inside this issue august 2013 / Vol. 39/ Issue 8
cover story
40 The new order
Qatar Today gives you a first look at the faces that make up the new government, who like the young Emir, HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, are teeming with vision, boundless energy and new ideas.
36 TFI’s focus is on Qatar
The First Investor has started to spread its wings, with investments in real estate assets in the US, the UK and Brazil, but its focus, according to CEO Khalid Yousef Al Subeai, remains on its home country.
24 Spotlight on ASEAN nations
According to estimations by the Asian Development Bank, ASEAN nations will need more than QR2.185 trillion ($600 billion) of infrastructure investment by 2020, presenting a vast opportunity for future investors.
66 The Best Laid Plans
The three winners of Al Fikra Business Plan Competition (two start-ups and one potential business) talk to Ayswarya Murthy about their experiences, motivations and dreams.
30 The Infrastructure Concert
Coordinating and conducting an orchestra of stakeholders that make up the infrastructure ensemble will be no mean feat and the opportunities and challenges of making them play in concert is exactly what Qatar and its leadership are focusing on now according to Manfield Mandigora of Deloitte.
inside this issue august 2013 / Vol. 39/ Issue 8
70 Regenerating the City Centre
Msheireb Downtown is getting a fresh breath of design articulation with John McAslan + Partners putting their architectural sensibilities to work.
74 A responsibility, met
With the release of its fourth consecutive Sustainability Report, RasGas sets an example in accountability and transparency in business, environmental and CSR practices.
84 The Diary of a McLaren Driver
To have a McLaren 12C for an entire week is an entirely different ball game says Sindhu Nair as she gives a day-to-day account of this “adventurous� experience.
77 Working Its Way Through
Intel Corporation muscles its way into the mobile market and brings its educational initiatives to Qatar.
and regulars 14 newsbites 20 o&g overview 18 bank notes 22 realty check 82 tech talk 89 auto news 94 market watch 98 doha diary
from the desk There are times when we feel particularly proud of the achievements of mankind, some of them against all forces of nature. Like when a gigantic A380 lifts itself off the ground, leaving us hovering for a moment in sheer panic as form defies gravity; when with just a click you connect with long-lost friends and access data saved on the cloud from anywhere in the world without lugging your laptop around; when a McLaren touches the 180km/hr mark and slows back to a stop with a smooth and effortless push of a pedal (for details check out our test drive of the car inside). There are other moments that make us equally gratified, trivial when compared with these technological advancements, nevertheless touching human lives and making an impression on ecology: the spirit of entrepreneurship seen inAl Fikra winners (to read more about these inspiring tech start-ups, see page 66) or the sustainable steps taken by a goliath of a corporation to stay accountable even when it can steamroll the argument and get away with it (Rasgas’s CSR activities); and the sheer architectural brilliance that turns landmarks into larger-than-life legacies like the refurbished Kings Cross station(our interview with the London architect gives the details). Then there are some moments that fill us with particular awe: like being spectators to an "autocratic’ country’s" efforts to govern itself. It is this achievement that Qatar Today throws light on in its cover story this month, focusing on the many hands that govern the country and the accomplishments of its new crop of leaders ,with the spotlight on the cabinet ministers who form an intelligent, committed part of a pre-ordained team that promises to be even more diligent and “internally focused” than before. Then there are instances when we wonder whether the human race is on a regressive spiral despite these technological advances: like the midday meal poisoning of 23 children in Bihar, India; the news that the person who recorded an Emirati hitting out at an Indian driver in a video that went viral, was slapped with heavier fines than the Emirati himself; that a woman was sentenced to jail for having illicit sex after she reported to the authorities that she had been raped by a colleague and was finally “pardoned”. Qatar Today aspires for a progressive, technologically-advanced society that is not divided by class, sex or religion – or is that too much to ask? All of us at Qatar Today wish our readers a happy Eid.
Sindhu Nair
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Yousuf Jassem Al Darwish Chief Executive Sandeep Sehgal Executive Vice President Alpana Roy Vice President Ravi Raman editorial Editor Sindhu Nair SENIOR CORRESPONDENTS eZdhar ibrahim abigail mathias ayswarya murthy sub-editor sue eedle art senior Art Director Venkat Reddy deputy Art Director Hanan Abu Saiam assistant art director Ayush Indrajith senior Graphic Designer maheshwar reddy Photographer Robert F ALTImirano marketing and sales senior Manager – Marketing Zulfikar Jiffry ASSISTANT MANAGERS – MARKETING Chaturka Karandana THOMAS JOSE senior Media ConsultantS HASSAN REKKAB LYDIA YOUSSEF MARKETING RESEARCH AND SUPPORT EXECUTIVE KANWAL BALUCH senior Accountant Pratap Chandran distribution Sr. Distribution Executive Bikram Shrestha Distribution Support Arjun Timilsina Bhimal Rai basanta pokhrel
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 © 2013 Oryx Advertising Co WLL
letters
QT POLL
the winning text for June's QT Poll was sent from
66489739
Powered by
SMS
A friend recently forwarded to me a link – two ariel shots of Doha; one taken in the mid 90s and the other in 2009. In the former, the beige of the low-rise buildings was so undistinguishable from that of the desert sand that you’d be forgiven for mistaking the city for a barren piece of land. And the sprawl of skyscrapers and the futuristic skyline, barely two decades later, was strange and surreal. It’s as if the city had been conjured up by some mystical force. And though it’d seem unfair to assign credit to one man for this rampant development, in this case, I doubt if anybody would take offense. The Emir Father has put himself and Qatar in the pages of history, has made the world sit up, take notice of and listen to the tiny peninsula. He is a tough act to follow and the new Emir has big shoes to fill. We all wish him the best and pray that he is up to the task. Asad Rumaihi
A Welcome Change The most far-reaching aspect of the new health insurance scheme is its efforts to cover the blue-collar migrant community which has so far been grossly over-looked. Exposed to harsh conditions and hard labour, this section of population is most vulnerable to health concerns and needs to be covered. Anisha Tripati
Libya, Syria and now Egypt – Is Qatar's role as a strategic player in the region under threat? last month qatar today poll to win a Nokia Lumia 720
Do you see the benefits of the National Insurance Scheme penetrating to the lowest levels of our society?
50 YES
50 NO
Figures in percentages
Visionary, Indeed
55499116
experience a new era of reading
Bursting with Pride As a Qatari, I can’t help but feel a twinge of pride when I read about broad and far-reaching reforms like the National Health Strategy. We have definitely been blessed with the time and luxury to launch these ambitious programmes, but more important than that is vision. And Qatar has shown it has that in abundance. We know what kind of world we want our children to inherit and are single-mindedly working towards making that a reality. Kudos to everyone who are playing their part in this grand scheme.
Qatar Today invites readers’ feedback
Share your views about the magazine or any issue that affects you here. One lucky reader will win an exquisite MontBlanc writing instrument. Write to: The Editor, Qatar Today PO Box 3272, Doha. Fax: (+974) 44550982, email: qtoday@omsqatar.com
Sayed Ibrahim
New look Congrats on the wonderful new design. It succeeds in reeling you in and does complete justice to the depth of the stories. Abhinav Ghosh
Qatar Today reserves the right to edit and publish the correspondence. Views and opinions expressed in the published letters may not necessarily be the publication’s views and opinions.
Check out all articles of Qatar Today on www.QATARTODAYONLINE.COM www.issuu.com/oryxmags/qatartoday
follow us on www.facebook.com/qatartoday www.twitter.com/qatartoday www.qatartoday.tumblr.com
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.
affairs > local economic outlook remains positive
real gdp growth by sector (q1 2013) (% change Q1 2013 vs Q1 2012)
QNB Group expects Qatar's real GDP growth to accelerate during the remainder of 2013, reaching 6.5% for the full year, and into 2014, with a healthy 6.8%.
T
his continued growth is being supported by large infrastructure investments and associated population growth, which will more than offset the strong headwinds from the global economy, according to a report by QNB. Figures for the first quarter of 2013 also indicate the success Qatar is achieving in diversifiying its economy, with a large chunk of the growth being supported by manufacturing and construction sectors and only 0.8% being contributed by hydrocarbon exports. This rapid expansion of the economy does not seem to be running into supply
bottlenecks or asset bubbles, according to QNB Group, which also notes that inflation has stabilised at a moderate level (3.5% in May 2013). “With strong growth, stable inflation and high current account surpluses, Qatar’s economic outlook remains strong,” the report says, “Large fiscal and current account surpluses should provide Qatar with ample resources to invest in major infrastructure projects, pushing further the process of economic diversification into a manufacturing and services hub.”
12.5
Manufacturing Construction
11.7
Financial Services
10.5
Trade, Restaurants & Hotels
10.5
Government Services
9.4
Social Services
9.3
Electricity, Gas & Water
8.6
Household Services
8.5
Transport & Communications
7.9
Agriculture & Fishing Oil & Gas
5.9 0.8
Source: QSA and QNB Group analysis
Qatar Airways opens office in Harrods
Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Heart Hospital handled
The airline opened its new ticket office at one of London’s most exclusive shopping destinations – Harrods – offering booking services to over 130 destinations across the world.
390
cases in 2012, according to its first annual Cardiothoracic Surgical Department Report. There were
“Our ticket office in central London at Harrods is in a place that not only reflects the high level of service we offer, but is where our most discerning customers can be found. Harrods customers can now experience our unrivalled five-star service in-store and onboard.” Akbar Al Baker, CEO, Qatar Airways 16 > qatar today > august 2013
263 127
cardiac surgical and
thoracic surgical procedures performed.
QIA gets new chief Ahmad Al Sayed replaces HH Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani as CEO of the Qatar Investment Authority. Ahmad Al Sayed, who previously headed Qatar Holding, will take over the top job at the sovereign wealth fund. The 37-yearold’s appointment is seen as a move to separate politics and economics, which were inseparably entwined when the former Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs was heading the QIA. Insiders believe that the new head doesn’t signify a drastic change in investment strategy and it’ll be business as usual at QIA, as Al Sayed, "HBJ's prodigy", will most likely keep QIA on the track it has been on so far.
Meet the world’s largest helium exporter
The opening of a new plant in Ras Laffan has boosted the country’s helium production, making it the secondlargest producer and the largest exporter in the world.
T
he Helium 2 plant, with a production capacity of 1.3 billion cubic feet a year, is coowned by Qatargas and RasGas while being operated by the latter. This brings the combined total of helium production in Qatar to 2 billion cubic feet a year. Commenting on the “milestone achievement”, HE the Minister of Energy and Industry, Dr Mohamed bin Saleh Al Sada, said it was a testament to “Qatar’s strategy of creating added value by sound development and maximum utilisation” of its natural resources.
World’s richest residents, Not for long
Qatar might lose its top position as the country with the highest GDP per capita, with the population boom outpacing growth.
W
hile the country’s GDP is increasing at a healthy 6.2% (although a massive dip from the 18% it previously enjoyed), the population is outpacing it, with an increase of 7.6%. This is expected to rise further because of the influx of expats in preparation for the World Cup. Qatar now counts a population of 1,900,000 residents, a number that the National Development Strategy had estimated would not be reached until after 2016. The country is at risk of losing the title of having the world's highest per capita income (QR374,325 or $102,800 per person) to Liechtenstein, which currently comes second with QR325,532 ($89,400) per person.
6.2% 7.6% Increase in GDP
Giving Tourism its due The Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) has signed a 17-month agreement with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) to develop the policies, regulations and strategies needed to take Qatar’s booming tourism into the future. The agreement will see UNWTO update and create benchmarked processes within QTA. Based on international benchmark standards, UNWTO and QTA will develop a consistent and locally relevant monitoring and quality control system across the wide range of tourism activities described under Law No.6 of 2012, referred to as "the Tourism Law”. While progressing to ensure a successful World Cup in 2022, the UNWTO partnership will further ensure that Qatar has a well-planned, high-quality and reliable tourism industry meeting the expectations of the international travel trade, according to QTA. While the country's tourism sector thrives, QTA’s agreement with UNWTO also seeks to align the tourism boom with Qatar’s 2030 vision, ensuring that tourism is also sustainable.
Increase in population
qatar today > august 2013 > 17
affairs > local
Change at Barwa
Who’s the happiest of them all?
Bayt.com and YouGov conducted a survey in June among 11,170 adult men and women living in the GCC, North Africa and Levant regions to determine their overall satisfaction with life, concerning elements of both professional and personal life, and elements related to country of residence, health and well-being. Here are some Qatar-specific statistics.
Personal life elements
Professional life elements
Mental well-being
-3 -5
29
53
Recognition at work
Relationship with family
-3 -5
33
56
Working hours
Current physical health
-7 -13
33
41
Independence to take own decisions
-5-9
36
Support received from family
-5-7
29
40
Freedom to take decisions at work Support from colleagues/co-workers
-15
-22
-16 -17
-19
27
21
16
36
-19
30
18
-16 -17
30
18
48
Support received from direct/line manager
-22
-18
-17
-18
24
18
Freedom to socialise (i.e. make friends)
-7 -14
37
30
Work-life balance
Freedom of expression
-9 -13
30
35
Amount of pressure/ stress faced at work
-24
-22
27
Freedom to follow one's beliefs
-11 -8
27
33
Availability of career advancement opportunities
-25
-19
25 10
Financial independence
-9 -12
35
30
Remuneration received
Opportunities to socialise
-11 -13
Current standard of living
-8 -14
33
45
Research is tops The Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) has announced a new cycle of grants worth QR5,715,000 ($1,570,088) for undergraduate students in Qatar.
18 > qatar today > august 2013
-16
-20
28
31
17
22
13
T
Extremely dissatisfied Extremely satisfied
he grants are part of a programme that provides recipients with hands-on experience conducting original research under faculty mentorship. Since its inception, more than 2,200 students have taken part in the Undergraduate Research Experience Programme (UREP), now in its 14th cycle. QNRF’s Executive Director Dr Abdul Sattar AlTaie congratulated the awarded students and said: “This programme has provided invaluable research experience, helping to build a research culture among young people in Qatar. In total, UREP has supported almost 700 projects for basic and applied undergraduate research in the fields of natural sciences, engineering and technology, medical and health sciences, agricultural sciences, social sciences and the humanities.”
A
nnouncing the change in representation of Qatari Diar Real Estate Company, its majority shareholder with 45%, Barwa said Engineers Issa Mohammed Al Mohannadi and Khalid Ibrahim Mohammed Al Sayed will become members of the reshuffled board, according to a Qatar Exchange notification. The Board of Directors has seven members. Three are from Qatari Diar, owned by the Qatar Investment Authority, the sovereign wealth fund of the state, while the other four are elected by the shareholders of Barwa Group.
11
20
Somewhat dissatisfied Somewhat satisfied All figures are %
Minister of Youth and Sports HE Salah bin Ghanem bin Nasser Al Ali is the new chairman of the Board of Directors of Barwa Real Estate Company, a listed real estate company in Qatar.
Qatar the thirdmost innovative country in MENA
The Global Innovation Index for this year ranked Qatar third in the region, behind the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
38 42 43 UAE
G
Saudi
Qatar
lobally, Switzerland grabbed the top spot followed by Sweden and Singapore, with Qatar coming in at number 43. But it was not too far behind the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which ranked 38th and 42th respectively. How do you measure a country’s innovation? 142 world economies were ranked using 84 indicators seen as reflecting “innovation capabilities” as well as actual innovation, such as political stability, the availability of education, the regulatory environment, new patents, exports, and scientific and technical journal articles and more.
business>bank notes QNB’s new Acting Group CEO
Qatar National Bank has announced the appointment of Ali Ahmed Al Kuwari as Acting Chief Executive Officer for the Group, after its former head, HE Ali Shereef Al Emadi, was appointed Minister of Finance in the recent cabinet reshuffle.
CBQ set to make inroads in Turkey
With regulatory approvals secured, Commercial Bank is all set to enter the Turkish market with the acquisition of a stake in ABank.
T
owards the end of the first quarter of this year, Commercial Bank of Qatar agreed to acquire a 70.84% shareholding in Alternatif Bank AS (“ABank”) from Anadolu Endustri Holding AS for two times the book value at June 30, 2013, expanding the bank’s international footprint in four regional markets. This
transaction had been awaiting regulatory approvals from the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency and the Capital Markets Board of Turkey, which have now come through. HE Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Attiyah, Chairman of Commercial Bank, said: “We are delighted to have received regulatory approval for, and now completed, this transaction for Commercial Bank. As trade and economic links between the GCC countries and Turkey grow ever stronger, and corporates become more active in their cross-border activities, we feel the timing for our entry into the Turkish market is right. ABank is a highly-respected, growing bank."
Mobile Banking in MENA
12
million mobile users in Middle East and Africa made transactions through their mobile phones in 2012 and these figures are expected to reach 70-80 million by 2017. Juniper Research
Currently 66% of consumers in the MENA region use the internet to search for products and services but only onethird of them make online purchases. The offline to online opportunity is significant Elias Ghanem Managing Director for PayPal MENA
Ushering in e-commerce Qatar National Bank has partnered with PayPal to give QNB customers more options for secure online purchases.
Q
NB’s retail customers can now create a PayPal account through the QNB website, link to it their payment card and immediately start using PayPal to shop online through millions of websites worldwide, in addition to accessing other PayPal services like sending money via PayPal to any e-mail address, topping up their PayPal account etc. To celebrate the launch, a number of special offers will be available, including discounts from MarkaVIP.com and Aramex ShopandShip.com. QNB customers can also take advantage of free delivery on purchases from ASOS.com, deals from eBay.com and
20 > qatar today > august 2013
DealExtreme.com. “This agreement allows our customers to enjoy greater flexibility and security when making online purchases with PayPal,” Ali Rashid Al Mohannadi, Executive General Manager and Chief Operating Officer of QNB, said. Commenting on the partnership, Elias Ghanem, Managing Director for PayPal Middle East and North Africa, said: “We are truly excited by signing our first bank partnership in MENA with QNB. This partnership is a major milestone on our exciting journey in the Middle East and North Africa to enable global e-commerce across the region.”
How banks fared in Q2
The second quarter results of the country’s biggest banks show good signs of progress.
qatar national bank
4.7
QR billion commercial bank
DOHA BANK
QR billion
QR million
I.023
748
net profit
QCB Chief predicts need for a flexible currency Qatar Central Bank Governor Sheikh Abdullah bin Saud al Thani has suggested that one day economic trends in Qatar might call for a more flexible currency, although it is not the case at present.
qatar international islamic bank
366
qatar islamic bank
QR million
6I7,845 QR
total assets (2012 vs 2013)
63
QR million
59.2 23.7
QR billion
QR billion
73
QR billion
330.5
qr billion H1 2012
qatar islamic bank
74 68.2
QR million
DOHA BANK
qatar international islamic bank
commercial bank
qatar national bank
QR billion
3I.4
QR billion
85 43I
QR billion
QR billion H1 2013
“With increasing integration in international trade, services, and asset markets, a higher degree of exchange rate flexibility may become more desirable to ensure external stability and international competitiveness of our exports.” Sheikh Abdullah, the QCB governor (as quoted by Reuters).
qatar today > august 2013 > 21
business>oil&gas Changing Dynamics
“Our member countries hold more than two-thirds of the proven global gas reserves and produce 85% of the world’s LNG. This places a heavy burden upon us to ensure safe production, open new markets, and guarantee the industry’s progress. The changing global energy map has seen the transformation of many countries from energy exporters to importers and vice versa, creating new formulae in the energy markets.” HE Dr Mohammed Al Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry.
QR273 million contract signed for Al Rayyan Rig Occidental Petroleum of Qatar Ltd (Oxy Qatar) has signed a QR273 million contract with Gulf Drilling International Ltd (GDI), a subsidiary of Gulf International Services (GIS), to provide drilling services with the continued use of the Al Rayyan rig. The contract is set for a two-year period until March 2015.
S
teve Kelly, President and General Manager of Oxy Qatar, and Ibrahim Jassim Al-Othman, CEO of GDI, signed the contract on behalf of the respective entities. Oxy Qatar continues to use two drilling rigs, Al Rayyan and Al Wajba, for its extensive development programmes in the Idd Al Shargi and Al Rayyan fields. Steve Kelly said: “Over the past five years, Oxy Qatar has developed a strong working relationship with GDI that focuses on operational excellence and a proactive safety culture. The results have been impressive,
and Oxy Qatar is proud to have supported the establishment of GDI as a world-class Qatari drilling company. Our continuing partnership with GDI will be key to the success of our future development plans, and we look forward to maintaining and further improving performance in the coming years.” GDI’s offshore rig, Al Wajba, on contract for drilling operations with Oxy Qatar, rec ently resumed service after the completion of its major maintenance programme. Thus GDI has maintained 100% operating rate for all its rigs.
LNG to Mexico
RasGas Company Limited (RasGas) achieved a milestone when the first delivery of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) arrived at the Manzanillo LNG receiving terminal in Mexico, last month. The LNG cargo was sent to Mexico through RasGas customer RWE. The cargo, which went across the Pacific Ocean to reach Manzanillo on Mexico’s west coast, was delivered aboard the RWE-chartered conventional sized vessel, Cadiz Knutsen. “The delivery of this cargo in collaboration with our customers in the short-term market is a great achievement for RasGas and Qatar as well as for our customer, RWE,” said Khalid Sultan R Al-Kuwari, RasGas’ Chief Marketing and Shipping Officer. “This delivery also adds to our global reach in the markets we serve. It is a further demonstration of our ability to supply and deliver LNG reliably and safely,” he said.
The Gas Tsars Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (9th right), Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (8th right), Bolivian President Evo Morales (7th right) and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (10th right) along with Dr Mohammed Al Sada, Minister of Energy, Qatar (5th left) pose for a photo at the Gas Exporting Countries’ Forum at the Kremlin in Moscow, on July 1, 2013. AFP PHOTO / POOL / ALEXANDER NEMENOV.
22 > qatar today > august 2013
business > realty check
Freehold purchases on a high
Strategic Visit?
Residential sales transactions in Q2 2013 reached a three-year high, led by increased freehold purchase demand in prime areas such as The Pearl-Qatar, according to the latest report from property services consultancy Asteco Qatar.
W
hile the number of transactions increased, price points held fast at Q1 2013 levels. Prime market developments including Viva Bahriya-Pearl and Porto Arabia-Pearl registered per-square-metre direct sales prices of up to QR16,000 and QR15,000 respectively on average, with average resale values per square metre topping out at QR15,000 and QR12,000 respectively. “Qatar’s infrastructure development is gaining pace, which in turn is bringing more expatriates into the country as the population grows, and this is raising the profile of the local real estate market in the region and internationally,” said Jed Wolfe, Managing Director, Asteco Qatar. Qatar plans to spend QR510 billion (US$140 billion) on infrastructure development in the run-up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and according to a recent report by Qatar National Bank Group, the country’s
HE Mohammed Morsy, the Egyptian Ambassador to Qatar, visited the Msheireb Enrichment Centre (MEC), where he was welcomed by Eng. Abdulla Hassan Al Mehshadi, Chief Executive Officer at Msheireb Properties, and Mohammed Al Marri, Chief Officer, Design and Delivery.
real GDP is expected to grow by 6.5% this year, buoyed by substantial infrastructure investment and construction sector growth of 11.7%. Population growth also reached 11.3% in the 12 months to June 2013.
Realistic Rents
5,300 7,300 8,600 QR for a one-bedroom
A
QR for a two-bedroom
ccording to the latest figures from the Qatar Statistics Authority, the average monthly rents for fully furnished apartments in the Al Sadd, Najma, Bin Mahmoud, Airport Road, Muntazah and Mansoura areas are QR5,300 for a one-bedroom unit, QR7,300 for a two-bedroom one and QR8,600 for a three-bedroom unit. Rents for high-end apartments in West Bay and The Pearl-Qatar range between QR14,500 and QR15,000.
24 > qatar today > august 2013
QR for a three-bedroom
Until March this year, monthly rents for three-, four- and five-bedroom villas ranged from QR11,000 to QR18,000, while highend villas in West Bay and other localities ranged between QR18,000 for a three-bedroom unit to QR23,000 for a five-bedroom one. The near- to medium-term outlook on house rents remains strong, according to Tanween Quarterly Real Estate Market Report Q1 2013, against the backdrop of the exponentially increasing population.
Road Alert
In order to complete work related to the extension of Industrial Area Road, the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) is diverting traffic from Mesaimeer Roundabout to Abu Hamour Roundabout, starting from July 19 until the beginning of 2015. Works in the area will include the construction of a flyover that connects the Mesaimeer area to the Maamoura area on Mesaimeer road, and the construction of rain and potable water networks and treated sewerage effluent. During the construction period of the project, commuters will be able to use the alternative road that connects Industrial Area Road to Wholesale Market Street.
business > viewpoint
interested in ASEAN's infrastructure overhaul? Most countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, have a strong backlog in demand for infrastructure to transform their economies into more competitive ecosystems, and this is where it starts to become interesting for Gulf investors looking to get involved in the region.
A
ccording to estimates by the Asian Development Bank, ASEAN nations will need more than QR2.185 trillion ($600 billion) of infrastructure investment in power plants, transportation, water and sanitation, and telecommunication works by 2020, of which two-thirds will be used for building new capacity and the rest for maintenance, presenting a vast opportunity for future investors. Across the region, massive infrastructure projects are being planned or implemented. For example, in Malaysia the government has committed to invest more than QR210 billion ($57.5 billion) in the medium-term for a new mass rapid transit line in Kuala Lumpur, as well as roads, railways and hospitals. Singapore is looking to expand and upgrade its infrastructure as well, especially in the housing sector, where activity has slowed down in the past. The city-state is currently drafting a long-term plan to cater for its six million citizens and residents, who at the moment struggle to find affordable accommodation amidst a shortage in residential housing. In Thailand, the government has embarked on a spending spree and said it will invest up to QR255 billion ($70 billion) in railways and transportation mega-projects as well as in water management, public transport and expansion of the country’s largest international airport. The projects to overhaul the country’s infrastructure system are expected to boost investor confidence and encourage foreign investment inflow. According to the Asian Development Bank, Cambodia currently needs between
26 > qatar today > august 2013
QR44 billion ($12 billion) and QR58 billion ($16 billion) to build infrastructure for its expanding economy, which grew 7% in 2012 and is expected to remain on that path for the next few years. In order to meet Cambodia’s starving need for infrastructure, born out of high-octane economic growth, the government is now aggressively developing the foundation of its own public-private partnership (PPP) programme. The projects comprise mainly power plants, hydropower dams, airport concessions and a rail rehabilitation plan. Even though energy projects account for 70% of infrastructure investment, Cambodia still lags behind its neighbours in providing electricity, with only 24% of Cambodians having access to the national power grid. Similarly, Laos is investing billions in hydropower projects and railway networks, to an extent that has already raised eyebrows among economists. For example, a QR18 billion ($5 billion) loan for construction of a rail link across southern Laos between Thailand and Vietnam has recently been approved, though the loan is worth more than half of Laos’ total GDP. However, more money is being poured into rural infrastructure, transmission lines and telecom networks, and foreign investors can build upon support from international financing institutions such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and others. In the Philippines, a country with one of the worst infrastructure networks in ASEAN, the government has beefed up spending for 2014 by 36% to around QR33 billion ($9 billion), while QR50 billion ($13.5 billion) has been committed for 2015 and QR67 billion ($18.5 billion) for 2016. Infrastructure demand from now until
Infrastructure investments required/predicted (in QR billions)
I,920
44-58 Cambodia (immediate)
6I9
Myanmar (long-term)
Vietnam (till 2020)
255
400
Thailand
Philippines (till 2020)
2I0
Malaysia (medium-term)
9I0
Indonesia (next five years)
the end of the decade could reach QR400 billion ($110 billion) in the Philippines as the country continues to grow, investment bank Goldman Sachs has said. Power projects account for the biggest share of the total amount, at QR167 billion ($46 billion). Road projects account for QR87 billion ($24 billion), railways for QR84 billion ($23 billion), seaports for QR29 billion ($8 billion), water and sanitation for QR22 billion ($6 billion) and airports for QR7 billion ($2 billion). There are also plans to sink around QR67 billion ($710 million) into tourism infrastructure throughout the country. In Vietnam, the Minister for Planning and Investment has said that the country needs to spend QR619 billion ($170 billion) between now and 2020 to develop national infrastructure. He repeated previous statements by government ministers and officials that only half of the required funds can come from traditional sources such as the state budget, government bonds and
official development assistance. The rest has to come from private investors, which, due to the lack of available domestic capital, will mostly have to come from foreign investors and lenders. The huge archipelago of Indonesia has even said it will spend QR910 billion ($250 billion) on infrastructure development in the next five years to “spur the economy and ease bottlenecks that have crimped growth”. Last but not least, the recently-opened economy of Myanmar will need to get new infrastructure built from scratch. Qatar’s Ooredoo has already started to construct a brand-new mobile phone network. All in all, a whopping QR1.92 trillion ($300 billion) needs to be pumped into Myanmar’s economy in the long term if the country wants to bring its infrastructure, housing, power supply and telecommunications up to 21st-century standards, economists have said
By Arno Maierbrugger
dr arno MAIERBRUGGER is Editor-in-Chief of www. investvine.com, a news portal focusing on Southeast Asian economic topics as well as trade and investment relations between ASEAN and the GCC. The related website www. insideinvestor.com is currently being developed as an online platform connecting investors with investment opportunities.
qatar today > august 2013 > 27
business > viewpoint
Insurance, a key growth driver
New laws and the market’s potential point to robust growth for the insurance sector in the country.
By Oliver Cornock The author is the Regional Editor of Oxford Business Group.
Retail segments could also potentially become major market contributors, including health coverage and life insurance, the latter of which has accounted for a steadily increasing percentage of GWPs in recent years. 28 > qatar today > august 2013
Q
atar’s insurance sector is in the early stages of a period of considerable expansion. Driven by numerous ongoing largescale infrastructure developments and a recent regulatory overhaul, the sector is expected to play a key role in the country’s increasingly important non-oil sector over the course of the coming decade. In the first quarter of 2013 Qatar’s 27 licensed insurers experienced a 25.5% yearon-year jump in net profits, according to a report released in July 2013 by Alpen Capital, a regional investment banking institution. Between 2008 and 2012 the industry grew at an annual growth rate of 11.3%, increasing in size from around QR2.9 billion ($800 million) in 2008 to QR4.7 billion ($1.3 billion) by the end of 2012, which makes it one of the fastest-growing insurance markets in the GCC in recent years. According to forecasts from Alpen Capital, the sector will likely expand by more than 5% over the course of 2013, primarily as a result of government-led infrastructure work. As of May 2012, an estimated QR510 billion ($140 billion) worth of infrastructure work was underway in the country. The government is in the midst of a wide variety of projects aimed at expanding and upgrading the electricity and water networks, in addition to the national air and rail transport systems. Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani, the former prime minister and foreign minister, said in April this year that infrastructure spending in the nation was expected to reach QR582 billion ($160 billion) by 2019. Qatar’s insurance regulatory environment has changed dramatically over the past year, which is expected to eventually result in a boost in efficiency and standards throughout the sector. In February 2013 the government introduced the Law of the Qatar Central Bank (QCB) and the Regulation of Financial Institutions, which effectively transferred regulatory oversight of the insurance sector from the Ministry of Business and Trade to the QCB. Prior to
the introduction of the new law, insurance companies registered outside the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) fell under Decree Law No. 1 of 1966, which was widely considered to be outdated – particularly in regard to regulatory and capital requirements – by local authorities and underwriters alike. Developed in line with global standards as laid out by the International Association of Insurance Supervisors, the new law will be jointly implemented and applied by Qatar’s three financial regulatory bodies - the QCB, the Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority and the Qatar Financial Markets Authority – under the umbrella of the QCB, leading to increased competition and growth throughout the market. At the same time, Qatar-based insurers continue to face a number of challenges. With a penetration rate of around 0.89% as of early 2013, according to estimates from the QFC, the sector remains underdeveloped by international standards. The sector is dominated by a handful of domestic firms, including the Qatar Insurance Company, the nation’s largest insurer, which accounts for more than 50% of gross written premiums (GWPs). Additionally, GWPs are heavily concentrated in a handful of market segments, including energy, marine and construction, all of which are dominated by government contracts. Finally, according to Alpen Capital most local insurance companies rely heavily on reinsurance facilities to manage risk, which is in large part a reflection of a lack of expertise, in most commercial segments, in particular. While these issues are not expected to disappear in the near future, the combination of the new law and the market’s recent performance points to considerable growth potential. Other growth drivers include the steadily expanding population, which is expected to grow by around 4% annually between 2012 and 2017, according to Alpen Capital; high levels of disposable income; and the forthcoming introduction of compulsory health insurance for all foreign residents and visitors
affairs > regional
30 > qatar today > august 2013
A N at i o n o f D i s c o r d EGYPT, Cairo : A young Egyptian girl reacts as she is sprayed with water on her face during a rally of supporters of deposed president Mohamed Morsi outside Rabaa Al-Adawiya mosque on July 15, 2013 in Cairo, Egypt. A top US official pressed Egypt's interim leaders for a return to elected government after the army ousted Morsi, whose supporters massed to rally for his return. AFP PHOTO/GIANLUIGI GUERCIA
qatar today > august 2013 > 31
business > viewpoint
Qatar’s Infrastructure Concert
It is well understood that Qatar’s substantial natural resources will ease the challenge of funding and therein coordinating its ambitious infrastructure investment as part of the 2030 National Vision.
By Manfield Mandigora, head of the Qatar Infrastructure and Capital Projects practice of Deloitte.
deloitte The opinions expressed here are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Deloitte & Touche (M.E.). 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. Deloitte is the first Arab professional services firm established in the Middle East region, with uninterrupted presence for over 85 years, providing audit, tax, consulting and financial advisory services through 26 offices in 15 countries, with over 2,500 partners, directors and staff.
32 > qatar today > august 2013
C
oordinating and conducting an orchestra of stakeholders that make up the infrastructure ensemble will be no mean feat and the opportunities and challenges of making them play in concert is exactly what Qatar and its leadership are focusing on now. In parallel, Qatar will need to develop its best professionals to build and manage the assets of the future and ready themselves for the country’s modernisation and all the associated changes. Fundamental issues that the government will have to anticipate and take into account include social and inflationary issues, supply chain bottlenecks, delays, one-sided contractual risk distribution, and expats’ short-term commitment to Qatar. Through mechanisms such as contracts that include escalation, and/or a standardised, transparent and fair methodology for calculating construction cost inflation, the construction industry is starting to get more upbeat. The recent award of major rail infrastructure contracts has granted the construction industry a higher level of optimism than in 2012. The government was proactive in commissioning the construction of a new port, the new international airport, and more recently the orbital roads in order to handle the supply of materials and equipment required until 2022. The government has instituted such paradigm changes in order to help the local construction industry gain maximum efficiencies as a whole. The government is also increasing efforts to prioritise and sequence the most critical construction projects to help ease potential supply chain bottlenecks.
Small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) – a number of which are in the construction industry – are getting even more support from the government as the Qatar Development Bank has been tasked with supporting them. It is interesting to note, regarding the consortia winning the mega-rail contracts, that there has been at least one Qatari company in each of these joint-venture partnerships. There has been significant performance improvement from most industry stakeholders in order to meet the commitments made to FIFA, and also to realise Qatar’s 2030 National Vision. Whilst the performance improvement is significant, much remains to be done. Challenges exist for employers and legal, contractual and procurement professionals in coming up with contractual risk-sharing solutions for Qatar. The lower the pricing risk on the contractors, the lower the bid pricing is expected to be. A tremendous opportunity for formulating the immediate and long-term solutions from both the government and private sector for the abovementioned issues therefore presents itself. Qatar is currently on the world’s stage and the concert is about to begin. The artist, audience, auditorium, sound and light are all in place, although the symphony is challenging. Like any concert, precise execution is essential, and this time the world is the audience and waiting for the maestro to play the first note. And the most important question is whether there has there ever been a smooth road to delivery of major infrastructure programmes anywhere else in the world?
business > viewpoint
Upward trend for GCC markets
GCC equity markets are likely to remain on an upward trajectory in H2 2013, building momentum on the strong rally witnessed during H1 2013, according to the “GCC Market Outlook 2013� published by Alpen Asset Advisors Limited, an associate of the investment bank Alpen Capital.
34 > qatar today > august 2013
I
The real estate sector, which assists construction-related industries, is on a gradual recovery path
ncreased interest from foreign investors in the UAE and Qatari markets following their recent MSCI upgrade is also expected to contribute to the upmove. Among other things, continued momentum on reforms, healthy economic growth, investment in non-oil sectors, stabilisation of oil prices, recovery the in real estate sector, better corporate earnings and compelling valuations are likely to be the key positive triggers for GCC equity markets. According to Bloomberg consensus estimates, earnings of equities constituting the MSCI GCC index are expected grow a healthy 10.3% year on year in 2013. The broad macro-environment for 2013 also encourages this growth, as the end
of the fiscal cliff in the US and quantitative easing in emerging markets as well as in Europe would provide much-needed impetus. According to the IMF, real GDP growth in the GCC is expected to slow to 3.2% from 5.7% in 2012. This is primarily due to the scaling back of the growth rate in hydrocarbon production. The economic growth, however, remains contingent on several factors such as stable oil prices and continuous improvement in the sociopolitical situation in the region. The overall GCC market, however, remains exposed to spells of volatility that could arise from lack of institutional participation, high dependence on oil, and any impediment to global economic revival.
Themes to watch out for Alpen Asset Advisors highlights the existence of certain key themes that would be favourable for the GCC markets in 2013:
economic conditions. An attractive valuation, coupled with expectation of healthy earnings growth, would continue to boost confidence in the region’s stock markets.
Improving liquidity and declining volatility Historically, GCC markets have been characterised by high volatility due to the absence of foreign investors and lack of market breadth. However, it is expected that there will be an expansion in market breadth and depth due to increasing foreign participation, especially in the UAE. Moreover, the region has evolved as a regional hub for IPO activity. TheGCC, primarily Saudi Arabia and the UAE, accounted for 97% of the total capital raised in the MENA region in 2012. An increase in IPO activities is indicative of lower stock market volatility and upbeat economic growth, and further supports the optimistic outlook for GCC stock markets.
Select sectors in focus As the GCC economies are poised for growth, the focus remains on select sectors which have immense growth potential. These include retail, banking, real estate and construction, transport and logistics and telecommunication. The retail sector is set to grow in view of favourable demographics supported by rising disposable income and increased demand from tourism. Demand for affordable housing, fuelled by encouraging lending rates and a favourable policy environment, has contributed to the boom of the real estate sector. With the real estate boom and growing private consumption improving private sector lending, the banking sector is all set to be on a growth trajectory. Expansionary government policy is fuelling funding needs, especially in non-hydrocarbon sectors.
Stabilisation in oil prices and rising government spending The recent stabilisation in oil prices is likely to improve the fiscal position of GCC governments and encourage investments in non-oil sectors. Refining and infrastructure projects worth QR2,550 billion ($700 billion) are likely to be undertaken in the region. Rising government spending would boost the region’s economic performance in 2013. Recovery in the real estate sector The real estate sector assists construction-related industries and is also an indicator of overall business activity. The sector was a key contributor to the economic downturn of 2008. However, the real estate sector in the GCC is on a gradual recovery path. Attractive earnings growth, valuation remains fair The GCC markets are well positioned to grow in both the short and medium-to-long term. Healthy earnings growth is expected across major cyclical sectors in the region due to an improvement in macro-
By Sudarshan Malpani The author is Managing Director at Alpen Asset Advisors Limited.
Qatar equity markets Qatar’s stock exchange index, the fourth-largest in terms of market capitalisation in the GCC region, has been on an upswing in 2013 and is currently 13.9% up YTD. All sectoral indices have registered YTD gains with small cap stocks witnessing the largest gain, of 16.0% YTD. The market has witnessed an improvement in trading activity with better-than-expected corporate earnings and dividend announcements. The recent upgrade of the index by MSCI to Emerging Market status from Frontier Market is expected to boost investor confidence. Although the GCC economies are poised for growth, they do face several challenges such as excessive reliance on oil, political instability and global slowdown. These economies also face other potential risks, particularly external credit risk, as the GCC is one of the major creditors in global financial markets. Despite these factors the GCC stock markets are expected to capitalise on the robust macroeconomic outlook for the region in 2013 qatar today > august 2013 > 35
affairs > international local
36 > qatar today > august 2013
A BLA Z ING LEGACY? FRANCE, Paris : Firemen fight a blaze at the 17th-century Hotel Lambert on July 10, 2013 in Paris. Hotel Lambert, by the architect Louis Le Vau, located at the tip of the Ile Saint-Louis in Paris, was purchased in 2007 by the brother of the Emir of Qatar and is currently being restored. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARD
qatar today > august 2013 > 37
development > listening post
the focus is on qatar 38 > qatar today > august 2013
TFI has started to spread its wings, with investments in real estate assets in the US, the UK and Brazil but its focus, according to its CEO, Khalid Yousef Al Subeai, remains on its home country. TEXT BY SINDHU NAIR photography BY Robert ALTAMIRANO
T
he First Investor (TFI), the investment arm of Barwa Bank, breaks many stereotypes. For one, it was instrumental in structuring the Sharia-compliant financing for the “biggest” downtown development in the US – the mixed-use CityCenterDC (CCDC) project which is among the “largest” of such financings completed in the US. And then there is TFI’s Qatari CEO, young and focused, Khalid Yousef Al Subeai, who cares more about results than flaunting luxurious office spaces. Sitting in his unpretentious office setting, he talks to Qatar Today about Sharia-compliant investments, TFI’s ventures, and discloses his working style too in the process. He calls his leadership style, “transparent and team-focused.” “My team and I have the same objective in mind, to be recognised as Qatar’s and the region’s premier investment bank by our clients and investors,” he says. It is with this intent that TFI has zeroed in on funds that clearly reflect an astute knowledge of “performance-oriented” assets. The Sharia-compliancy advantage The markets for Islamic banking and
insurance have seen solid growth in recent years, but the Sharia-compliant fund industry remains tiny, with Ernst & Young estimating it at QR210 billion ($58 billion), as of 2010, a fraction of the QR1,100 billion ($300 billion) sukuk sector. TFI is a 100% Sharia-compliant investment arm with a paid-up capital of QR240 million. Does Al Subeai consider being sharia-compliant a boon or a bane in an investment segment that is bound by speculations? “We use that to our advantage,” says Al-Subeai. “We are in a country where most of the population is Muslim and there is natural appetite for western-class products and services that are managed in a Sharia-compliant method.” The growth of Sharia-compliant investments has been stunted by lack of diversity, poor performance and high fees according to Hasan Al Jabri, Chief Executive of Saudi Arabia’s Sedco Capital in an article in the Financial Times. Another gripe faced by these investments is a lack of innovation and that most of them are just another version of conventional products. Al-Subeai doesn’t believe in these arguments, saying TFI’s funds are a case-inpoint. “For example, last year we launched
Work Ethics Inspiration "My father Yousef Abdullah Al-Subeai, without question. His work ethics, honesty, reputation and integrity are key traits that I look up to."
I believe in “Strive always to excel in virtue and truth” Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
Youth Power "I fully support the new leadership; it’s the right bold decision. Youth development, through quality education and work experience is a must, as the young people grow and contribute to Qatar’s success." qatar today > august 2013 > 39
development > listening post
TFI Assets under Management (AUM) New Funds/Companies TFI UK Property Fund
50 £ Million
Advice to investors
“A solid approach would be to spread the portfolio across all asset classes, so that you can benefit from yields from the equity market as well as gain on the share price appreciation. At the same time, betting on solid income generating assets will provide stability and security.”
40 > qatar today > august 2013
TFI KSA Residential Compound Fund
750 SAR Million
a GCC Equity Opportunities Fund where we managed clients’ capital for investment in equities in the region. We currently manage QR100 million in equities and we have generated returns of above 11% in less than a year,” he says. The fund invests in equities and equity-related securities listed on exchanges within the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Continuing on funds that throw light on the innovative nature of TFI’s Sharia-compliant funds, Al Subeai says, “We structure our own funds and products. This year, we have launched two real estate funds and an education company, in addition to our ongoing equity funds and advisory services." The first is an education fund in Qatar, in which TFI, Qatar Insurance Company (QIC) and development management consultancy, Tanween have agreed to fund the development of two private schools in Al Wakra to support the private education sector. The operations have been leased out to GEMS Education on a long-term basis. The schools are currently in construction phase and are expected to open next year. “We expect an annual yield of 8% to investors through the funding structure,” says Al Subeai. The second fund was signed in June 2013 with Project Management and Development Co (PMD), the “first major initiative” in the region that will invest in income-generating expatriate residential compounds in Saudi Arabia, monetising on the supply-demand crunch in this sector in Saudi. “As the joint venture initiators, TFI, Barwa Bank and PMD have invested a total of QR110 million ($30 million) in the
Qatar Education Company
220 QR Million
proposition, with yields in the range of 7-9% per annum,” he says. The second and last fund that Al Subeai talks about is the first fund in the region that to invest in income-generating property in the distribution and logistics sector of the United Kingdom. “The TFI Investra UK fund will offer attractive target net yields of 7-9% payable quarterly, exposure to a specialist asset class allowing for diversification and subscription with investment as low as QR1,380,000 (£250,000),” he says. “Against the backdrop of an economic slowdown in neighbouring Europe, the UK distribution and logistics market is yielding attractive opportunities for investment. We have put together a portfolio of assets that will yield attractive levels of rental income at low acquisition prices,” he says. “All these funds show how we are adding value to our clients' portfolios or providing yield enhancement over equity. We all know that equities give on an average, yields not more than 3-4% while our products are able to provide yields to the tune of 7 - 9% and are geographically diverse,” he adds. Wealth, and managing it The most authoritative estimates place the region’s overall wealth at more than $4.5 trillion, with approximately 35 billionaires, and now more than ever before people are looking to invest in the region. And this dynamics will surely help TFI. “There has been tremendous growth in Qatar, primarily driven by hydrocarbon export and production, and as a result the country has been able to announce record budgets which has made way for increase in wealth and disposable incomes. As a result, new
Existing Funds US Real Estate Fund
Brazil Real Estate Fund
TFI GCC Equity Opportunities Fund
$ Million
$ Million
QR Million
650 50 100 investors have emerged who are keen to deploy their capital, and that definitely helps business,” says Al Subeai. Billions of riyals are being invested in infrastructure, healthcare, education and tourism, and this will also create opportunities for private entities. This is where TFI can play a role in structuring funds to maximise their investment options, he adds. The footprint Looking at the TFI footprint, it seems as if the investment arm is more inclined towards making a global impression rather than leaving a regional or even a local trail. Al-Subeai contradicts this thought by pointing out that two of TFI's 2013 three real-estate funds and JVs are in the region, the education fund in Qatar and the income-generating fund in Saudi. “The focus,” he reiterates, “is Qatar, and then the GCC, and if there is anything beyond, then that will also be explored but it is all returns driven. We are opportunistic but at the same time we have a track record that demonstrates that we have been able to access markets like the US and Brazil and deliver value to our investors.” TFI has spreads its wings in Brazil but that is the only emerging market that it has targeted. Does that imply that TFI will not be placing its bets on other emerging markets? “We are happy with the way the investment in Brazil has performed. Going forward if we are to enter into emerging markets it will be alongside a strategic investor,” he says, adding, “But the appetite for the region is very high.” Going back to countries that he would
Existing AUM
2.6 QR Billion
bet on, Al Subeai is very bullish about his own country of orgin, given Qatar’s growth patterns and hydrocarbon reserves. “A lot of opportunities for the private sector exist in our home market; hence it is an excellent opportunity for us. Also, there are a number of listed state champions who have posted a strong performance on the Qatar Exchange with an excellent track record and good yields considering the low payouts,” he says. “Secondly, Saudi Arabia is also looking good on the real estate sector, and the next most preferred destination for investments is the UK with the comfort factor that nationals feel towards this market.” Gulf investors have traditionally been interested in real estate than equities but Al Subeai feels it is time to change the mindset. “I think investors tend to hold both these asset classes as they are exposed to these for a large number of years. But if equities yield around 3-4% on average and real estate yields around 5-6%, it becomes a trade-off. I believe there is an opportunity to shift capitals between these two classes depending on the market fundamentals,” he opines. Since the 2008 crisis, “credibility” of banks is always under scrutiny. However regional banks seem to have made headway in earning trust from clients, and this has helped TFI too. “The fact that we are a Sharia-compliant investment arm has worked in our favour. Also we are based here and invest in the country. We are not here to take the capital away from the clients and believe in working hand-in-hand with investors,” he says, adding that investors too are more sophisticated and conservative now and do not commit to blind pool funds
Wealth preservation vs wealth creation
“We can cater for both. There are investors who are interested in capitalprotected instruments, where they are happy to lock in their capital, keeping in mind that the returns will be much lower than when exposed to real estate assets. It all depends on portfolio allocation.”
qatar today > august 2013 > 41
affairs > local
a new generation at the helm cover story
Qatar Today gives you a first look at the faces that make up the new government, who like the young Emir, HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, are teeming with vision, boundless energy and new ideas.
voice of the new king
“Qatar is the Kaaba of the oppressed, the Founder of the State said, and we will remain the same. Qatar is biased to the issues of the people and not to any party against the other; it respects all sincere powers in the area but does not belong to any of them. We are not instructed by anyone and our freedom in making our decisions is an established fact.� HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Young Emir.
42 > qatar today > august 2013
qatar today > august 2013 > 43
Qatar’s transformation from an obscure country into one of the world’s richest nations, and a strategically important one that could repeatedly justify its role as a successful peace maker in the Arab world is legendary. His Highness Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has big shoes to fill and is expected to continue taking Qatar along its previous path, while creating his own identity that reflects the power of youth accompanied by maturity and foresight. The young Emir took the first step towards this almost immediately, announcing a new cabinet within days of coming to power. HH Sheikh Tamim’s new government is largely young and is mostly new. The complete shakeup of the cabinet has seen the creation of three new ministries – Transport, Communication and Information Technology, and Youth and Sports – and only six out of the 20 ministers are familiar faces from the previous cabinet. Looking forward to the vigour and momentum that fresh starts and new perspectives instil into any enterprise, Qatar Today introduces each of the members of the new cabinet and the ambitious and illustrious paths they have taken to get to where they are today. An emir in the making Much of what we know and what we can conclude about Sheikh Tamim’s life and ways comes from official sources. There are no tabloids that doggedly pursue the royals wherever they go. There are no “palace insiders” who give us juicy bits of innocuous gossip from behind
heavily guarded doors. In many ways the young Emir is a stranger to his own people. The Father Emir might have stolen some of his thunder during the days of the power transfer, with the collective outpouring of love and respect from all quarters, but from now on the country’s and the world’s focus is firmly on HH Sheikh Tamim. In the light of the kind of response the ex-Emir’s abdication elicited, the question on everyone’s mind, probably including the young Emir’s, is: What sort of legacy is he planning on leaving behind? In his address to the nation soon after his ascent, HH Sheikh Tamim stressed discipline and strict standards in government operations, and according to an expert the new government’s make-up reflects a new focus on domestic matters. “We will continue to invest in diversification, but we will be more stringent and transparent about targets and results. We will only fail in this regard if there is poor planning or mismanagement, or if false reports are filed. There can be no more cover-ups, and there is much that needs to be addressed immediately, lest corruption spread across our institutions and society and our finances be allocated in vain,” said the new Emir. Qatar’s new Emir also stressed: “[Ministerial] appointments are no different than results: no-one has the right to an office or public position unless they perform the duties of that office to the betterment of society and the state.”
In secure hands HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani Prime Minister and Minister of Interior
54 graduate Police Science and Law
A Diplomat's touch post graduate economics
The multitalented minister has coordinated economic summits in the MENA region on the one hand and advised the state on conflict resolution in Darfur and other boundary issues on the other, while also simultaneously chairing the Development Planning and Qatar Development Funds.
The Prime Minister of the first government in the reign of HH Sheikh Tamim is a graduate in both police science and law, from Durham Military College (1984) and Beirut Arab University (1995) respectively, according to his official biography. He began his career as a patrol officer in the Rescue Police Service in 1985 and rapidly climbed the ranks to eventually become Minister of State for Interior Affairs and a cabinet member in 2005. With his years of experience in security issues (he worked his way up as the Security Officer for Stadiums in Capital Security and did a long, fruitful stint with the Special Security Forces, starting out as Assistant Commander for the Special Operations Brigade and Special Unit, taking up the post of Assistant Director of Operations following the incident on December 28, 2001 and finally becoming
HE Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs
The man who has been assisting the Prime Minister and steering the Council of Ministers since 2011, and will continue to do so now under the new government, is a graduate in Arabic language and Islamic studies from Cairo University who later went on to earn a master's in economics in the United States in 1981. A career diplomat, most of his years have been spent in the service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he started out as a Third Secretary in 1976. It is here that he acquired his broad knowledge and experience through his work as Head of Economic Affairs and as a representative of the Ministry on the Qatar National Commission for Education, Culture and Science. His diplomatic career has seen him working at Qatari embassies across the globe including as Charge d’Affaires in Algeria, Ambassador to Oman and the USA and non-resident Ambassador to Mexico and Venezuela. After serving for a while as Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he became Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in 1995, a position he continued to hold till he took on the role of Deputy Prime Minister in 2011. In 1999 he was given additional responsibilities as a member of the Council of Ministers and the committee that was preparing the Permanent Constitution of the State of Qatar. He has received several high-level visiting dignitaries, the latest one being the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Edita Tahiri, who thanked Al-Mahmoud for his instrumental role in the process that led to Qatar formally recognising Kosovo. The multitalented minister has coordinated economic summits in the MENA region on the one hand and advised the state on conflict resolution in Darfur and other boundary issues on the other.
Commander of the Interior Security Forces in 2004) . He has headed several committees in charge of securing major sporting events (including the Olympic Security Committee for organising the 2022 World Cup and Asiad Doha 2006) and important state properties in addition to extensive involvement in counter-terrorism activities. He was the head of the National Counter-Terrorism Committee and has represented Qatar at various conferences and seminars on the subject. Since taking up his new office, the Prime Minister is believed to be stressing the importance of directly monitoring the services provided to the public by all concerned ministries in order to immediately address and solve problems, according to an Arabic daily.
Sheikh Abdullah against terrorism
0I
Participated in drafting GCC Security and Counter - Terrorism Agreements.
02
Represented Qatar in New York at the International Conference on Public Security and Terrorism and the Protection and Preventive Security Programme.
03
Participated in the OIC Coordination Meeting on countering interntional terrorism.
04
Was among the team of experts from the Ministry of Interior who studied the international convention on terrorism.
05
Headed the Qatari delegation to the international conference on countering terrorism (Riyadh).
06
Headed the 79th Interpol General Assembly in Doha in 2010, where he announced that Qatar would donate $2 million towards establishing the Interpol Global Complex in Singapore. qatar today > august 2013 > 45
Jack of all trades he Dr Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah Foreign Minister
46 phd English law
His entry onto the political scene was late, which makes it unique. Till 2008 he was heading his own legal consultation and services firm, during which time he was also President of the National Human Rights Committee.
This high-flying minister, who served for eight years as a fighter pilot in the Qatar Emiri Air Force, never quite stopped learning. Having already graduated in aviation science from the King Faisal Air Academy, he went on to earn bachelor's and master's degrees in law (from Beirut Arab University and Cairo University) and as recently as 2006 completed a doctorate in English law. His entry onto the political scene was late, which makes it unique. Till 2008 he was heading his own legal consultation and services firm, during which time he was also President of the National Human Rights Committee. In 2008 he was appointed Minister of State for International Cooperation and was “responsible for representing Qatar in the global community by providing aid to international organisations and monitoring the international decision-making process�. Barely a year later, an additional role was added to his portfolio when an Emiri Decree announced as Acting Minister for Business and Trade. He has since then sat on the boards of various prestigious institutions – Qatar Electricity & Water Company, Qatar Exchange, Silatech, the Qatar Financial Centre Authority, the Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology, Qatari Diar and more. In 2011, he became Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. Having formed a close working relationship with his ministerial colleagues over the years, Dr Al Attiyah is said to have embraced his new role as Foreign Minister with gusto, holding face-to-face meetings with senior ministry officials and diplomats soon after the new cabinet was announced.
Building a city for us to love HE Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Khalifa bin Abdul Aziz Al Thani Minister of Municipality and Urban Planning
post graduate construction engineering management
A career braveheart
graduate financing sciences
HE Ali Shareef Al Emadi Minister of Finance
HE maj.-gen Hamad bin Ali Al Attiyah Minister of State for Defence Affairs
Major-General Hamad bin Ali Al Attiyah is a military man through and through and, true to that, very little is known about him. As Chief of Staff of the Qatar Armed Forces he commanded the 11,800 personnel who make up the Army, Emiri Air Force and Navy. Under the auspices of this peacetime war chief, Doha has hosted several prestigious international events like the International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference, a workshop on creating awareness of international conventions surrounding weapons of mass destruction, Milipol, etc. He also regularly meets chiefs of staff and defence officials from other countries, most recently Bulgarian Defence Minister Todor Tagarev, and coordinates cooperation with foreign militaries, like the long-standing one between Qatar and France. Most importantly, he is at the forefront of Qatari support for the uprisings in the region over the years and notably training people to secure both the borders and the oil fields in Libya.
An alumnus of Qatar University and George Washington University, Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Khalifa bin Abdul Aziz Al Thani began working in the Ministry of Municipality and Agriculture as a trainee engineer in 1993. He worked his way up to become Director of the Special Engineering Bureau before being appointed Minister of Municipality and Agriculture in 2006 and later, in on 2009, the Minister of Municipality and Urban Planning. It is under his direction that the ministry has been making efforts to extend the provision of electronic services to the public to achieve paperless electronic government in the State of Qatar. He has also been instrumental in getting the private sector and large corporations to participate in and sponsor government campaigns. For instance, Qatargas recently pitched in to help the ministry run an extensive nationwide three-year campaign aimed at addressing many of the negative practices that affect the beauty and cleanliness of streets and public places in the state.
The multimilliondollar man The man who increased Qatar National Bank’s assets by more than $100 billion during his tenure, according to Bloomberg, turning it into one of the biggest lenders in the Middle East, has been given the exciting and challenging finance portfolio. Ali Shareef Al Emadi received his bachelor's degree in financing sciences from Arizona University and started his professional career at the Banking Control Department of Qatar Central Bank before joining QNB in 1998, holding various roles in the Credit Department and Risk Department before eventually progressing to the post of Group Chief Executive Officer. He has already created a legacy in the form of QNB’s staggering growth, fuelled by its expansion into 25 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Europe. In one of his earliest meetings with his ministerial colleagues, Al Emadi stressed the importance of productivity and coordination to avoid duplication of work, according to an English daily. He told his colleagues in no uncertain terms that he was there to carry out the directives of the Emir, particularly about his emphasis on raising employees’ productivity and performance. He is said to have been meeting senior officials of the Finance Ministry and discussing with them how best employees’ efficiency can be improved. Al Emadi is also on the board of several regional banks and institutions including QNB, Qatar Telecom, the National Telecommunications Administration, the Union of Arab Banks, the Qatar Assistive Technology Centre, Lycee Voltaire, the Emerging Markets Advisory Council and more. qatar today > august 2013 > 47
Holding the key to Qatar’s growth he Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada Minister of Energy and Industry
phd University of manchester
He sits on the boards of some of the biggest energy companies in the country, including RasGas, Qatar International Petroleum Marketing Company, Qatar Petroleum International, Qatar Liquefied Gas Company and, more.
Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada remains in charge of one of the most important portfolios in the state, a position that has been his since 2011. Prior to this, he was Managing Director at RasGas, a position he gave up to take over as Minister of State for Energy and Industry Affairs in April 2007. Dr Al Sada, who has a bachelor’s degree in oceanography and geology from Qatar University and a PhD from Manchester University, brings with him a wealth of experience in the sector. He spent over three decades with Qatar Petroleum, which he joined in 1983, rising to the position of Technical Director, working on major oil and gas and related infrastructure projects. He also sits on the boards of some of the biggest energy and infrastructure companies in the country, including Qatar Chemical Company, RasGas Company Limited, Qatar International Petroleum Marketing Company, Qatar Petroleum International, Qatar Liquefied Gas Company, Qatar Metals Coating Company and Qatar Steel Company. The minister is also partial to community and education-related projects and is on various committees and councils including the Qatar Permanent Constitution Drafting Committee, the Supreme Education Council, the Qatar University Council and the National Human Rights Committee. So it's business as usual for the minister and he recently participated in talks with Maltese Minister of Energy and Water Conservation Konrad Mizzi, who was visiting Doha, on ways of enhancing cooperation in the energy sector.
Understanding the Islamic way of life he Dr Ghaith bin Mubarak bin Imran Al Kuwari Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs
44 graduate islamic sharia
The decorated wordsmith he Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage
phd political sciences
Dr Al Kuwari has said intellectual creativity generates keenness to preserve and encourage human beings’ right to have access to information and knowledge as fundamental, and called on all concerned parties to join hands to serve knowledge and culture without fear.
Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari has spent much of his life soaking up world cultures. The returning minister has a bachelor’s degree in Arabic and Islamic studies from Cairo University and a master’s degree in political philosophy from the Sorbonne, France. He eventually also completed his PhD in political sciences from New York University. Proficient in French and English, Dr Al Kuwari spent his early years in the diplomatic corps, stationed in Syria, France, and the USA in addition to being the non-resident Ambassador to Argentina, Canada, Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela. He was Qatar’s representative at the United Nations and the country’s delegate to UNESCO between 1970 and 1984. Over the years he has championed various important social movements worldwide – he was elected Deputy Head of the Apartheid Liquidation Committee and co-founded the Doha Centre for Media Freedom. He has authored books like Dialectics of Conflicts and Settlements, The Deficient Knowledge and has also written political, social and cultural essays in several Arab journals. He has been presented with Badges of Honour by France, Italy, Spain, Syria and Jordan and has been decorated with medals from the Queen of Holland and the Republic of Poland. He was appointed Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage in 2008 when the ministry was established, and continues to hold the portfolio. The ministry is currently in the process of restructuring, with several affiliations (Qatar Museums Authority and Katara are rumoured to be among them) and re-affiliations to be announced soon.
Dr Ghaith bin Mubarak bin Imran Al Kuwari, with his extensive knowledge of the macrophilosophies and micro-nuances of Islam, has been working at the Ministry of Awqaf (Endowments) and Islamic Affairs since 1996. He studied Islamic Sharia in the UAE at the Islamic and Arabic Studies Institute and joined the ministry right after graduation as Head of the Dawa and Guidance Section. Even as he was steadily climbing the ladder at the ministry, becoming Director of Dawa in 2006 and Director of Planning and Follow-up in 2008, he continued to further his knowledge by doing postgraduate studies in Islamic Sciences and a PhD in Literature, specialising in Islamic studies, in Morocco. He was appointed Minister in 2010 and continues to hold this post in the new government. He has represented the ministry on the National Human Rights Committee and represented the nation at the Conference of Ministers of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs. He is also a member of the Council of Trustees of the British Muslim Heritage Centre, Manchester City and is the voice of the ministry there.
"The mosque as an institution, throughout the history of Muslims, has been preserving the Islamic identity and the spiritual and moral values, realising the spiritual security of the Muslim nation."
qatar today > august 2013 > 49
Caring for the country’s wellbeing HE Abdullah bin Khalid Al Qahtani Minister of Public Health
Appointed Minister of Public Health in 2009, Al Qahtani had taken almost a tangential route to his current position.
post graduate accounting
The healthcare scene in Qatar is undergoing some radical changes, many of which we discussed in detail in our last issue. Abdullah bin Khalid Al Qahtani, the man spearheading the National Health Strategy, which has its goals clearly laid out, has been doing a spectacular job so far and it only makes sense to leave him to it. The minister is a numbers man who studied economics and went on to specialise in accounting, receiving his MA in Accounting from the American University (Washington DC) in 1998. Appointed Minister of Public Health in 2009, Al Qahtani had taken almost a tangential route to his current position. Previously he was Undersecretary of the Minister of Business and Trade, Director-General of the committee organising the Asian Games, and Chief Financial Controller at QNB. Not only has the minister taken like a duck to water to his new portfolio, he is also putting his diverse expertise to good use by chairing several committees and boards like Al Meera, Qatar Sports Investment Company, Hassad Food, the Protection of Competition Comittee, the Chartered Accountants Committee, the Central Bank of Qatar, the National Health Authority, Qatar Marine Festival and the Supreme Council of Economic Affairs and Investment.
Crime and Punishment, Justice and Equality he Dr Hassan bin Lahdan saqr Al Mohannadi Minister of Justice
46 phd Law
post graduate integral management of petroleum projects
The equalising laws of the playground
HE Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani Minister of Economy and Trade
In the habit of fuelling growth Before taking over stewardship of the Ministry of Economy and Trade, Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, was Director-General of the Al Jazeera Network. With a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering and a master’s degree in the integral management of petroleum projects, many an eyebrow was raised when he took over the reins at Al Jazeera. Would a petroleum man, with no media background, be able to successfully run one of the most prolific and respected media empires in the world today? It is a sign of how well the network was managed under him that when he was called upon to take up his ministerial role, in the middle of preparations for Al Jazeera America’s big launch, not an eyelid was batted and things continued on track like a well-oiled machine. Prior to his stint with AJN he was among the top management team at Qatargas. He is widely credited with many operational innovations that brought the company to the forefront of LNG exporters. He chairs the technical committee at the Gas Processing Centre (research centre) and is a member of the Industrial Consultative Council in the Faculty of Engineering at Qatar University.
A PhD scholar in law from Southhampton University, Dr Hassan bin Lahdan Saqr Al Mohannadi served as a judge in the Courts of Qatar till 1998. He supervised the formation of the Legislation Department at the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers and was seconded as Director of this department between 2001 and 2005. Before his appointment to the post of Minister of Justice, Dr Al Mohannadi was Director of Legal Affairs at the Emiri Diwan. On his first visit to the Centre for Legal and Judicial Studies as minister, he stressed the importance of providing training for Qatari professionals to prepare them to handle their assignments and tasks. And he has already plunged into action: one of his first tasks as head of the ministry involves directing his team to work, as a priority, on developing the real estate registration and authentication systems through a sophisticated electronic portal.
HE salah bin ghanem al ali Minister of Youth and Sports
47 graduate engineering administration
Considering how seriously Qatar takes its sports, and with the whole country’s energy now devoted to preparations for the World Cup 2022, this new ministry has been long overdue. Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali received his bachelor’s certificate in engineering administration from the Pacific University in 1992 and began his career in the Ministry of Municipality and Agriculture, where he worked as Head of the Budget Department. He was then appointed Deputy Director of the Audit Bureau in 1998, where he was eventually promoted to the position of Chairman in 2006. During his tenure he focused on developing the public image of the bureau and preparing strategic plans that adopted the vision of assisting the state to enhance wise governance in all acts related to public money. When Qatar signed the UN Convention Against Corruption in 2007, Al Ali was appointed to the National Committee for Integrity and Transparency in his capacity as Chairman of the Audit Bureau. Between then and his appointment to the Ministry of Youth and Sports, he has chaired the committee on Qatar National Day Celebrations, served as a consultant in the Office of His Highness the Crown Prince, contributed to the launch of Al Rayyan Satellite Channel and been General Manager of the Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammad bin Thani Social Welfare Foundation. The minister is very likely busy with the restructuring of his ministry, with discussions going on to transfer two key departments under the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage, namely the Departments of Youth Centres and Youth Activities, to the newly-created ministry; preparing for a move to new headquarters in Al Dafna; and making new appointments to the ministry.
qatar today > august 2013 > 51
To hear the voice of every citizen he Dr Issa bin Saad Al Jafali Al Nuaimi, Minister of Administrative Development
phd Law
He was appointed to the highest post of SecretaryGeneral of the Council of Ministers and Chairman of the Permanent Committee for Legislative Affairs in 2010. Dr Issa bin Saad Al Jafali Al Nauimi studied law in his graduate and post-graduate years and as a doctoral candidate at various universities in the Middle East. He started government service almost two decades ago in the Ministry of Interior Affairs, after which he worked in the Prime Minister’s office till 2004. He served as Director of the Legislation Department at the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers till 2007 and was then elevated to the post of Assistant General Secretary. He was eventually appointed to the highest post of Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers and Chairman of the Permanent Committee for Legislative Affairs in 2010.
Ensuring a safe, clean future HE Ahmed Amer Mohammed Al Hamidi Minister of Environment
Carving out a niche for Qatar in cyberspace phd economics
he Dr Abdullah bin Saleh Mubarak Al Khulaifi Minister of Labour and Social Affairs
A civil servant with an academician’s heart Dr Abdullah bin Saleh Al Khulaifi earned a doctorate in economics from Southern Illinois University for his thesis entitled “Demand for Money in the State of Qatar”. The Minister served as Secretary-General for Economic Affairs in the GCC Council between 1996 and 1998, after which he was Chancellor of Qatar University for five years. He is known for his research work in the fields of financing, cash, banking work and economics and continues to be very much the academician. He is still a member of the Executive Bureau of the International Association of Universities and holds the Gulf Cooperation Council Medal for Scientific Contributions and Achievements, France’s Palmes Academiques Award, and Qatar’s Volunteer of the Year Award for his scientific achievements. The new minister in charge of conserving and nurturing the environment kick-started his term in office by announcing the launch of a new e-service for waste transfer which allows companies and individuals to apply for the transfer of different types of waste by filling in a form on the Ministry’s website. He has also been keeping busy with several visits to environmental sites in the country – like the Al Khor farms compound and the mobile crushers site at Umm Al Afai. He has shared some of the ministry's plans, saying that the ministry is in the development phase for improving services to farms. He also expressed a keen interest in upgrading the Biotechnology Centre and its potential to develop modern techniques to be used in the environment and agriculture sectors; it was one of his first visits as minister.
he Dr Hessa Sultan Al Jaber Minister of Communication and Information Technology
54 phd computer science
Even before the creation of this new ministry, Dr Hessa Sultan Al Jaber had been effectively overseeing and regulating the country’s ICT strategy since 2005 through her pioneering role at the Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology, where she was General-Secretary till the cabinet reshuffle this year. Only the third female cabinet member in the history of Qatar, Dr Al Jaber holds a master’s degree and PhD in computer science from George Washington University. Passionate about ensuring that the benefits of technology reach all sectors and sections of society, she is widely credited with opening up and liberalising the telecommunications market, making Qatar one of the most highly networked countries in the world, and also with launching the online government portal, Hukoomi. She has been instrumental in initiating a host of national programmes that empower women and youth and that protect children online. Considered one of the most powerful women in the Arab world, Dr Al Jaber was IT adviser to Qtel and served as Chair of the Computer Science Department at Qatar University before joining the government. She currently serves as a commissioner on the WHO/ITU Commission on Information and Accountability for Women's and Children’s Health, and is a member of several boards including the Board of Regents of Qatar University, Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Journals, the Qatar Foundation National Research Strategy Forum, the Qatar Financial Markets Authority and the Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies and Development (GAID). qatar today > august 2013 > 53
A man with a vision
he Dr Saleh bin mohammed Al nabit Minister of Development and Planning Statistics
48 phd development economics
His long-term vision has helped the country with a clear direction on what it should to do to reach its goals by 2030. From traffic safety to restructuring the private industry, his influence can be felt everywhere.
Recipient of the Sheikh Hamad Bin Abdulla Al Thani prize for top Qatari student as far back as 1988, Dr Saleh bin Mohammed Al Nabit has always been among the sharpest crayons in the box. After earning a bachelor’s degree in economics (with distinction) from Qatar University, where he was top of his class, he passed his master's (again with distinction) in business administration, did postgraduate studies in scientific research methodologies and a PhD in development economics at St Louis University (USA) and Bradford University (United Kingdom) respectively, and went on to become an accomplished academician, teaching at both these universities between 1995 and 2011. In 2001 Dr Saleh started working at the General Secretariat for Development Planning (GSDP), serving as Acting Director of the Department of Economic Development. It was during his stint as Director of the Department of Institutional Development, post-2008, that he started working closely with former Secretary-General of the GSDP HE Dr Ibrahim Ibrahim, contributing in a big way to the development of the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy (NDS) 2011-2016, coordinating between the GSDP and ministries and other agencies. His long-term vision has helped the country with a clear direction on what it should to do to reach its goals by 2030. He has also worked extensively in development projects and strategies in the larger GCC region as a board member of the Arab Planning Institute, representative of Qatar on the committee of GCC Directors of Planning and Development, and member of the committee for the Implementation of the Overall Development Strategy of GCC Countries. From traffic safety to restructuring the private industry, the man’s influence can be felt everywhere.
Paving the road for development he Jassim Seif Ahmed Al Sulaiti Minister of Transport
Moulding a new generation he Dr mohammed abdul wahed al hammadi Minister of Education and Higher Education
Speaking at the iEARN conference almost immediately after his appointment, the new Minister of Education and Higher Education declared his desire to escalate education services through effecting the use of technology in the field of teaching, to save time, effort and protect the environment.
Dr. Mohammed Abdul Wahed Al Hammadi is expected to continue the work done by the Supreme Education Council in launching several programmes including e-learning, which provides technology services to teachers, students and parents, as well as channels promoting continuous communication between students and teachers in addition to free and safe e-mail access to be used in the educational process. He has held various positions at Qatar University from Research Assistant to Dean of the College of Engineering and sebsequently Dean of Qatar College of Technology. By the time he had wrapped up his academic career he had served as Director of Institutional Research and Planning and then Deputy Chancellor for Institutional Planning and Development. Before his nomination to the ministry, he had worked in the Risk and Planning Sector at Qatari Diar, where he also worked on institutional development. With a strong background in planning, Dr Al Hammadi is known for thoroughly researching a subject before drawing the road map, carefully selecting the alternatives and, above all, defining the package of strategic and tactical aims that need to be implemented.
QR510 billion ($140 billion) is reportedly being sunk into sprucing up transport infrastructure in preparation for the World Cup in 2022. In fact transport infrastructure dominates Qatar’s construction sector, according to a report by Deloitte, with four of the five biggest contracts awarded for major transport projects. Considering all this, the creation of the Ministry of Transport comes just in time. With Qatar speeding up its road development programme to ease congestion and putting its foot on the pedal of the Qatar Rail project, the new minister is expected to have his hands quite full. However his military training (he served in the Qatari Armed Forces as Staff Brigadier and Commander of Corps Maintenance) and his years of experience as Chairman and Managing Director of Mowasalat should stand him in good stead. He was appointed Deputy Chairman and Managing Director of Mowasalat after the formation of the company’s board in 2005. He was also a member of the General Infrastructure Services Coordination Committee formed by the Board of the Public Authority of Planning and Urban Development and the Public Works Authority; has served as Vice-President of the International Transport Association and chaired the Qatari-French Supreme Committee. qatar today > august 2013 > 55
business > bottomline
Local Hero to
Global Champion
56 > qatar today > august 2013
Brand Principles for organisations with international ambitions, as adopted by Wimbledon Champion Andy Murray By Iain Webster
S
omething unusual happened in July 2013. A British man won the Wimbledon (tennis) championship for the first time in 77 years. Success at the tournament relieved the British sporting public of arguably the biggest “monkey on its back”; rivalled only by the English football team’s inability over the past half-century to win the FIFA World Cup. Much has been written in the sporting press following Andy Murray’s success at Wimbledon. This article examines how Murray made the move from “local hero" to “global champion” and identifies nine brand principles for organisations with similar global ambitions. Have a clear, motivating and flexible vision You don’t become a global player overnight. It’s a goal you need to commit to many years in advance, involving steady progress on a year-by-year basis. Murray was firing balls over the net from age five. At 15 he moved away from the family home to join one of the world’s leading tennis academies and turned down an offer to develop a career in football. He could have satisfied himself with becoming the best in his local market, but that was not enough for him; he had a clear goal to become a world-class player a decade before global recognition followed. As he came closer to meeting his targets over time, his goals evolved. Build a world-class team An experienced team is equally vital in business and sport. It is not an easy path
The evolution of ‘Brand Murray’ Acerbic Scot
Top British Athlete
Moody, Monotone
Witty, Authentic
Fragile
Tough, Gritty
British Hope
The Real Deal
Unlucky Loser
Proven Winner
Local Hero
to make the move from local player to international player to global champion. In his early years Murray regularly “chopped and changed” his management team, which used to be led by his mother. Murray’s global success is widely accredited to his having invested in an experienced team, which includes Ivan Lendl, a coach with an unparalleled CV and a renowned celebrity agent, Simon Fuller. His team are able to use their experience to identify opportunities and provide reassurance, allowing Murray to focus on his own performance. Develop your brand story All the best brands have a story, a journey at their heart. Murray’s story arc reads like a Hollywood film: “Scrawny kid with attitude from a country starved of home success overcomes witnessing a horrific tragedy as a child, rejects the establishment, follows his own path and
Global Champion
moves overseas to hone his skills. Following initial success as a junior, he then becomes known for his fragility, losing when it matters most. He is widely misunderstood and creates controversy that make him a national pariah, then acquires a shadowy figure as a mentor before transforming into a world-class winner of gold medals and grand slams.” Such stories and journeys undoubtedly exist among Qatar’s local heroes. This is a country where leading local firms have been built thanks to charismatic founders, men (and women) of principle and vision. The opportunity for evolving the story telling of some of Qatar’s leading organisations is obvious and should be capitalised on. Developing or refining your brand story will strengthen emotional attachment and employee pride, contribute to organisational efficiencies and build credibility for your brand. qatar today > august 2013 > 57
business > bottomline
By Iain Webster Executive Director Qatar at Brand Union Middle East.
Be true to your values A brand’s country of origin tends to influence how it is are perceived and how it behaves. Murray is from Scotland, a country whose people are associated with hard work, a dry, self-depreciating sense of humour and a sense of “groundedness”. Murray has all of these qualities. Coming from a small town with a sense of community has undoubtedly helped Murray to “keep it real”. While global sponsorship opportunities with the likes of Adidas and Rado have come his way recently, he has displayed loyalty to long-term partners, like RBS, a brand whose recent decline has been as dramatic as Murray’s rise. It’s worthwhile staying true to your values; nobody stays on top for ever, and honouring your core values in profitable times may well end up helping you in more challenging times ahead. Cultivate a personality – avoid being bland In a world where we complain of personalities and products being bland and generic, Murray has always presented a rougher, less polished persona. He has always been true to himself, sometimes a little too true, and has carved a distinct positioning that has evolved from “moody, monosyllabic teenager” to “gritty, independent adult”. At a time when his peers’ brands extend to logos and entire product ranges (Federer and Nadal), Murray has managed to carve out his own unique position in his market that will continue to be refined under the direction of Fuller.
Brand Union Middle East has offices in Doha and Dubai and specialise in offering strategic brand consultancy services to local heroes who aspire to become global players; partnering with clients including QNB and Qatar Olympic Committee. Globally we work with clients like Bank of America, Reckitt Benckiser, GlaxoSmithKline and Shell. For enquiries please contact Iain Webster at iain.webster@ thebrandunion.com 58 > qatar today > august 2013
Have a point of view but don’t alienate key audiences Murray has always had a strong sense of his Scottish provenance; something that has alienated some British audiences in the past. He now firmly positions himself as being both “Scottish and British” and has enjoyed the passionate support of the Wimbledon crowd as a result. This more considered approach has expanded his audience and commercial opportunities. Invest in relevant causes Corporate social responsibility can be a great asset as long as it is supported by a strategy that ensures that all activities are aligned with brand’s core business or positioning. If CSR initiatives lack focus or are disparate, then there will be little benefit for the brand. Murray supports grassroots tennis and a cancer charity (his best friend
recently fought the disease). Murray’s personal connection to these causes makes his involvement highly credible. Use media intelligently Not all brands need to invest heavily in self-promotion or enjoy being in the public eye. Murray is a global player who would rather “walk his dogs” than participate in the international celebrity circuit. He does however recognise that people are interested in him, and is an active (and uncontroversial) contributor on Twitter. He also agreed to participate in a BBC documentary that revealed “the man behind the racket” on the eve of Wimbledon, introducing his public to an unassuming, witty and emotional personality; further endearing him to the public at exactly the time that he needed their support the most. It’s what you do, not what you say that really matters Fuller’s marketing skills are well documented and have played a large role in the repositioning of “Brand Murray”. As with any brand, however, it will be how Murray behaves and performs that will ultimately determine how he is perceived. Brands live natural lifecycles and can recover from short term knocks if they are well managed over the long term. A younger, less media-savvy Murray, was once teased by a journalist about his native Scotland’s non-participation at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, resulting in an acerbic response that he would support “anyone who was playing England” at the tournament. This spontaneous retort, meant as a joke, damaged his reputation/ brand with a section of his audience for several years. His subsequent actions and performances have however healed much of the reputational damage that his comment initially caused. Basic brand principles that help make the impossible possible Murray has evolved in recent years, enabling consumers from outside his home market to connect with him. This growing appeal has led some analysts to predict that his future earnings could exceed $50 million a year. If Qatar’s “local heroes” and “international players”adopt the above basic brand principles into their own brand strategies, we can look forward to witnessing some remarkable achievements that were once considered impossible in the years ahead. After all, who could have imagined a British man ever winning Wimbledon?
business > bottomline
Ways to
Improve
Your Work
Performance 30.7%
of MENA professionals spend more than five hours a day surfing the Internet just for fun.
62.2%
claim that they do receive recognition or praise at work.
77.9%
indicated that they read constantly and 69.6% indicated that they believe it is vital to career progress.
26.9%
believe that their poor worklife balance has jeopardised both their mental health and their happiness.
S
uccessful professionals are able to rise above the fray and be completely unique by delivering on new products, services, business models, operational constructs or just simply more productive, efficient and effective methods of finding solutions for old problems. Here are some tips from the career experts at Bayt.com on how to improve your productivity and general work performance: 1. Plan and prioritise Failing to plan is equal to planning to fail. Have an end goal in mind and organise a game-plan to get there. Create a daily schedule and stick to it. Be punctual and don’t postpone. Keep in mind the 80/20 rule as you choose how to approach your day: 20% of the work you do will determine 80% of the outcome. Determine what projects and tasks are critical or urgent and create the largest value and benefit to the
60 > qatar today > august 2013
Successful professionals create value.
64.8%
would even accept a pay cut to have more free time on their job.
business, and allocate your immediate efforts to those. Select what you can easily postpone and what you can delegate without hurting results. 2. Avoid distractions Focus is a key trait of productive professionals. Online and other distractions are a bane to productivity. In Bayt.com’s “Rest and Recreation Habits Among MENA Professionals” poll (January 2013), 30.7% of polled respondents said that they spend more than five hours a day surfing the Internet just for fun. Don’t get distracted by the nuances of the daily grind; stay mindful of the demands and progress of the task at hand; and don’t lose sight of your vision, mission and values along the way. Remember, sustainable success is rarely about revolutionary breakthroughs; it’s persistent effort that invariably leads to consistent progress and evolution.
3. Set interim milestones and reward yourself The road to your destination may be long and winding and the end goal may still be a few steps away, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying the journey. Set clear milestones for interim success and reward yourself with a self-congratulatory break at every deserved opportunity. Breaking a long project into mini-tasks with unique end goals and success metrics will keep your morale high and energy levels soaring. 62.2% of professionals in the region, as polled by Bayt.com, claim that they do receive recognition or praise at work but why rely solely on others? Make sure to tabulate your own progress and reward yourself too! 4. Read something new Try to allocate some time every day to read, refine skills and learn something new. With change happening at lightning speed, the quickest way to increase productivity, improve performance and maintain a competitive edge is to stay fully abreast of the latest tools, trends and technologies in your industry. 77.9% of respondents to a Bayt. com poll indicated they read constantly, and 69.6% indicated that that they believe reading is vital to career progress. 5. Ask questions What if I did this differently? What if there was a faster, easier, more effective way to achieve the same results? What if I changed my pitch/tone/content/brand or message? Whatever the question you ask yourself, you need to constantly challenge the status quo and enquire whether you are really working as productively as you possibly could. 6. Listen Whether your clients are internal or external, you need to listen to them regularly and often. You may be able to amplify your productivity substantially by better understanding actual consumer expectations and by learning to anticipate their needs. Listen
to your team, your stakeholders and your peers in the industry, too. 7. Take stock of your competitive space Observe what your competitors are up to, analyse what they are doing right - and not so right - and treat this as a key learning opportunity and valuable impetus to keep innovating and doing things better. 8. Give credit where it’s due All of us rely on the cooperation, input, feedback and buy-in of others to get our job done in the best way we can. To facilitate and magnify the kind of cooperation you need to truly succeed to the best of your abilities, it’s essential to give credit and show gratitude along the way. Make those who help you shine, and you will stand on the shoulders of giants.
bayt Bayt.com is the #1 job site in the Middle East, with more than 40,000 employers and over 12,200,000 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.
9. Stay healthy A recent poll conducted by Bayt.com reveals that professionals in the MENA region are keen on maintaining a healthy work-life balance. In fact 26.9% of polled professionals believe that their poor work-life balance has jeopardised both their mental health and their happiness, and a staggering 64.8% of them would even accept a pay cut to have more free time on their job. To sustain peak performance over the long term and avoid stress and burnout, you need to be physically and mentally healthy and have a good balance in your life. Eat well, sleep sufficiently and try to squeeze some exercise into your routine on a regular basis. 10. Put your heart into it Passion is one of the single most important drivers of success. If your heart and soul aren’t in what you are doing, you are likely not to be performing optimally. Do some soul-searching and find out what it will take to make you love what you do and perform to the very best of your abilities. Make sure your values are being reflected and respected in what you do, and that you see the meaning in it qatar today > august 2013 > 61
affairs > local > tag this development
Chasing the American Dream
62 > qatar today > august 2013
Al Jazeera America will start broadcasting from August 20. Is this audacious attempt to conquer a complicated new market doomed from the start? Ayswarya Murthy investigates.
development > tag this
N
othing certifies your legacy like when your name becomes part of the lexicon, in this case when it’s being used to describe an unrecorded political science/media phenomenon. Long before Philip Seib popularised the term through his 2008 book The Al Jazeera Effect: How the New Global Media are Reshaping World Politics (though in the book he talks about the internet-powered new media), Al Jazeera had transformed the way events were being covered in the Middle East, drowning out the propaganda and lopsided reporting of government-run channels to give a voice to the voiceless, fearlessly presenting all sides of the story and, in the process, ruffling quite a few important feathers. In the past few years, bankrolled by the powerful Qatari government, Al Jazeera has as much shaped the political landscape of the region as it has reported on it. It has undoubtedly had its share of controversies and accusations (of being a Qatari mouthpiece), but it is an undeniable fact that in less than two decades from its founding Al Jazeera has come to be widely regarded as an authoritative source of news not only in the Arab world but also in African regions that are largely ignored by the global media. How did it manage that? That is another story for another day. But will it be able to replicate this success, or even a fraction of it, in the United States? Now that’s a million-dollar question.
AJAM threw open its editorial meeting to the citizens of the social media when it hosted an "open editorial meeting" online, asking people about stories that have been largely missed by the national media that they would they like to see on the channel. The discussion brought to light a lot of subjects like the rapid growth of low-wage service jobs in the country, the student loan bubble, illegal immigration from the north etc. It remains to be seen what AJAM will do this information. 64 > qatar today > august 2013
A foot in the door Or a 500-million-dollar question, if reports by Forbes and the New York Times are to be believed. Though the details of the deal haven’t been disclosed, that is how much Al Jazeera is supposed to have paid to purchase the ailing Current TV, of which former US vice-president Al Gore owned a substantial share. It’s close to four times the amount the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani is said to have loaned to Al Jazeera in 1996 to tide it over its first five years of operations. Ex-Director General Ahmed bin Jassim Al Thani said the creation of the new US-based news channel was a historic development in Al Jazeera’s 16-year history. After years of unsuccessfully trying to penetrate the US market, where many cable and satellite carriers won’t even distribute Al Jazeera English (AJE), the network apparently decided to bulldoze its way in. Starting this August, the young Middle Eastern channel will go head to head against broadcasting goliaths like CNN, Fox News and MSNBC, albeit on a smaller scale (Al Jazeera America – AJAM – will be broadcast to 40 million households in contrast to the 100 million households that can tune into CNN, but that's still better than the measly 4.7 million viewers who currently have access to Al Jazeera English). It has already, as of June end, recruited over 650 full-time employees (out of 22,000 applicants) in its 12 bureaus, notably some star-billing journalists poached from competitor networks, like CNN’s Chief Business Correspondent Ali Velshi; several Emmy Award-winners including eight-time winner Josh Bernstein as the channel’s on-air investigative reporter; and ABC’s Kate O’Brian as Network President. A very good start indeed. But it’s just that – a mere start. Sure they are beaming directly into millions of homes but who is going to tune in? A much-needed fresh perspective The American media landscape is a quagmire of corporate-backed newsrooms with both explicit and subtle political leanings, where nothing is as it seems. According to Frugal Dad, the Big Six (Comcast, News Corp, Time Warner, Disney, Viacom and
CBS) control 70% of the content on cable and 90% of all media including newspapers and radio. Even the media watchdogs (and there are quite a handful) are biased in what kind of biases they choose to correct. For example, Media Matters for America monitors and analyses conservative misinformation, while Media Research Centre is its liberal-bashing counterpart. In this kind of environment, American audiences should understandably be wary of the news that they are being fed and eager for new perspectives. “When it comes to journalism, our view is the more the merrier,” says Steve Rendall, who is a Senior Analyst at FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting), a national media watchdog group. “Large US corporate media outlets with few exceptions fail to hold the powerful to account. They are far more likely to side with corporate and governmental elites than to tell truth to power.” June Cross, Associate Professor at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, feels the single-biggest edge that AJAM has over other, established, channels is that it is not owned by an American corporation. “US audiences need to see reporters questioning authority of any kind and/ or questioning the status quo ante – whether that be the standard narrative the rest of the media have fallen into or the narrative laid down by the present administration,” she says. Many pressing issues concerning the powerless, the poor and the homeless have slipped through the cracks in coverage in the States, according to Rendall. “They just are not on the corporate agenda served by US media. To the extent that Al Jazeera or any other outlet bucks this trend will be providing a public service that Americans sorely need,” he says. Also, AJAM’s promise that investigative journalism, carried out by its 16-member team, will be its core focus is bound to pique the interest of the American public. “Investigative journalism is expensive. Most don’t bother with it because it isn’t value for money,” Hugh Miles, author of the book Al Jazeera: How Arab TV News Challenged
the World, points out. “Al Jazeera has the capacity to fill this void. It has deep pockets and is not subject to self-censorship, unlike the local channels, which operate with a lot of baggage.” “The other huge gap that I can see that AJAM could fill,” Cross continues, “is the non-existent coverage of international news.” Philip Seib, Professor of Journalism and Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern California, concurs. “Most American channels do a poor job with the breadth of international coverage.” This is where AJAM can shine. With over 70 bureaus around the world, the channel is poised to cater for this in full measure (and it has proven to do a good job of it too, considering the award-winning reportage at AJE). So prima facie, everything seems to be wonderfully peachy. The supply-demand economics have been studied and there is a dire need, apparently, for the exact kind of product that AJ is best at delivering - bold and fearless journalism with depth and range. So all they need to do is satisfy this demand. Will AJAM stand its ground? While Cross was pointing out the areas where AJAM could step in and up the ante, she also included a big rider: “If it has the courage to ignore the tyranny of the cable news marketplace.” Will it? Can it? AJAM’s interim CEO Ehab Al Shihabi has promised repeatedly since the announcement of the launch that the channel will deliver what research has shown that over 40 million Americans want – “in-depth informative journalism” – by sticking to hard news and investigative journalism. MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell recently debunked the implications of the statement. Speaking at the Aspen Ideas Festival on "What is the future of TV news", he said: “I think if you did a survey of the 300 million Americans, somewhere close to 50 million of them would tell you that they would like to read the complete works of Shakespeare. They won’t, even if I put every single page on their desks in front of them.” He goes on to say that “in-depth TV
“There is definitely a minority-demand for Al Jazeera English in the States. Many watch it online.” Hugh Miles Author and journalist based in Egypt and UK
According to a press release from the network, almost 40% of all online viewing of AJE comes from the United States.
qatar today > august 2013 > 65
development > tag this
Online Chatter from Al Jazeera America's Facebook page Very excited for the launch. Please continue your serious, unbiased reporting here in America. We NEED a true news outlet without a left or right agenda! One day I would have cheered this but since the uprising in Libya Al Jazeera has become a mouthpiece for the Qatar government in its coverage of the Middle East and critical global affairs in general and, deservedly, has lost the respect of much of its Middle East audience. We’re seeing a lot of CNN folks moving over to your house. For those of us who love Al Jazeera and regard it as the only objective news source, this is a red flag. Please don’t allow Al Jazeera to become another CNN. Please do not sensationalise, analyse, have round tables or otherwise. Just report the news objectively as you do best. The American model ought not be yours. The term "Breaking News" has become a joke. Make it mean something on Al Jazeera. I hope that the new channel will be news and not constant editorial content. The American media including CNN have forgotten what news is. Will Al Jazeera America be dumbing down its content in order to appeal to American audiences? I really don't want this to be another fox.
66 > qatar today > august 2013
"US audiences need to see reporters questioning authority of any kind and/ or questioning the status quo ante." June Cross Associate Professor, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
news” is definitely out there, but doesn’t have too many takers. “This 50 million is unaccountable... They’ll sneak out to the ballet or bowling or all sorts of other things when you offer them this time-specific, in-depth news that they won’t watch.” Although O’Donnell is from the rival camp, he can’t be completely discounted. Journalistic ethics and high-minded intentions are all very well, but will AJAM stick to its guns when its success is measured not in terms of the number of awards it wins but by the ratings it manages to get? “That is cause enough for all to be concerned. Because ratings have little regard for quality journalism. Entertainment and celebrity drive ratings in this country, not hard-hitting reporting,” Cross says. And while there is a section of the audience that wants more international news, “it’s probably a small, elite one,” according to Seib. Is this why AJAM’s initial plans to share a significant portion of AJE’s programming was scrapped in favour of 100% completely original programming? “AJE has some high-quality programming, for sure, but I
doubt if it’ll match the taste of the average American viewer,” Miles says. Qatar Today got no response from the head honchos at AJAM’s headquarters in New York to this query. Like many channels in the past and no doubt many in the future, AJAM not only has to fight the temptation to pander to the lowest common denominator; it also has to deal with the skewed perception people have of it in the States. Miles mentions how Al Jazeera’s reputation is much better in Europe than in America. “The Americans definitely would be much more prejudiced and paranoid about the new channel, what with the rampant Islamophobia on the ground and a long history of government blackening the channel’s name,” he says. Will AJAM will able to deliver on the agenda that it promises without coming across as “anti-American” to its viewers (and, more importantly, to advertisers and cable carriers)? As Rendall points out, “advertisers are notoriously skittish and averse to upsetting the powers that be. I think this could be a major sticking point for AJ America. If Al Jazeera is going to depend on advertising revenues, it will be hard to avoid corporate influence.” And this will certainly spell taking the appeasement route. So will it opt to water down its style to something more vanilla, thus losing its identity and purpose? This is the debate that has been raging for a while now, long before the channel has even gone on air. And within Al Jazeera Network itself, the cracks are showing. Marwan Bishara, Senior Political Analyst at AJN and host of the discussion programme Empire, wrote an e-mail to the top management of AJAM accusing them, particularly Al Shihabi, of “acting out of political ambition”. The scathing 1,600-word letter stated that “some terrible decisions have been taken” including “signing a deal where AJAM content/programmes must be substantially different from AJE”, keeping out of the loop those at AJN who know America best and, in the process, “short-changing AJN and Doha”. He warns the decision-makers (while pointing out that there is no clarity on who exactly they are) that if they are leveraging Al Jazeera’s brand and credibility only to deliver weak content in an
Both the audience and the channel have much ill-feeling to put behind them. Americans still hold a grudge against the channel for giving Osama bin Laden airtime (among other things), while Al Jazeera won’t forget in a hurry how its offices in Kabul and Baghdad were hit by American missiles, giving rise to speculation that the military was targeting the network. attempt “to appease those who won’t [be], or don’t necessarily want to be, appeased” then they will fail America and “it will be ever more difficult to salvage a tarnished image and compromised credibility”. He raises some shocking questions, like whether contractual obligations could mean the banning of AJE altogether from America. He also talks about “a high degree of intimidation and pressure, in addition to a lack of consultation” and is particularly angry about how there was “no discussion about the identity and culture of the new channel”. All in all, it sounds like AJAM is gearing up to do exactly what it isn’t supposed to do (see comments in the "Online Chatter" box). AJAM officials, while responding to Bishara's comments to the Guardian, have claimed that Bishara is not part of the launch team and thus isn’t privy to the inner workings and editorial direction of the channel, assuring readers that “the Jazeera brand is central to what we are doing”. If indeed they end up being slammed as “anti-American”, at least they’ll not be
alone. Cross says: “I think this country has become so segmented politically and ideologically that there will always be those who perceive any questioning as “anti-American”. Thus this “American channel for Americans” must, regardless of how they think they are perceived by their viewers, maintain its independent spirit and play to its strength, “which means solid, in-depth reporting of stories that their competitors miss,” according to Seib. “For many US media and politicians from the right to the near-left, Al Jazeera will be portrayed as anti-American no matter what; American xenophobia will ensure that. Hard-hitting investigative journalism that challenges power will exacerbate this,” says Rendall, reminding the channel that it's only rough sailing henceforth if it plans to remain true to its course. “Al Jazeera should expect to get the same sort of anti-America-baiting that the independent left American media get, but with added venom because AJN is foreign-based, and, ‘worse’, based in the Arab/Muslim world.” “Everything is political” Of course, no channel can be completely free of bias, and at the other end of the spectrum are people who worry that AJAM might try to influence American audiences regarding events in the Middle East, particularly when it comes to the prerogatives of the Qatari leadership. “Sure, they seem neutral now, but wait till there’s another war in the Middle East. Then we’ll see – everything is political,” says Miles wryly. For AJAM it’s a delicate balancing act. While it must keep its editorial decisions independent of Doha, it should not be pressured or intimidated into severing ties completely with AJN and its journalistic identity, or it may end up becoming another also-ran and lost among the CNNs, MSNBCs and Foxes of the country. Everyone knows that running a channel isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon, but the editorial direction it takes during these initial stages will reveal the answer to a fundamental question: What is Al Jazeera America really in it for? Money? Prestige? Popular appeal? Or just the truth?
"AJAM must play to its strength – solid, in-depth reporting of stories that their competitors miss." Philip Seib Professor of Journalism and Public Diplomacy University of Southern California
qatar today > august 2013 > 67
development > tag this
the best
laid plans By Ayswarya Murthy
qatar today talks to the three winners of Al Fikra Business Plan Competition (two start-ups and one potential business) about their experiences, motivations and dreams.
I
nitiated back in 2011, Enterprise Qatar’s Al Fikra Business Plan Competition sought “to encourage entrepreneurship amongst young people, and to help foster an entrepreneurship culture in Qatar”. Each year, the competition has been drawing more and more participants across various age groups and nationalities with a wide range of business ideas in addition to established start-ups. This year the competition attracted 127 business ideas, 69 of which were converted into business plans and shortlisted for evaluation, in both the professional and the student categories. A few weeks, several business plan writing and financial statement analysis workshops and two
68 > qatar today > august 2013
entrepreneurship workshops later, the participants were asked to pitch their business ideas to the panel of judges, who then selected three winners from each of the categories. It is interesting to note that all three of the professional category winners were technology-based businesses. In fact, Enterprise Qatar says that 39% of the semi-finalists had ideas and businesses that centered around technology. In line with the aim “to build social and professional skills amongst the participants through the types of workshops and activities offered throughout the course of the competition and teach the participants how to develop professional business plans”, all
winners are eligible to receive Enterprise Qatar’s Managerial and Technical Advisory Services (MTAS) at highly subsidised rates, in addition to the prize money. “We work very closely with start-up and growth entrepreneurs, and have found that while red tape is a challenge (we are in contact with the relevant ministries over the issue of red tape), for many people looking to start a company the biggest obstacles are financing and developing the skills needed to run a company,” according to Enterprise Qatar.
Semi-finalists breakdown by sector
5
%
5%
9%
Food and Beverage
38%
Health
Technology
Services
5%
Manufacturing
When cash goes electronic
B
rushing aside apologies for making him wait, Nebil Ben Aissa says “I never ‘wait’. I am always on my laptop, working.” When he started QPay Corporation 18 months ago, he realised his company was poised in that precarious juncture between finance and technology – the Qatari government handles the former with kid gloves and the latter with relative indifference. “An idea like PayPal could have never been born in this region. The government is careful to the extent of paranoia about money and requires you to get many specific licences. That makes it harder for the financial industry here to be innovative, even if it requires just importing an idea from overseas, because making it fit within the government framework is not easy.” After spending almost 20 years working in the technology sector in Chicago, building several companies including EPay (which he then sold for close to $50 million), Aissa has had to rethink his strategy in Qatar. “In the US, you are innocent until you are proven guilty,” he laughs. And yet the opportunity he saw in the region was real and difficult to ignore. “It’s viable only for large banks to maintain their own electronic payment processing servers and systems, so a lot of small to mid-sized banks tend to outsource this. I knew Qatar wasn’t big enough a market for us; however the idea was to start up here and then export our services to other GCC countries,” he says. With e-payment becoming widely popular and hard cash disappearing fast even from microtransactions, Aissa was eager to step in to fill the void. But tech firms don’t have it particularly easy in Qatar (and he maintains QPay is one, despite Qatar Science and Technology Park refusing to let him set up in their premises, telling him QPay “wasn’t tech enough”). “A tech
I9%
Education
5
%
Art and Entertainment
eco-system like Internet City or Silicon Oasis doesn’t exist in Qatar, and that’s one of the reasons why I participated in Al Fikra, to be able to meet and connect with other tech entrepreneurs here. “Lenders here are very conservative and don’t really understand service. Loans are easy enough to come by when your products are tangible, but if they are not, then be ready to fund your business from your own pocket,” he says. For someone who has helped raise funds for several small tech
I4%
Training and Development
QPay Technology, Payment Processing Since November 2011 Annual turnover: "That's like asking how much money your baby makes." Nebil Ben Aissa
qatar today > august 2013 > 69
development > tag this companies through the venture capital firm he founded, such an environment is sure to be a damper. But still, he is quite happy with his progress and upbeat about the future. “We are still in the early stages and already have several small and mid-sized banks, financial institutions and exchange houses among our clients (who we can’t name due to security reasons). We are still in the process of gaining traction and introducing new products and services,” he says. Currently their services include prepaid card solutions for financial institutions, card fraud management and chargeback services, travel cards, internet shopping cards, e-commerce solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises, mobile payment via iPhone, Android, smart mobile phones and tablets, online bill pay, and more. “Eventually I see QPay operating along the lines of FIS and FDC, who currently service some of the biggest banks in the world.”
Helping kids fall in love with Arabic
I
t was the plight of her young son struggling with his Arabic homework and moaning that he hated the language that put this computer engineering graduate on her current entrepreneurial path. “I had spent several years in the US and Canada before moving to Doha,
eduTechnoz Technology, Education Since late 2011 Childhood dream: "I had two choices – either become an astronaut or change the world! I decided at 15 that changing the world was easier. My master plan was always to start from the foundation: children and early childhood education." Diana Al Dajani
70 > qatar today > august 2013
and my husband grew up in the States and doesn’t speak Arabic fluently. This made me super-conscious of the fact that my children could actually lose this language. And I love Arabic and appreciate it as a reflection of our identity and culture,” Diana Al Dajani says. But her efforts to get her children to learn and like Arabic kept hitting a dead end till she discovered they learned faster, and voluntarily, through educational games. “I looked online for such games in Arabic and couldn’t find any. Therefore, I programmed a game for him to help identify the letters. Soon my friends wanted to use it to teach their kids too, and the feedback was very encouraging,” she remembers. Taking courage from a book called How to Think Like a CEO, and on the strength of her 10year experience with online business development, Al Dajani took the plunge and launched the beta version of her site in late 2011. She still remembers that day: “I was in Canada for summer vacation, still vacillating on whether the business would work out or not. However, at 3 am (9 hours from when I needed to leave to the airport to go back to Qatar) I made a decision to register the company. I compiled all the necessary papers and went to the bank the very next morning to open a business account. Then I went back home, packed and headed back to Qatar.” Now, with the help of five outsourced
employees and several interns in Doha, who work on developing web applications, game platforms, game design, a user guide, marketing and sales, she is taking the fight to the battlefield – schools. “We started the process by addressing and further understanding the teachers’ needs. Throughout the years we have conducted multiple focus groups and developed applications based on what we learnt,” she says. At first, she wasn’t going to apply for Al Fikra. “I thought my business was still at the very initial stages of my journey, and a lot of the questions had not yet been answered. However, when I realised that the competition was open to all and designed to
help entrepreneurs such as myself with the process, I seized the opportunity and am very glad I did. It opened another door with MITEF (MIT Enterprise Forum), where I received a special award for the Best Female Entrepreneur in 2013. With her award money from Al Fikra being set aside for product development and marketing, Al Dajani hopes she’ll be able to partner with the Supreme Education Council soon. “As for the five-year plan, I would love to see eduTechnoz further penetrate the GCC market and MENA region. Our ultimate goal is to become the preferred platform for learning Arabic.”
RAWE Technology, Arts and Entertainment Yet to be launched
The friendly neighbourhood animation studio Before there was a business plan and before there was the germ of an idea to start an animation development studio, the young men behind RAWE had one thing in common: a fierce pride in their culture. “Even when we were at school we felt that our culture is an undiscovered treasure, and what is known is just the crust. Yet it was very evident how misunderstood our culture was and how misinformed the world was,” says Abdulrahman Al Ishaq, who is an architect by profession and amateur film-maker by choice. What better way to bridge cultures than through art and entertainment? is the thought that brought him, Dr Jassim Al Abullah, Ahmed Al Farsi and Khalid Al Ishaq together to conceptualise RAWE, which employs a unique method of production. They invite talented young professionals and companies to audition for roles in the team on a project-to-project basis. “While we reduce risk and labour costs by collaborating with talent, we also aim to make our projects a fun learning experience for all participants where they can exchange their thoughts, skills and ideas,” he says. Though the four of them are professionals in different fields with “shallow knowledge of business planning, finance and entrepreneurship”, Al Ishaq says their participation in Al Fikra has won them credibility and confidence. With renewed determination, the team is hoping to launch the business very soon with a “clear vision of where we want to be in the future (viz. an industry leader in our niche market with an internationally renowned studio name), working our way backwards”.
qatar today > august 2013 > 71
development > tag this
Regenerating the City Centre 72 > qatar today > august 2013
Msheireb Downtown is getting a fresh breath of design articulation with John McAslan + Partners putting their architectural sensibilities to work. By Sindhu Nair
W
ith the whole Msheireb Downtown Doha construction site cordoned off, journalists will tend to sniff around for more attention-grabbing news. Which is exactly what I had set out for, as I sat down to chat with John McAslan from John McAslan + Partners, one of the leading UK architects steering 15 major projects within the Msheireb Downtown Doha redevelopment. These projects include the new Cultural Forum, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, a mosque, a school and four new museum spaces. John McAslan’s work has been widely recognised internationally, and his most recent work is the award-winning redevelopment of King’s Cross Station in London. In some ways, McAslan’s King’s Cross project and the Msheireb Downtown project are similar: Msheireb is being touted as the first sustainable regeneration project designed to revive and preserve the historical heart of Doha, while King’s Cross is among Europe’s most ambitious infrastructure projects, having involved far more than just the restoration and modernisation of Lewis Cubitt’s original double-barrelled train shed of 1852. But then McAslan informs me that one third of the firm’s projects (many of them international) concentrate on working within a historical context. “Like the project in Doha, much of our work involves historic buildings, and many of them encompassing both restoration and adaptive re-use,” he says. The firm has been involved in the extension of the Delhi Metro system, ur-
John McAslan from John McAslan + Partners
ban design of the public realm around Tate Millbank, Bond Street Station for CrossrailCross, and some projects in Russia. More about King’s Cross King’s Cross is London’s most important railway terminus. It handles about 100 million passengers a year combined with the adjacent St Pancras. “Both St Pancras and King’s Cross were originally built in the 1850s and 1860s as terminus stations for London. St Pancras was renovated in 2007 and became the home of
the Channel Tunnel rail links. King’s Cross is the national rail hub and it connects Scotland and the North of England with London. The station also supports suburban rail connections and our scheme has improved links with London Underground, buses and taxis. It is now a mult-modal hub for the 21st century needs,” he says. By mid-20th century, the station's original grandeur declined, the aura of order gradually frayed, and the King’s Cross area became one of London’s apparently intractable socio-urban messes, an ill-coordinatqatar today > august 2013 > 73
development > tag this Offbeat
“In London there are five or six major museum projects under construction and many more being planned, while in Qatar there are 50 museum projects being planned. This shows the dynamics of the country’s ambitions.”
“London had close to 3,000 cranes during the height of its construction phase from 2010 to 2012, and it would be interesting to know how many cranes are being used in this small country at the moment and later on when the construction intensifies for the World Cup 2022.”
McAslan are very interested to take on infrastructure projects in India and have submitted proposals for major railway projects there. McAslan Partners were invited by Indian Railways to send proposals for the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. The project is to be funded by a public-private partnership and will undergo a massive transformation with facilities like underground parking, better passenger amenities, food plazas and separate terminals for arrivals and departures, among other things.
John McAslan + Partners also designed ten stations for Delhi Metro. McAslan calls it an “extraordinary project that was also a low-cost and efficient. Fifty years of planning and construction, and after all this the Delhi Metro can be called a triumph in the transportation sector. It was challenging because it required us to work in ways we were not used to. It changed the way we work, challenging our approach to station design.“
74 > qatar today > august 2013
ed and ugly tangle of road traffic and trains, according to Edwin Heathcote, design critic at the Financial Times. “By 1998, the existing station was overcrowded and there was a need to renovate it. We were appointed as the architects but there was no funding at that point of time,” says McAslan. In 2005, when the venue of the 2012 Olympics was announced, funding was granted as the station was an important link in the infrastructure upgrade of the city. The main Olympic site is located some miles to the east of King's Crossnortheast of King’s Cross. “This provided the required impetus and the scheme progressed rapidly in order to complete the project before Olympics. We handed over the project in March of 2012.” “King’s Cross is not just a restoration project; the main element is the new Western Concourse, which created a dramatic space. It was also an amazing piece of engineering. The concourse spanned 120 metres with a breadth of 85 metres, one of the largest freestanding rail structures in the world. The engineering design of the
Western Concourse is Arup,” says McAslan. One year on, the project continues receiving international awards and accolades, the most recent one being the Building of the Year, and McAslan says with a smile, “Now we are almost getting a bit tired of the attention”. “King’s Cross is an amazing combination of new and old, transportation and retail, with an additional boutique hotel element. It also forms a key part of a regeneration site to the north of King’s Cross, 10 million square feet of redeveloped space, an area similar to the Msheireb site, which is almost the same built area.” The similarities between the King’s Cross project and Msheireb do not end here. “King’s Cross is about sustainable regeneration of an entire city quarter, very much like the development of Msheireb.” A city reimagined? For a city like Doha to flourish, feels McAslan, it has to build its downtown, it needs to build its infrastructure and improve its public transport system, which will then create nodes of development.
Mosque project within Msheireb, Mandarin Hotel, both designs by McAslan + Partners
“The growth of the city and Qatar in general, is phenomenal, and if the capital continues to sprawl outwards it will lose its value as a city. Hence the regeneration of downtown Doha is vital for its growth as a city,” he says. A metro station is also planned within Msheireb Downtown, connecting it to various nodes of the city. So Msheireb, while being a walkable community, is aiming to be well-connected. McAslan believes that the regeneration master plan remains entirely sympathetic to Doha's historic past. “You could have built Msheireb as 20 big buildings like those in West Bay, but that is not the idea. The idea is to bring back the historic form of the city.” McAslan continues: “Charming as some of the old buildings were, many of them were in states beyond repair and were becoming redundant. But we are retaining five or six of the historic buildings as part of the Heritage Quarter, connecting it back through to the Souq Waqif area.” Four historic buildings are being restored and retained on the site. Forming a
“King’s Cross is not just a restoration project. It is about regenerating the city centre for the sustainable development of a city, very much like the development of Msheireb.”
core called the Msheireb Heritage Quarter, they are Company House, Bayt Jalmood, Mohamed Bin Jassim House and Radwani House, all of them alive with the memories and voices of Qatari history. “As visitors pass through the Quarter, they will learn how Qataris lived and worked, and more about their interests and aspirations. These buildings are quite
important as they are family-owned. The buildings are conserved with some design alterations that make them work as a modern-day museum. We have a temporary exhibition gallery under one of the houses, which is very interesting. What is challenging was to install permanent exhibits within the confines of small spaces, so we have created a larger exhibition area underground,” he says, “...which is being built as we speak.” The heritage trails will then move to the religious square, including a new mosques, and then linking with public spaces, residential quarters and hotels. The pedestrian areas alternate from covered areas to narrow alleyways offering an engaging yet curious interplay of light and shadow, private to semi-private connecting spaces to create a human-centric streetscape, in contrast to the urban landscape in West Bay. While McAslan dispels all rumours regarding construction and the pace of development at Msheireb by producing pictures of the site, I come away a lot more educated about a development that is happening on schedule at the centre of the city qatar today > august 2013 > 75
development > green scene
Keeping Environmental commitments With the release of its fourth Sustainability Report, RasGas sets an example of accountability and transparency in business, environmental and CSR practices. By Ayswarya Murthy 76 > qatar today > august 2013
F
rom his office in the high-rise RasGas Tower, Chief Safety, Health, Environment and Quality Officer Brett Doherty can gaze down at the company's old office, the small fort-like building where it initially started out, with, we suspect, a touch of surreal pride. Just over a decade since its inception, RasGas’ revenues make up “almost 20% of Qatar’s GDP”, according to Doherty. “We are a major cog in the state’s machinery, and with that comes the burden of responsibility,” he says. A responsibility to its employees and contractors, to its shareholders, customers and suppliers, to the state, to the environment that it directly impacts and to its legacy. And the Sustainability Report is a record of how it has tried to fulfil those responsibilities to the best of its abilities. “Publishing sustainability reports is now mandated by Qatar Petroleum (which regulates reporting on behalf of the government), but when we brought out our first report in 2009 it was done voluntarily. We decided to do it for a variety of reasons – to show how our performance fared over the years and against other competitors, to effectively measure and manage all sorts of metrics which called for transparency in acquisition, analysis and reporting which among other things helps company morale,” says Doherty. The company has been widely recognised for excellence in sustainability reporting and this, Doherty feels, stems from three factors. “We aim to make it a well-balanced report. Second, to be credible there has to be transparency. And finally, we believe it is a very comprehensive report,” he says. His last claim is supported by the fact that
in preparing the report, RasGas has gone above and beyond the call of duty by adhering not only to the standards set by Qatar Petroleum but also to guidelines specific to the oil and gas industry prepared by the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA) and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). This has enabled it to pit its data against those from 11 other major LNG producers in the world and take pride in the favourable comparison. While RasGas' actual greenhouse gas and NOx (nitrogen oxides) emissions doubled with the commissioning of two new plants in 2010, once the numbers are normalised with the volume of its
Brett Doherty Chief Safety, Health, Environment and Quality Officer RasGas
“There are several unique challenges that come with running the largest integrated gas facility in the world,” Doherty says. His extensive and exhausting portfolio includes process and personal safety, regulatory and environmental performance, security, business continuity and more. qatar today > august 2013 > 77
development > green scene
This year the company’s extensive and year-long CSR programme focuses on education with initiatives like Maktaba Mobile, an interactive virtual library aimed at young Arabic readers worldwide: an Impressionist art exhibition by Qatari artist, Ali Al Sharif at the company’s headquarters; and supporting several of Qatar University's educational programmes, like Life is Engineering and Al Bairaq.
78 > qatar today > august 2013
output we can see that RasGas has consistently been bringing down its emissions per tonne of product. Globally, other LNG producers are, at best, maintaining their average emission levels. “This [lower emission levels] is largely because of the QR1 billion ($275 million) Dry Low NOx retrofit programme where we introduced low NOx technology to the turbines and boilers built before 2005,” he says. The programme was the first of its kind in the region. Another accomplishment that stands out is the company's efforts to minimise flaring, which is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Its initial fiveyear plan has brought down flaring by a staggering 75% since 2005. Its subsequent five-year plan, introduced last year, aims to bring it down further to 90% of what it was in 2005. “It has been possible due to better technology and operating practices,” he says, “like increased reliability of LNG trains, ultrasonic identification of passing valves flare etc.” Doherty acknowledges that these first measures are the easiest and cheapest to implement. “The more we do now, the harder the next steps become,” he
says. “We are constantly trying to identify opportunities to reduce wastes. Currently we recycle almost every waste that is produced in the plant – from the electronic waste that is sent to the Netherlands down to the discarded molecular sieves which are used to make bricks.” In fact earlier this year RasGas received the GCC Award for “Best Environmental Activities” in the category of “Best Industrial Organisation Complying with Environmental Standards”. “The only company from Qatar to win the award,” he says. “The Ministry of Environment had to select one company to represent the country in the category, and we were under a lot of pressure to justify that faith.” RasGas also takes very seriously the safety of its personnel. “For most of the past decade, we have been supplying our figures to the Oil and Gas Producers’ Association; for the past six years RasGas has been among the top four out of the 50 companies in its Safety Performance Indicator,” Doherty says. RasGas is probably particularly proud of its performance last year, when its Total Recordable Injury Rate increased by just 0.1% ("which is still the lowest in the industry") eventhough work hours increased from 29.7 million to 69.9 million in that year (primarily from work on the Barzan Gas Project). The highest safety risk comes from working at heights: followed by confined spaces at a distant second and then driving risks. Sadly, RasGas lost a life last year to the last factor, a road accident. “We were adamant not to let it happen again and launched an internal investigation that after six weeks brought out 31 safety recommendations. In fact we have started working with the Ministry of Interior in our efforts to broadly improve road safety and reduce the death toll on the roads, and have sponsored the training of special highway patrol,” he says
Intel:
Working its
Way Through By Meghna Dey
Intel Corporation muscles its way into the mobile market and brings its educational initiative to Qatar.
A
s personal computers become less popular and tablets see a rise in sales, Intel – the world’s largest chipmaker – functions under pressure to keep its revenues afloat. The company is working aggressively to gain more foothold in the mobile market. It has surely made progress – improving the power-efficiency and computing power of its mobile processors. In April, Intel said its first-quarter revenue fell to $12.58 billion from $12.91 billion in the year-ago quarter. However, the California chipmaker says its business is growing very well in South Asian countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka. “It’s the mature areas like the United States and Europe where the business is flat. We have been gaining more footprint and hiring more people in the Middle East and South Asia region. What is growing is our computing business – our servers and general computing businesses. And now we are moving into more device choices,” John Davies, Vice President Sales and Marketing Group, Intel and General Manager, Intel World Ahead Programme, said on his recent trip to Qatar. Davies was in the country to announce the company’s initiative in the field of education and literacy with a recent tie-up with ictQatar. Going mobile Intel dominates the PC industry, but shipments have been falling due to the growing popularity of smartphones and tablets – markets the chipmaker grossly underestimated. PC sales plunged 14 percent in the first three months of this year, the biggest decline in the two decades on record, as tablets grew more popular. This shift has prompted Intel to estimate its capital
expenditures as $12 billion in 2013 – a $1 billion reduction compared with the amount before. “What you are seeing is a major diversification in the market. PC sales were moving up a lot and now they are flat and moving down. What is happening is that other devices are coming into the marketplace and so you are seeing a rapid growth in tablets,” Davies said. Intel’s forecast for June-quarter revenue is $12.9 billion, plus or minus $500 million. Compared with the second quarter of last year, that amounts to roughly no change or a drop of as much as 8 percent, according to Thomson Reuters. “What we have to do is diversify into other products. Our phones and tablets are growing very quickly. So our focus is to be present and become a leader in these devices over the coming years,” Davies added. He explained that programmes for mobile devices take time. “The biggest thing we had to do was change our complete design architecture to be in these devices. For many years we were very happy with Common Core, which was a 35-watt CPU, and with the same type of CPU we did a laptop, a desktop, a server. We did this in 2005. From then on it started getting its various versions – Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad etc. We continued this way until last year. What we found about a year ago was that we needed lower power. So rather than taking in all the transistors and putting them together we needed more performance gain with a big power drop.” The original laptop used 35 watts of power. Then Intel introduced its Ultrabook, which draws 15 watts of power – less than half the original power requirement. Now, as it looks to go into a variety of mobile devices, it needs to lower the power usage to 7 and 4 watts. qatar today > august 2013 > 79
development > tech talk lets. Now what we have to do is use good technology to ramp this up, and that’s happening,” Davies said.
John Davies, Vice President Sales and Marketing Group, Intel and General Manager, Intel World Ahead Programme.
80 > qatar today > august 2013
“What we are doing is taking the CPUs and bringing them down to function at lower power. That doesn’t happen overnight: it takes a lot of time. But once you do it, it means you can put big core, big performance CPUs in a mobile device like a tablet. The Microsoft Surface Pro has a Core in it and a fan, but once we get the power down the fan goes. By getting the power down we can go into these devices with an SoC in milliwatts, and a roadmap for clients, service and phones,” Davies explained. And although these changes take time, consumers are already beginning to see the 10-inch tablets with Intel in Qatar and Lebanon, the 7-inch tablets in India, and phones with Intel in them. “The 10- and 7-inch tablets are beginning to ramp up. We also have an ‘Intel inside’ phone which is available in 20 countries right now. We are just starting off with these right now. These phones are for $200 in all countries except in Africa. We introduced one phone for $105 there... that would give us a bit more volume. We are trying to take this to other places as well, just like the tab-
Local support Intel is in talks with the Supreme Education Council (SEC) and Qatar Foundation (QF) to introduce its STEM curriculum and competitions programme in Qatar. The company also signed an agreement with the Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology (ictQATAR) in May to collaborate on a national digital inclusion programme that would encourage various digitally-excluded target groups to learn and possess technological skills needed in society today. “We want to work in the education area and want to be a part of that in Qatar. We are working with the Supreme Education Council on that. They are doing testing in schools with Windows and Intel. We want to offer teacher training here. We also want to bring the science and engineering contest in which seven million kids around the world compete. We want to promote a love of science and engineering among young adults. The evaluation to bring the contest here is happening at the moment,” Davies said. Intel recently announced a Digital Divide programme with ictQatar – Easy Steps. This is a concept where people who have never used a computer before are taught how to use it, starting from simple jobs like writing a resume to making a website. “It’s not just about being a user but more what I can create with it. That’s called Easy Steps. We’ll train master trainers, maybe 30 in Arabic and 30 in English, so they can in turn train others. The chain will go on and so forth. The teacher training is for free because we want people to train other people,” he added. While Easy Steps is part of the curriculum in schools and universities, with teacher training, ictQatar will deploy the programmes wherever they feel they need to, and Intel will provide the training aspect. “So we are providing them with the tools and allowing them to take it to people who need them the most. The programmes can be modified as per ictQatar’s requirements,” Davies said. The STEM programme will also be implemented in Qatar soon. It aims to improve the proficiency of students in science, technology, engineering and maths and provides online resources to encourage students’ interest and participation. Competitions by Intel will provide an
Damian Radcliffe, ICT and Society Acting Executive Director, ictQATAR with John Davies, Vice President, Sales and Marketing Group, Intel, and General Manager, Intel World Ahead Program, sign an MoU on a national digital inclusion programme at ictQatar.
opportunity for STEM students in Qatar to enter a country-level competition first and then compete on an international level. Intel has also brought its mobile devices to the education sector in Qatar. The 10inch tablets from Microsoft Surface Pro with Intel inside and ElitePad are under evaluation. Very fine Arabic can be written in these using the stylus. Intel did not have these a year or six months ago, but they are coming into production now. Intel’s efforts to align itself with Qatar’s National Vision 2030 is mainly through bringing the tools to get everyone involved in the digital world, via education and programmes such as Digital Divide. “We work with the SEC, ictQatar and QF – the people who decide the direction. Our job is not to decide the direction; instead, we are the support enabling company to help it work. The government, who drive the vision, will come to Intel and ask us to help them with whatever they need, and we will do it. We become the enabler, the support to make that happen,” Davies said. On a larger scale, Intel’s biggest plan is to enable local companies to build their capacity. According to Davies, if one spends money on IT, it should (a) benefit the owner and the people and (b) it should create jobs for the country’s people, not just IT jobs but jobs that support IT. “It’s called ‘capacity creation’ and that’s what we could probably do the most,” he added. World Ahead Intel works with governments worldwide on programmes that increase access to technology – helping people with better education, improved healthcare and economic opportunity. Through hands-on collaboration with governments, telecommunications providers, technology companies,
and other organisations, Intel World Ahead increases access to digital devices, the Internet and local content. “When we started World Ahead in 2006, there were a billion people using a PC for the Internet. Then we wanted to reach the third billion, because at the time the cell phone had gone from 2 billion to 6 billion, and the way it did was prepaid. So you paid small amounts to keep your cellphone running and you paid whenever you had the money. We tried to play around with telecom companies in about 60 countries around the world where the prepaid has become part of the low-cost PC,” Davies explained. Education and affordability is the next phase of World Ahead. “Essentially our target is for you to have things that you want on your computer, things that will benefit you – learning maths, learning English, using VoIP and so forth. Our programmes are targeted at students, learners... at people,” he added. “Paul Otellini, who just retired as CEO from Intel, said that ‘in the next decade we want all our computing to impact and help everyone’s lives’. This does not mean everyone will own a computer in 10 years: what it does mean is that people will have access to it somewhere – in schools, in libraries, in hospitals etc. – and that is what Intel is working towards. “The idea is to check whether there is enough penetration... for example, whether 200 people in a village have access to two computers and someone who will provide them with services. We are trying to get this everywhere and to everyone, get people connected and trained and to reach everyone. We want to be able to help people access services in the digital world even if they don’t own a computer,” Davies said
"We work with the SEC, ictQatar and QF – the people who decide the direction. Our job is not to decide the direction: instead, we are the support enabling company to help it work."
qatar today > august 2013 > 81
development > tech talk
Digital Marketing and Family Businesses in Qatar Family-run businesses in Qatar have played a vital role in the nation’s growth and economy, but the future success of family businesses isn’t guaranteed, as they face challenges on numerous fronts including marketing and brand positioning.
W
hile they continue to invest in traditional ways of advertising and marketing, the new age media aren't getting the attention of most of these traditional family-run/owned businesses, which are still shying away from using this medium to reach out to their audience. Most of these companies were largely dependent on service and some local advertising to grow their presence, and with loyal customers up their sleeves, word of mouth was the best and only form of marketing they believed in. However, the new generation is more technology-friendly and is looking to associate with brands that are aspirational; they are low on brand loyalty, which means that a lot of family businesses are getting left behind. While traditional marketing media are cost-intensive, digital marketing is the need of the hour for these family-owned businesses to build a brand, come closer to their customers, engage with the audience and position themselves as ambitious, new-age and adaptable. How to have a global presence? Start with the basics and get yourself a
82 > qatar today > august 2013
web presence. A website today acts like an online business card and will help your potential customers know more about your brand, adding tremendous value from a business perspective. Get yourself listed on different web portals that drive traffic, like Yellow Pages, Google Places etc. These platforms have large volumes of users checking for their requirements and have in the past helped SMEs to generate a large number of leads. Once the website is in place, expand your reach in digital media. If your audience is on social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, then reach out to those platforms to connect and engage with your prospective clients. If you are a B2B business, you might want to position yourself on networks as a thought leader and hence build content like brochures, white papers and case studies to be used and broadcast on social networks. Share your customer experiences and testimonials on these networks and also through your own blog, which can help to build a stronger brand. Success stories In 2008, when ictQatar created an account on Facebook, there weren’t many people from Qatar who were present on the media. But since they launched their Facebook
Manik Kinra Co-founder and CMO, Jade Magnet
page to engage with the audience it has been growing fast, from 40 fans in 2009 to 18,000+ fans today. A strong Facebook presence is helping ictQatar not just to reach out to Arab fans but also to engage with them on a continuous basis with updates on activities. This also helps them drive traffic to their website and blog and hence build further knowledge and brand equity. ictQatar has also been active on Facebook applications further interacting with users on varied topics and content. While ictQatar is a non-family business example, family businesses like the Al-Jaidah family, originally trading food products across the Middle East, have a strong business portfolio today. Although widely known as an automotive leader in Qatar, the family is very successful in other sectors such as industrial equipment, oiland gas-related businesses, heavy equipment, technology and many more. Two of the most prominent and successful Jaidah
family businesses in Qatar are Jaidah Group and Al-Jaidah Brothers. Jaidah Group has been active on digital media with a well-segmented website showcasing products, services and offerings to different stakeholders. However, with over 50 people from management on LinkedIn, extending to business networks like LinkedIn to build a stronger brand should be the next step for Jaidah Group. Al Siddiqi International Group, on the other hand, has a website, a presence on networks like LinkedIn and use of corporate videos to reach out to the masses. The portfolio also plays a big role, and with Al Siddiqi having some B2C brands, digital is the obvious way forward for them. Globally, family businesses like Bata and Clarks have taken to digital marketing very strongly. Clarks is one of the oldest footwear brands across the globe and is headquartered in the UK. With stores across the globe (including Doha), Clarks have a
strong digital marketing presence country-wise. While their global Facebook page has around 156,000 fans with very high engagement levels, they have been focusing strongly on countries like India with activities on social media, search engine marketing, e-mail marketing etc. Clarks India has around 90,000 people visiting its Facebook page. Clarks Qatar, which recently went on Facebook, is still grappling and has around 90+ people on the page. Another global brand that has ventured into Qatar, Nando's has started to show signs of a great engagement plan on social networks (for Qatar). While Nando's has a strong online presence in Doha, its Facebook page is very recent and has around 3,000 fans whereas the global page has over 120,000 fans. Generally we have seen that businesses with a fan-base of 501 to 1,000 fans have 3.5 times more traffic than those with 1 to 25 fans, while businesses with over 1,000 fans have 22 times more hits
Maximum traffic online online advertising
40%
using Facebook for brand marketing
A quarter of businesses in Qatar use the Internet to conduct businessto-business (B2B) transactions registered users in Qatar = 10,000
8
%
sell online
of large businesses advertise online
I4
%
II%
of small businesses do
of businesses using this channel to promote their offerings
qatar today > august 2013 > 83
development > tech talk The mystery of the missing Gaga
Lady Gaga’s 39 million “little monsters” did a little doubletake after they discovered that she had disappeared from Twitter overnight. Her profile now has a picture of the generic egg and reads: “This interface has been shut down temporarily. Please check back for updates.” Is this is pre-marketing campaign for Artpop? Makes sense. Only Lady Gaga could have thought of shutting down her Twitter account to promote her new album...
The new
Ooredoo taps into Myanmar’s telecom market
Telecommunications provider Ooredoo has been granted a licence to provide mobile services in Myanmar.
A
t a press conference in Yangon, Myanmar it was announced that Ooredoo has secured a licence along with Norway’s Telenor for the roll-out of mobile phone networks in the southeast Asian country. Mobile penetration in the country
stands at about five percent, and Ooredoo CEO Nasser Marafih told Bloomberg that Myanmar was “one of the last untapped markets”. Ooredoo beat other global telecoms providers including Bharti Airtel and France Telecom-Orange to land the deal.
‘The’ in town Would a new English alphabet to replace the word “the” make communication more efficient?
Paul Mathis, an Australian businessman, certainly seems to think so. He has developed a new symbol for “the” – an upper-case “T” and a lower-case “h” bunched together so they share the upright stem, which he pronounces “th”. “The word ‘and’ is only the fifth-most-used word in English and it has its own symbol (&). Isn’t it time we accorded the same respect to ‘the’?,” Mathis was quoted as saying. Typing the symbol will save time mainly in the context of Twitter. “The main functionality of this is in the texting space,” he said. As if chat language isn’t garbled enough already.
countdown to lift-off
Es'hail 1, Qatar's first satellite, will be launched into orbit on August 29 from French Guiana.
Q Picture Source: Arianespace
84 > qatar today > august 2013
atar Satellite Company Es'hailSat announced the Es'hail 1 satellite's arrival at the European Spaceport in Kourou and said that it is now undergoing final preparations for the launch aboard an Ariane 5 rocket. Lift-off is planned on August 29 during a launch window opening at 11:30 pm and closing at 12.20 am, Doha time. Commenting on the forthcoming launch, Es'hailSat's Chief Executive Officer, Ali Ahmed al-Kuwari, said: "Es'hail is the name of a star which becomes visible in the night
sky in this part of the world around the end of August. Traditionally, its sighting marks the beginning of enjoyable weather conditions in the region and we are eagerly awaiting the launch of Es'hail 1 our new star over Qatar." Built by commercial satellite providor Space Systems Loral (SSL), Es'hail 1 is designed for television broadcasting, telecommunications and government services in the Middle East and North Africa and will be in orbit for the next 15 years at least.
Ramadan’s effect on Arab social media users
The Online Project's study, “Social Media in Ramadan”, gives some insight into how Qataris engage on Facebook and Twitter during the Holy Month. Qatar 12 9
3 6
30%
3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 7.00 8.00 9.00 I0.00 II.00 I2.00 I3.00 I4.00 I5.00 I6.00 I7.00 I8.00 I9.00 20.00 2I.00 22.00 23.00 0.00 I.00 2.00
increase during Ramadan
Engagement during Ramadan Outside Ramadan
During Ramadan
Engagement before Ramadan
“Secure and beautiful” Following the shocking NSA revelations, the Swedes are out to develop an app that no government can touch.
Qatar 12 9
33%
3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 7.00 8.00 9.00 I0.00 II.00 I2.00 I3.00 I4.00 I5.00 I6.00 I7.00 I8.00 I9.00 20.00 2I.00 22.00 23.00 0.00 I.00 2.00
increase during Ramadan
Outside Ramadan
3 6
Engagement during Ramadan
During Ramadan
Engagement before Ramadan
Source: The Online Project’s data related to Facebook and Twitter consumption, analysed for a period of three weeks before, during and after Ramadan in 2012.
BlackBerry Q5 released in Qatar The Q5 is the second device with a QWERTY keyboard running on the BlackBerry 10 platform.
B
lackBerry sheds its fuddy-duddy image with the Q5, which is being marketed to teens and young adults. It comes in four different colours, and the soon-to-be-released BBM Channels, which will expand BBM from just an IM to a whole social network, is expected to increase its appeal further. Running on the 10.1 software, the Q5 has a 3.1” touch screen and a 1.2 GHz Dual Core Snapdragon processor with 2 GB RAM. The 2,100 mAh battery promises unsurpassed battery life, and it has 8 GB internal memory, which can be expanded up to 64 GB with a Micro SD. The Q5 is now available from Ooredoo and Vodafone in all their branches for a price of QR1,499.
T
hree Swedish tech entrepreneurs, including Pirate Bay co-founder Peter Sunde, have successfully crowd-funded a new messaging app “where no one can listen in. Not even us.” We say “successful” loosely; after Edward Snowden’s leak, people literally threw money at Heml. is (Swedish for “secret”), which raised QR554,300 ($152,300) in just three days. That’s 50% over their target! Their site says the money will be used for developing the app and setting up and running the infrastructure, by which they mean their own servers so that they can make sure that no one can access the data. Additionally the messages will be stored in the servers only until they are delivered to the recipient. The “.is” is the top level domain of Iceland, which is “famous for data protection, and one of few top level domains that have proven that they do not cave in to pressure easily,” they say. With a promise to release the app “when it’s ready”, the team have invited their backers to follow their progress on their blogs and social media sites. qatar today > august 2013 > 85
focus > braking news
86 > qatar today > august 2013
life on the fast lane
Qatar Today takes you through the pleasures and perils of “possessing” the McLaren 12C (for a week), while two car enthusiasts give their take on the super sports car. By Sindhu Nair To have a McLaren 12C for an entire week is an entirely different ball game. I have test-driven some beautiful brands, all for the “entire” duration of a day, and considered myself “accomplished” in that short period of time. And I tell you, when you have one of the fastest cars in the world for the duration of a week, seven days and six nights, it IS “almost” the same as owning one. Then it is not just the rush of adrenaline as you push the pedals; it is also about the nitty-gritty of having a “celebrity” among your family.
qatar today > august 2013 > 87
“The first road car was initiated in the late 1960s when Bruce McLaren started a project to build a road car,” Tom Pryor McLaren Automotive Limited, Marketing and PR Manager, Middle East and Africa
88 > qatar today > august 2013
DAY ONE: The day of gratification Expecting to be trained by expert McLaren technicians in Formula 1 racing gear, I was a bit disappointed to find Tom Pryor, Marketing and PR Manager, Middle East and Africa from McLaren Automotive Limited, alone at the Grand Hyatt, Doha to brief me and take me through the process of driving a supercar. Pryor also took me through McLaren’s revisited 12C for the year 2013 and through McLaren’s history. “The first road car was initiated in the late 1960s when Bruce McLaren started a project to build a road car,” he says, “But when Bruce McLaren died that project went on hold. In the early 90s, McLaren developed the McLaren F1, which was the first road car ever to have a carbon fibre chassis. We built 107 examples of that car from 1992-1997 and it set the record for a road production car in terms of top speed. As far as I am aware the record still stands for a naturally-aspirated engine. It was still very low volumes and it had a BMW engine. But it was a successful car and is still regarded as one of the greatest sports cars ever built, and still desirable if you look at the cost, which was just 650,000 pounds.” The next in line for McLaren was a collaboration with Mercedes that brought out the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. Around 2,000 cars were produced between 2003 and 2007, which in McLaren standards was “volume production”. “But both of these cars were collabo-
rations, and with the McLaren 12C (conceptualised around 2006-2007), McLaren brought out a road car that was “pure” McLaren, which means that every part of the car was designed and engineered by McLaren, from the engine, the chassis and the brake technology to the body, and these cars were also entirely marketed and sold by the company.” What made the 12C different from other cars of this class was that this was the only car (lowest-price in that category) that had a full carbon fibre chassis. While this innovation would soon be lapped up by other car production companies, McLaren, according to Pryor, is constantly innovating on delivering the best technology. “The challenge is to be ahead of the competition, and this has been achieved by making the McLaren P1 monocell carbon chassis 5 kgs lighter,” he says. The history of the car paves the way for respect, and the respect quickly gives way to pure excitement, because the orange McLaren waiting outside the Grand Hyatt leaves onlookers spellbound. To give the car credit, driving the McLaren and getting to know it is easy. Everything is built (almost everything) to give maximum ease to the driver. Leaving Pryor back at the hotel, and driving the car back to office, it finally hit me: I was on my own for a week with this supercar. And I did what no sports car enthusiast would ever do after getting the keys to their dream car: I parked it and went back to work at my desk!
Bonnie James is a car enthusiast with a passion for photography and “green” initiatives around the world. Deputy Editor of the Gulf Times, James had a spin in the McLaren and gave us his take on the machine.
Day Two: The euphoria kicks in Imagine driving to work in a bright flame-coloured McLaren! Well, I didn’t have to imagine it, since I was living the dream. My neighbours looked at me with renewed respect. My kids were at my beck and call, as “perfect” as they could be as long as their deeds could be swapped for a ride in the McLaren. For this (and only this) I did think for a moment about trading my earthy-reliant Jeep for the orange beauty. I could hear cars screech to a snail's pace to have a better look at the car, and for once I had Qataris looking at me enviously. Some even took pictures (not of me, of the machine)!
Day Three: A settling feeling Now you get used to the euphoria, and act as if driving a McLaren is just another day in your “exciting” job. The actions come
naturally: the pull to open the beautiful doors all the way up, and then a slight pause – because being an owner does not make you impervious to the beauty of the McLaren with its wings buoyant; the bend to squeeze inside the small space as gracefully as a trained ballerina; the meddling with the few functions on the dashboard to get the most beautiful sound you have heard for some time, the growl of the machine. Ergonomically, the 12C delivers on its aim of making the driver feel as comfortable as possible. The steering column is centred on the driver and is parallel to my seat and shoulders. The brake and throttle pedals are also placed directly inline with the driver. All primary controls are within hand's reach, yet surfaces and switches do not intrude or interfere during driving – so easy to reach and drive that you are stunned by the simplicity of this great piece of engineering. Your official meetings are all fruitful, which makes you wonder of it is you or the machine that should get the credit!
bonnie james's final verdict: McLaren 12 C is exhilaratingly fast. It is a fun car to ride. “Superb handling and much more comfortable to ride than some other super sports cars in the same category. Extremely good vision on all sides, especially the front, gives you instant recognition of the car's dimensions, making parking and even driving much easier. The ride is still typical of a sports car. "The rear view is also reasonably good for a sports car of this calibre and overall you get a full view of your surroundings, making driving instantly much more stress-free. "One thing that you have to be careful about is the low profile of the car, which gives it a low ground clearance, hence be careful on the speed breakers on Doha roads. "The low height of the roof also makes it uncomfortable for a tall driver. But once you feel the thrill, you are most likely to overlook this drawback. “
qatar today > august 2013 > 89
focus > braking news Milhan Baig drives a Harley when he is not working as Director, Valuations at Deloitte. His love of adventure is rivaled only by his passion for numbers. and he was all excited to try out this sports car. And he did have some fun showing off its tricks. milhan baig's final verdict: When you finish the McLaren drive, you are a different person. “At first sight, it took me a few moments to absorb the looks of the car. The vertical doors look acutely stunning but are a little awkward; it’s a bit of a squeeze to get in if you are a “big guy” like me. You almost have to sit like a lady by joining your legs and then moving them into the car after the rest of your body is on the seat. "Once I was onto a straight road, it was wow all the way! It is phenomenally fast and the sensations in my belly and spine confirmed it. It must have done 0-60mph in just about 3.5 secs. Any gap on the road was quickly closed, and once the turbo kicked in (although a sec later than expected) the terrain outside moved so fast that it was almost surreal. "The internal styling is simple, elegant and to the point. Its power and handling settings are easy to change, and once you switch on the aero mode in sports, the car changes its dynamics and you feel that you are in control, you own all the gaps on the road and nothing can stop you. "To sum it all up: The car becomes alive when you switch it on. It wakes up when it moves off in first gear and starts to talk to you in second. Then, behold, it transforms into a beast over the 4,000 rpm mark and you can absolutely not forget the ferocious growling sound that follows those rpms. It was musical to hear and sensational to drive."
90 > qatar today > august 2013
Day Four: Simple details Who would have thought that filling up with petrol would be difficult? But you can never tell with a McLaren. The fuel cap gets stuck, and eventually a simple process of locking and unlocking the car for a complete cycle solves it. Also, parking the McLaren comes with its perils. For one, you have to make sure its low profile is clear of the pedestrian kerb, and for another, having the responsibility of a million-riyal car can give you sleepless nights.
Day Five: Enjoying its mechanics Friday mornings are the best to test the mettle of any car, and that’s what I did on the fifth day with another car enthusiast (my husband) on the Lusail road. According to the McLaren promise, the latest 12C uses the upgraded 625 PS engine, introduced as part of the 2013 Model Year upgrade. Acceleration from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) takes just 3.1 seconds (when fitted with Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres). “Fuel consumption and emissions are unchanged despite the power rise, returning 24.2 mpg on the EU combined cycle and 279 g/km of CO2. The figures are much better than most high-performance sports cars, in keeping with McLaren’s commitment to class-leading fuel efficiency. Maximum speed increases to 333 km/h.” While we did not reach the maximum speed, we did touch it half-way, and the handling of the car even at this speed was
excellent. Bends were effortlessly taken at high speed and there was no skidding whatsoever. The reason is the air brake – part of the rear wing – which maintains balance front and rear while adding drag and rear downforce under braking, helping the car to decelerate, reducing stopping distances and improving stability. This "active" aerodynamic aid is another technology developed and honed from expertise learned in Formula 1 racing.
Day Six: Learning more Behind the effortless performance are the design specifics. According to Pryor, “we have done everything possible to reduce weight. From the carbon chassis to the lightweight plastic composite body panels to the elimination of brackets during the car’s design. Even the exhaust system has been redesigned to cut weight. Weight is the enemy of performance, the enemy of efficiency.” The 12C weighs 1,434 kg (kerb weight DIN, or 3,161 lbs) or just 1,301 kg (dry – in its lightest configuration, or 2,868 lbs). That’s much lighter than most rivals.
Day Seven
All good things come to an end
business>auto news
Racing to victory
GT Academy’s Middle East inaugural winner honoured
S
alman Al Khater made his first public appearance in Qatar since his victory in the inaugural GT Academy Middle East challenge at Saleh Al Hamad Al Mana Company's, Nissan showroom in Doha. Having beaten thousands of competitors in the virtual world of the PlayStation Gran Turismo GT Academy qualifying rounds and proven his skills behind the wheel of a Nissan 370Z in the real racing world, Al Khater was crowned the winner of the inaugural GT Academy Middle East challenge. “Racing cars was always my dream. GT Academy has transformed my virtual dream into reality. It’s a great feeling coming back home as a winner; the reception and support from my home people has been very warm and welcoming,” said Salman. The 29-year-old mechanical engineer is eagerly looking forward to his first professional race in a Nissan 370Z GT4 Nismo race car at a six-hour endurance race to be held at the world-famous Silverstone
circuit in the UK in September. “There are many racing enthusiasts in the world who dream to become a race driver. It’s not easy. Nissan GT Academy Middle East really helps racing enthusiasts change their lives and live their dream. “It is difficult to grasp how much of a life change Nissan GT Academy has been for me. One day I was a mechanical engineer; the next I’m a professional racer. My life has changed completely,” said Salman. Saleh Al Hamad Al Mana Company's Chairman and Managing Director, Hisham Saleh Al Mana, said: “Saleh Al Hamad Al Mana Company is delighted and proud that a Qatari national has been crowned the GT Academy Middle East winner. Congratulations to Salman, who has proved to the world that a racing career can start on a PlayStation at home. Salman has earned his own place in the motorsport history of Qatar and the Middle East. We wish him every success.”
qatar today > august 2013 > 91
business > auto news Whizz off in style
Ramadan specials
O
wning a Lexus this Ramadan is going to be more rewarding. Customers purchasing any 2013 year model vehicle will get a gift voucher worth QR5,000 from Fifty One East. What’s more, Qatar National Bank and Qatar Islamic Bank will support Lexus customers by offering competitive finance terms. QNB is offering interest rates (flat) as low as 2.22%, with a grace period of up to 12 months for Qataris and up to six months for expats, as well as a free-for-life credit card. QIB is offering an interest rate of 2.49% with a grace period for first instalment payment of three
months for Qataris. The loan repayment period is 72 months for Qataris and 48 months for expats. AAB-Lexus launched a number of models last year under the Spindle Grille concept. This new spindle grille along with L-finesse bold style design and ground breaking technologies and capabilities, has given the Lexus models a new look. The Lexus range includes the sporty IS, elegant ES, dynamic GS, powerful ISF and flagship LS in the sedan line-up, while the SUV segment consists of the refined RX, superior GX and the all-luxurious and powerful LX.
Toyota 86 up for grabs
C
ustomers purchasing any 2013 year model Toyota vehicles during the Holy Month will get an opportunity to win Toyota’s most recent Toyota 86 via an exciting raffle to be held on the day before Eid. Customers can anticipate more rewards as they can also receive vouchers worth QR2,000 while purchasing any sedan or commercial vehicle and vouchers worth QR4,000 while purchasing any SUV model. These vouchers can be redeemed at any of AAB-Toyota’s service and parts outlets
92 > qatar today > august 2013
when the customer uses any service. To assist customers, AAB has tied up with Qatar National Bank and First Finance to offer the best finance terms. Toyota vehicles are well known for their quality, durability and reliability and are well supported by AAB’s after sales facilities, which include a network of seven service centres set up in various parts of the country, some of which are open seven days a week.
Exceptional offers from AlFardan Automobiles
A
lfardan Automobiles, the official importer of BMW Group in Qatar, has launched a host of unrivalled and tailor-made Ramadan offers to give clients an opportunity to own their favourite BMW model. Throughout the Holy Month, customers looking to buy a new BMW will only have to pay the first instalment in 2014, with the company paying two instalments on their behalf in addition to providing one year’s free BMW comprehensive insurance. Alternatively, they can choose a four-year 0% interest rate instalment plan on their BMW purchase – a flexible solution tailored to suit their financial needs and allow them to spread the costs over a longer period, without the burden of increasing interest. During this time customers can pay 50% of the car value as a down payment and the remainder after a two-year period with no interest. Mohamed Kandeel, General Manager of Alfardan Automobiles, said: “The Holy Month of Ramadan is a time of giving. As such, every year we seek out new ways for us to truly give back to our customers. By introducing these Ramadan offers with finance and servicing packages, we are able to demonstrate our commitment to customers, who are the cornerstone of our continued success.” The three offers will run throughout Ramadan at Alfardan Automobiles’ showrooms in Suhaim Bin Hamad Street or Alfardan Towers in West Bay.
Porsche appoints new sales director
Sales increase recorded in the region
P
orsche Middle East and Africa FZE, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dr Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, has announced the appointment of Altar Yilmaz as Sales Director for its regional network. In this role, Yilmaz will oversee sales operations of all Porsche models across 20 countries and 31 Porsche dealerships in the Middle East, Africa (excluding the Maghreb states) and India. The personnel change follows the announcement from Porsche Middle East and Africa earlier this year of a 15% sales increase on 2011 figures across all models. At the close of 2012, a record 9,171 vehicles had been delivered to customers across the region compared with 7,945 in 2011. With the appointment of a new regional sales director, Porsche is looking to continue
building on this success and to further contribute to the total sales growth of almost 60% over a five-year period between 2007 and 2012. In his new role as Sales Director, Yilmaz will immediately gear up for the introduction of the new-generation Porsche Panamera, including the brand’s first plug-in hybrid in the luxury class – the Panamera S E-Hybrid. The year will also see a focus on the 50th anniversary of the legendary 911, with the arrival of three new 911 models in the coming months. Preparations for the launch of the all-new Porsche Macan, a sporty SUV in the premium segment which is set to arrive in the first half of 2014, are also under way. Yilmaz joins Porsche Middle East and Africa with more than 10 years’ experience in automotive sales.
More Cars go sustainable
T
he electrical vehicle Renault Zoe was recently honoured by the Red Dot Award jury with the “Product Design 2013” distinction in the Electric Passenger Car category at a special ceremony held at the Essen Opera House’s Aalto Theatre in Germany. This year a jury comprising 37 international experts was asked to study 4,662 entries for 19 different categories. Red Dot founder and CEO Professor Peter Zec observed that success in business today is closely linked to design skills: “The winners
Renault Zoe wins Product Design 2013 award of the ‘Product Design 2013’ Red Dot Award are the protagonists of a highly-developed design culture and design industry. These days it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between well-designed products. It is often only in the details that the special qualities become apparent. However, those product creations that pass the test before the critical eyes of the international Red Dot jury will not disappear into the crowd, and will be able to fend off global competition.” First organised in 1955, the Red Dot
Design Awards have carved a reputation on the international scene as a benchmark for design quality. Organised by the Design Centre North Rhine Westphalia, it is one of the most pretigious international competitions of its kind. ‘“Red Dot” awards are recognised across the world as one of the most sought-after endorsements of quality in the field of design excellence. The Renault Zoe has been on sale in France since the end of 2012 and is currently marketed in most West European countries.
qatar today > august 2013 > 93
business > market watch
Mentoring the next
generation By Abigail Mathias
Tafawoq trains Qatari project managers to gear up and meet the need of the nation
S Saad Al Muhannadi, Chairman, Tafawoq Steering Committee.
aad Al Muhannadi, Technical Director at Qatar Petroleum and Tafawoq Steering Committee Chairman, is passionate about leaving a professional legacy. In an exclusive interview with Qatar Today, he explains the vision behind the creation of Tafawoq, a unique project management centre. “The seeds for Tafawoq were first planted in November 2011 when Qatar Petroleum (QP), represented by HE Dr Mohammed Saleh Al Sada, the Minister of Energy and Industry, and Qatar Shell, represented by Peter Voser, CEO of Shell Global, signed a letter of intent to establish a centre of excellence in project management,� he says. The centre announced the launch of its first programmes in April 2012, and in October that year QP and Qatar Shell signed an MoU with Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) to provide a permanent home for Tafawoq, to guarantee sustainability for the centre in the long term and to further support Qatari project management professionals. What made the signing even more significant was that it was done in the presence of HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, an indication of support from the highest levels of leadership in the country. Building blocks Over the next decade Qatar is expected to implement ambitious mega-and large-
94 > qatar today > august 2013
Nasser Al Subaey, Head of Support Services in the Management Services department of the Qatar Museums Authority, graduated from the “Contributing to Projects” course that took place in March 2013. “Tafawoq equipped me with project management skills that I then effectively implemented in my daily work. As a Qatari, I am really proud to have been a part of this learning journey. What I also found extremely helpful is that you get to meet, mingle with and learn from different participants coming from various sectors and organisations.” scale capital projects with significant investment values. Al Muhannadi believes that his centre will empower the professionals to see these ambitious projects to completion. “We build on the Shell Project Academy (SPA)'s and QP’s extensive experience in building large-scale capital projects. The aim is to provide quality training for our partners to start with, and hopefully go beyond that at a later stage. “The whole initiative of mentoring is something I support greatly. When you consider the amount of capital investment coming in to the country, the projects in the oil sector or infrastructure, we need only the best,” he says, and it was perhaps for this reason that, the centre chose the name “Tafawoq”, which means “excellence”. The centre also holds bi-annual events to view some of the challenges that could impact Qatar’s development. At a recent midyear community event Herman Veenhuis, Tafawoq’s Development Manager, moderated a session that featured some best practices when dealing with contractors for capital projects. Partnering with the best According to Al Muhannadi, “when Shell came forward we joined forces with them and the decision has shown dividends. In 2012 we had 95 project professionals complete our courses, and we expect 160 to do the same this year. Our programmes cover the span of the project life cycle and target project engineers who are involved in project management, supply chain man-
agement and project delivery. The training uses real case studies which our engineers can relate to.” Qatar Shell has committed to spending QR72 million ($20 million) over the coming ten years on Tafawoq’s continuous development, and SPA has contributed curriculum content for the training programmes, drawn largely from its “Pentagon” model. This is a five-dimensional integrated approach utilising hands-on experience with mentorship, virtual learning, networking and accreditation to bring about exceptional learning. The partnerships play a vital role in the centre’s development. “Tafawoq builds on Shell’s and Qatar Petroleum’s extensive experience in building large scale capital projects such as Pearl GTL, the world’s largest gas-to-liquids plant. These skills not only relate to the energy sector, they also relate to other national infrastructure projects, that are crucial to Qatar’s development. “QP has been keen to join hands in establishing this centre because it hones skills that are integral to the Qatari economy as well as QP’s various projects and operations. Tafawoq will bridge the gap in local project management capability and contribute to the development of Qatari talent such as the project engineers and managers required by QP to deliver our capital projects.” The centre is playing a vital role in helping Qatar achieve its National Development Strategy. Explaining its long-term objective, Al Muhannadi says: “Our aim is to
95 professionals completed courses with Tafawoq last year and 160 more are expected to do the same this year.
close the existing gap in the Qatari project management market by equipping local talent to undertake large capital and infrastructure projects, to support Qatar’s growth and to help fulfil the human development pillar of QNV 2030.” The centre has created a platform for sharing information and transferring knowledge, laying the foundation for a professional community who will learn from each other, support each other and continue the sustained cycle of learning and shared experience. It does not want to expand too quickly. “Though the feedback from our peers is very positive, we don’t want to expand very fast. If 2012 was the year of initiation, 2013 is the year of consolidation, and we will be reviewing our expansion carefully. At the end of the day our aim is to provide quality training and nothing else.” The hope is that the centre will slowly attract professionals from around the region. “I genuinely believe that what we do is different. You can already see the difference in terms of the young Qatari people who come to us, and their growth. The quality of people we get is of a highly competitive level: students who graduate from good universities and have a lot of ambition. “A good programme doesn’t come from the materials at the training, it comes from the participants around the table. If you have intellectual discussions but you don’t have the relevant people you can’t achieve anything. We strive for a high quality of training, high level of instructors and trainees,” he concludes qatar today > august 2013 > 95
business>marketwatch Designed to impress Bang & Olufsen, recently revealed the BeoLab 14 sound system, which combines compact aesthetics and outstanding acoustic innovation to deliver the thrill of high-end surround performance without filling up the home with boxy black speakers.
T
he new system can be used with all TV brands, not just Bang & Olufsen TVs. The company introduced a distinctive range of high-quality audio to its effervescent patrons. With its refined design, endlessly flexible placement options and acoustic pedigree, it’s never been easier to enjoy home cinema in full aural splendour – without compromising your interior decor. With a minimalistic design, BeoLab 14 creates a complete sound solution on Bang & Olufsen acoustic engineers’ ongoing achievements in packing stunning performance into surprisingly small volumes. The satellite speakers are diminutive circles of anodised aluminium with exchangeable fabric covers in a selection of colours, and
96 > qatar today > august 2013
integrate easily into even the most stringent interior design schemes. According to the company's CEO, Tue Mantoni, BeoLab 14 was designed for consumers who want to add quality surround sound to their home viewing experiences, but still have demanding expectations about their interior design. “The launch of an all-in-one surround speaker system is an important new step for Bang & Olufsen,” he says, “and it builds on our core approach that sound matters in everything we do. Now we bring genuine Bang & Olufsen sound to anyone who wants the advantages of surround without having to hide away the subwoofer.” Tuned with expert listening panel The compact new speakers have been put through the same demanding development process as all other Bang & Olufsen products. “BeoLab 14 is the result of a lot of work with our listening panel,” says Jens Rahbek, senior sound engineer in the R&D department. “Even with the very best components, sound is a subjective experience. We tune our speakers in a process that includes hours of listening – by different people, in different room environments, at different stages of development – in order to achieve sound that is as close as possible to what the original artist intended.” The Beolab 14 is available at the Bang & Olufsen store at Lagoona Mall.
Technological thrill
Sony offers creative ways to use your PC, for work or play.
F
ifty One East, the luxury retail chain in Qatar, and Sony recently launched two new additions to the summer 2013 VAIO line-up – VAIO Duo 13 and VAIO Pro 13/11 – in an interactive workshop attended by representatives from Fifty One East and Sony, as well as the local media. VAIO Duo 13 and VAIO Pro 13/11 will be available at all Fifty One East outlets located in Al Maha Centre, City Centre Doha and Lagoona Mall, in addition to all Virgin Megastores, at Villaggio and Landmark Malls. Designed to enrich lifestyles, the new slider PC – VAIO Duo 13 and mobile VAIO Pro 13/11 complete the summer 2013 VAIO line-up. A representative from Fifty One East said: “The launch of Sony’s VAIO Duo 13 and VAIO Pro 13/11 interprets our commitment to provide the Qatari market with products that are second to none. Sony is a true technology leader, with products that are cutting-edge, innovative and reliable. We aim to keep our loyal customers satisfied by always bringing them the latest revolutionary technologies to elevate the digital image experience of professional and amateur photographers in Qatar.” Kazutoyo Araki, Head of the IT Market-
ing Division, Sony Middle East and Africa FZE, said: “Our goal with these innovative models is to provide a fresh perspective on PCs. We have achieved this through various factors including creative design and Sony’s unparalleled visual and audio technologies. Our main aim is to introduce devices into the market that portray the ideal balance between work and play. An example of this is the VAIO Duo 13’s convenient design where consumers can use the slate mode either for presentations or playing music and the keyboard mode for easy editing of documents.” qatar today > august 2013 > 97
focus > sports file 2022 World Cup
FIFA to lobby for a 2022 Winter switch FIFA will press ahead with their agenda to host the 2022 World Cup during winter months to avoid intense heat and humidity which a Qatari summer brings.
D
ebate is going on across Europe as whether Qatar’s winning bid was based on the quadrennial tournament taking the traditional summer slot. But nobody seems to want this scenario to take shape. Qatar won the rights to stage the tournament in December 2010, but there hasn’t been much consensus or clarification on any aspect of the tournament since. But FIFA President Sepp Blatter, after months of promoting the idea of a summer tournament, is now adamant to switch it to a cooler time of the year. Whilst the 2022 Supreme Committee don’t have any problem with switching the event to winter, they are still focusing a lot of research and development towards air-conditioned stadia and social areas. This change of plan would require some major European leagues implementing a winter break which has drawn the ire of some who have called into question the legitimacy of Qatar’s bid should the tournament be moved to the winter months. The topic is hugely divisive, with the English Premier League claiming that any
switch would disrupt the calendar for both that season and the ones before and after, and also affect broadcast contracts. The Chief Executive Bundesliga, Christian Seifert, warned recently that any such move could result in a legal challenge from the affected European leagues to force a re-vote. Blatter, however, remains unperturbed and continues to insist that a move to winter is the most likely scenario when he brings up the issue with FIFA’s executive committee. Speaking during a two-day conference on sports, media and economy set
up by German great Franz Beckenbauer in Austria, Blatter said: “If this World Cup is to become a party for the people, you can’t play football in the summer. “You can cool down the stadiums but you can’t cool down the whole country. There is still enough time. I will bring this up to the executive committee.” Chairman of the European Clubs Association, Karl-Heinz Rumminigge, who is also the CEO of Bayern Munich has said that staging the World Cup in June and July is a non-starter and his organisation would be behind a switch to winter.
golf
P Phil up
the Jug! 98 > qatar today > august 2013
hil Mickelson finally ended his twenty-year quest to win the Open Championship at Muirfield last month. He came from five shots back on the final day of play to win by three strokes over Swede Henrik Stenson. England’s Lee Westwood, who is yet to experience his first Major win, was leading after three rounds, but a disastrous 75 left him in a tie for third with compatriot Ian Poulter and Australian Adam Scott.
boxing
Qatar to Host Boxing championship
Qatar will host the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) World Boxing Championships in 2015.
D
oha, in 2015, will host the first World Boxing Championships ever in the region. The bid of Doha 2015 offered an opportunity to innovatively promote boxing to a new audience, to set new standards of excellence for the World Championships and to further strengthen the role, status and reach of AIBA. The concept of Doha 2015 focuses not only on the event itself, but also on creating new opportunities for the AIBA by tapping a new market and showcasing AIBA’s commitment to universality and worldwide development. Secretary General of Qatar Boxing Federation, Yousif Al Kazim, said: “We are delighted with the trust and confidence of the AIBA Council. We have no doubt that the 2015 AIBA World Boxing Championships will be one of the best in the history of the sport and new standards will be set in this brand new region for AIBA. The Council knows, we will not let them down!” The event will be staged between October 5 and 18 at the brand new state-of-the-art venue, Lusail Multi-Purpose Sports Hall.
Swimming
Summer Treat
Qatar’s swimming, diving and water polo teams will soon be on international summer training camps in Czech Republic, Belarus and Hungary ahead of the 23rd GCC Water Games scheduled for Oman in October. As per the Qatar Swimming Association’s programme, the swimming team will fly to Czech Republic in two batches, the first will train from August 10 until September 3 and the second batch will train August 17-31 in the same country. Likewise, the diving team will conduct an international training programme in Belarus, August 12-22, while the water polo team will organise a training camp in Hungary, August 15-24.
Cycling
Froome’s French toast Briton Chris Froome won the 100th Tour de France in an emphatic fashion on July 21. On a noncompetitive final day, his team-mates linked arms with him as he crossed the line, becoming the second British man ever to claim the title, after Bradley Wiggins won it last year. Tour de France 2013 winner Britain’s Christopher Froome poses on the podium in Paris on the Champs-Elysees avenue, at the end of the 133.5 km twenty-first and last stage of the 100th edition of the Tour de France cycling race on July 21, 2013 between Versailles and Paris. AFP PHOTO / POOL / STEPHANE MANTEY
US golfer Phil Mickelson holds the Claret Jug after winning the 2013 British Open Golf Championship at Muirfield golf course at Gullane in Scotland on July 21, 2013. Mickelson won the British Open at Muirfield with a superb final round of 66. The 43-year-old American won with a three under total of 281, three strokes clear of Henrik Stenson who had a closing 70. AFP PHOTO/GLYN KIRK) qatar today > august 2013 > 99
culture>doha diary RAMADAN in the city
While the daylight hours ticked on, subdued, by evening the excitement would become palpable. With the traditional firing of the canon to mark the end of fasting, the city came alive with revellers coming together for some sumptuous Iftars and Suhours. We take a look at some of the most luxurious celebrations around the city.
Clockwise from the top left: At the Darwish Majlis, W Hotel, Al Jasra Boutique Hotel, Ritz Carlton, Kempinski, Oryx Rotana 100 > qatar today > august 2013
qatar today > august 2013 > 101
culture > doha diary
ROTA
spreads joy in Hamad’s Pediatric Ward
Doha Film Institute partner’s with Giffoni Film Festival
This collaboration with the Italian film festival for children will see the inaugural Ajyal Film Festival for the Young take place in Doha in November.
D
FI is extending its relationship with the Giffoni Film Festival, to which it has been sending young people as jurors since 2010, by working together to bring the first Ajyal Film Festival for the Young to Doha. The venture which expects to bring hundreds of children and young people together to discuss their views on cinema with their peers and hone their skills of film analysis, will be modelled on the previous Doha-Giffoni Experience that will put hundreds of young people on the juries that decide on the prize winners. While Claudio Gubitosi, Founder and Managing Director of Giffoni Experience commented on how DFI shares its dedication to engage and inspire younger audiences through film, Fatma Al Remaihi, Festival Director of Ajyal and DFI’s Head of Programmes, said, “We are excited to have this opportunity to work closely with Giffoni, as we see tremendous potential to design programming and experiences that will solidify awareness around cinema and give young people the space to express themselves creatively and honestly.” The inaugural Ajyal Film Festival for the Young takes place in Doha from 26 to 30 November, 2013.
Christie announces new Middle East Director for Relationship Management Sponsored by Occidental Petroleum of Qatar, ROTA volunteers coordinated fun activities and games with child patients for the traditional Qatari celebration of Garangoa and distributed bags filled with toys, sweets and nuts while they sang songs.
Hawazen Nazieh Nassief will now be responsible for nurturing new relationships and developing Christie’s existing ones with clients across the Middle East involved with contemporary Arab, Iranian and Turkish art. With a background in CSR and communications, Nassief has a master's in Arts in Law and Diplomacy and said, “I am so looking forward to combining my passion for art, watches and jewellery with my previous business experience in my new role at Christie’s.”
Landmark’s blood donation drive attracts long queues The blood donation camp conducted in Centrepoint Al Asmakh Mall, in Al Sadd, in association with Hamad Medical Corporation, met with enthusiastic response from the staff and customers at Landmark, keen to do their share of good this Ramadan.
102 > qatar today > august 2013
Garangoa at the Souq Over 100 children celebrate Garangoa at Al Mirqab Boutique Hotel in Souq Waqif. Dressed in traditional costumes and munching happily on Arabic sweets and snacks, children spent a fun evening with activities like a storytelling session on tales of Qatar’s culture and heritage, musical chairs, creative arts and crafts session, Qatari bread baking and more.
A slice of Cirque du Soleil As Doha waits for Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion in September, performers from the contemporary circus gave audiences here an advance sneek peak into the spectacular stage show. Oceane, Goddess of Water and the juggler Vladik made several appearances at Souq Waqif, City Centre, Villaggio Mall and Landmark Mall, to the delight of passing shoppers.
10 days of non-stop fun for Eid Festivals
Qatar Tourism Authority has announced a full range of activities and events to be launched on the first day of Eid al-Fitr.
F
or 10 days after Eid al-Fitr the Museum of Islamic Art, The Pearl-Qatar, Souq Waqif, Katara and several malls in the city (City Center, Al Khor, Lagoona, Hyatt Plaza, Landmark and Villaggio) will be teeming with fun activities revolving around sports, culture and entertainment for the whole family, in a bid to promote Qatar as a unique tourist
destination among the neighbouring countries. Visitors will be welcomed at the airport and the Abu Samra border crossing with maps, event programs and brochures. HE Eng. Issa Mohammed Al-Mohannadi, Chairman of Qatar Tourism Authority, said, “Qatar will be the destination of choice for families during the festival. The activities will last 10 days in shopping centres, and
more than 35 days in the Doha Exhibition Centre, including events, artistic performances and cultural and recreational activities.” Entry is free for visitors to DEC where they can pick up free gifts and win instant prizes, enjoy a private dining hall and shop at a wide range of stores to buy toys and gifts for their families, as well as household items. qatar today > august 2013 > 103
culture > doha diary
The plurality of sound
Flautist Pedro Eustache rehearses with the orchestra for a concert with Siwar Choir held in Qatar.
By Abigail Mathias
After his second performance in Qatar, a two-time Grammy-winning artist shares his love for music.
104 > qatar today > august 2013
T
he first thing you notice about Pedro Eustache is his hair. Fuzzy and full of life, it is clearly an extension of his vivacious personality. The two-time Grammy-winning artist from Venezuela recently visited Qatar for a performance where 100 children – 40 from the Jazeera Children’s Siwar Choir and 60 from Germany’s Leipzig Radio – collaborated for the first time. The concert was held on May 3 at the Qatar National Convention Centre. He’s been described as “brilliant” by the late Pandit Ravi Shankar, and “the best flautist in the world” by the Greek pianist and composer Yanni. Observing that my business card mentions Oryx Advertising, Eustache says: “I made a saxophone out of the horn of an oryx and it is the sound of the Pharisees in the film The Passion of the Christ. I played 75% of the woodwind
instruments on the soundtrack of the film.” Being spiritual, he believes this was the hallmark of his career. “Being featured in the credits of the film is a wonderful tribute.” Eustache has worked on the soundtrack of international blockbusters such as Kung Fu Panda (Parts one and two), Rio (Parts one and two), How to Train Your Dragon and Pirates of the Caribbean (Parts three and four) to name a few. “I’m a specialist of world woodwind instruments for studios in Hollywood films in Los Angeles. I also tour the world as a soloist.” He has studied with noted Indian flautist, Hariprasad Chaurasia. “I was also blessed to train with the late great Pandit Ravi Shankar,” he says. “In fact I was the only Latino who learnt from him.” Eustache won a Grammy certificate as a soloist for “Concert for George”, which
Eustache at a performance with the Siwar Choir at the Qatar National Convention Centre
was held for the late Beatles singer George Harrison. “God has for some reason connected me to certain cultures – the Middle East is one of them, as is India, Armenia and Japan. The cultures are completely different from my own, but I feel like I am home.” Eustache started playing music when he was nine. “I’m the consequence of my heritage and of my brother’s musical vision. Since I was very young my brother, Michel Eustache, exposed me to different kinds of music. We are Baptists and grew up in church learning different types of music. These included Christian hymns, which today’s generation is largely unaware of. We also learnt the Venezuelan tradition too. There was a huge repertoire of music that we were exposed to, including folk. He also introduced me to classical Western music. Since I was exposed to all these styles of music it became natural to navigate all these different expressions. “I started learning the violin and hated it. My brother said: You can leave the violin, but you need to choose something else. You are good for this. To this day I thank him, because I picked up the flute. As a youngster, Western classical music was boring. I wanted to play rock and roll. I heard a solo flute by British progressive rock band King Crimson called, ‘I talk to the wind’, a beautiful piece, which had a profound effect on me.” He also credits his musical influences to what he calls, the “genius” of Dr Jose Antonio Abreu’s El Sistema – Venezuela’s programme of social upliftment through classical music. After becoming a founder member of Dr Abreu’s “Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra” (or Venezuelan National Youth Orchestra), Eustache received a scholarship from the
government to study in Paris. “I got a Masters in Jazz from the California Institute of the Arts. I also wanted to study Hindustani classical music. I got into playing the duduk and started learning sitar. Indian classical music saved my sanity, because classical Western music is so confined and was driving me crazy. I studied the plurality of music in Paris, where I learnt shakuhachi, the Japanese flute, as well.” “We were taught since very young to search for excellence in whatever we did. I didn’t have certain instruments, so I designed some which no one else had. Now I have around 600 instruments. Many of them are unique. I was then fortunate to meet Yanni and was his wind soloist for 10 years. That put me on the map. To this day I am bearing consequences and blessings from it. Through Yanni I’ve been introduced to many artists, including Michel Fadel, the Lebanese pianist who performed with me in Qatar.” The multicultural aspect of his music does not astound Eustache. “A friend said that I am a soloist of the 21st century, and I think that’s a reality. Those who do not take advantage of the variety of cultural traditions accessible in our times are missing out.” Eustache says he would love to teach but is preoccupied at the moment. “I hope I can set up an online school, because I would like to share the lessons I have learnt.” His next solo project is with electronics, a new direction for the artist. He is also collaborating with a Korean recorder. “All these achievements and awards are insignificant, because nothing will return our daughter who died of brain cancer 24 years ago. I have the wonderful gift of perspective. As a musician I believe that I was created to exercise the call of glorifying life.” It is a task he fulfils with passion
"A friend said that I am a soloist of the 21st century, and I think that’s a reality. Those who do not take advantage of the variety of cultural traditions accessible in our times are missing out."
qatar today > august 2013 > 105
Qatar Today looks at two expatriates from everyday life, one who has lived here for a significant amount of time and another who has just made Doha his home, for their take on life in this city.
My Home in Qatar Gopal Balasubramaniam Partner, KPMG In Qatar since: February 4, 1994
What I admire in the country is its cosmopolitan culture – there are close to 150 nationalities in the country’s population of 2 million, so the real diversity is evident wherever we go.
Home/Work: I was trained in India at AF Ferguson & Co., which was affiliated to KPMG, and I just continued with the same firm, KPMG, for all these years. So from 1988, when I started my career in chartered accountancy after graduation, to date I have been working with one and only one employer – KPMG. Doha then, Doha Now: There has been change in Doha in every sphere of life. In 1994, the huge gas projects had just begun, and hence the success story of Qatar from the huge LNG production and exports was only a dream! The massive investment in gas projects, the downstream petrochemicals and crude exploration surged the growth in the economy, helping the sovereign wealth fund to accumulate enough cash to diversify its investments into real estate, education and hospitality. The standard of living was continuously improving. what i miss in Doha Now: More on the entertainment and hospitality front – there should be more theme parks, more theatres and more good restaurants; also, if some private group want to stage a good show (be it drama, musical show or a comedy show) there are not
New Beginnings Daniel Smith Physical Fitness Trainer, 31 Days to Fitness In Qatar since: July 2013 (one month)
Just arrived: I am originally from England but I was in Sydney for the last six months. Before that I used to work as armed security for merchant ships, protecting them from pirates. a new beginning in Qatar: My friend Phil Collins, who I knew from when we used to be Royal Marine Commandos together, is very involved in the fitness industry here and asked me to come and explore Qatar. Obesity is a serious concern here; a lot of people don’t know how to train and need help. The fitness industry is very small and not too competitive. After waking up to
106 > qatar today > august 2013
many good venues here, and there should be an international cricket ground (which is getting ready now) to stage international matches like in the UAE. what i admire in the country: Is its cosmopolitan culture – there are close to 150 nationalities in the country’s population of 2 million, so the real diversity is evident wherever we go. I love the community bonding which I have heard is not evident in any of the neighbouring countries. Doha is Change: Since I have been here for almost two decades the place has had a strong influence on me. In business, I have seen my office grow from an eight-member team to 250 staff members, of which I am one of the leaders – so I am very happy to see this growth and I take pride in that as well. Nearly half of my life has been spent in Qatar, and this is almost like my second home for me. But the proximity of Qatar to India is the most important factor to continue the long innings here – I go at least once every quarter (if not more) to my home country to be with family, friends and relatives, and this gives me a zest of energy. Having worked here from the age of 25, earning tax-free income for the past two decades has helped me financially.
the opportunities in Qatar, I decided to stay on. Living in Doha is a bit like living in the future. Everything is new; it’s like a pop-up city has been installed in the middle of the desert. Also, because I am from England, I really enjoy the hot weather. The people are really friendly; the community spirit is strong among the expats and I made a lot of friends in this short while. Aspirations: The people here are wealthy and lead excessive lifestyles. All the money they save on tax probably goes into elaborate brunches (laughs). I would like to help as many people as I can get in shape and re-energise themselves through boot camps or oneon-one physical training sessions. Looking forward: I am keeping an open mind about how long I might stay here. 31 Days to Fitness was supposed to be just a pilot scheme, but it has become so popular (we have about 80 participants). And I am told that this time around many are away on holiday, so these numbers are very encouraging. Considering the interest this has generated, I expect there’ll be even more people joining in September. We eventually would love to open our own facility.