised performance levels in every discipline. Whether or not QU will be able to find the same level of expertise in the Arab world remains to be seen.

With English being the established global language for business, engineering and science, how will this switch affect a student’s ability to seek further education or indeed gain suitable employment in their area of expertise in the future?

“It should not affect it,” Professor Sheikha Al-Misnad replied. “Although the language of instruction in the disciplines of law, international affairs, media and business administration will become Arabic, English language continues to be an important skill that we are committed to equipping our students with. References in English will still be used and language courses through the core curriculum will be offered to all students regardless of their majors to strengthen their communication skills in a way that preserves their competitiveness in a globalised labour market. We will make sure that our students have the advantage of strong Arabic language skills in addition to English language proficiency.”

Post-Graduation It’s been noted by Qatar Today recently that many companies feel that graduates need to be “re-trained” to do basic industry work. They feel universities are not giving students practical preparation for the workplace and, as graduates, they are overtrained on theory but not able to manage core industry programmes and procedures.

How does QU keep pace with the growing expectations of corporates?

“QU’s academic philosophy is very much based on preparing students for the workplace,” said the President. “This is achieved through making internships part of the coursework in many programmes, hosting guest speakers from the industry/sector that the student is studying, ensuring our curricula reflect the changing needs of the labour market through various means including having industry representatives on our college advisory boards, establishing industry-sponsored faculty chairs which serve as a link between the classroom and the workplace, field visits, international

travel experiences...the list is long.

“We survey employers on a regular basis in addition to receiving both casual and official feedback from employers. Like every university we have our niches but I can confidently and proudly say that our graduates are often not only meeting but exceeding expectations in the workplace. When the reform started in 2003 it was in part guided by the feedback of the job market.

Having listened to what employers needed and where they found areas of weakness, we worked on them with students, whether in hard or soft skills. As a result, I think you will find today that employers are much more satisfied and impressed with our graduates. The labour market is fast-changing, and there will always be need for more preparation and training. Nonetheless, thanks to QU’s close collaboration with the local labour market, our graduates have the advantage of understanding the specificities of the local industry and sectors and are as a result often chosen over graduates of international universities.”

My idea is to have two sections and run them in parallel, English and Arabic. You can’t force somebody to do a course in a language they are not confident with.”

Mariam* QU Student

* Students did not want to have their full names disclosed

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Reality Check:

Closer to a Knowledgebased economy?

There’s no doubt that Qatar is working tirelessly to achieve its knowledge-based economy. The word ‘knowledge’ is mentioned more times than any other in the 2011-2016 National Vision. Education City is populated with some of the world’s most decorated universities. But does all this necessarily mean that Qatar will achieve its vision? Does a will mean there’ll be a way?

“When you don’t have resources, you become resourceful.”

Unfortunately the opposite of this is also true. When you have resources, there’s a tendency to let these resources work for you.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) recently revealed the findings of an intriguing study regarding the above sentiment. It mapped students’ motivation to study in a particular country against the total earnings of the country’s natural resources as a percentage of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It basically assessed how smart kids were in countries that had an abundance or a lack of national provisions.

It looked at the performance of 15-year-old students in 65 countries on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) – which tests maths, science and reading comprehension every other year. The coun-

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tries which were involved in the study ranged from Singapore and Hong Kong to Qatar and Kuwait to Brazil and Mexico. No African countries were used in the study.

Andreas Schleicher, who oversees the PISA exams in OECD countries, said the findings concluded that there was a “significant negative relationship between the money countries extract from natural resources and the knowledge and skills of their high-school population. There’s definitely a global pattern which is evident across the 65 countries that were assessed”.

Schleicher went one step further. “Students in Singapore, Finland, South Korea, Hong Kong and Japan stand out as having the highest PISA scores with few natural resources, while Qatar and Kazakhstan stand out as having the highest oil-rents and the lowest PISA scores.”

The only deflection from the norm was

with Australia, Canada and Norway, who have high levels of natural resources and also score well on PISA. So when analysed, Schleicher says that “knowledge and skill have become the global currency of 21st century economics, but there is no central bank which prints this currency.

Everyone has to decide on their own how much they will print.”

Limitations of labour markets Further to this, the Brookings Center Doha recently published a study on the career attitudes and motivations of university students and recent graduates in Qatar and the UAE. Its aim was to identify the range of obstacles that exist in the transition between education and employment.

The paper found that policies must address the limitations of labour markets and the effects these limitations have on employment choices of young people. Otherwise high salary differentials between public and private sector employment and limited awareness of entrepreneurial support mean that the status quo of high public sector employment is likely to persist.

It reveals that there is a need to reform the public sector itself - create more stateowned enterprises which comply with market-oriented, performance-based management rules – while encouraging mobility between public and private sectors and taking other measures such as introducing greater parity between public and private sector pay, increasing young people’s employability and soft skill levels, and removing barriers to business start-ups and female employment.

The study concludes that a new strategic framework should be introduced to facilitate young people’s transition from education to employment, and this should go beyond the objectives of nationalisation targets and address barriers such as salary level and a lack of training, while also seeking to enhance productivity, mobility and innovation in the workforce, as well as ensuring that all policies and programmes include systems of monitoring and evaluation which have been conspicuously absent in the past.

A slippery slope?

When looking at the above in isolation, the picture certainly does look pretty bleak for Qatar as a whole. The OECD report indicates that the country’s youth are too relaxed in their ap-

proach to education because its vast reserves of oil and gas will sustain their lifestyles, while Brookings understands that they are happy to land themselves a cosy public sector job, knowing they will earn more there than they ever will in the private sector. Qatar seems to be a society which has no instinct or motivation for learning or honing skills to compete.

Everette Dennis, Dean and CEO at NorthWestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) says: “I think there’s a lot of effort through the Supreme Education Council to assess and evaluate performance going all the way back to grade school and high school. That’s conceivably very visionary, depending on how it’s all carried out.

There’s a desire to get up to speed with the rest of the world and that’s a positive thing. There’s a lot of emphasis on the teaching of language, a lot of emphasis on arts and culture, the kind of education that has relevance to the society, whether it’s preparing people for careers in ex-

There’s a desire to get up to speed with the rest of the world and that’s a positive thing. There’s a lot of emphasis on the teaching of language, a lot of emphasis on arts and culture, the kind of education that has relevance to the society, whether it’s preparing people for careers in extractive industries or the cultural sector.”

Everette Dennis CEO at NorthWestern University-Qatar (NU-Q) tractive industries or the cultural sector.

“A lot of what we are doing here is of course tied to the Emir’s 2030 goals, the National Vi-

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cover story sion, of building a knowledge-based economy.

We think that our students will be part of the content creation for knowledge-based industries in the non-fiction and journalistic sector. We try to be close to what’s developing and we want to be part of it. All these growing enterprises in Qatar need a media and a communications connection, so we want to ride on their wave and contribute as much as we can.”

Robert Monroe, Associate Dean at Carnegie Mellon University, says that Qatar has incredibly ambitious goals for the education of its people and they are acting on those goals with strength and vision in a very impressive way.

“There are few countries in the world investing as much energy and resources into building a great education system as Qatar,” he claims.

“The improvements are being implemented from K-12, to the Community College of Qatar and the College of the North Atlantic–Qatar, all the way through improvements and expansion at QU and the Education City campuses. It will take a decade or longer for the benefits of all of these efforts to become obvious, but if the efforts are sustained over time they will provide

It will take a decade or longer for the benefits of all of these efforts to become obvious, but if the efforts are sustained over time they will provide Qatar with the people and expertise needed to build the knowledge-based economy envisioned in the Qatar National Vision 2030.”

Robert Monroe

Associate Dean, CMUQ

Qatar with the people and expertise needed to build the knowledge-based economy envisioned in the Qatar National Vision 2030.”

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Producers, not consumers It’s clear that there is optimism from the corridors of Education City regarding Qatar’s prospects of overcoming its perceived defects in education standards. These colleges have brought a wealth of experience and knowledge here, coupled with an ability to transfer knowledge to willing and able students. But as Abdullah Zaid Al-Talib – Chairman of Qatar University Wireless Innovations Center (QUWIC) – said in his keynote speech at QITCOM 2012, even this may not be enough. In the Arab world, he contends, people have become consumers of knowledge instead of producers of it, and the producers love them for it.

“They don’t want us to be producers, they only want us to consume their knowledge,” he said. “We are the same though. We only want them to consume our oil and gas. The Chairman of Google was in the region recently and somebody asked him how we can change from being consumers to producers and his candid answer was ‘Get up and do it’.

“Qatar has placed 2.8% of its GDP on research and development and has employed some highly qualified people to manage this pool. We have established an Education City where the best universities in the world are coming to work. This is a major advantage to lead us to our knowledge-based economy.

This is our chance – this opportunity might never come again.”

Talent Transfer “Talent is the most important thing – talent will be the driving force behind the knowledge-based economy, and the engine for this is education, education, education,” he continued. “We keep talking about knowledge transfer and technology transfer, but we should be focusing on talent transfer.

Technology is safe, as it can be bought; knowledge is accessible on these devices; but developing talent will be the key to the knowledge-based economy.

“Talent can produce technology and knowledge and if you want proof of this, look to India and China. There are supremely talented people in these countries that went to the United States, got the knowledge and came home to their home countries and applied this there and helped their countries grow and compete. They didn’t come up with technology or knowledge, they produced talented students who understood how to learn, how to work, how to set up a profitable company.”

Laura Tyson, a former chair of the US President’s Council of Economic Advisers, is a professor at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley says: “The global landscape for innovation has been transformed over the past decade. Ours is now a world in which many emerging-market countries have made advancements in science and technology a top priority and in which multinational companies’ research and development (R&D) investments have become much more mobile. As the US and other developed countries embark on austerity plans to contain their debt, they must heed these changes in the innovation landscape and boost their investments in R&D – and in science and engineering education – even as they make painful cuts elsewhere.”

Qatar is indeed one of these countries that is seeking to make advancement in science and education, and it sees education as the catalyst. What are the new universities at Education City doing to impress this ‘talent transfer’ mantra that is now becoming so important in developing entrepreneurs and innovators who will produce knowledge, and not perpetuate an economy of consuming it? Qatar is interested in the process of knowledge creation; it doesn’t just want to produce engineers or scientists, it wants to produce engineers and scientists who produce knowledge for consumption elsewhere – selling knowledge instead of hydrocarbons, if you like.

Everette Dennis at NU-Q explains that their priority is to make sure their graduates have a competent liberal arts education and a capacity to know and understand the field they are going into.

“A school like this is initially preparing people for entry level. If they’re going to be competent at this level, you’d like them to be prepared to move into a managerial or a leadership role. We provide this – we want our students to have a certain level of expertise, but also understand how they can use this to grow further.

“We do this in a number of ways. We had a job fair recently where 20-25 local firms were interacting with our students. They go on internships to different media organisations around the city or businesses that need communication skills. We sent students on special summer courses – or courses during their breaks – where they might cover a story at a refugee camp in Jordan, or an international event in Geneva. About 39% of our total admis-

sions are Qatari students – this obviously fluctuates year-on-year.”

Monroe at Carnegie Mellon says his university is founded on the firm belief that through the encouragement of scientific inquiry and the promotion of practical preparedness, they can provide a generation of thinkers, business leaders, researchers and scientists.

“Core values of innovation, creativity, collaboration and problem-solving provide the foundation for everything we do,” he says. “Through our Office of Professional Development, the university connects students with valuable internship and career opportunities. More than 80% of Carnegie Mellon graduates complete at least one internship programme, and some students take on multiple internships before graduation. Our corporate partners span a wide range of industries in Qatar. We have also seen an increase in international internships, with students gaining experience with finan-

We keep talking about knowledge transfer and technology transfer, but we should be focusing on talent transfer. Technology is safe as it can be bought, knowledge is accessible on these devices, but developing talent will be the key to the knowledge-based economy. abdullah zaid al-talib

Chairman of Qatar University Wireless Innovations Center (QUWIC) cial firms on Wall Street, consulting companies in Singapore and Dubai, and research organisations in India, Tanzania and Bangladesh.”

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Employee Engagement

Are Organisations Making The Most Of Their Workforces?

o

ur people are our most important assets.” We often hear this in mission statements, company brochures, or talks of executives. The question remains, however: How are such “assets” being valued and managed in our organisations? In earlier articles in Qatar Today, we made the case that employee engagement is critical for organisational success and the bottom line. Further, we have argued that intentional effort of leaders and managers can foster and sustain high levels of employee engagement that result in high levels of organisational performance. In other words, employee engagement is all about “our most important assets”.

Majority of employees moderately or poorly engaged Look at what leaders and managers in Qatar told us about the typical levels of engagement in their organisations. Sixty percent said employee engagement was somewhat low to moderate and only 7% report high levels of engagement. Is this inevitable? What happens in organisations with high engagement compared to those with lower engagement?

To provide organisations and the public with a better understanding of the state of employee engagement in Qatar, we recently

conducted an online survey and face-to-face interviews with managers from a number of sectors in Qatar (see sidebar 1). We wanted to get insights about how employers, leaders and managers think about employee engagement and if it is a strategic concern for organisational performance and the bottom line.

We received feedback from over 30 managers and leaders. In all of these, we found only two managers who did not see employee engagement as important in their organisations. All others told us that engagement is important. To understand just how important it is, we identified five key attitudes likely to be found in engaged employees: 1) pride in the organisation, 2) understanding the business and its broader context, 3) a desire to help the organisation to succeed, 4) respect for colleagues, and 5) willingness to give extra effort when needed. Respondents were asked how important these attitudes are to their bottom line as well as how strong they consider each attitude to be among their employees.

Gaps to close concerning attitudes of engagement We found nearly unanimous agreement that these attitudes are very important to an organisation’s success. When asked to rate the strength of the five key attitudes in their respective organisations, respondents indicated room for improvement, suggesting opportunities for growth and improved performance in organisations from all sectors.

Graph No. 2 compares the level of importance managers place on each attitude (outer ring) to managers’ rating of the current strength of such attitudes among their employees (inner ring). For example, 100% told us that an employee’s “understanding the business and its broader context” is important or very important. Then they told us that just over half (54%) of their employees have such an understanding, making it the largest gap between current reality and desired status. This is an opportunity for strategic advantage for organisations that work at closing this gap, particularly since the survey shows that “understanding how one’s work fits in the bigger picture” also ranks first among measures that managers consider important to support an engaged workforce. The same applies for all of the other employee engagement attitudes – on average, they

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are all considered highly important, yet they are not practised at the desired level.

Employee engagement is highly valued high – but not always a strategic concern When asked if employee engagement provides a competitive advantage, 93% of survey respondents agreed or strongly agreed.

However, when asked if employee engagement is a strategic concern for their organisations, only 70% agreed. Here, too, we see an important opportunity. An executive director in a large government agency said: “Most managers don’t focus on engagement issues...we have no formal approach or tools.”

Strategic, in this context, means (1) being a priority for executives and management on every level and (2) being a responsibility in every area of business and not contained in one department exclusively, typically Human Resources. Whereas HR and talent management should have a coordinating role, Employee Engagement should be part of each manager’s job description – much like budgeting and financial management are. The Finance Department has an overseeing and controlling role, and each department head has to contribute to overall budgeting and financial results.

Nobody would argue with that, but when it comes to people – to employee engagement – many organisations concentrate such efforts within HR, which often is not positioned as strategically as necessary to foster employee engagement and overall organisational success.

Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, suggested repeatedly that the HR Director should be as important as the CFO, making the point that the person in charge of talent is as crucial as the person in charge of finance. Taking a strategic focus on employee engagement promises to drive greater success, such as higher profits or more effective government programmes.

Key drivers for engaged employees – it all comes down to good leadership Face-to-face interviews gave us the chance to talk directly with managers and leaders in a number of industries. We discussed the key factors that affect employee engagement. In a large oil and gas company, the Learning and Development Manager found two elements to be crucial for an engaged workforce: first, a value proposition, so that

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Manager’s Estimate of Employee Engagement in their Organisation High Engagement

7%

somewhat high

33%

moderate Engagement

41%

somewhat low

19%

low Engagement

0% 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

% of responses

50% Graph No. 1

Key Attitudes of Engaged Employees (current and desired status) 100% 80% Respect colleagues

desire to help

60% 40%

Extra effort Importance to bottom line (organisational success)

We asked 40 managers and leaders from the following sectors in Qatar to complete a short on line survey. 68% responded.

Oil and gas Banking and finance Government Education Architecture and construction Consulting Hospitality

pride average employee Graph No. 2

employees know what the organisation is trying to achieve and how they themselves can contribute to that goal. Employees are most effective when they can see the context and impact of their contributions.

The second aspect is the ability of supervisors to plan and communicate effectively.

This is something shared across sectors and disciplines. Safak Gulenc, Managing Director of the W Hotel Doha, summarised this succinctly: empowerment, listening and sharing successes. Employees need to be able to make decisions themselves, their voices need to be heard and they need to know about things that are going well - and what isn’t, so that they can be involved in a solution as well.

This is critical in the hospitality business that follows the motto “happy talent – happy guest”, and according to our survey

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The Value of Employee Engagement: Perception in Qatar High employee engagement provides a competitive advantage for an organization

93% Agree

7%

employee engagement is a strategic concern for my organization employee engagement is important to my organization’s success 0%

What supports employee engagement?

70%

disAgree

30% 96% 4% 25%

50%

75%

100% Graph No. 3

results, other sectors could learn from that as well, even if the customer contact often is not that direct and obvious.

Employee engagement works in different forms and shapes We also asked about programmes and efforts that focus on fostering engagement. Executives and managers described efforts ranging from full-fledged organisational learning strategies to specific communication and supervisory trainings for managers. One of the interviewees in the education sector describe a comprehensive programme: “We have a learning organisation commitment that specifies shared values that all in our office have adopted. We scoped the mission of our office in very deliberate ways to bring attention to the importance of the work and help us pull together as a team to support it. We have training and development options that we provide within our own office, which is complemented by generic training and development through HR.” In other organisations, the approach is less structured and basically depends on individual managers, as we heard from a manager in a public

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sector organisation: “It does depend on the boss. If she wants to engage the staff, she will include employees in the main projects, give them chances to say their opinion, or give them the opportunities to contribute to big decisions in the organisation.”

Measuring engagement – the first step Many organisations have done some form of employee satisfaction surveys. Among our surveyed organisations, this is usually more sophisticated and more standardised in internationally-operating corporations, where procedures are in place, content is provided and regular surveys are carried out, often globally managed. Whether globally provided or outsourced to external experts, those surveys provide a current status and point out both strengths, and ways to improve satisfaction. In terms of employee engagement, it is vital that surveys are always accompanied by communication – about the purpose, the results, what is working well, and the focus on continually improving.

Respondents to our survey estimated the level of engagement amongst their employ-

1. Understanding how one’s work fits in the bigger picture 2. Getting constructive and timely feedback on performance from managers 3. Having the support, training and tools to be successful in one’s job 4. Opportunities for training and development 5. Opportunities to work in effective teams 6. Competitive compensation 7. Collegiality with colleagues and superiors Managers’ views in rank order from most to least important.

ees, with 40% reporting somewhat high to high levels of engagement. 60% reported moderate to somewhat low engagement (see graph No. 1) Research findings from Gallup, Inc. show that high-engagement firms have almost four times the earningsper-share growth rate of low-engagement firms. Conscious investment in increasing engagement can pay significant dividends.

Our survey suggests that some employees as well as supervisors and executives need to be convinced of the relevance of employee engagement efforts. With a growing body of compelling research and local findings such as we have reported here, managers at any level can make a strong case for giving employee engagement high priority

Are there methods you have found effective for increasing engagement and organisational success? The authors welcome your insights and questions. Please write to Birgit Radl at birgit@radlwanko.at and Kevin Lamb at Kevin.Lamb@Keystone-Global.com.

By Birgit Radl-Wanko and Kevin Lamb Birgit is an organisational consultant and trainer with a focus on leadership development and change management. She has worked with organisations in the public, private and nonprofit sectors in the US, Europe and the Middle East and has been a Qatar resident since 2010. kevin is an organisational development consultant and managing partner at Keystone Global Consulting Group, based in Qatar. His focus is on organisational health practices and their link to organisational performance.

Birgit and Kevin write a regular column on employee engagement in Qatar.

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Benefit from a stimulated workforce

e

mployee engagement is a topic worth discussing in today’s workplace.

Leading organisations recognise that the vested interest they have in actively measuring, monitoring and maximising the level of engagement amongst their employees is essential for overall performance. Bayt.com’s poll on reward programmes and employee engagement in the Middle East (November, 2011) showed that 77% of Middle East employees feel engaged at work, despite 62.9% of companies offering no incentives. What is the secret behind employee engagement, and how do some employers succeed in gaining the loyalty of their staff while others fail? Career experts from Bayt.com present an overview of employees’ engagement at work, its importance and the methods a company can follow to promote it.

What is employee engagement?

Employees can be broadly classified into three categories: Engaged employees are enthusiastic about their jobs. They are loyal, motivated, committed and productive. They have a strong emotional allegiance to their workplace and are driven to succeed.

Unengaged employees are not psychologically connected to their company.

They work hard and contribute but are less driven to succeed than their engaged counterparts and are more likely to engage in absentee behavior and/or leave the company.

Actively disengaged employees are emotionally and cognitively divorced from their work; they have in a sense “checked out” although they are physically there. They are disgruntled, unhappy to be there and their negativity is palpable, infectious and disruptive for the organisation.

Why is employee engagement important?

Repeated research has shown that there is a direct correlation between the level of employee engagement in a company and the company’s overall financial and operational performance. Specifically, higher levels of engagement are associated with more productivity, better client servicing and happier customers, less absenteeism, lower turnover and more retention. Add to that, on a more personal level for employees, engagement reflects higher job satisfaction, higher work morale, and higher levels of motivation.

How does a company increase employee engagement?

Bayt.com’s poll on reward programmes and employee engagement in the Middle East showed that 77% of Middle East employees feel engaged at work, with 68.4% knowing what is expected of them at work.

The poll revealed that the companies that are attempting to boost engagement levels are doing so by showing more recognition (25.3%), giving more rewards (22.5%), encouraging open communication (24.5%), increasing transparency (13.3%), and empowering staff (14.5%).

Below are Bayt.com’s tips to perpetuate staff engagement: 1. Give employees an open forum to voice complaints, suggestions and questions.

2. Adequately respond to employee grievances, issues and queries.

3. Equip employees with all the resources they need to perform their job well 4. Include employees in the problem-solving and decision-making process.

5. Frequently enlist employees opinions on important issues.

6. Set the highest standards of trust, integrity and ethics employees can be proud of and emulate.

7. Recognise employees for their effort and performance publicly and privately.

8. Reward employees for their efforts and contributions.

9. Generate in employees a sense of ownership and pride.

10. Provide a stimulating and challenging work environment.

11. Demonstrate that management really values / cares about employees’ well-being.

12. Communicate how individual roles contribute to the organisational future.

13. Provide opportunities for employees to grow and develop their full potential.

It is clear that an environment where employees are valued, respected and challenged, have opportunities to grow, and are clear about their roles and contributions to the company’s performance are much more conducive to feelings of commitment and corporate citizenship amongst the workforce

bookmark www.issuu.com/oryxmags

About Bayt.com: Bayt.com is the #1 job site in the Middle East, with more than 40,000 employers and over 6,750,000 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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The Cost of

Evolution

Will you be alive in 2050? Would you want to be? Seminal research by one of the world’s most decorated physicists, Michio Kaku – where he interviewed 300 of the world’s top scientists – reveals how the world will be in fifty years. His book Physics of the Impossible explains that tumours will be a thing of the past thanks to technology we can install in our toilet. Rory Coen wonders what we will be trading for such advancements.

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Michio Kaku, Physicist and Author, addressing his audience on the final morning of QITCOM 2012.

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ay three of QITCOM 2012 opened with Michio Kaku giving his audience a glimpse though the portal of his research into how our world will continue to transition during the first half of this century. He explained that the evolution of science could indirectly be blamed for the three largest financial crashes ever. As we recover from the most recent one – the 2008 global financial crash – what will be the scientific catalyst for the next meltdown?

In the early 1800s, the physics of steam engines triggered the Industrial Revolution. Huge capital was invested in two large locomotive companies competing on the London Stock Exchange. It created a bubble which inevitably burst.

Eighty years later, physicists harnessed the power of electricity and the gasoline engine.

Wealth was created from the electrification of Europe and America, which created a bubble in auto-

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MEEZA commits to Cloud Strategy

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EEZA officially announced the opening of two new data centres here during QITCOM 2012. The leading managed IT services and solutions provider in the Middle East and North Africa is trying to position itself at the vanguard of technological innovation for the next decade, and believes in that time private and public cloud computing will grow and revolutionise business, so these data centres are a sign of its intentions.

MEEZA’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Acting Chief Operations Officer, Ghada P. El-Rassi, said: “As an end-to-end services provider we are committed to promoting IT innovation and bring the most advanced solutions to Qatar in line with the National Vision 2030.

“The launch of our state-of-the-art data centres, M-Vault 2 and M-Vault 3, will enthuse the entire ICT sector across the Middle East and North Africa,” she continued. “They are the first ‘green’ data centres in the region, which are LEED-certified.

This marks a new milestone for MEEZA, as our new interconnected, highly secured facilities will focus on backup sites, disaster recovery solutions and business continuity solutions while offering

mobile and utility stocks. It burst in 1929.

A third wave of wealth was catalysed by high technology. Computers, lasers and space programmes generated massive amounts of global wealth, and where did it go? In the US, it went into real estate and it popped in 2008. The third crash.

“The engines of the fourth wave will be a combination of artificial intelligence, nano-technology and bio-technology,” said Kaku. “Moore’s Law states that computer power doubles every 18 months. Your mobile phone has more power than all of NASA in 1969 when they sent two men to the moon. We actually sent astronauts up into space with 64K processors to back them up!”

managed services to our clients at the same time.”

Located on its own campus, 30km outside of Doha, M-Vault 2 is scheduled to begin operations at the beginning of the third quarter of this year, and is designed and built to Uptime Institute Tier III Standards, with 99.98% guaranteed availability. It is LEED platinumcertified, where it maximises energy to increase performance and it offers business continuity solutions for all key disaster recovery requirements criteria through service delivery and IT experts.

The second new data centre, M-Vault 3, is scheduled to begin operations this month. It is located close to MEEZA’s initial data-centre at Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) and is tailored towards high-density computing, in particular for the purposes of servicing research, engineering, health, banking, pharmaceutical and technology sectors. It is LEED gold-certified because of its sustainable and environment-friendly design.

“Our new service offerings reflect this commitment as we provide to industries at all levels, so our clients can focus on their core business,” ElRassi said.

El-Rassi added that QITCOM 2012 is in perfect harmony with MEEZA’s objectives. “We are dedicated to continuous innovation and we have joined QITCOM 2012 as a strategic partner because this annual event has become the premiere platform for ICT providers, regulators, policymakers and end-users in this thriving and rapidly developing region.”

It’s almost as difficult to believe looking back at reality as it is predicting the future, but, as Kaku explained, we have to understand the past to predict the future. Moore’s Law dictates that we may have to strain our imaginations to generate ideas about what the world will be like in another 45 years. The law will be exhausted by 2020, but by then, what kind of capacity will computer chips have?

Ubiquitous computers “Computers will go the way of electricity. It will be everywhere and nowhere. Electricity is in walls, in ceilings, in floors. It’s everywhere and nowhere. The word electricity has pretty much disappeared from

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Huawei look to be cost-effective

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uawei continue to declare that investment in broadband infrastructure is critical to creating an environment attractive to businesses, whilst they believe their unique and thorough endto-end solutions will save businesses money. They have been redressing their focus from the telecom operators to the enterprise segment since 2010.

While consolidating its leading position within the telecom market, Huawei is also growing rapidly in the enterprise market, specifically in the government, oil and gas, transportation, banking and finance and power sectors.

“There are huge challenges and opportunities in ICT for applications and construction,” said Su Baoqiang, General Manager and Vice President, Enterprise Business, Qatar Branch Huawei.

“140,000 lines have already been installed in the fibre-to-the home (FTTH) project and QNB have also issued another tender to do the same work.

There is 10 years of broadband construction ahead of us. On the application side, we are working on egovernment and e-services.”

“Enterprise IT Managers need routers, infrastructure, broadband technology, and we can provide these,” said Issam Fadlallah, Deputy General Manager, Huawei Technologies, Qatar. “Also, if they want IT services delivered effectively to the business customer, and they want a reliable super highway, we can provide this. On top of this you need good application software. This is where Huawei adds cloud computing expertise. We are in a unique position today – we can develop an end-to-end, in-

issam fadlallah deputy general manager, huawei technologies, qatar

the English language – nobody says it anymore. That’s the future of computers – they are to disappear. It’s to become part of the walls, ceiling and floor; it’ll be on our body and in our clothes. Computer chips will cost a penny. And how do we pay for electricity? We meter it.

We’ll meter computer power too, in the cloud.”

So computers will become as ubiquitous and cheap as electricity and running water. How will this translate in the future?

“Google are currently spending millions of dollars developing ‘Internet glasses’,” he reveals. “These glasses will recognise people’s faces, and if they speak a foreign language they will provide subtitles.”

If you don’t want to wear glasses, if they make you look boring and antiquated, then there will also be a solution for contact lenses. You blink and you go online!

Effectually, X-ray vision will be possible, because you can place cameras on the opposite walls. Kaku joked that we’ll be putting chips into everything, even dolls, which provides for an unfortunate contradiction in

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tegrated solution from all these elements.

“We have terminals like the iPad; we make handsets; we produce dongles; we deliver software. We provide broadband networks, wireless routers, and applications software for cloud computing. Egovernment, e-house, smart-city solutions. Based on this infrastructure, we have it all; it’s true endto-end. Huawei invests 10% of its revenue in R&D; $2.5 billion each year,” Fadlallah added.

“Huawei is targeting to design a cost-effective market, because if you don’t have a smart phone that’s cost-effective to trigger demand and you’re building a broadband network nobody is using, you cannot drive demand on the broadband network.

If you have low average revenue per user (ARPU) – Qatar is high, 50-60 per month; Algeria 7; India 4 – you need to have a cost-effective smart phone to trigger the demand, and this is what we are focusing on. Integrating the three levels – application, tube and devices – brings down cost,” he said.

Xiao Ning, General Manager, Huawei Technologies, Qatar, added: “Huawei has developed a strong presence in Qatar and is committed through its partnership with ictQatar to helping start-ups and SMEs through the exchange of knowledge. Technologies such as cloud computing can spur economic growth by allowing smaller businesses to access IT resources at a fraction of the cost, but lack of understanding of what cloud is can mean smaller businesses believe it to be out of their reach. QITCOM provides a lively forum for correcting misconceptions such as these, showing how investment in ICT infrastructure can help foster a nurturing and entrepreneurial environment.” terms: smart Barbie doll.

“You’ll be able to change the colour and design of your wallpaper because paper will be intelligent. The same as your kitchen window - instead of looking out at the city dump every morning, you can upload an image of the Taj Mahal or the Eiffel Tower. We’ll have driverless cars in eight years.”

Where is all this going from a consumer perspective? Kaku explains that we are now transitioning from a mass-production era to one of mass-customisation.

You can order the exact car you want, the exact dress you want, the exact suit you want. Everything will fit perfectly to your specifications and you will have it the next day.

Perfect capitalism “All of this leads to the consumer having knowledge on demand and being able to recognise a bad deal in an instant,” continued Kaku. “You will be able to affect a product’s real worth, as opposed to its displayed

tag this price. You’ll have instant access to supply and demand trends, which means producers will have to rely more on trademarks, quality, slogans and positioning. This is perfect capitalism and this is where we are headed.”

Medicine will ultimately be the greatest beneficiary from this proliferation of computer power. A tiny chip, a camera and a magnet will be placed in capsules and send into a patient’s abdominal cavity to scope for problems. Definitive cancer cells will be killed, sparing the proximate healthy ones, as opposed to the profligate and painful method of chemotherapy.

Kaku explained how your bathroom toilet could be fitted with mechanisms to detect cancer ten years before it becomes apparent. It will analyse your body fluids for proteins and DNA fragments of cancer.

“Steve Jobs died from pancreatic cancer. It is said that pancreatic cancer kills inside three years. Two months ago, scientists discovered that it wasn’t so devastating. It actually takes twenty years to develop - it’s only the last three years where it starts to really affect the patient. Jobs could have detected his cancer years ago. MRI machines which now cost three million dollars will be the size of your mobile phone.”

Employment – where will the jobs be?

Every revolution has winners and losers. As technol-

ogy progresses, more efficient technology forces many employers to offload staff. This is one of the costs of evolution. So where will the future jobs be?

“Repetitive blue collar workers will lose their jobs,” predicted Kaku. “Anyone who does repetitive work will need to re-train, such as middle-men - brokers, low-level accountants and agents. Which jobs are safe?

Construction workers and garbage men - every construction site is different, every garbage site is different. Robots can’t do these jobs.

“There’s going to be a swing from commodity capital to intellectual capital. Commodity prices get cheaper every year, so knowledge-workers, artists, actors, comedians and strategists will all fare well in the future - this type of work cannot be done by a computer. Nations will need to prepare for this transition.”

Language barriers will be lifted As Michio Kaku pointed out in his keynote speech at QITCOM 2012, Google are working on “Internet glasses” which will print subtitles of what a foreigner is saying to you, so you can understand in realtime. It will revolutionise the world as we know it, breaking down language barriers that have historically come between possible friendships or partnerships.

Jeffrey Stibel – brain scientist, entrepreneur and

FOSI working for a safer Online Experience The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) works to make the online world safer for kids and their families. They do this by identifying and promoting best practices, tools and methods in the field of online safety that also respect free expression - a challenging balancing act. Its members - Yahoo! and Facebook, amongst others - help shape public policy, highlight new technologies, promote education and convene special events. FOSI brings together leaders in government, industry and the nonprofit world to collaborate with one another and develop new solutions to keep children safe on the Internet.

Megan Cristina, Director of Trust and Safety, Yahoo!, is an active board member of FOSI and was invited by ictQATAR to join in their discussion “Promoting Online Safety and Cyber Ethics in the Middle East”. Her primary focus is engendering trust and ensuring user safety through proactive education programmes, advising product teams on safety features and partnering with internet safety experts.

“We work to make sure that all of our products have safety features embedded into the Yahoo online experience globally. We help promote our education and outreach initiatives through our global resources.

Yahoo Maktoob [Yahoo’s official arm in the MENA region] has created the Yahoo Safety Oasis which is an educational tool for parents and children to learn about using the web safely. It’s for everyone, and it’s been widely adopted by many of the schools but it’s for a younger audience; for younger kids. They’re using it to teach kids how to surf the net and communicate safely.”

Yahoo Safety Oasis educates Arabic-speaking children about how to surf the net properly and protect their personal privacy, through a series of fun, interactive edu-tainment courses offered through a number of Yahoo Maktoob channels such as Kids, Games and Family links.

Cristina believes that online safety must involve everyone in a child’s life: “We believe in the village concept – family, educators and any other adults in the child’s life. Kids try to mimic older kids as well, so we try to engage teens to teach the younger kids how use the net properly. That’s the way kids learn. You don’t learn to ride a bike by somebody telling you to do it. You get careful guidance by an adult. The same thing as using the Internet.”

Luc Delany, European Policy Manager at Facebook, where he is heavily involved in Child Online Safety and in developing self-regulatory initiatives said: “Facebook tries to provide a space to help people share and connect in the safest way, with the most transparency and privacy as is possible. We do this in three ways: The development of technology; partnerships, so we have a safety advisory board to help us regulate the site from a safety perspective; and education – FOSI’s ‘Platform for Good’ will provide educational material for students and parents.

“Facebook can be a very educational tool, and teenagers are not always being educated on it in the right way. It can be used in the classroom to great effect and there are guides available for teachers online. The life skills that young people will need will include their behaviour online.”

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Yahoo Maktoob has created the Yahoo Safety Oasis which is an educational tool for parents and children to learn about using the web safely.

MEGAN CRISTINA DIRECTOR OF TRUST and SAFETY, YAHOO!

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Indie Fikra - I have an idea!

At BrainGate, we created an implantable computer chip that sits in the cortex of people’s brains and literally allows the patient to transfer thoughts into actions. You can think about turning on the lights, the lights go on. It works for typing an e-mail, moving your car, anything you can think about. This is reality; this has already been done.

Jeffrey Stibel Chairman of BrainGate

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odafone Qatar announced that ‘Stalkers’, with their m-Health app called Onigiri, were the winners of the Indie Fikra Appathon on the final day of QITCOM 2012. Onigiri is designed to teach children with, or at risk from, diabetes how to live a healthy lifestyle by caring for a virtual diabetic pet.

Second place was awarded to ‘Noble’ for their interactive magazine Abtal 22, which is aimed at exciting kids about football. Third place went to ‘Cereal Killers’ and their app ASF – Al Sadd Fantasy, a fantasy football game – while fourth place was awarded to team ‘AppliQations’ for Shofferz, an app for aggregating and displaying shopping offers around Qatar.

The winners were handed their trophies by chairman of BrainGate, a brain implant company that allows people to use their thoughts to control electrical devices – thinks that it is possible to go a couple of steps beyond this technology and focus on the root issue: the brain. He gave the keynote speech on March 6, the second day at QITCOM. “A universal language is unrealistic, and language learning is impossible,” explains Stibel. “By the time a child is 12, his brain doesn’t have enough neural connections to learn a host of new languages. Language translation is definitely interesting, but there are inherent problems such as slang and cultural differences.

“At BrainGate, we created an implantable computer chip that sits in the cortex of people’s brains and literally allows the patient to transfer thoughts into actions. You can think about turning on the lights, the lights go on. It works for typing an e-mail, moving your car, anything you can think about. This is reality; this has already been done.

“Our brains all work in fundamentally the same way,

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Vodafone’s CEO Richard Daly, who exclaimed: “Indie Fikra – I have an idea! Vodafone and QITCOM have a shared vision – to see more Arabic content created and, perhaps more importantly, to see more content created in and for Qatar. That’s why we partnered with QITCOM to bring this unique event to life.

“There is a lot of great entrepreneurial talent in Qatar – and especially in mobile app development – and the Appathon is designed to nurture, celebrate and reward that talent. We asked teams to do something quite challenging – we really pushed them, and we were impressed with the outcome,” he continued.

The first event of its kind in the Middle East, the event brought together mobile app developing talent from all over the country to compete for over QR50,000 in prizes and inclusion in ictQATAR’s start-up incubation programme Dajtala. Teams had just 48 hours to code and create a working demo for a new mobile app to be considered.

A panel of judges viewed pitches and demonstrations from the teams before selecting the best four apps from the competition. The apps were judged based on the following criteria: if it was created in Arabic, its creativity, its functionality and its overall potential to be successful. whether we speak French, Arabic, English, whatever language it is. Neurons have a sound,” he continued, as he allowed us to listen to a distinctive crackling, electrical movement. “Thoughts have a sound, and we can translate these thoughts into actions, so in theory we can understand what everybody’s brains are saying at a root level.

“The good news is that because the sound is coming as an electrical current, we can translate it to transistors, the fundamental element of the Internet. The amazing thing here is that the brain and the transistors are actually communicating in exactly the same way. If you can leverage that information and build from there – not translate, but come from a root language. A question in English from Silicon Valley will be understood seamlessly in Qatar in Arabic without the need for a translation. When that happens, and it will, we will have a true network revolution. The world will open up in fundamental new ways, just like every other new revolution. We will grow in our capacity to reach all areas of the world”

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Online Business

Networking Opportunities

When was the last time you wanted to connect online with the Head of IT of a multi-national company (MNC) to pitch your product or discuss a potential job opportunity? Where you successful in getting their attention online?

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any industries have realised the potential of using social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook to promote their businesses.

Some of those looking to connect with more professional contacts may turn to sites like LinkedIn to pitch their brand or develop relationships with people they have worked. Social networking for business development is on the rise. Companies are progressively running online advertisements that focus on promoting their Facebook and Twitter accounts rather than pitching their products online.

With online networking you have access to professionals who can help you understand your business, and you will inevitably grow your network by connecting with the right people.

Online networking also gives you the opportunity to put your brand or business idea or product on display – a type of communication that may be immod-

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est in face-to-face meetings. Online businesses and business entrepreneurs can exchange concepts and info on these sites and entrepreneurs can get news about peer companies through social networking sites.

We’ve all heard of LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter and various strategies on how to use these platforms to promote your business; but it’s time to look beyond the usual sites.

entrepreneurial community that provides online and offline resources that every small business owner needs.

Upspring is a social networking site for promoting your business and connecting with professionals.

Ecademy is a business network for creating contacts and sharing knowledge. It is a membership organisation aimed at business professionals. It’s for business owners who want to connect, support and collaborate with peers to produce new ideas.

Viadeo is popular amongst European business owners, entrepreneurs and managers in wide range of industries with close to 35 million members globally.

AppsArabia is a newly established hub and investment fund, which promotes and supports mobile app development throughout the Middle East and North Africa. They are funded by twofour54 ibtikar and are based on the twofour54 campus in Abu Dhabi.

Focus is a community to meet professionals, post questions and get them answered by industry leaders. It is focused on helping business decision makers and IT professionals using the question and answer (Q & A) model.

Angels Den Qatar provides a fast track to meeting Angel investors – business owners can be meeting Angels within days and deals can be done in weeks. Angels Den is a centre of excellence for business funding and is now operating in Qatar.

JASEzone is a professional community where you can find potential clients and business partners.

Biznik is a community of entrepreneurs and small businesses dedicated to helping each other succeed.

Cofoundr is a community for entrepreneurs, programmers, designers, investors, and other individuals involved in starting new ventures. Cofoundr’s goal is to help entrepreneurs build their companies with its readily available network which, at times, acts as a large support group.

Efactor is an online community and virtual marketplace designed for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs. It is the world’s largest

PerfectBusiness is a network of entrepreneurs and business experts that encourage entrepreneurship and mutual success.

Plaxo is a tool to help you sync your contact across all social networking sites. It unifies all your contact info in a single, smart address book that’s secure in the cloud.

Ryze is a business networking community that allows users to organise themselves by interests, location, and current and past employers.

StartupNation is a community focused on the exchange of ideas between entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners.

XING is a platform similar to LinkedIn but mostly utilised by the over seven million businessmen in China and Europe.

Young Entrepreneur is a forum-based site for entrepreneurs and small business owners who are passionate about promoting business for themselves and others.

Ziggs is a personalised tool to help you market yourself and build your brand online. Ziggs helps people to be at top visibility in search engines, and network with millions of other professionals. A professional connection portal founded on the principles of professionalism and respect.

If the marketing team or the boss in your organisation thinks that business in the online world is only advertising banners and blogging, they are missing out on an opportunity. The Internet provides influential networking prospects that allow users to effectively target their audience and gives the opportunity to network with professionals on various social sites.

Take advantage of these tools by asserting your company’s presence online and reaching more potential customers, business partners and employees

follow

www.twitter.com @kapilkb blog @ iwep.blogspot.com amateur photographer @earsplease. blogspot.com

By Kapil Bhatia Kapil Bhatia is an E-Business Manager, working in the Financial Services Industry for the past 10 years. His work ranges across Digital Marketing, eChannels and development of marketing strategies, with a sound Information Technology base.

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TECHTALK The resolution revolution (and a game of 4G catch-up)

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mid mass media scrutiny and fanboy frenzy, Apple did not announce the launch of an iPad 3 in early March.

Nor did the consumer tech giant, which has a reputation of pointing the way in the industry and telling the market what it wants, announce the launch of an iPad HD, as some speculators and headline-writers assumed.

The new iPad is called iPad. Just iPad. Diehards might be disappointed that the messianic device they thought they were promised once every calendar year did not get delivered, and a lot of fingers are pointing at Tim Cook, Steve Jobs’ successor as CEO. But don’t despair. The ‘new’ iPad, though it might not look different or carry any completely new features, does make some serious (and some seriously overdue) improvements to its look-alike, iPad 2.

The most prominent advancement, and the one

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Apple is anchoring its marketing campaigns around, is the new retina display. More than 3 million pixels are crammed into the 9.7-inch space, and the resolution is better than HDTV. Other features of the iPad include a 5-megapixel iSight camera (nice, but easy to go unnoticed) and a 4G LTE connection, something the tech world has clamoured about for some time and Android capitalised on a long time ago.

Apple’s stated reason for the lack of a visible redesign is that the iPad didn’t need one. And although that’s consistent with the company’s Jobs-inspired design mantras and bravado, and iPad 2 sales figures back them up, consumers really don’t like hearing ‘If it’s not broke, don’t fix it’.

Still, there is reason to hope. The iPad’s improved hardware is a necessary step in the process of developing The Next Big Thing. Here’s hoping. May the frenzied anticipation resume.

Gaza, Qatar and US students talking with Cisco TelePresence

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l-Fakhoora, an international campaign to raise awareness about the plight of students in Gaza, can do just that more effectively now with the launch of its Virtual Majlis initiative, which runs on Cisco TelePresence technology, Cisco has announced.

Now university students in Qatar, the US and Gaza can connect through technology that goes far beyond a Skype call. The experience will be transformed into “a complete multi-point collaborative environment with voice, video and document sharing,” Cisco said.

The Virtual Majlis sessions will be held on a weekly basis, lasting one to two hours, and are co-hosted by an Al-Fakhoora team in Doha and Dr Laurie Mulvey, sociol-

ogy lecturer at Penn State University and co-founder of the World in Conversation project.

“This is a key demonstration for the critical role of technology in connecting the world and the impact it has on our lives,” said Tarek Ghoul, director and general manager of Cisco Gulf, Levant and Pakistan. “Cisco TelePresence is helping break down geographical and physical barriers for students in Gaza to engage in a worldwide dialogue.”

Al Fakhoora was established following the 2008 attacks on Gaza. Beyond awareness campaigns, the organization is committed to providing 100 scholarships a year for 10 years for Palestinian students in postsecondary education in Gaza. To date, AlFakhoora supports 300 students in Gaza.

QITCOM 2012 tweets

QITCOM 2012 came and went at the QNCC in early March and its hashtag #qitcom12 provided for some interesting comments from attendees.

@QITCOM: Don’t miss a thing and follow @QITCOM on Twitter for live tweets.

Don’t forget to join in the conversation by using #QITCOM12 @ictQATAR: Cool Live Tweeting Screen at #qitcom12 #qatar @QatarToday: Ah, the power of crowdsourcing! The pics/tweets coming out of #qitcom12 are fantastic. Keep ‘em coming, folks. #QTtrending @ictQATAR: #qitcom12 QR 25 billion expected growth of ICT sector in Qatar by 2016 @brianwez: Qatar 25th most networked nation in the world according to Dr. Hessa #ictqatar #qitcom12 @QatarToday: Hard to tell how many are tweeting away... RT @YasserM86: Audience in full attention #qitcom12 #qatar @ Qatar National Convention

Centre @hayathowfeek: @QatarToday count the screens #QITCOM12 @QatarToday: @hayathowfeek I’m spotting at least 7-8, and those are just the people with their brightness settings jacked up #qitcom12 #QTtrending @QatarToday: Very exciting day at #qitcom2012. Inspirational speech by the very articulate and extremely well presented Jeffrey Stibel this morning @QatarToday: In his speech he compared the Internet to the human brain and said both entities are similar in more ways than we can imagine... @QatarToday: He showed us how human thoughts are now able to dictate what machines do, which will help paraplegics and quadriplegics forever #qitcom2012

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green scene

GPS launches

Energy Awareness drive

As a sub-programme under the Green Programme for Schools (GPS), ORYX GTL is sponsoring an energy awareness campaign across schools to enhance environmental awareness and culture in Qatar.

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Save Energy: Energy awareness campaign at Abdulla Bin Ali Al Misnad Independent School

ith the ongoing activation stage of GPS in full swing, an energy awareness campaign sponsored

by Oryx GTL has simultaneously been launched in each of the participating schools. Through this campaign, GPS as well as Oryx GTL aim to educate the schools and students on the concept of energy. For this, energy awareness information boards are being placed in all the participating schools. There will also be a quiz competition where students have to answer three simple questions based on energy awareness as well as write a catchy slogan on energy. The student with the best energy slogan will be awarded a prize.

The Green Programme for Schools (GPS) is an environmental initiative of Msheireb Properties in association with Qatar Today magazine. This unique programme aims to

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‘Reach, Inspire and Reward’ students and schools in Qatar by meaningfully engaging and inculcating in them the importance of building a green culture. By signing up as sponsors for the programme, Oryx GTL aims to promote its corporate social responsibility programme to enhance environmental awareness and culture in Qatar in line with the National Vision 2030.

Since its launch on June 5, 2011, GPS has been receiving phenomenal support from the community and corporations. The programme is supported by the Supreme Education Council (SEC) while other partners include Qatar Green Building Council as consulting partner, ILQ and CAMPUS as media partners and Mission 20 as activation partner.

To know more about the programme,

To know more about GPS,

visit the GPS page at http://www. facebook.com/GPSQatar.

contact 44550983

spotlight

A Wealth of Health From the country’s first hospital that opened 50 years ago, Qatar’s healthcare industry has expanded to encompass the most advanced medical equipment, highly qualified practitioners, a countrywide network of hospitals and healthcare centres, and institutes that promote education in healthcare. Receiving an outlay of QR8.8 billion from the QR139.9billion budget for the financial year 2011-12, the healthcare sector is set for further advancement in the country.

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spotlight

Discover Nursing The University of Calgary-Qatar aims to enrich health and wellness in Qatar and the Gulf region through world-class education of nursing leaders and practitioners.

The

University of Calgary – Qatar (UCQ) opened and accepted its first students in September 2007. UCQ provides students with an innovative blend of world-class Canadian nursing education combined with respect for local traditions, customs and religion. Classes are taught by Canadian-educated professors who are accomplished nurse leaders. Nursing students who attend UCQ meet the same rigorous Canadian and international standards.

In June 2010, UCQ celebrated its inaugural convocation, graduating 24 professional nurses equipped with world-class education and practical skills that they are now using in the healthcare system in Qatar.

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spotlight

UCQ offers the following programmes: Bachelor of Nursing Regular Track Diploma in Nursing: Both of the above programmes are for high school graduates or students who have studied in another subject area at another post-secondary institution.

Bachelor of Nursing PostDiploma: for working nurses who already hold a recognised Diploma in Nursing.

Foundation Programme: a programme for students to upgrade their English, maths and science backgrounds to enter the Diploma or Bachelor of Nursing programmes.

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Vision and Mission UCQ’s mission is to excel in the education of nurses who will become renowned for excellence in practice; the preparation of nurse leaders who will contribute to the development of the emerging healthcare system; and research and educational initiatives that will contribute to health and wellness.

The university offers cutting-edge research and educational initiatives that advance health science and community wellness. The programmes are designed to help students succeed as they earn their Bachelor of Nursing degree and become tomorrow’s healthcare professionals.

Students have the opportunity to participate in fully-funded research projects.

They have access to state-of-the-art technology in the advanced simulation and clinical laboratories, which offers them opportunities for hands-on learning. Students apply their theoretical knowledge and practical skills in practicum at Qatar’s leading hospitals and clinics.

sport file

Only the Brave and Bold Survive a Triathlon The third Abu Dhabi International Triathlon was held on March 3, when athletes young and old, nimble and stiff, from all over the region and world took to the water, their bikes and their trainers, and finished what they set their minds to a few short weeks or months ago. It’s a test of mind as much as body, whether you are an elite professional athlete or an age-grouper with a point to prove. Rory Coen was there to witness some remarkable stays of effort.

e

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ndurance and courage: two requisite qualities needed to finish a triathlon. As I headed off to do a little extra curricular activity in Abu Dhabi’s city centre – long after the elite athletes had showered and replenished, and thinking the race had been wound up for another year – I noticed a half-dozen “athletes” still suffering along the Corniche in their sweaty garb. They didn’t look too light on their feet, but they were holding their concentration well. The end was always getting closer.

The Abu Dhabi International Triathlon featured three different courses. The elite athletes tackled the long course, where they swam two 1.5-km wet laps adjacent to the Corniche, before jumping on a bike and pedalling for five hours over a 200km course which brought them around the Yas Marina F1 track, and finished off with a ginger 20-km run up and down the Corniche.

These athletes were finely-tuned professionals – at their peak or striving to reach

sport file

the second leg of the triathlon took the athletes around the yas marina formula one track

it – after their winter training. This was their bread and butter; this was what they did for a living.

The other two courses weren’t as long, but everything is relative. The short course was staged over the standard Olympic distance (1.5km swim, 120km cycle, 10km run) while the sprint course – a name which is a little deceptive – is shorter again. Its respective distances over the swim/bike/run combination would dictate that it should be completed at quite a swift pace; however, it is also quite favourable to those who just want to have a bit of fun and gain a sense of achievement.

As I looked out the window of my taxi, I could see these guys were really having a ball. They were out on their own, ambling at a snail’s pace, and still a good distance from the finishing line. The supporting crowds had pretty much gone home for the day and they were left with the volunteers who were cheering them on to the line. I felt for all of them.

The elite races The skies above Abu Dhabi had barely

brightened when the hooter blasted to announce the start of the elite race. 32 men darted towards the water, like they had just been set alight, and dived in with a declared abandon. To say the waters were choppy around this school of swimmers for the next few minutes would be a slippery under statement. It took them a few moments to sort themselves out but, as expected, after 35 minutes the Australian Clayton Fettell emerged from the water first and sprinted towards the first transition point to prepare for his bike.

Now they don’t have a shower or spend too much time worrying about the sand between their toes during the transition.

Fettell was peeling off his wet suit as he ran towards his bike – his cycling gear underneath – and after depositing the suit in his locker, he ran to his bike, which had his shoes already attached to the pedals. It’s designed to be a very seamless transition.

Meanwhile, Jodie Swallow came up for air first in the elite women’s event, which had started just a couple of moments after the men. Indeed she passed a number of the men during her two laps and was on

The first virtue in a soldier is endurance of fatigue; courage is only the second virtue.”

Napoleon Bonaparte

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Qatar Today 83

sport file

a quartet of Elite athletes reach the end of the first leg of abu dhabi’s international triathlon in march.

Top 3 Men Rasmus Henning (DEN)

06:21:44 Faris Al-Sultan (UAE)

06:22:11 Eneko Llanos (ESP)

06:22:42 Top 3 Women Nikki Butterfield (AUS)

07:00:22 Angela Naeth (CAN)

07:03:00 Caroline Steffen (SUI)

07:04:29

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her bike while some of them were still wet.

The Abu Dhabi Triathlon’s most striking feature is the 200-km “bike” distance. To put this into perspective, the longest stage in the 2012 Tour de France will be 220 kms.

Indeed, in the long Ironman triathlon they only bike a distance of 180kms. The course sent the athletes on two similar laps, from the Corniche - over the newly developed Saadiyat Island - to the Yas Marina F1 track and back to the Corniche again, before a slightly shorter third lap.

The eventual winner – Rasmus Henning – pedalled the distance in four hours and 34 minutes. Nikki Butterfield, the women’s champion, biked it in an incredible 4:55.

The Australian started out six minutes behind Swallow, but started her run six minutes ahead – a twelve minute turn around.

Paul Ambrose and Fettell were first to begins their 20 km run with a 49-second lead on the UAE’s Faris Al-Sultan, while Henning and the 2010 champion Eneko Llanos started almost three minutes later. As Ambrose and Fettell faded at 5km, cheers rang out as local favourite Al Sultan took the lead. However Henning was putting in a blistering run behind him and passed him with two kilometres remaining; the Dane’s official run time of one hour and six minutes was four minutes quicker than the Emirati and fourteen minutes quicker than Ambrose. Henning averaged a five-minute mile pace for 20 kms after a 200 km bike! Llanos finished third, a

minute behind Henning.

Butterfield eased to her win with a 1:16 run after she had stretched the women’s field on the bike, finishing almost three minutes ahead of Canada’s Angela Naeth and four minutes ahead of Switzerland’s Caroline Steffen.

More locals asked to participate Labelled the world’s most glamorous triathlon in 2010, the course was enhanced to accommodate a growing interest in the event. 1,900 athletes participated this year, which is a 20% increase on last year. There were athletes from 62 countries and a 27% increase in numbers from the GCC region.

In the pre-race press conference, local boy Al-Sultan spoke about how there were a lot of regional athletes competing, but he felt there was still room for so many more.

This was the first time that Arab females were allowed to compete in the event.

Whilst there were a few Qatari residents taking part, there was no Qatari nationals in the line-up.

“We need to get more locals to do it,” he said. “We have increased the GCC expatriate figure, but not the local one. The triathlon communities in Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE are growing rapidly. This race gives so much profile to the city here.

Most of the age-groupers are simply here to enjoy themselves, and why should that sense be restricted to everyone but not the locals?”

sport file

Qatar’s World Cup dream gets ever closer

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atar’s heroic draw in Tehran last month guaranteed them a place in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) fourth-round draw for qualification for World Cup 2014 in Brazil. The 2022 hosts could have been forgiven for thinking that the avoidance of a hammering would have secured their progress, but Bahrain’s controversial 10-0 annihilation of the group’s whipping boys, Indonesia, meant that they needed to at least get a point from their final game. Bahrain required Qatar to lose, whilst securing a nine-goal swing in their favour against Qatar to claim second place, but a lastgasp equaliser by Qatari defender Mohammed Kasola ensured that Bahrain’s rout in Manama didn’t matter.

FIFA revealed their security department would conduct a routine examination of the Indonesia-Bahrain game and its result, saying the probe was justified by “the unusual outcome against results expectation and head-to-head history, and in the interests of maintaining unequivocal confidence in our game”. The Indonesian goalkeeper was sent off after just three minutes and the home side could even afford to miss two penalties and still win by the suspicious margin.

AFC fourth round draw The draw for the fourth round took place in Kuala Lumpur on March 9, with Qatar slightly handicapped by their World Cup ranking. They were seeded eighth of the ten teams to be drawn out in two groups of five, so the draw was always going to be weighted against them. They will renew their rival-

ries with Iran, from the third round, and Uzbekistan, who defeated them 2-0 in the group stage of the Asian Cup last year. The group’s top seed is South Korea, who qualified for the second round in South Africa in 2010, and surprise package Lebanon make up the quintet.

Asian Cup finalists Japan and Australia will be favourites to emerge from Group B, while Iraq, Jordan and Oman will be hoping to secure third place which will keep their interest in qualification alive. The thirdplaced nations in each group will square off in a two-legged tie in September, 2013, and the winners will play the fifth-placed team from the South American series to determine the final qualifier for the World Cup. Qatar’s qualification bid will have a shotgun start in June, where they have three games in just 10 days. Their opener will be a “must-win” game against Lebanon in Beirut on June 3, before they host South Korea on June 8 and travel to Tehran on June 12.

Two home games against Uzbekistan and Lebanon follow in October and November respectively, before a daunting trip to Seoul in March, 2013. The campaign will round off with a home game against Iran in June before their final game against Uzbekistan in Tashkent two weeks later.

Prospects Qatar may feel they are getting off to a soft start, but they won’t want to take anything for granted in their opening game. Although they lost 6-0 to South Korea in Seoul in a third-round qualifier, Lebanon did manage to defeat them 2-1 in the return fixture in Beirut last November. However, when they needed a big performance against the UAE in their final group fixture last month, they buckled under the pressure, falling to a 4-2 defeat. South Korea’s defeat of Kuwait on the same night gifted Lebanon a place in the fourth round. However, third-seeds Uzbekistan will give South Korea and Iran a real test. They topped their third-round group with 16 from 18 points, beating the Asian Cup champions 1-0 in Japan

Group A

WR

South Korea Iran Uzbekistan Qatar Lebanon

30 51 67 88 124

Group B Australia Japan Iraq Jordan Oman

20 33 76 83 92

WR: World Ranking (as at March 6)

Qatar’s fixtures June 3

Lebanon (Away)

Korea June 8 South (home) June 12 Iran (a) October 16 Uzbekistan (h) November 14 Lebanon (h) March 26

South Korea (a)

June 4

Iran (h)

June 18

Uzbekistan (a)

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braking news

SARA SIDNER: it’s how you tell them

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New Director of Sales and Marketing for BMW

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MW Group Middle East has appointed Alexander Eftimov as its new Director of Sales and Marketing for the Middle East region, responsible for the BMW and MINI brands in 14 markets.

Commenting on Eftimov s appointment, Dr. Joerg Breuer, Managing Director of BMW Group Middle East said: “Alexander s breadth of experience and successful track record having worked with the Group for more than a decade made him the ideal candidate for the role.

Living the fast life with Ferrari

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errari owners and enthusiasts in Qatar lived life in the fast lane at the second Emozioni in Pista event organised by Alfardan Sports Motors Company the official Ferrari importer in Qatar in cooperation with Ferrari Middle East & Africa. The gathering that was held on March 9,2012 gave guests the opportunity to drive their own Ferraris on the Losail International Circuit.

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Emozioni in Pista entitles guests to experience the full performance of their Ferrari on track with the famous Scuderia Ferrari Official Test Driver Marc Geni within a safe and controlled environment under the supervision of the Ferrari Official Pilota Instructors, along with giving the aficionados of speed the opportunity to test-drive two of the Prancing Horse s most luxurious, fast and top of the range models; the Ferrari 458 Italia and Ferrari California, and also to

have a closer look at the new Ferrari FF that was displayed on the circuit.

Coming from the hometown of Ferrari in Maranello, Italy, the Pilota Ferrari Official Instructors organised two competitions for the Emozioni in Pista guests: the manettino and the telemetry contest, giving the guests more of the Ferrari adrenaline on the track.

Consequently, the winners of these contests received special awards from Ferrari during the prize ceremony. Mohammad Kandeel, General Manager of Alfardan Sports Motors Company, was present at the event, where he personally welcomed the guests – who in addition to having the opportunity to be involved in the diverse activities of the day were also presented with the Pilota Ferrari driving certificates.

Pietro Innocenti, General Manager of Ferrari Middle East and Africa, added: We are proud to see so many enthusiasts attending the annual Emozioni in Pista in Qatar.

We see more and more Ferraristi wanting to feel their cars performance and develop their driving skills. Marc Gene s presence was a very pleasant and useful surprise for all guests.

braking news

Phantom Series II launched

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eflecting the new world in which we live, this pinnacle family of cars including Phantom Saloon, Phantom Drophead Coupi and Phantom Coupi have been thoughtfully updated with contemporary yet timeless design enhancements that frame the introduction of cutting-edge technologies which significantly improve the car s drive-train, easeof-use and connectivity.

From launch in 2003, the Rolls-Royce Phantom established itself as the benchmark in automotive luxury, a reputation it has held ever since, said Torsten M|ller-Vtvvs, CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. These cars are timeless in their appeal, but technology moves rapidly and we cannot afford to stand still.

Today I am delighted to present Phantom Series II, a family of models that feature significant improvements in design, drivetrain and technology. As a consequence of these changes, we will continue to present with pride the best motor cars in the world,

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which re-confirm Rolls-Royce s position at the very pinnacle of the ultra-luxury goods marketplace.

Rolls-Royce Director of Design, Ian Cameron, likens the evolution of Phantom Series II design to a familiar theme, lit in a different way. Phantom’s striking new front-end, with re-styled bumpers and rectangular light apertures, perhaps best encapsulates

the essence of the significant changes that lie beneath.

Rolls-Royce is the first to include full LED headlamps as standard on a production car. As well as delivering a characteristic whiter light, augmenting safety and preventing driver tiredness, these allow for the introduction of new technologies that better control lighting.

braking news

Cars with a conscience

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wo worldclass German brands, Siemens and Volkswagen, and Rotana, have joined forces in an environmental awareness drive. The Clean the Desert initiative aims at raising public consciousness of the littering problem in the desert, the grave consequences it has to local wildlife and the importance of a clean environment. On Saturday 17 March the three companies will take teams of volunteers out into the desert to clear an area of trash, disposing of it in a safe and environmentally friendly manner.

Commenting on the initiative, Stefan Mecha, managing director, Volkswagen Middle East said: The Clean the Desert project focuses on preserving the desert and actively taking care of local wildlife, believing that it is the everyday small actions that can bring about the big changes the environment needs. It is great to team up with Siemens and Rotana on this initiative as both companies share our concern about the serious issue of littering and the need to do something about it.

Innovating with technology

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he combination of Ford s new global C car platform and an unprecedented investment in the latest technologies means that the all-new Focus offers customers a choice of advanced comfort, convenience and safety features which is unmatched in its class.

Previous Ford Focus models were lauded for safety, driving dynamics and style, winning numerous accolades and the 2012 Focus aims to repeat these successes by surpassing the benchmark set by its previous generations using a host of sophisticated

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and class-exclusive technologies developed

by Ford.

The new Ford Focus features class-exclusive cutting-edge innovations creating a remarkable car, said Paul Anderson, Ford Middle East s Marketing director. Drivers of the all-new Ford Focus will benefit from a more enjoyable ownership and driving experience thanks to the latest technologies that the new model boasts.

And these technologies will be the centre of attention in Ford s newly announced inter-GCC rally, Focus Rabaa, which kicks off registrations mid-March. Focus Rabaa

[referring to a gang of friends in Khaleeji dialect] sets the ground for a fun challenge and a test for driving skills, endurance, and the use of the all-new 2012 Ford Focus technologies, as participants drive across all of the Gulf countries to complete a series of tasks and challenges.

Teams will be rated on their skills and performances rather than speed, as well as the level of participation and support of their fans. For more information and registration, please visit the Ford Middle East Facebook page: www.facebook.com/FordMiddleEast.

MARKET WATCH

qatar edge closer to world cup 2014

Barwa Village Shopping Festival

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Six new outlets at Lagoona Mall (l-r) Abdullah Al-Kuwari, Property Manager; Mohammad Al-Hammadi, Sales and Leasing Manager; Hamad Al-Kuwari, Director of Group Communications; Khalifa Salman Al-Mohannadi, General Manager of Barwa Village; with Shabrawi Khater, Managing Director, Network Advertising and Events.

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arwa Village announced the launch of the first edition of the Barwa Village Shopping Festival (BSF) to be held from March 22 - May 12, 2012 under the theme of ‘Shop, Celebrate and Win’. Organised by Network Advertising and Events, the festival will amaze visitors with fun, entertainment and an enticing shopping experience.

For eight weeks, Barwa Village will be bustling with a unique mix of fabulous events that will attract thousands of visitors from all over Qatar. A dedicated entertainment zone will enthral kids and families with live entertainment throughout the festival. The festival will also have three lucky draws with exciting prizes such as a Toyota Prado, a Toyota FJ Cruiser, 20 iPads, 20 BlackBerry mobile phones and 20 LG LCD TVs. Acting General Manager of Barwa Village Khalifa Al-Mohannadi said: “We are pleased to announce the first edition of the BSF. It will be a trademark event and will greatly benefit nearly 900 commercial shops in the village.” He added that such events also provide a great opportunity to tenants as they can swiftly promote their brand by offering various discount schemes.

Meanwhile, Managing Director of Network Advertising & Events, Shabrawi Khater said: “It is our great honour to be the organiser of such a unique festival. BSF will be a milestone for the Barwa Village management to achieve its vision and position it accordingly in the minds of citizens and expatriates in the country. Our experience from previous projects such as Qatar Marine Festival and the City Center Shopping Festival will give us an added advantage in strategically driving publicity and awareness campaigns to drive the public to Barwa Village.”

For more information log on to www.bsf.qa or follow www.facebook.com/bsfqatar and www.twitter.com/bsfqatar to catch up with regular festival updates.

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agoona Mall is all set to enhance the shopping and lifestyle experience for visitors with the opening of six new stores that will join the family of existing internationally recognised brands. First up is iSpace, the Apple Premium Reseller version 2 store, where shoppers can browse and buy Apple’s range of innovative and stylish products. Also launching inaugural shops in Qatar are three exquisite high-end watch and jewellery retailers: Mouawad Jewellery and Al Muftah Jewellery in addition to Sun Fashion for the latest eyewear collections from around the world. For technology enthusiasts, Danish company Bang and Olufsen will be offering unique and stylish designs of audio products, television sets and telephones at their brand new store.

General Manager Eamon Kelly said, “As development continues at a fantastically fast rate, we are delighted to welcome a further six new shops to what is already an extensive and varied portfolio of global brands that Doha residents already know and love.

Most excitingly of all, these shops aren’t just new to Lagoona Mall; all six brands are also a first for Qatar. The fact that such renowned names in the retail industry have chosen Lagoona Mall as their first home in Qatar goes a long way to strengthen our position as Qatar’s premium shopping mall.”

MARKET W ATCH

Qatar Airways launches Oryx Galleria

QATAR AIRWAYS, CEO, AKBAR show at the oryx galleria

AL-BAKER

(RIGHT), Browsing through the products on

Timeless novelties from Richard Mille

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dding to the line of elegant timepieces, Richard Mille has announced three new models for 2012.

The new RM 055 Bubba Watson is inspired by the RM 038 Bubba Watson tourbillon watch presented in 2011. Its mechanical movement developed in grade five titanium displays extreme skeletonisation, with a PVD- and Titalyt-treated baseplate and bridges. This combination provides the whole structure with optimum rigidity and excellent surface flatness and finish to ensure perfect functioning.

The RM 031 High Performance is equipped with an Audemars Piguet direct-impulse escapement which provides improved chronometric results due to the direct action of the escapement wheel on the balance wheel. To ensure the excellent transmission of the power released by the double barrels, all the wheels of the movement have been optimised by a special feature designed with a pressure angle of 200 degrees. This produces long, continuous transfer of power along the entire going train of the escapement, thus delivering high performance.

The RM 039 Aviation E6-B is perfect for flight navigation. The tourbillon movement drives a flyback chronograph featuring an exclusive design which provides pilots with a fast, practical device for measuring a series of successive elapsed times when navigating through different marker points. The round slide rule has been incorporated into the bidirectional rotating bezel, which can be used to read off and calculate fuel burn, flight times, ground speed, density altitude or wind correction, as well as convert units of measurement. This extremely complex calibre represents the ultimate blend of watch-making and aeronautics.

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q

atar Airways has officially opened its brand new boutique Oryx Galleria, exclusively designed for Privilege Club members to redeem their Qmiles. Located close to Doha International Airport, the walk-in store offers a wide range of over 600 branded products covering fashion apparel and accessories, fragrances, luxury watches, jewellery, electronics, toys, luggage, household appliances, gadgets and sporting goods which members can ‘purchase’ using their Qmiles. Some attractive deals include Apple products such as iPods and iPads, a Mini Cooper that you can purchase for over 7.5 million Qmiles and a pool table for 202,000 Qmiles. For Gold Card members, these products are available at a special Qmiles rate.

Qatar Airways, Chief Executive Officer Akbar AlBaker said: “At Qatar Airways, we always keep looking for ways to bring additional value to our customers.

Customer research has shown our loyalty club members are looking for more redemption options and greater flexibility, so Oryx Galleria was conceived not as a paper catalogue but as a real boutique where customers can walk in and browse through the large variety of products available for redemption using their Qmiles.”

MARKET W ATCH

Gala opening of Alfie’s lounge

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lfred Dunhill hosted a glittering cocktail reception to celebrate the grand opening of its store and Alfie’s, its bar restaurant and lounge, in the Boulevard at Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Dubai.

The opening was attended by around 200

VIP guests, who were treated to a selection of cocktails and canapes created by Alfie’s, inspired by its elegant contemporary British menu, and were kept entertained by local jazz band “Rome Antiques”.

With its masculine, elegant and contemporary feel, Alfie’s reflects Dunhill’s appreciation that luxury is not restricted to a

Buying US goods made easier

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eading international package forwarding and shipping company MyUS.com has reported 120% growth from Qatar since 2010. With a strong influence of American fashion over the region, shopping for the latest trends and hard-tofind items has been the catalyst for the increase in customers to the site. The shipped items range from gaming and electronic products to household items to high-end apparel and home goods brands.

“As one of the US’s largest export markets in the Middle East, Qatar has always been a very strong market for MyUS.com,” said John Wright, Vice President, Sales and Marketing. “We have always focused our efforts on superior customer service by inspecting each package that arrives to our warehouse, ensuring the most cost-effective shipping option is chosen and offering several means of contact to the dedicated account manager.”

The site’s customer service features include the Ship Globally centre, where customers can review their country’s tax and duty information, shipping and exchange rates, and be informed about items that are prohibited to ship. The Shop Smarter centre lists the top stores in the US for the desired item, while a Price Comparison tool helps customers to avoid overpaying.

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product but is present in the finest experiences and lifestyle – from expertly prepared cocktails to a perfect dining menu, all enjoyed in the modern comfort of the brand’s signature lounge surroundings. Alfie’s is a perfect getaway for guests to feel relaxed and inspired, marked by a welcoming atmosphere and impeccable service.

Spa for Him package at the Ritz

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ollowing Qatar’s National Sports Day event to inspire healthier living, The Ritz-Carlton, Doha is now promoting a one-day-a-week special Spa For Him service to promote the spa as a gender-neutral atmosphere for both ladies and gentlemen to rejuvenate their holistic health. Men can enjoy ultimate pampering services with an exclusive 25% discount applicable for all Spa For Him services every Tuesday. They will also receive special rates on a 60-minute massage for QR360 and 45-minute foot massage for QR380.

“Despite the fact that men only devote their time for their facial skin while shaving, they are today also willing to use cosmetics to perk up their overall look as they seem to have understood how essential proper skin care is for them,” said Tina Pavlova, Director of Spa and Recreation. “Spa for men is just as important it is for ladies.

When you are stressed, your muscles get tense. If nothing is done about this, you will increase your chances of health problems as you become older.”

MARKET W ATCH

IDTC appoints Celebrating 50 years new general of Agent 007 manager

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RENZO CAVAGLIOTTI GENERAL MANAGER, INTERCONTINENTAL DOHA THE CITY.

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nterContinental Hotels Group has appointed Renzo Cavagliotti as General Manager of InterContinental Doha The City (IDTC). Having worked within the hospitality industry for more than 30 years, and particularly with the InterContinental Hotels Group around the globe, the Italian hotelier brings a wealth of global experience to Doha’s latest offering.

“For more than a decade, I have developed a unique understanding of the business and leisure needs of travellers to and residents within the Middle East, combined with the service and style delivered by InterContinental. This perspective and the combined skills of the seasoned team at IDTC will enable us to provide a truly luxurious and insightful experience for our guests,” said Cavagliotti.

The hotel is offering guests a special introductory room rate of QR799 per night with breakfast included until April 20, 2012. Additionally, a QR200 supplement will allow them to enjoy the exclusive Club InterContinental Lounge on level 45, offering a breathtaking view of West Bay. IDTC will also feature the city’s highest dining experience along with an in-house chocolatier and a traditional Lebanese restaurant in the coming weeks.

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o commemorate fifty years of James Bond films, Omega has unveiled a special version of the incredibly popular Seamaster Diver 300M James Bond watch, which has been sported by 007 in every James Bond movie since GoldenEye. The James Bond 007 50th Anniversary Collector’s Piece has been created in two sizes, 41 mm and 36.25 mm.

The stainless steel cases feature ceramic bezel rings with diving scales in matt chromium nitride with the number ‘50’ in red to mark a very special anniversary.

The lacquered black dial features a 007 monogram. While the 41 mm version has 11 applied indexes, the 36.25 mm watch has ten, with a diamond index at the 7 o’clock position to honour the film history of agent 007. The indexes are coated with white Super-LumiNova with a blue emission to enhance visibility in all light conditions.

Both versions feature Omega’s calibre 2507 self-winding movement fitted with the revolutionary co-axial escapement.

Not just diving enthusiasts, the 50th Anniversary Collector’s Piece will also appeal to fans of 007 and anyone with an impeccable taste for elegant and distinctive timepieces.

Nokia Asha 302 now in Qatar

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onsolidated Gulf Co. (CGC) has introduced the smarter and feature-rich new Asha 302 smartphone which is Nokia’s first Series 40 phone to support Mail for Exchange, giving people access to their e-mails, contacts and calendar on an exchange server. Nokia Asha provides a fast and affordable Internet experience via Nokia’s cloud-accelerated Nokia Browser, which makes Internet browsing easier with its localised and personalised homepage design and portal to thousands of web apps. The browser also compresses data traffic up to 90% to improve network utilisation.

Anil Mahajan, COO, CGC, said, “With the launch of the Asha range of devices-

Nokia 200, 300, 302 and 303-in Qatar, enterprise mobility is well set to accelerate further with a compelling combination of smarter mobile devices packed with innovative services. Moreover, the availability of Mail for Exchange will significantly help businesses across the domains achieve the productivity and employee satisfaction benefits that greater mobility affords them.”

MARKET W ATCH

Networking with a purpose Dine and celebrate with Najwa Karam

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iddle East VIP is organising a gala dinner with famous Lebanese singer Najwa Karam on July 7, 2012 in Geneva. This limited-guests event, sponsored by Qatar Today magazine, the Swiss Clinic Generale-Beaulieu and the Arab-Swiss Chamber of Commerce, will provide an exceptional platform for business networking for Arab guests from across the GCC who are visiting Geneva on holidays.

By hosting such an event, Middle East VIP, General Manager, Nagatt Abdulkareem Al-Zuheiri aims to help Arabs tourists and businessmen and women save time and money while travelling to Europe in search of luxury and networking by providing them with both.

“Most of the Arabs travelling to Europe

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look out for fancy events to enjoy their holidays, such as those organised in Lebanon in the summer. In Paris, Prince Al Walid Bin Talal presented to the CEO of Elysees Biarritz Cinema in Champs Elysees, Paris the idea to bring Arab films to Paris. Now every summer they set up an Arab Film Festival, and more than 600 Arab tourists attend the premieres at this festival. What we do is similar to the same idea.

“Europeans will also see how Arabs establish contacts with Europeans and the Swiss while enjoying an exceptional performance by Najwa Karam.”

While sharing some statistics from Swiss Info about the importance of luxury for Arabs, Al-Zuheiri says: “In the Middle East, the tradition of giving gifts is important.

Moreover, shopping is becoming a kind of socialising event as we do it with friends or

family. The best gifts are generally picked up from Geneva. In 2011, according to figures from American Express, tourists from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait spent around 1892 Swiss Francs per day in hotels, and 1000 Swiss Francs per head for shopping daily. So I am convinced that Arab tourists will appreciate saving around 20 to 30% with our guidance, as we know the market well and organise the whole shopping experience for them.”

Like the gala dinner on July 7, other upcoming events organised by Middle East VIP include: the Annual Business Meeting in Montreux (Switzerland) on April 24 and the Ninth Arab Ladies Lunch in Geneva on July 8, 2012.

For more information on the event, contact info@me-vip.com

doha diary

It’s how you tell them A well-told joke is often complimented by a listener with “it’s how you tell them”, meaning that the expert delivery of the joke enhanced its humour. It’s doesn’t have to be specific to joke-telling however, as every journalist strives to deliver their story with maximum effect. Sara Sidner was attending the FIFTH International Shafallah Forum, “Crisis, Conflict, and Disability: Ensuring Equality”, at the Shafallah Centre for Children with Special Needs in January AND SHE explains how this is done.

By RORY COEN

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he Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent, non-profit organisation based in New York, reported that 86 journalists had been killed in 2011 – 15% in crossfire, 39% during a dangerous assignment and 45% murdered.

They were all trying to tell a story. Somebody’s story.

Sara Sidner is a story-teller – but her stories seldom have fairy-tale or happy endings. They seldom have happy beginnings either, but she tells them nevertheless,

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because they need to be told. If we don’t listen, we’ll still hear. If they’re left untold, who will ever know?

Sometimes, however, it’s the stories behind the story which grab our attention more. Like a five-year-old girl who was innocently playing in her room in Libya when a missile smashed through her front wall and blew one of her limbs off. Her mother had already lost two of her offspring. Or a Cambodian woman who for years kept her brutal story under a carapace of deflection about how she was sold to the owners of a brothel when she was just six .

doha diary

It’s all storytelling, you know. That’s what journalism is all about.”

Tom Brokaw, American television journalist.

Hopeless and helpless Sidner is an International Correspondent for CNN – based in Delhi, India, for the last four years – and reported from the front line in Libya, as well as the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, the recent Haiti and Chilean earthquakes, the flooding in Pakistan and Thailand, and the volatile elections in Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. Some very affecting experiences for a human being.

“You feel quite hopeless and helpless,” she conceded, when asked about the horrifying scenes in the aftermath of an earthquake or in the midst of a flood. “Being in a disaster-zone ‘day in, day out’, talking with people who have lost everything – their families, their lodgings, their livelihood quite possibly – you begin to wonder how they will continue. I still can’t understand how they survive and it’s something which still bugs me. But you then witness this remarkable resilience – especially in the poorer countries – this remarkable will to negotiate a set back. This helps me to cope with covering these events. You begin to understand that this could happen to anyone at any time and anywhere.”

Sidner’s role is far removed from a nineto-five post where she can switch off at the close of business, high-tail it home and forget about her work until the following morning. She’s amazed by how some people can subliminally separate the two into distinct categories in their lives, with neither impinging on the other.

“It’s terribly difficult, especially as an international correspondent, where I’m not living close to my family. It amazes me how some people can balance their work and their private lives. Maybe I’m not smart enough to do this; maybe I need all my daily brainpower to concentrate on my work, but it’s something I’m working on. I need to be a more rounded individual. I’m a human being first, but I’m also a daughter, and now a wife.”

Cambodia Difficult indeed. In October last year Sidner

reported from a notorious village in Cambodia where young girls are openly sold for sex, sometimes by their own parents. She spoke to one teenage girl in particular about her childhood.

“Speaking with someone who says they were five or six when they were sold to a brothel made me sick, to be honest,” she recalled. “The young lady that we spoke to never said anything or told anyone about it until just a couple of weeks before we got there. It was still very fresh for her to say what had happened to her. The moment that we started speaking, the tears started

“Speaking with someone who says they were five or six when they were sold to a brothel made me sick, to be honest.”

gushing. When you see someone double over with that kind of sorrow, it’s hard to keep your own tears back.”

And it’s moments like this which define who or what you are. It’s difficult to be a journalist – to just ‘tell the story’ – in situations like this, where you might feel it’s your moral duty, as a human being, to express your own opinions. But are you under estimating your readership or viewers, then?

“Just thinking about it does enrage you.

And you wonder, will my opinion be much different than anybody else’s? Probably not – but letting this girl tell her story allows other people to make up their own minds as to what should have or shouldn’t have happened. However, from my own point of

view, having human contact with somebody who has been through something like that was extraordinary and heart-breaking.”

Humbling moments During a session at the Forum she recalled another harrowing story behind the main story in Libya.

“We met this little girl, a beautiful child, in a hospital. She was lying on the bed and we wanted to speak to her and her parents.

She had just woken up and was screaming; she seemed angry and frustrated. When they pulled the covers back, one of her legs was missing and her arm was in a cast. I could suddenly understand her anger and frustration.

“She was in her room with her brother and sister – the war was ongoing in their city – and a missile slammed into the room where they were playing and left this huge hole. We went to look at the scene; we could still see the toys, and we saw where the missile had gone into the concrete.

“I was worried about her mother who had already lost two kids and her third child was now without a limb; she looked so depressed and hopeless. It was hard to speak to her, but eventually the girl – who I suppose didn’t know to hang on to emotions – spoke to us; she was quite sweet and giddy, as a child would be.”

It was quite a humbling experience for Sidner. She was introduced to her doctor who was going over and above his call of duty to make sure the girl got the treatment she needed to live a somewhat normal life.

Sidner herself was reporting on the Libyan conflict for CNN and saw first-hand how innocents can be endangered. She put herself on the front line in a professional capacity – you could call it an occupational hazard – but what did this poor little child sign up for? Again it was difficult not to extend an opinion, but her story more than compensates.

“Almost every story you do, you’re affected by the people who you are telling the story about. Some of us were in a part of

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the country run by the rebels who wanted Gaddafi out. It was my job to tell the story of what was happening there. To preface it, you’re with the people who are against the regime, so obviously their point of view is going to be singular in its nature, but it’s not my job to give my opinion on who’s right and who’s wrong. Who did what is my job.

What happened in this community is my job. What am I seeing myself? What you’re seeing and capturing is the truth, you have it on tape.”

The Libyan conflict was a bloody battle which got a lot of media attention. To de-

liver a genuine sense of what’s happening, journalists are expected to get their hands dirty on the front line, exposing themselves to all kinds of danger.

“In covering a conflict like Libya, as a journalist you want to see what’s happening in the communities, but also on the front line. We went to the front line in Misrata; we were in Tripoli as the rebels were coming into Gaddafi’s compound. There’s a lot of running involved, and thanking a higher

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power that you’re still alive. You see the terrible wounds and the terror in the eyes of people, many of whom had just learned to fire a weapon. They’re trying to be soldiers, but they don’t have a lot of organisation.

However, what really sticks with you is witnessing first-hand the people fighting for their lives and for their community.”

The India experience Sidner has been based in Delhi, India, for the past four years and is slowly coming to grips with living in the polarised environment of where she grew up. She has mixed

views on how India is dealing with its most documented issue.

“Fascinating things are happening in India now. It’s difficult to keep up as so many stories happen at once. The fabric of society is changing so much, but it’s difficult to judge where it’s going ultimately. There are still some very disturbing issues with the poor, these social issues that exist – people want to see them erased or brushed under the carpet so India can be perceived in a

favourable light. They want people to see India as a blossoming, shining example of what’s going to be the next world power, and that’s fine, but they can’t forget about the searing issues that are crippling much of the population.

“However, there is a sense of optimism there. People who maybe twenty years ago never thought they had a chance – that was their destiny – are now thinking that perhaps it can be different, and not just perhaps, they’re actually making an effort to get to a different level of society so to speak.

Entrepreneurs are quite abundant – they want to be involved in this growth. But again, there’s a section of society which is being left behind, and it’s difficult to see a change, where the very poor and disadvantaged are getting poorer and those that have some advantages are able to pull out.”

Real-life stories Many of us can’t remember how or why we got into the careers we now find ourselves in. A lot of us don’t want to remember, but Sidner recalls why she became a journalist, and much of it makes perfect sense.

“I grew up with a mother who was a voracious reader – much of it non-fiction. The thing that I most enjoyed was when she’d tell me personal stories of what it was like when she was growing up – real-life stories – so maybe it’s the story-telling angle.

“I love being able to be in a position where I can’t possibly know it all – I can’t possibly understand it all. For me, journalism has been such an enriching experience, just on a personal and selfish level – I’ve been able to sit and talk with so many different people, whether it’s someone who rides a camel to a farm or someone who runs a country.”

I think if I had a choice, I’d ask to hear the first one

doha diary

Women make a mark Glimpses from the How Women Work Conference Women and the City Infrastructure Needs and Solutions in Doha: Panel session in progress

Jeanine Bailey speaking on Understanding Personalities Even Better

Panlesits discuss Women in Leadership

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eld on March 7-8 at the Renaissance Hotel, Doha, the How Women Work conference saw women and men from all walks of life in attendance. With an aim “To empower women to grow and succeed and to reach hearts and minds, break down barriers and promote understanding between cultures and genders”, the conference organisers managed to do all that and also forge new partnerships. Packed with speakers from various backgrounds who carry a wealth of experience and variety in perspectives, the conference provided as much value as possible for its participants in terms of learning new skills and adopting positive new outlooks. The conference brought together over fifty speakers from various backgrounds and experiences in Qatar. Individuals and organizations alike benefited from this popular conference as the workshops and forum discussions were broken down into three main streams: Entrepreneurs/Executives, Employees/Corporate and Individuals. HWW was presented by Arcata Interactive Communication Coaching, and powered by Qatar Today magazine.

Sponsors for the 2012 conference included Carnegie Mellon Qatar and IBQ Bank, the latter of which were also the sponsors for the HWW CSR book “How Women Succeed – Inspiring Women to Create Their Own Success” which was published at the end of 2011.

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CONVERTING YOUR COMPANY TO ISLAM 19

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IDTC makes a successful start

IWD at Standard Chartered

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tandard Chartered Bank organised a day’s workshop for its female employees in Qatar to mark International Women’s Day (IWD) 2012. The event celebrated women’s contribution in the workplace and society, raising awareness of the challenges women face and potential solutions to address these challenges.

The speakers were noted Arab adventurer Nabil Al-Busaidi and consultants from the Art of Abundant Living.

Connecting Women

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nterContinental Doha – The City (IDTC) has already created a flutter in the hospitality segment with a soaring demand for its rooms, residence suites and restaurants in its first few weeks of operation. This architecturally dazzling 58-storey hotel includes six restaurants and two lounges. In the coming weeks it is poised to feature as the city’s highest dining experience with an inhouse chocolatier and a traditional Lebanese restaurant. Now offering special introductory rates, the hotel provides a perfect spot for business and leisure amidst breathtaking views of West Bay. InterContinental Hotels Group has appointed Renzo Cavagliotti, a seasoned hotelier, as General Manager of IDTC.

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wo passionate women, Gail Montplaisir, Chair Board of Directors and Kimberly Weichel, CEO of an international non-profit organisation Peace X Peace were in Doha to meet Qatari women and discuss ideas on how they can work together. Peace X Peace was founded in 2009 when seven women from different cultures and continents gathered to answer one question, “What is peace and what can women do about it?”

“Today Peace X Peace has a worldwide network of 18,000 women,” says Montplaisir.

Speaking about their activities, she says, “We lift women’s voices through an array of interactive e-media and conventional media. Our Connection Point initiative links Arab and Muslim women with women from Western countries in a vibrant online community.”

Promoting women’s leadership and gender-equity, nurturing a global network of peacebuilders, strengthening women’s capacity and mentoring women across the globe are just some of the activities that Peace X Peace is involved in.

doha diary

Thai Festival at Wyndham

A Thai food festival was held at the Wyndham Grand Regency Hotel from March 17-23 to celebrate Thai National food and culture week.

The event was jointly organised by the Royal Thai Embassy and Wyndham Grand Regency Hotel.

Diplomatic Bazaar a huge success

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he Social Development Centre (SDC), a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development, organised the Eighth Diplomatic Bazaar bringing multicultural attractions from all over the world to Katara. This year the two-day event saw 5,000 visitors, making it one of the most successful SDC fundraising events to date. Wives of 25 ambassadors to Qatar hosted stalls featuring unique traditional gift items and souvenirs from their respective countries for sale.

A touching experience for SFS-Q group

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he Zones of Conflict, Zones of Peace (ZCZP) learning trip to Cambodia concluded with a unique learning experience for students, faculty and staff of Georgetown University in Qatar (SFS-Q) along with guests from participating universities. The excursion provided students with real-life exposure to conflict zones and the methods and theories of conflict resolution which they had been examining in the classroom in preceding months. They encountered the darker side of Cambodian history, but at the same time witnessed a hopeful outlook in the recovering nation.

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Wyndham Grand Regency Hotel to host QTGA 2012

Wyndham Grand Regency Hotel General Manager Ayman Lotfy with Ravi Raman, VIce President, Oryx Advertising Company WLL

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atar Today magazine announced Wyndham Grand Regency Hotel as official hosts for the upcoming Qatar Today Green Awards (QTGA) 2012 during a signing ceremony between Oryx Advertising Company WLL and Wyndham Grand Regency Hotel. This is the first time the hotel will be hosting the gala awards night and awards ceremony,

to be held in June 2012.

Speaking at the ceremony, Wyndham Grand Regency Hotel General Manager Ayman Lotfy said: “Wyndham Grand Regency Hotel has the honour to be named as the host hotel for the QTGA 2012. We are also the official hospitality partners for the QGBC as part of the Wyndham Grand Green Programme, which was initiated by Wyndham Worldwide because it fits the

Sharq Village and Spa celebrate fifth anniversary

Sharq Village and Spa, managed by The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, celebrated the fifth year of its successful presence in Doha. The hotel known for its luxurious ambience giving a unique Arab experience is also a regular in its social responsibility programmes.

The 300-strong team cheered for the hotel that had welcomed its first guest on 10 March 2007.

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company’s global commitment to corporate social responsibility and the environment.

Wyndham Green is not just about one or many green programmes - it’s a way of living and working based on our vision and values.”

Meanwhile, Wyndham Grand Regency Hotel Assistant General Manager Ghada Sadek said: “As a member of Wyndham Green and in charge of implementing sustainable procurement practices, we will work globally and act locally by developing environmental programmes, products and services; educating, influencing and providing value to internal and external stakeholders; using green innovation techniques to develop new programmes, products and services that promote sustainability; and participating in local community programmes that contribute to the wellness of our environment.

Oryx Advertising Company, Vice-President Ravi Raman said, “The host plays a key role in ensuring the values and vision behind the movement are clearly demonstrated. We are pleased that for this year’s QTGA, Wyndham has extended its hospitality. Not only will they host the event but they will also contribute in extending the movement forward. I hope together we are able to welcome the deserving nominees and winners to a spectacular awards night.”

IBQ’s musical treat at ASD

Music enthusiasts in Doha were enthralled by the amazing performance of some of Qatar’s best musicians during the second concert, named ‘The Love Triangle’, in The American School of Doha Chamber Music Series. Sponsored by IBQ, the event came in line with the bank’s commitment to promote culture in all its facets.

World’s Richest People

Forbes began the authoritative pursuit of the world’s billionaires 25 years ago. This year, they counted an all-time high of 1,226 billionaires, worth a record $4.6 trillion.

Carlos Slim Helu and Family Net Worth: $69 billion (QR251 billion) Source: Telecoms Citizenship: Mexico Helu retains the title of world’s richest man for the third year in a row despite a fortune that’s $5 billion smaller than a year ago – primarily because of a lower share price for telecom giant America Movil, which accounts for more than half his net worth.

Bill Gates Net Worth: $61 billion (QR221 billion) Source: Microsoft Citizenship: USA Less than one-quarter of his net worth is still held in Microsoft, whose shares are trading higher than they’ve been in 10 years and helped boost his fortune, which is up $5 billion. The rest is in private equity, bonds and stocks such as Ecolab and Mexican broadcaster Televisa.

Warren Buffett Net Worth: $44 (QR160 billion) Source: Berkshire Hathaway Citizenship: USA His net worth is down $6 billion year on year because of a 7% slump in Berkshire’s stock. In his latest annual letter he confessed to some mistakes, including being “dead wrong” about a housing comeback.

Amancio Ortega Net Worth: $37.5 billion (QR137 billion) Source: Zara Citizenship: Spain

Bernard Arnault

Ortega stepped down as chairman of his global fashion firm, Inditex, in January 2011, but the company continued to thrive. Shares are up 25% in the past year, helping boost his fortune by $6.5 billion and pushing him into the global top 5 ranks for the first time.

Net Worth: $41 billion (QR149 billion) Source: LVMH Citizenship: France Arnault is Europe’s richest person once again as he orchestrated another stellar year at his luxurygoods empire, LVMH. Sales were up 16%, as Europe, Asia and the United States all did well. Louis Vuitton, in particular, thrived. Arnault called 2011 “another great vintage”.

Eike Batista

Larry Ellison

Net Worth: $30 billion (QR109 billion) Source: Mining, oil, self-made Citizenship: Brazil

Net Worth: $36 billion (QR131 billion) Source: Oracle, self-made Citizenship: USA

Batista’s 61% stake in the oil and gas company, OGX Petroleo is worth $19.8 billion, two-thirds of his net worth. In February 2011 he spent $1.5 billion to take private Canadianlisted Ventana Gold, which owns what he says is an incredibly promising mine in Colombia.

Oracle’s stock rebounded since its August low but is still off 15% year on year due to a slowdown in the software and hardware giant’s sales, enough to knock $3.5 billion off Ellison’s fortune. Seeking to profit from cloud computing, Oracle acquired Taleo in February for $1.9 billion and RightNow in October for $1.5 billion.

Li Ka-shing Net Worth: $25.5 billion (QR92 billion) Source: Diversified Citizenship: Hong Kong

Stefan Persson Net Worth: $26 billion (QR95 billion) Source: H&M Citizenship: Sweden Persson’s H&M chain added Versace and Marni to its stable of designers last year and opened its first stores in Croatia, Singapore and Romania. It now has 2,500 shops in 43 countries. Persson bought five million additional shares of the company and then gifted four million, worth $150 million, to a new employee incentive programme.

Li Ka-shing is Asia’s richest person for the first time since 2004, despite a $500 million drop in net worth.

One of the great empirebuilders, Li’s businesses employ 270,000 people around the world in 53 countries; he built one out of every seven residences in Hong Kong, his Hutchison Port Holdings handles about 13% of the world’s container traffic.

Karl Albrecht Net Worth: $25.4 billion (QR89 billion) Source: Aldi, selfmade Citizenship: Germany Albrecht’s $39 billion (estimated sales) discount supermarket giant, Aldi Sud, has some 4,500 global stores. It opened its first New York City locations in 2011. To keep costs low, Aldi stores do not accept credit cards.