Qatar Today May 2012

May 2012

contents

c ov e r story

44 HOW DO SMALL BUSINESSES MaKE IT BIG?

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.”

This may be a mantra which isn’t quite realised in Qatar at the moment, but steps are being made to address it. Whether or not an entrepreneurial spirit can be inculcated into the local mindset is debatable, but one thing is certain among Qatar’s leaders – they must try.

Qatar Today discusses this with leading the entrepreneurial brains in Qatar and beyond.

country report: THE NETHERLANDS

59 Qatar is Going Dutch

Qatar and the Netherlands are small and low, but they have high aspirations. They have had economic ties in the past – with oil and gas chiefly – but they are now trying to expand beyond hydrocarbons into other sectors. Meghna Dey talks to some of the Dutch players who are working with Qatar on this new focus.

26 Chinese Opportunity

39

26

China has the second largest economy and second largest equity market in the world so why shouldn’t one look to invest there? Rory Coen talks to Eugene Chen from Russell Investments about what investors should keep in mind when looking to China.

39 QNV 2030 – Progress Report

The Qatar National Vision 2030 is the country’s compass for the next twenty years – it’s a statement of its long-term strategic goals, the challenges it faces and the opportunities it will present. Ezdhar Ibrahim asks Dr Saleh Mohamed Al-Nabit, Secretary-General of General Secretariat for Development Planning (GSDP), about its progress to date.

published by oryx advertising co wll, All rights reserved. qatar today is published monthly by oac, po box no. 3272, doha, qatar. subscription rate qr 180 per year. address all subscription correspondence to qatar today, oryx advertising co wll, po box 3272, al hilal area, doha, state of qatar. for single copies call us on + 974 44672139 or mail to qtoday@omsqatar.com. material in this publication must not be stored or reproduced in any form without permission. request for permission should be directed to qtoday@omsqatar.com. reprint requests should be directed to the info@msqatar.com. qatar today is a registered trademark of oryx advertising co wll

may 2012 volume 38 issue 5 www.omsqatar.com

contents

may 2012

81 ICT TODAY MAPPING ICT TRENDS

Sustaining a world-class ICT sector is seen by many as being crucial to achieving the 2030 Vision. Qatar Today focuses the spotlight on the companies who are keeping the country on the digital plane this month, from our telecommunications providers – Vodafone and Qtel – to Carnegie Mellon University Qatar, Meeza and Qatar Science and Technology Park. They explain what they are doing to promote a digital economy.

72 Social media is booming

74

59

With social media now integrated into many aspects of everyday life, and with society becoming very comfortable with it as a medium. How are organisations maximising its incredible impact? Bayt.com provides a report.

38 Cash rich, water poor?

According to Kahramaa, average water consumption per capita in Qatar was recorded at 430 litres every day, six times higher than the European average. As the population continues to rise, achieving water security becomes one of the government’s priorities. What can be done to alleviate this worrying issue, asks Oliver Cornock.

74 planning for a developed workforce

With a rapidly growing business community in Qatar, it’s crucial that executives are equipped with the right skillsets. Cassey Oliveira talks to Dr Sheila Shullman from HEC Paris about the challenges faced by Qatar’s human resource professionals to achieve this.

113 EDUCATE AND EMPOWER

Dr Helen D Gayle talks to Qatar Today about her collaboration with organisations like ROTA, QF and Silatech, and expanded about the role played by CARE – a leading humanitarian organisation – in the region.

24 CARING FOR YOUR FINANCIAL HEALTH

Many people have frequent medical or dental check-ups to make sure that they are fit and healthy. Javed Akhtar feels you should have a regular financial check-up to make sure that your investments are solid.

102 regulars News Bites.................................................12 O & G Ov e r v i e w. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6 Bank Notes................................................20 realty check.............................................28 W o r ld V i e w. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2 braking News............................................102 Market Watch...........................................108 D o h a D i a r y. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 6

V o lu m e 3 8

issue 5

Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

Chief Executive Executive Vice President

Vice President

m ay 2 0 1 2

Yousuf Jassem Al Darwish Sandeep Sehgal Alpana Roy Ravi Raman

Editor Sindhu Nair

Editorial Coordinator cassey oliveira

CORRESPONDENTS RORY COEN EZDHAR IBRAHIM FASHION &LIFESTYLE CORRESPONDENT ORNA Ballout

Art Director Venkat Reddy Assistant Art Director Hanan Abu Saiam Senior Graphic Designer Ayush Indrajith

Graphic Designer maheshwar reddy Photographer R obert F Altamirano

Manager –Marketing Zulfikar Jiffry

ASSISTANT MANAGERS-MARKETING Chaturka Karandana THOMAS JOSE

Media Consultant HASSAN REKKAB

MARKETING RESEARCH AND

SUPPORT EXECUTIVE EMILY LANDRY

Accountant Pratap Chandran Sr. Distribution Executive Bikram Shrestha

Distribution Support Arjun Timilsina Bhimal Rai

Published by Oryx Advertising Co WLL, P.O. Box 3272; Doha-Qatar Tel: (+974) 44672139, 44550983, 44671173, 44667584 Fax: (+974) 44550982 Email: qtoday@omsqatar.com website: www.omsqatar.com Printed at: Gulf Publishing and Printing Co WLL Copyright © 2012 Oryx Advertising Co WLL

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

published by oryx advertising co wll, All rights reserved. qatar today is published monthly by oac, po box no. 3272, doha, qatar. subscription rate for qr. 180 per year. address for all subscription correspondence to qatar today, oryx advertising co wll, po box 3272, al hilal area, doha, state of qatar. for single copies call us on + 974 44672139 or mail to qtoday@omsqatar.com. material in this publication must not be stored or reproduced in any form without permission. request for permission should be directed to qtoday@omsqatar.com. reprint requests should be directed to the info@Omsqatar.com. qatar today is registered trademark of oryx advertising co wll reprint requests should be directed to the info@Omsqatar.com. qatar today is registered trademark of oryx advertising co wll reprint requests should be directed to the info@Omsqatar.com.

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

Fax: (+974) 44550982, email: qtoday@omsqatar.com Qatar Today reserves the right to edit and publish the correspondence.

Views and opinions expressed in the published letters may not necessarily be the publication’s views and opinions.

May 2012

from the desk

“Free enterprise is essentially a formula not just for wealth creation, but for life satisfaction.”

Arthur C. Brooks

My

first impression as I stepped into THE Intercontinental Doha for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, held at the end of March, was of revelation. The hall was abuzz with excitement, the air intense with enthusiasm, And the room was bursting to the seams with Qatari entrepreneurs. “Does the country have this many entrepreneurs?” was my initial scepticAL reaction. The scepticism was with reason. a country with no nationals living below the poverty line, almost negligible unemployment rates (0.4% in 2011), high incentives for working in the public sector (a recent hike of 60% to the already high salary scales) and very few recognised small and medium-sized enterpriseS – no reason whatsoever to account for this spurt in entrepreneur numbers.

One month down the line and countless meetings and researches later, we can confirm – yes, there are numerous self-starters here. We still have no figures to validate this, but what we do know is that this year and the coming few will prove to be revolutionary. The passion is there and the intent to capitalise on the passion to pave the way for an enterprise revolution that is being realised by the authorities.

Entrepreneurship is needed not just for job creation or economic stability but for the creation of new intellectual properties that will finally bring respect to the country which is constantly faulted for its exponential wealth.

Qatar Today brings you interviews with all those who matter in the enterprise generation portfolio: Enterprise Qatar, Qatar Development Bank, the Bedaya Center and the Roudha Center. We also bring you some inspiring stories of entrepreneurship.

Qatar Today also talks to Dr Saleh Mohamed Al-Nabit, Secretary-General of GSDP, who briefs us on where the country stands with the National Development Strategy, while the CEO of CARE USA gives us a global perspective on the Arab Springs and how they have affected the poor and Dr Sandra Shullman, at HEC Paris talks about another important asset, people, and how to manage them effectively.

We continue to bring you reports on countries that forge vital ties with Qatar. This month, read more about the Netherlands and its businesses here.

The summer is finally upon us, so stay hydrated and safe.

Sindhu Nair

letters feedback qtoday@omsqatar.com

Afraid of change It’s almost scary to read about how the world will be in 30 years from now. Michio Kaku thinks we will have the Internet in our walls and clothes. However, Jeffrey Stibel says we will all be able to understand each other using the language of the brain. This for me will be the most fascinating change, and call me conservative and/or antiquated, but it is just about the only one which I look forward to.

Joe Montgomerie

Life Lessons not being learnt

Qatar Today ran a very interesting coverstory last month where it highlighted how students work harder in countries which have little or no resources. I think this can fit in with many other examples in our everyday lives. How many times do our kids look for extra pocket money for non-essential reasons when they can earn it in a practical and safe way, and at the same time learn some lifelessons? Parents are as much to blame, handing over cash without challenging their children to earn it.

qt poll – MAY

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

George Clancy

Q

CAN QATAR FOSTER A CULTURE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP BY 2030?

An exciting new challenge

I really hate to train, but I feel when I have a goal to reach, it makes it easier. I am sorry I didn’t hear about the Abu Dhabi triathlon until I read about it in last month’s edition. It is something I would love to try once, and while I am in the region it will be something I will focus on next winter. It sounds like a very enjoyable and diverse challenge for me.

Neha Manola

SEC working too hard

I read recently that the Supreme Education Council (SEC) is making all high school teachers pass an aptitude test to continue teaching in Qatar, whether they are recent graduates or experienced personnel of 30 years. Whilst it is always good to maintain standards - especially in education – I feel after this decision – the powers that be in the Council should also be tested for competence.

Jaya Chauhan

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

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

43% 57% Yes

no

The winning number of the last QT poll is 3478635

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

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

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

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

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

Qatar Today reserves the right to edit and publish the correspondence.

Views and opinions expressed in the published letters may not necessarily be the publication’s views and opinions.

QNV 2030 – PROGRESS REPORT 39

NEWS BITES

Doha 2020 present Olympic bid

q

atar’s Heir Apparent, HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and Chairman of the Doha 2020 bid, introduced Doha’s 2020 Olympic bid to the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) in Moscow last month. Joining him were Noora Al-Mannai, bid CEO, and swimmer Nada Mohammed Wafa Arakji, who will represent Qatar at the 2012 Games in London this summer.

Representatives from Baku, Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo also used their first appearances on the international stage, before an audience of 1,200, including 50 International Olympic Committee (IOC) members, to try to make an early impression.

“This is a bid on behalf of the entire Middle East and North Africa region,” proclaimed the Heir Apparent. “It is not a single effort of Qatar, but one of a region whose population will reach 700 million people by 2020.”

Part of Doha’s legacy, which is such a vital component on any bid, will be a new initiative, a centre to help develop women’s sports participation not just in Qatar but across the Middle East. It also promises to subsequently waste none of the resources it plans for the 2020 Games.

Noora Al-Mannai said: “Qatar has put in place a Sports Master Plan which is the basis of Doha’s bid and means that 91% of our Games sports venues are already built or planned and budgeted for.

Our plan ensures no ‘white elephants’. It is a totally sustainable approach – for the environment, for the venues, for our communities and for sport in the region.”

“With Doha 2020, we have the chance through sport to ensure greater opportunities for women and girls just like me across the

Doha’s 2020 Olympic bid representatives were in Moscow last month to formally annouce their proposal.

Middle East region,” said Nada Mohammed Wafa Arakji. “Our bid is about inspiring young people and it also offers practical support.

We are proposing the region’s first high-performance training centre for female athletes. It will provide women and girls with the very latest facilities where they can train and develop their sporting skills and give so many young girls an opportunity that today they can only dream of.”

The IOC will select candidate cities on May 23, 2012.

Transforming Education

R

epresentatives of original and pioneering initiatives in education are invited to apply for the 2012 WISE Awards which will be presented to six successful projects at the 2012 WISE (World Innovation Summit for Education) Summit from November 13-15 in Doha.

The WISE Awards recognise innovative educational projects from around the world which have had a transformative impact upon education and society.

12 Qatar Today

May 2012

The winning projects will be showcased at the annual WISE Summit and will benefit from substantial media visibility, helping promote their achievements and developments.

HE Sheikh Abdulla bin Ali Al Thani, PhD, Chairman of WISE and Chairman of the WISE Awards Jury, said: “Over the past three years we have received very impressive projects which are having an outstanding impact on people’s lives around the world. Great innovations

need to be recognised and made accessible to all so that they can be expanded, adapted and replicated, and can inspire and benefit other communities.”

Ayla Goksel, CEO of Mother Child Education Programme and 2010 Wise Award winner, said that the Wise Award had increased their exposure internationally as they developed further relations with UN agencies and have received requests for partnerships from other countries.

news bites

Arab Aid for Trade announced at UNCTAD

Banking executives meet on trade finance concerns

HH The Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and HH Sheikha Mosa Al-Misnad enjoying the opening day of UNCTAD XIII.

ore than 400 banking and business executives from 50 countries met in Doha recently to rethink the future of trade finance in a bid to encourage governments, regulatory bodies and G20 leaders to remove obstacles to trade finance and stimulate economic growth and job creation.

“It is crucial that during this economic crisis trade finance be freed up to promote economic growth, especially in the developing world,” said HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohammad Al Thani, Chairman of ICC Qatar and the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which hosted the meeting. “This would stimulate an effective private sector and improve the conditions for investment and trade.”

Economic crises have negatively impacted trade finance in many countries over the past five years and conditions are still difficult in many regions. As trade finance markets become less liquid, the entire supply chain is affected, with a particular toll being taken on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries.

“SMEs could be the engine of economic growth if given better access to investment through new regulatory frameworks for trade finance,” said Kah Chye Tan, ICC Banking Commission Chair.

While the ICC recognises that it’s important to improve the resilience of the financial system, it is also urging governments to take measures that make trade finance more accessible and affordable, and to avoid drafting regulations that may penalise trade.

m

c

hief Executive Officer of the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) Dr Waleed AlWohaib announced at the 13th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD XIII) last month a major trade capacity development initiative for Arab countries.

With the support of the UN, the ITFC will provide a platform to assist Arab countries to mobilise resources to accelerate the pace of trade reforms and enhance competitiveness in global and regional markets in a manner that addresses the challenges of unemployment, particularly youth unemployment, and provides momentum for the full realisation of the Pan-Arab Free Trade Area. The

League of Arab States is collaborating closely with the ITFC in the implementation of the initiative.

Dr Waleed Al Wohaib mentioned there are exciting new possibilities for the Arab region currently. Unleashing entrepreneurial potential and creative talents, diversifying Arab economies, and providing women and men with the economic opportunities they need to live a better life will lead to more resilient and inclusive societies.

“The Arab ‘Aid for Trade’ Initiative I am announcing today will help Arab countries to mobilise resources to expand trade beyond current levels, boost economic growth and employment, reverse deindustrialisation, and ultimately achieve poverty elimination and human development outcomes,” he said.

Kahramaa launches conservation programme

k

ahramaa launched Tarsheed, a national campaign for the conservation and efficient use of water and electricity, at Katara Cultural Village in April under the slogan “Keep Water Pulsing – Consume Wisely”.

The ceremony was hosted by Dr Mohammed Saleh Al-Sada, the Minister of Industry and Energy, and was attended by the Heir Apparent, HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad

Al Than and HE Eng. Essa bin Hilal Al-Kuwari, the president of Kahramaa, as well as several ministers, prominent business leaders and specialists working in the water and electricity sector.

Dr Al-Sada said: “The Heir Apparent, HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, is deeply invested in ensuring that this national campaign is given the full support of the people of Qatar because of its importance to the nation’s future.

Tarsheed gives the opportunity to work together and make a real contribution to realising the goals of National Vision 2030.

“With Tarsheed we aim to develop the spirit of personal accountability in the use of water and electricity, to eliminate waste and to increase awareness,” said HE Eng Essa bin Hilal Al-Kuwari. “Tarsheed is a fiveyear campaign that will include a combination of campaigns, awareness programmes, direct activities and outdoor initiatives.”

May 2012

Qatar Today 13

news bites

“Made in Qatar” making a footprint overseas

q

atar’s innovative footprint is beginning to make a global impression. Two creations by the Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) were promoted in Rome, Italy last month in the presence of HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development. They are the first two technologies in Qatar outside the energy sector to be developed, commercialised and exported.

RASAD – a wireless information transfer platform – is now deployed in Rome after studies that were aimed at addressing prevalent health concerns in the Italian capital.

“It was important for me to see for myself how our ‘Made in Qatar’ technology is being used in Italy,” said Her Highness. “It shows how our long-term investment in science and technology is starting to bear fruit. We have a vision to make our name on the global map and to share our innovations with the rest of the world, and I am proud that Qatar Science and Technology Park

(QSTP) is collaborating with top Italian institutions on this.”

RASAD is an ICT platform developed and owned by QSTP and Aspetar – Qatar’s first orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital – which enables real-time remote monitoring using wireless sensors.

Also presented was Loghati, an integrated e-communications solution developed by QSTP. Loghati – which means “my language” in Arabic – allows the creation of virtual libraries comprised of ancient and modern texts, where each document is a multidimensional information repository that can be accessed, amended and instantly translated from Arabic into other languages and back again. It also has the ability to host audio and video content in its virtual library, creating a multimedia interface for knowledge previously unavailable to millions.

“One of the great challenges in the Arab world is the Arabic language,” said Her Highness. “The Arabic language is poetic, but it risks being marginalised because it hasn’t modernised to meet today’s challenges. We need to revitalise the language.”

Water Security of vital importance

q

atar General Electricity and Water Corporation, the Water Science and Technology Association (WSTA) and the Secretariat-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council opened the Tenth Gulf Water Conference in Doha last month.

The conference – held under the patronage of HE Mohammad Bin Saleh Al-Sada, Qatar’s Minister of Energy and Industry – ran for three days and welcomed local government ministers as well as GCC and international water professionals, who were keen to get involved in this year’s theme: “Water in GCC Countries – the Water-Energy-Food Nexus”, where water management and its sustainability – especially so in the harsh and arid Middle Eastern climate – is of vital importance.

The opening ceremony included a speech from HE Essa bin Hilal Al-Kuwari, president of the conference and Kahramaa, who

14 Qatar Today

may 2012

called upon GCC member states to explore long-term solutions to overcome the alarming situations they are facing on the water issue.

“Although there is no doubt that there have been so many achievements for the member states in several areas, each of them faces a daunting task as far as water is concerned in view of the huge growth expected in the region’s population in the next decade.”

Speaking on Kahramaa’s role in building up the three main sources – food, water and energy – Al-Kuwari said the corporation had spent more than QR11 billion in upgrading and launching projects in the water sector in the past five years and it had approved about QR31 billion for implementing new projects in the water sector until 2016.

“We are also in the process of building huge water reservoirs and upgrading the levels of ground water as a strategic reserve,” he added.

Qatar Hotels Committee meets for first time

T

he inaugural meeting of the Qatar Hotels Committee was recently held at St Regis Doha with the aim of enabling the tourism and hospitality industries in the country to grow and develop ahead of the World Cup in 2022.

Chaired by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) Chairman Ahmed Al-Nuaimi, the committee comprises the general managers and representatives of the country’s four- and five-star hotels, with senior representatives from the QTA. “There is an urgent need for this cooperation in light of the current rapid development of tourism in the country,” said Al Nuaimi. “This requires the hotel sector to move from its traditional role of receiving guests, to one that sees it more effectively and actively contributing to the evolution and development of the tourism sector.”

UCL-Q opens its lecture series

U

niversity College London Qatar’s lecture series opened with ‘The Dome of the Rock’ at the Museum of Islamic Art Auditorium last month.

The lecture, presented by Dr Timothy Power, established discussions concerned with the archaeology of the Islamic world.

Located in Jerusalem, the Dome of the Rock is one of the iconic monuments of the world – its golden copula is an instantly recognisable symbol of the Holy Land and aspirations of the Palestinian people. It is revered by Muslims as the site where the Prophet ascended into heaven and as such is the third-holiest site in Islam.

Professor Thilo Rehren, Director of UCL Qatar, commented: “UCL Qatar is proud to be the first British university to open in Qatar and to be able to contribute to Qatar’s educational legacy at a turning-point in the country’s history.

As Qatar races into the 21st century with an array of iconic architectural designs emerging in Doha’s landscape, we will focus on Qatar’s historic roots to underline its cultural heritage.”

COUNTRY REPORT: QATAR IS GOING DUTCH

59

O & G overview

Qatar and India sign oil and gas pact

i

ndia and Qatar have signed a pact to increase cooperation in the field of oil and gas exploration. The deal comes as India looks for more sources of oil and gas to meet its growing energy demands. India has also been facing pressure to reduce its imports of Iranian oil amid nuclear sanctions against Tehran.

Qatar has the sixth-largest oil reserves in the Middle East and the world’s third-largest natural gas reserves after Russia and Iran. India is heavily dependent on Iranian oil imports, but the US and its Western partners have been targeting Tehran’s oil exports to try to force it to abandon its nuclear programme. The US plans to implement a round of sanctions, starting on June 28, on banks based in countries that do not cut their oil imports from Iran.

Along with the oil and gas pact, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh signed five other agreements with the Emir of Qatar, HH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, to boost trade and investment ties.

Students present their Jet fuel Research Safety Foremost

t

hree Texas A&M University at Qatar students, sponsored

by Qatar Shell, travelled to the American Chemical Society’s 2012 National Spring Meeting in San Diego in March to present cutting-edge research on synthetic jet fuels. The research project, supported by Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) and the Qatar National Research Fund’s (QNRF) Undergraduate Research Experience Program (UREP), aims to design new generations of synthetic jet fuels obtained from Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) technology.

The project’s goal is to create synthetic jet fuels that can be utilised in the same way as crude fuels but burn more cleanly, making them better for the environment and easier to certify in the aviation industry.

To reach this goal, Dr Nimir Elbashir, Assistant Professor of

16 Qatar Today

May 2012

Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M Qatar, and his team of researchers are conducting a series of studies to understand the effect of synthetic fuels’ hydrocarbon structure on the fuels’ physical and chemical properties, which are essential for jet fuel certification by the aviation industry.

The team is working closely with partners in academia and industry across the world including the University of Sheffield, Qatar Shell, Shell Projects and Technology, Rolls-Royce and the German Aerospace Centre (DLR).

Shorebase Team celebrates 15 years without A LOST TIME INCIDENT.

s

horebase Operations Support team of the Well Management Department of RasGas Company Limited (RasGas) recently celebrated 15 years without a Lost Time Incident and 11 years without a Recordable Incident.

Congratulating the Shorebase team for its outstanding safety record, Hamad Rashid Al-Mohannadi, RasGas Managing Director, said that the achievement reflects RasGas’ philosophy and commitment to ensuring that the highest safety standards are met in all aspects of its business.

o& g ov e r v i e w

Shell:

Building a portfolio through the full value chain shell and qatar have formed a very solid partnership since the former arrived on the peninsula a decade ago. ONLY A QUARTER OF QATAR’S GAS RESERVES IS BEING TAPPED IN ONGOING PROJECTS SO Executive Vice President of Qatar Shell GTL Limited Wael Sawan sees a real opportunity to explore thE POTENTIAL OF THIS PARTNERSHIP. He talks to Meghna Dey about shell’s presence here and its plans for the future.

Qatar

has access to over 900 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves in the North Field – the world’s largest non-associated gas field. Shell has developed a significant partnership with Qatar Petroleum over the past decade including joint development of the largest GTL plant in the world, and Executive Vice President, Qatar Shell, Wael Sawan sees a real opportunity to grow that partnership with QP further both in Qatar and internationally.

“Shell re-entered Qatar a decade ago with discussions about a new Gas to Liquids (GTL) project which eventually became known as Pearl GTL. Those discussions progressed through to the signing of the first agreement in late 2003 and then the development of production-sharing which took place in 2004,” he says.

In parallel, Shell started discussing an LNG project with the Qatari government in 2004-2005, which eventually became a 30% Shell equity interest in Qatargas 4, the last of the six megatrains. It also took a decision to open a research and learning facility, Qatar Shell Research and Technology Centre (QSRTC).

“But Qatar Shell is also increasing its involvement in the whole value chain of the oil and gas business through exploration and petrochemicals businesses,” he continues.

How has Shell developed in Qatar?

In a short period of time we had the commercial agreement on Pearl GTL, the agreement on Qatargas 4 and the agreement on QSRTC. This journey progressed into the construction of those projects first of all and their eventual start-up in early 2011. Since then we have also had two growth opportunities in Qatar. One was an exploration project – Block D, which we were awarded in partnership with CNPC in 2010 – and the second a world-class

18 Qatar Today

may 2012

petrochemical project for which we signed a Heads of Agreement in December 2011. Our portfolio spans the full value chain – all the way from upstream gas monetisation to customer, exploration and downstream projects.

In partnership with Qatar over this time we have also expanded our relationship internationally working with Qatar Petroleum International (QPI) – the international arm of QP – to progress and mature overseas opportunities. This sort of investment would never be possible unless we had an absolute conviction in the overall transparency and fiscal prudence of the country.

One of the things we have enjoyed from the higher authorities has been to set an infrastructure where we can operate comfortably, with security and with full support all across the chain.

What is your largest undertaking at the moment?

Pearl GTL, jointly developed by QP and Shell, is not only the largest energy project in Qatar but also the world’s largest GTL plant.

At QR65-70 billion it is the largest single investment that Shell has ever undertaken in one go. When fully operational, the plant will process 1.6 billion scf (standard cubic feet) of wet gas from the North Field every day, producing 140,000 barrels per day of high-quality GTL products and 120,000 barrels per day of natural gas liquids.

The plant converts gas into high-quality liquid products such as gasoil, baseoil, GTL naptha, kerosene and normal paraffins.

Pearl GTL is a realisation of the vision of HH the Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, to diversify Qatar’s energy sector and revenue streams. GTL creates an additional route to monetise the country’s enormous resources of natural gas by turning it into high-quality liquid fuels and products. GTL offers the full upside of accessing the oil markets and is also a very strategic diversification process for the country.

To give a physical sense of scale, it has taken over 500 mil-

o&g ove rvie w

that is going to represent over 10% of the Shell Group’s production volumes. That is extremely sizeable when you consider the size of the Shell Group. The country is important to us not only for the delivered projects, but also for the growth opportunities such as in exploration and petrochemicals where we will build new avenues for growth with QP. Our relationship with QP is beginning to extend internationally as well and we see that as an important strand to grow the partnership. QPI acquired its first overseas downstream asset in Singapore in a deal with Shell in 2009. Also, in January this year QPI, PetroChina and Shell signed a Heads of Agreement to develop a proposed world-scale petrochemicals project in China.

So we have an opportunity to grow together both in Qatar and internationally via overseas opportunities.

lion hours to design and build. The project imported two million freight tonnes of material and equipment during construction. The workers installed enough pipe and structural steel to build 40 Eiffel Towers, poured enough concrete to build two Burj Khalifas and laid enough cable to stretch from Doha to Texas.

What are the advantages of working in Qatar?

The biggest advantage is the stability of the overall investment climate in the country, enabled through the sound policies and wise leadership of HH the Emir. In addition, a real differentiator for the country is the responsiveness of the Qatari authorities to the needs of investors and the clarity and transparency that exist for businesses in the country.

The country is blessed not only with abundant gas resources, but also with strong leadership, fast decisionmaking and an absolute drive to deliver transparency in all business dealings. In addition, QP acts as a partner, not as a counter-party. There is a fundamental belief that working together for success where both sides win is the right approach. In Ras Laffan City we are supported by excellent infrastructure and services. We imported two million freight tonnes of goods and materials through a dedicated material offloading facility in Ras Laffan Port and suffered no demurrage.

One of our successes over here has been our ability to tap into local talent. Qatar offers a very strong education system that has been steadily emerging, allowing us to take some Qatari students who become competitive in the global environment. Today we have about 250 Qataris in our organisation – that’s 17% of our total work force. This represents a critical part of the talent that will take this organisation forward into the future.

How important is Qatar in Shell’s global plan?

Over the past 10 years we have brought on stream an operation

What does the future hold for Shell in Qatar?

I hope to see safe, reliable and efficient operations for our existing facilities and our ability to really monetise our investments for the benefit of the state of Qatar and for Shell. I think it holds a great downstream project which we hope will develop a new opportunity in Qatar to create these petrochemical products which it can supply to the rest of the world. Delivery in exploration projects, if we are successful in them, will open up new horizons of development. What we see here is a special longterm partnership for our company and QP to flourish and build opportunities jointly.

Are you involved in educational or CSR programmes?

For me personally, I believe it will be about leaving a legacy that we can be proud of in Qatar. We try to focus on Qatar’s 2030 Vision and we look at its four pillars. We judge ourselves by raising questions: are we doing enough to leave a legacy behind as we contribute to those pillars? For example, something that we launched late last year is an initiative called Tafawoq, a project management centre of excellence designed to offer training, coaching and mentoring for project managers. We also have the Shell Project Academy which has allowed us to hone the skills of project engineers and managers. We focus a lot on universities.

We have a Campus Ambassador Programme where we have accountable teams within Shell interfacing with various universities. One of the recent initiatives with universities was the Shell Eco-marathon, where students from Texas A&M and Qatar University competed with other students from around the world in Berlin to build ultra-fuel-efficient vehicles.

How does QSRTC work with students?

QSRTC is not just a research facility but also a learning facility.

Recently we had students coming and spending a day interfacing with our researchers and technicians, getting a feel of what’s happening. The vision is really that of Qatar Foundation having this dynamic environment where education meets corporate research, and we try very hard to live up to that commitment. We do that because we get a lot of great energy coming from those students. What we have in that facility is a mini GTL set-up. This helps us to explain what is in Ras Laffan so that the students understand how it all works and get the passion for research and higher learning

May 2012

Qatar Today 19

SPOTLIGHT: ICT SECTOR

81

bank notes

Qatar’s banking sector flourishing

q

atar’s banking sector saw the most rapid increase in assets in the GCC during 2011, growing by 22.3%, according to a QNB Group study. It looks set to move ahead of Bahrain (an offshore financing hub) to take third place in the region by asset size, having previously overtaken Kuwait in 2010.

The study revealed that the GCC banking sector’s prospects are stable and profitable and that the sector itself has plenty of room for growth.

Total assets in the sector rose by 8.9% to QR5.32 trillion in 2011, equivalent to 106% of regional GDP. By comparison, assets in the UK were 341% of its GDP. This suggests that there is still plenty of room for GCC as-

Domestic loan penetration: (% of GDP)

78UAE

QIB (UK)’s Global Sukuk Plus Fund enjoys success QIB (UK)’s highly successful EFH Global Sukuk Plus Fund broke through the $200 million level of assets under management for the first time in March. This success confirms the clear distance between the fund and its competition in the Sukuk marketplace. The Global Sukuk Plus Fund’s total return since inception has been 21.43%, whilst the annualised return since inception has been 6.21%.

With strong yields, the Global Sukuk Plus Fund has also given its investors low volatility.

Despite difficult times in the market over the three years since the fund’s inception, it has continued to increase in assets under management (AUM), raising over $100 million in the past year. This has highlighted the appetite and confidence of investors for Sukuk.

20 Qatar Today

May 2012

sets to grow in relative terms. GCC banking assets grew at a compound annual rate of 7.5% from 2007 to 2011 as a consequence of the region’s economic boom, driven by high oil prices.

The UAE has the largest share of regional assets, 31% of the total, while Saudi Arabia (28%) comes next. Domestic banks hold the majority of assets in each country, with the exception of Bahrain where foreign banks hold 57%. For the region as a whole, 83% of assets are held by domestic banks in their home countries.

Loans as a share of GDP in the GCC rose to 56% in 2011, but this is low compared to countries like the UK where loans are 153% of GDP. This largely explains the GCC’s fairly low share of overall banking assets

67

Bahrain

64

Qatar

57

Kuwait

relative to GDP. There is therefore space for an increase in the loan penetration rates in the GCC. Saudi Arabia’s percentage may increase when a long-awaited law reforming mortgage financing is implemented and boosts access to credit.

The asset quality of the GCC banking sector is generally good and has been improving in those places that experienced some credit problems following the 2008 financial crisis.

The regional non-performing loan (NPL) ratio was 4.6% at end-2010, the most recent year with data for the whole region. It ranged from a low of 2.0% in Qatar to a high of 8.9% in Kuwait, based on IMF data.

47

Oman

40

Saudi Arabia

Arbitration the future for financial disputes

T

he International Chamber of Commerce Qatar National Committee (ICC Qatar), with the support of the ICC Banking Commission, hosted a one-day symposium on Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in Banking and Financial Disputes recently.

Inaugurated by HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim Al Thani, Chairman of the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry and ICC Qatar, the Doha summit hosted four panels covering crucial topics including how to use the new ICC Arbitration Rules in financial transactions disputes; the use of arbitration in resolving disagreements in Islamic finance contracts; the use of the ICC Documentary Instruments Dispute Resolution Expertise (DOCDEX); and the enforcement of arbitral awards in the different Gulf countries.

“As we gather here today, Qatar is

ranked one of the most stable and safe countries in the world. This recognition is result of a prudent, long-term vision of investing in the human capital of the country through the right utilisation of natural resources. The stability is evident in various aspects of social, political, economic and financial realms. Most importantly, it has allowed us to reach out and serve as a reliable and trusted arbitrator on the international stage,” Sheikh Khalifa said.

He continued: “Arbitration is the future because of speedy justice, simple procedures and low fee rates. Aggrieved parties save time and money by settling their disputes through arbitration. Qatar’s efforts to arbitrate go beyond the finance and business sectors. We remain the biggest proponent that conflict can be resolved through dialogue and harmony.”

bank Notes

Banks post strong financials QFIB

q

FIB reported total income of QR850.6 million and a net income of QR94 million in 2011, representing a 20% increase over 2010. Total capital invested to date reached QR1.212 billion. For the second consecutive year, the AGM ratified the distribution of a cash dividend of 6% of paid share capital to QFIB shareholders.

An Extraordinary General Meeting approved the filing of an application with the Qatar Financial Markets Authority to list QFIB shares on the Qatar Exchange in accordance with the laws of Qatar. In order to facilitate the listing process the EGM approved changing the currency denomination of the bank from US dollars to Qatari riyals. This move will align the bank with its Qatari listed counterparts in terms of financial reporting and performance evaluation.

Furthermore, the EGM approved proposal to re-adjust the authorised capital of the bank from $1 billion (QR3.65 billion) to $550 million (QR2 billion) in a step to waive the remaining non-paid portion of the authorised capital. The EGM also approved a proposal to amend the bank’s name to become “Qatar First Bank”.

q

atar Islamic Bank (QIB) announced a net profit of QR388 million for the first quarter of 2012, which was a 20.9% increase over Q1 2011. The core business of the bank grew strongly in Q1, leading to a QR777 million (19.9%) increase in operating income in the first quarter of 2012 compared to the corresponding period last year.

Total equity reached QR10.6 billion by end of the first quarter of 2012, an increase of 2.8% compared to same period

22 Qatar Today

may 2012

Total Assets up by

QR68.4 billion (28.2%) since March 2011 to

QR311.1 billion Total Loans and advances up by

QR60.5 billion (43.0%) since March 2011 to

QR201.2 billion QR38.5 billion (21.4%) since March 2011 to

oha Bank’s financial results for the first quarter of 2012 were recently announced. Net profit of QR390 million for the first quarter of 2012 was a 7.4% increase on the same period last year. Loans and advances grew by 13.1% to reach QR29.5 billion as at 31 March 2012. Total assets increased by QR5.9 billion, a growth of more than 12.8% since March 31 2011.

Customer deposits and unrestricted investment accounts registered a growth of 11.8% evidencing the strong liquidity position of the Bank.

Mr. R. Seetharaman, Group CEO, said, “Continuing with our significant achievements in 2011, the first quarter of 2012 was successful in meeting and exceeding customer expectations, and maintaining our leadership in terms of performance, innovation, security and quality.”

QIB

Net Profit up by 17.4% to QR2 billion

Total Customer Deposits up by

doha bank

d

QNB Group

QR218.4 billion Earnings per share increased to

QR2.9

compared to

QR2.8

in March 2011 Total Equity up by

QR17.5 billion (71.3%) since March 2011 to

QR42.0 billion

in 2011, while the return on average equity (ROAE) stood at 15.9%. The bank’s total assets stood at QR59 billion, a growth of 18.4% compared with the same period a year earlier.

Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, QIB, Chairman, said: “The results of the first quarter show that we are on track to deliver on our business strategy for 2012. We will continue to develop and launch innovative products and services that meet our customers’ needs.

“These first-quarter results indicate

q

NB Group recorded a net profit of QR2 billion for the three months ending March 31, up by 17.4% compared to the same period last year.

Total assets increased by 28.2% in twelve months to reach QR311.1 billion, the highest ever achieved by the group. This was the result of a strong growth rate of 43% in loans and advances to reach QR201.2 billion. Meanwhile, customer deposits recorded solid growth of 21.4% to QR218.4 billion.

The bank was able to maintain the ratio of non-performing loans to total loans at 1.1%, a level considered to be the lowest amongst banks in the MENA region. Provisions were conservatively managed, as the coverage ratio reached 127%.

Total operating income increased to QR2.8 billion, up by 24.4% compared to the same period last year, as QNB Group succeeded in achieving strong growth across the range of revenue sources. Net interest income and income from Islamic financing activities increased substantially, up by 31.6% to reach QR2.2 billion.

QNB Group continued to diversify its income sources, with net fees and commissions income increasing by 18.3% to QR337.2 million, while net gain from foreign exchange increased by 70.5% to QR163.3 million.

Total shareholders’ equity increased by 71.3% since March 31, 2011 to reach QR42.0 billion. QNB Group maintains a strong capital adequacy ratio higher than the regulatory requirements of Qatar Central Bank and the Basel Committee. The group is keen to maintain a strong capitalisation in order to support future strategic plans.

that 2012 promises to be a year of continued growth, one that lives up to the aspirations and expectations of the bank’s shareholders and customers. Our primary objective remains to enhance QIB’s position as the domestic leader in Islamic finance.”

QIB also announced that Constantinos Constantinides has joined its staff as Chief Strategy Officer to lead the bank’s transformation programme, while Bert de Ruiter joins as General Manager of the Wholesale Banking Group.

ban k n ot es

Why caring for your financial health is important

Most

people have frequent medical or dental check-ups to make sure that they are fit and healthy. So why wouldn’t you have a regular financial health check-up to make sure that your investments are solid at least once a year? Everyone is an individual when it comes to peak health levels and the same goes for an individual’s financial position. Some people’s circumstances are straightforward, while others require more attention depending on their complexity or intentions. It is important for any investor to complete a regular review of their financial status and keep track of their investments and savings.

Sound financial health should help to prepare you for unanticipated events, such as unexpected bills, sickness or death. An individual may have a number of commitments including dependants to care for or educate, mortgages and credit cards to pay, saving for a house or even accumulating wealth for retirement. A financial check-up should be completed regularly, particularly as your personal situation changes due to these important life events. It is recommended that you seek independent assistance from a professional financial adviser who can provide guidance about your personal situation and advise you about the most appropriate wealth solutions, tailored to your specific needs.

By assessing the most important things first, here are steps on how to take action and control of your financial circumstances.

Illness or untimely death – no one likes to think about this, but you should make plans about how to manage your affairs following the death of you or your partner. Life insurance provides a lump sum or income when you die, which can benefit your dependants and help to ease any financial strain that your family may experience. You should also make provisions in your will about how your home, mortgage and other personal debts will be managed. An upto-date will helps your estate be shared, with your assets, money and possessions passed on according to your wishes.

Make a budget of your repayments so that you can carefully manage where your money goes. Review your spending habits, check your borrowing levels and measure your performance against savings targets as this will help you plan towards and achieve your financial goals in a more timely fashion.

Manage your personal debt levels – keep an eye on your bor-

feedback qtoday@omsqatar.com

rowing levels and stay on top of your debts. You should also try to borrow for assets that help to secure your financial freedom and create wealth – a mortgage for a home in either Qatar or your home country may become an important asset over time. Creating wealth through borrowing to invest in investment products may be an opportunity for some people, particularly if you think that returns will be higher than borrowing costs and this approach matches your individual needs.

Regular savings – get into the habit of saving regularly. Savings are a great way to achieve short- and long-term goals and provide additional comfort to cope with unexpected financial emergencies. If you have a healthy level of savings, you could also consider paying off credit cards or repaying loans early as this may save you money on your overall interest payments.

Investment options – depending on your objectives and risk tolerance, there are a large range of investment solutions that are available that can provide higher returns compared to savings that are held as bank deposits. When thinking about these investment solutions, it is important to seek professional advice so that your decisions are suitable for your personal situation.

Retirement plans – reviewing your plans regularly as you approach retirement is important, and you should consider your financial position to judge whether you have enough savings and investments to sustain your chosen lifestyle during retirement.

When approaching retirement, it is important to review if your investments remain suitable for your needs and you may consider switching to lower-risk options to preserve wealth levels and protect you from investment volatility.

Financial advice can be a powerful asset, for example an investment of $10,000 three years ago in a Gold Fund offered by HSBC Wealth Managers, would now be worth almost $17,000. While past performance is no guarantee of future performance, and this product may not be suitable for all investors, the growth in investment value achieved by working with a financial adviser could support many of your lifestyle choices or provide financial support for key life events.

As your financial circumstances change, remember to review your financial plans regularly with a professional financial adviser who can tailor wealth solutions specific to your situation and recommend products to make your money work harder for you

By Javed Hassan Akhtar Senior Sales Manager Wealth Management, HSBC

24 Qatar Today

may 2012

bank not es

ban k n ot es

Chinese transition presents opportunity As the world’s second-largest economy and equity market, China commands the attention of investors even though the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects that its growth will slow during the next five years. China’s economy grew a staggering 316% in the Past decade, compared to America’s 43% expansion. even the global economic meltdown wasn’t a de-railer. So any deceleration of growth should be taken in context.

The

IMF predicted last September that China’s economy will expand at an average rate of 9.4% from 2012 to 2016, which still outpaces any other emerging market. China’s low government debt – 16% of GDP – and cheap equity valuations helped secure its top spot among these emerging markets, which is where all the venture capital and investments seem to be flowing at the moment.

But is there too much investment in China? Western governments feel it needs to rebalance its economy by investing less and consuming more. Otherwise, diminishing returns on capital will retard future growth; or, worse still, overcapacity will cause a slump in investment and bring the economy to its knees.

Deliberate policy to slow growth The figures above certainly seem to point to a burgeoning economy where all units are working well. Recently however, at the opening of the annual session of China’s Parliament, the National People’s Congress (NPC), Premier Wen Jiabao announced that the government’s target for annual economic growth this year was 7.5% – much lower than in previous years.

So at a time when the global economy is relying on China to keep it buoyant, does this spell trouble?

The premier doesn’t think so. He

26 Qatar Today

may 2012

pointed out that this figure is more policy than an official projection. The purpose of targeting this lower growth rate is “to guide people in all sectors to focus their work on accelerating the transformation of the pattern of economic development and make economic development more sustainable and efficient”.

So is China tightening its reel now to accommodate future growth patterns in the future? The issue may not be whether it needs more investment, but whether China’s absorption capacity can continue to accommodate the rapid investment growth of the past decade. It’s a case of getting the right balance, and at the moment the Chinese government thinks it’s tipping unfavourably against them.

Eugene Chen, Senior Advisor for Greater China at Russell Investments, a global asset manager, argues that China represents an opportunity for the perceptive investor.

“Many of the world’s largest banks by capitalisation (including the largest after the global financial crisis) are in China,” says Chen. “There are many large corporations represented in all sectors there.

These firms are typically state-owned enterprises that have only a portion of their shares floated, but they are so large that the shares are still very liquid and easy to research and trade. There are also plenty of small- and mid-cap stocks, as would be expected in a market this

EUGENE CHEN Senior advisor for greater china, russell investments

large and diverse.”

Chen does see an apparent change in how China is focusing on the future and is taking a more pragmatic approach to its policies. International trade has played a pivotal role in China’s economic development over the past 30 years. However, the global market is no longer able to absorb China’s massive exports – meaning it may be a victim of its own success. Rising labour costs and a stronger currency

bank not es

will undermine the export sector, causing GDP growth to slow this year. This seems to be the reason for the premier’s policy of slower but more refined growth.

“China’s economy is in the process of shifting from an export and investmentled economy to a more balanced economy where domestic consumption is well represented,” he says. “However, this shift presents a compelling theme and opportunity to investors.

“At the end of the day China is an emerging market and as such has many typical emerging-market characteristics, for instance high retail investor participation in the market, high volatility and restricted access for foreign investors. However, China also has the second-largest stock market in the world by capitalisation and therefore has a greater global impact than stock markets in many of the other, smaller emerging markets.

“China’s economy and its capital markets in particular are still not as integrated with the rest of the world as other large economies. The renminbi’s (currency of China) lack of convertibility helps insulate its capital markets from storms in the rest of the world and therefore the market cycles do not move in lock-step with the rest of the world. It is always possible to find time periods where one economy performs very differently from the other, especially when the correlation between China and the rest of the world is relatively low. However, this is also the reason why China is attractive for the global investor – it is a very good diversification play from the rest of the world.”

Investment restrictions Chen mentions that there is restricted access into Chinese markets for foreign investors, but feels any limitations shouldn’t be perceived negatively.

“There are transparency issues in China, as there are in all emerging markets.

However we see this as an opportunity rather than a hindrance. The fact that the Chinese market is inefficient means that quality research with local knowledge can pay off handsomely. China is definitely a market ideally suited for active management provided that one has local knowledge and the means to do quality research on the ground.

“A lot depends on which Chinese stocks

a foreign investor may be interested in – there are for instance many Chinese stocks listed in Hong Kong and New York which are open to trade by foreign investors. However, those stocks represent a relatively small subset of all publicly listed Chinese stocks and are skewed toward certain industries. The main Chinese market is inside China – in Shanghai and Shenzhen – which account for approximately four trillion dollars (QR14.6 trillion) in market capitalisation.

“Legally a foreign firm can hold 100% of a Chinese-registered firm, but in heavily-regulated industries like finance that firm would not be able to get a licence

“China’s economy is in the process of shifting from an export and investment-led economy to a more balanced economy where domestic consumption is well represented, AND this shift presents a compelling themE and opportunity to investors”

to do anything. You need the local majority partner, not to own the firm, but rather to get a licence of any sort – you need a local partner for market access anyway, even if licensing were wide open to foreigners.”

China’s leadership will change in 2012.

There’s always that deep-rooted sentiment that the government there may have some role to play in any investment you might make – maybe they might engage in a policy of seizing your ownership interests using fabricated tax claims or dubious court cases.

“There is widespread private ownership of property and corporations in China,” explains Chen. “For foreign investors I do not see any fundamental property rights issues that would affect us to the point of

deterring investment.”

Real estate bubble For the last decade, the most significant category of investment in China has been real-estate development, which accounts for approximately 10% of its GDP and a quarter of total investment. Recent reports from China suggest a major economic downturn may be under way, with idled factories and laid-off workers. Reports of “ghost cities” are common.

“There is a real estate bubble in China which has been undergoing a controlled ‘pop’ for the past 12 months,” says Chen.

“With the massive ongoing urbanisation which is still in its early stages, the demographics in the urban areas would enable the economy to absorb the short-term oversupply much quicker compared to many Western countries where the demographics simply cannot keep up with the oversupply in the short or even medium-term. The yuan has experienced some short-term weaknesses but it is certainly on a long term strengthening trend line.

If it becomes convertible, it is certain to become one of the world’s main reserve currencies.”

Export issues China’s economy has great growth ahead of it – it’s projected to become the world’s largest economy in 15 years. But to make money from China’s growth one has to buy and sell investments at the right time.

Such is the size of the Chinese economy, its stock market is likely to do well when the Chinese economy is reporting high returns on exports and domestic consumption. However, exports are being hindered by the financial crisis in Europe, China’s largest export market.

“The US and Chinese economies are still heavily dependent on one another,” says Chen. “The political fluctuations in their bilateral relationship cause some white noise in the background which has an effect on the market through shortterm volatility.

“However, long-term trends remain stable despite this. The EU is a huge market for Chinese goods so any problems in the eurozone will definitely have an impact on China (or any country for that matter). On the other hand, Chinese banks are much less exposed to Europe compared to Western banks.”

May 2012

Qatar Today 27

PLANNING FOR A DEVELOPED WORKFORCE 74

realty check

Growth not uniform HARRODS PROMOTEs in GCC construction CENTRAL LONDON’S sector PROPERTY MARKET

a

lthough the construction and real estate sector has started recovering from the lows of 2008-2009, growth is still far from pre-crisis levels, according to Sanjay Bhatia, Managing Director, Alpen Capital Investment Bank (Qatar) LLC. The growth is also not uniform across all regions within the GCC, and while some countries are leading the recovery, others continue to take a more careful approach. Prospects in the Qatari construction market are looking optimistic on the back of strong GDP growth and the successful bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the focus of the residential construction sector has shifted to providing affordable homes to the low- and middle-income group population.

The UAE’s reputation as a safe and stable country amid the recent ‘Arab Spring’ is likely to have a positive impact on the construction sector despite the current oversupply and cautious approach to new investments.

The residential construction and real estate market of Qatar witnessed a period of high growth between 2001 and 2009, mainly because of high natural gas production and increased public infrastructure spending. However, the global economic slowdown materially affected the residential construction market of Qatar in 2010 and 2011, mainly due to a contraction in demand. This led to a decline in property prices in Qatar.

h

arrods Estates, the luxury property division of the Harrods Group, showcased its exclusive properties in central London at the Sharq Village & Spa recently.

Shirley Humphrey, Director of Harrods Estates, commented: “Twenty-eight percent of Harrods Estates’ property sales are made to Middle Eastern buyers, and we have been paying regular visits to Qatar for the past nine years to meet with our VIP clientele and showcase the latest properties for sale in London. Middle Eastern buyers now make up 14% of London’s prime central property market, making them the second largest group of foreign investors with transactions above £5 million (QR28.9 million).”

“There’s a scarcity of property on the market,” added Humphrey. “There’s so little of it because there’s really nowhere to build in this prime central London area – there’s always a shortage, so the value of property here holds very well.

“Our Middle-Eastern clients like to come to London to get away from the summer heat, really. Within our luxury department store – which is no more than a ten-minute walk from our properties – we have everything from pharmacies through to events companies and interior designers. It’s a bespoke shopping experience.”

Cladding material presented

a

l Darwish United Co, the agents and distributors of Alpolic/fr Alumunium in Qatar recently held a presentation highlighting the capabilities of this material at the Millennium Hotel. The brief presentation of the Alpolic/fr Alumunium Composite Cladding material was held at the request of United Architects of Philippines Chapter in Qatar. Alpolic/fr is manufactured by the principals of Al Darwish, Mitsubishi Plastics Inc. Japan.

The presentation was conducted by Moritaka Sakurai, Marketing Manager of Mitsubishi Plastics. He highlighted the qualities of the product and claimed that the product needs no maintenance and is durable for many years thus giving it a marked advantage over many other composite materials. Mario Mascaranas, President of UAP, Abdul Rehman Al Darwish Director, and Raj of Al Darwish United Co. WLL also spoke on the occasion.

28 Qatar Today

May 2012

CELEBRATING ENTREPRENEURSHIP

44

arab snippets

Youth Savings Initiative for low-income youth of MENA region

s

ilatech has announced a partnership with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and Sanabel (the microfinance network for Arab countries) to provide youth savings initiatives for low-income youth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The project will allow young people aged 16-30 to build their financial assets through the opening of youth-specific micro-savings accounts. Silatech, a Qatar-based social initiative, is offering financial and technical assistance in cooperation with GIZ, while Sanabel is serving as the knowledge dissemination and policy partner. In addition to new youth savings accounts offered through a network of partner financial institutions, the initiative will provide training in financial literacy for young people, as well as an outreach campaign, in partnership with its partner financial institutions, to raise the awareness amongst young people of the importance of saving money. The two-year programme is expected to facilitate access to micro-savings accounts and financial literacy training for at least 50,000 disadvantaged young people in its three countries of operation Egypt, Morocco and Yemen. It is expected that an estimated 150,000 youth will be influenced through outreach campaigns linked to microsavings and financial literacy training offered by partner financial institutions and other youth-serving organisations.

syria

Saudi Arabia

Wage increase planned

o

rganisations in Saudi Arabia plan to increase employee salaries by 2% above inflation in 2012. The latest Salary Budget Planning Report for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) found that salaries for Saudi employees were predicted to increase by 6% against a prevailing inflation increase of 4.1%.

Salary increases are set to be consistent across all the Gulf states at 5-5.5%, though Qatar has recently given a huge salary hike to its nationals. These increases will feel more significant in the UAE and Bahrain, where inflation is currently running at a lower rate.

UAE

Central Bank calls for amendments

t

he Board of Directors of the United Arab Emirates Central Bank has called for major amendments to be made to draft financial laws, according to an e-mailed statement from the lender.

The laws should reflect the independence of the Central Bank, the bank asserted, without providing details of any suggested amendments.

One of the draft laws is Law No. 10 of 1980 for the Central Bank, the monetary system and organisation of banking, while another pertains to the organisation of financial services, according to the statement.

Ceasefire plan in action UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the Syrian government is responsible for guaranteeing UN observers full freedom of movement to monitor the country s tenuous ceasefire, which appeared to be unravelling as regime forces pounded the opposition stronghold of Homs, activists said.

Even though overall violence in Syria has dropped significantly since the truce took effect on April 14, the government s shelling of the central city of Homs has raised doubts about President Bashar Assad’ s commitment to special envoy Kofi Annan ‘s plan to end 13 months of violence and launch talks on the country’s political future. A total of six unarmed military observers arrived on April 15 in Syria to monitor the UN-backed ceasefire plan. The observers belong to an initial batch of 30 UN monitors due to implement the ceasefire. The final observer mission will constitute around 250 observers, according to the UN. The mission will comprise civilians, political officers and human rights experts to observe the complete enforcement of the six-point plan.

30 Qatar Today

May 2012

w o r ld v i e w

Titanic – 100 Years on...

UNITED STATES, New York: This handout image provided by Bonhams International Auctioneers and Appraisers in New York on April 12, 2012 shows the front page of The Boston Daily Globe from Tuesday Evening, April 16, 1912 bearing the headline: “ALL DROWNED BUT 868; About 1232 Lost Lives in the Titanic’s Plunge, Greatest Sea Disaster for Years.”

AFP PHOTO/HANDOUT/BONHAMS

Italian Tragedy ITALY, Pescara: Medics treat Livorno midfielder Piermario Morosini (on ground) after he collapsed suddenly during a second division league match against Pescara on April 14, 2012 in Pescara. It was later confirmed that the 31year-old player died from a cardiac-arrest.

AFP PHOTO/Luciano Pieranunzi

32 Qatar Today

may 2012

w o r ld v i e w Burma requests leniency MYANMAR, Yangon: British Prime Minister David Cameron (L) talks with Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi after their meeting at Suu Kyi’s residence in Yangon on April 13, 2012.

Cameron and Suu Kyi called for a suspension of economic sanctions against Myanmar following landmark talks.

AFP PHOTO/Soe Than WIN

Positive talks about Iran’s Nuclear Programme TURKEY, Istanbul: the European Union’s foreign policy chief and Iran’s chief negotiator Saeed Jalili (L) attend a meeting in Istanbul on April 14, 2012. Iran and world powers discussed Tehran’s controversial nuclear programme for the first time in over a year and, in what Western diplomats called a constructive development given their low expectations, agreed to meet again next month. the European Union’s Foreign Policy chief Catherine Ashton, who headed the negotiations for the six international powers including the US and Russia, told a news conference after a day of talks in Istanbul that they had arranged to meet the Iranian delegation again in Baghdad on May 23.

AFP PHOTO/Tolga Adanali/Pool

Tsunami Scare in Indonesia INDONESIA, Jakarta, Java: Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono gives his reaction following a massive earthquake off Indonesia’s Sumatra island on April 11, 2012. The quake caused panic but little damage, in a successful test of warning systems and evacuation plans introduced after the catastrophic 2004 Asian tsunami, experts said on April 12. In the tense hours that an Indian Ocean-wide tsunami watch remained in effect, Indonesian meteorologists were monitoring offshore buoys that measured the waves, confidently predicting that the likelihood of a large tsunami was minimal.

AFP PHOTO/ROMEO GACAD

May 2012

Qatar Today 33

v i e w p oi n t

The Way Forward for Telecommunications:

Leaders’ Perspective

With

the telecommunications sector going through a new revolution, the digitisation revolution, CEOs and industry leaders face tremendous challenges to position their businesses for growth and to create new opportunities. This revolution is creating a world in which consumers and workers are efficiently and effectively connected by powerful devices using digital applications. The days when the prime concern was broadband access are waning. Today

34 Qatar Today

may 2012

what matters is meeting the needs of picky consumers who are taking full advantage of the digitisation revolution.

In this rapidly changing context, 23 industry leaders, including telecom operators, investors and Internet players from the region and around the world, assembled to discuss openly how they will meet these challenges. These industry leaders met on the heels of a lacklustre year and following months of regional and market volatility.

A lot is riding on industry leaders being able to deliver continued success and sustainable returns. In order to achieve this,

v i e w p oi n t

they must maintain shareholder value, determine the direction of the rapidly developing sector, and pinpoint and develop the capabilities that they need to survive and thrive in this new era.

There are two significant drivers of shareholder value in communications companies. One is consolidation, which offers operators different approaches.

Some might choose to combine with similar companies. Others may opt to partner with those in adjacent sectors. While summit attendees had differing views on which types of consolidation would dominate, they agreed that consolidation would inevitably play a role in helping improve shareholder value.

Another means of boosting shareholder value is to focus on maximising the return on existing investments or investing for future growth. For years in the Middle East, operators have focused primarily on growth opportunities. The question is whether they can manage to change this mindset and shy away from investing in such ventures. Summiteers agreed that telecom operators are unlikely to abandon their quest for growth although return-led investments may be a more prudent approach.

Nonetheless, participants did see value in making a shift in investments due to market volatility. Indeed, many believe that operators should be solely focused on maximising returns. Devising and executing the right strategy will be key. While some operators are taking bold, proactive steps that will shape the industry, others are being more adaptive, waiting

for changes and events, watching market evolution, and then reacting. However, in today’s landscape, where competition in telecommunications can come from nontraditional players such as over-the-top (OTT) providers, in addition to traditional operators, it is becoming necessaryto embark on sector-shaping strategies that build on telecom companies’ unique capabilities and favour open innovation.

In this environment, it will be critical to make the most of existing capabilities and develop new ones. Operators, however, are overly focused on optimising cost structure when dealing with operational capabilities. Such an approach may mean they do not develop the appropriate capabilities required to capture growth when the economy improves.

Many of the summiteers agreed that the sector has recently suffered from capability gaps in its effort to capture growth.

However, it became clear that the expectations of shareholders pose a hurdle, as they look to the industry for stability and cash flow rather than the ability to build new capabilities in adjacent areas.

At the risk of disrupting shareholders’ quest for stability, operators have to imperatively develop the capabilities they lack to effectively compete. This is attainable through capabilities that support innovation, which can take on many forms.

Some operators have prioritised process innovation,-creating new business models and deploying advanced infrastructure to improve performance. Others have focused on market innovation, creating new services, content and applications.

Regardless of which avenue they choose, most participants recognise that innovation is vital to their future.

Leaders seeking innovation-related capabilities may need to think outside the box. Some summiteers described the way they achieved this through their study of operational excellence at other companies known for efficiently and effectively meeting customer needs. Through this exercise, industry leaders were better able to understand how they could develop and implement similar innovative capabilities that would streamline their processes and ultimately improve efficiency.

Summiteers were also concerned about regulation. They largely agreed that governments and regulators are poised to exert increasing pressure on operators.

In the current economic climate, governments are often interested in revenues, which may not incentivise investment in the sector. Many telecom providers have margins in excess of 20%, compared to many other sectors with 5-10% profit margins. That makes the sector appear to revenue-strapped governments as an appetising “cash-generation machine”, in the words of one leader.

The final message from this high-powered discussion is that companies need to ensure growth despite an uncertain economic environment. That means understanding what they do well and how they can do it better, and ensuring that these capabilities allow them to be positioned to take advantage of economic recovery in a highly connected, powerful digital world

Visit

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

By David Tusa, Partner and Adel Belcaid, Principal with Booz & Company

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

36 Qatar Today

may 2012

v i e w p oi n t

Cash rich, water poor?

Qatar’s GDP per capita may have been ranked as the highest in the world last year, but another per capita statistic that Qatar ranks highly in is water consumption. According to the Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (KAHRAMAA), average water consumption per capita STANDS at 430 litres every day WHICH IS six times higher than the European average.

As

is the case for the majority of the Gulf region, achieving water security is of paramount importance. The General Secretariat for Development Planning puts Qatar as having an annual average of less than 94 cubic metres of water available per person, meaning that the country is officially below the international “water poverty” line, as set by the United Nations Development Programme.

Indeed, four years ago a law was put in place to penalise the misuse of drinking water, which carried a fine of up to QR9,800 for violators. It has been reported that the country’s water reserves could only last two or three days in the event of a shortage.

In addition, population growth at an average of 7% per year since 1995, according to the Qatar Statistics Authority, has only lent more urgency to solving the problem.

Moreover, Qatar’s rapid economic growth and the large-scale infrastructure projects that are now underway are necessitating upgrades to the country’s water networks, with a focus on enhancing provision. Minister of Energy Mohammed bin Saleh AlSada has said that the country must invest some QR22 billion to enhance water networks over the next ten years in order to support planned infrastructure developments. The Minister’s words were backed up by a report published in January by market research firm Beltone Financial, which stated that water demand in Qatar will continue growing at 11% annually over the next five to seven years.

Qatar is looking to address the issue of water scarcity head on, with planned increases in supply and provision to meet rising demand. In March, Kahramaa announced that spending on water and energy projects will increase, from QR6.2 billion in 2011 to QR8.7 billion in 2012, with a further rise to QR10.2 billion in 2013.

Specifically, the Kahramaa is considering building so-called mega reservoirs, which will be similar to the QR10 billion reservoir project announced last year, that will hold 8.6 million cubic

metres (or about seven days worth) of fresh water when completed in 2013. The second main focus of government investment will be Qatar’s desalination plants, which represent the main supply of water not just for Qatar but for the entire GCC area. Although more detailed information was not available at the time of writing, it was announced by the Kahramaa that new projects will include two desalination plants, similar to the Ras Girtas facility launched in May 2011, that will have a total capacity of 194 million gallons per day.

However, current desalination technology is energy-intensive and not without environmental implications, since it pumps brackish wastewater back into the ocean. Yet the threat of water “poverty” is spurring new, innovative means of potable water production, with Kahramaa and the Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute, a department of the Qatar Foundation, now looking for ways to produce drinking water using solar-powered desalination. Since Qatar receives high solar irradiance levels, there is huge potential for solar power to offer environmentfriendly desalination solutions, in addition to renewable power generation. Solar could therefore play a key role in diversifying freshwater production away from conventional desalination, thereby reducing dependency and strengthening supply.

Water wastage is another area that will be targeted. Following recent regulatory changes in the sector, the government is investing in piping and leak-sealing operations to lower network water losses from 35% to 10% by 2016. Furthermore, the National Water Act will come into force in 2016 to overhaul the transmission system and improve the quality of water directed to homes, using a combination of government bodies working together.

An increasingly active member of the World Water Council and World Water Forum, Qatar is well positioned to be a regional leader in water management and desalination technology. By addressing the issue of water security now, Qatar is not only guaranteeing environmental stability but is ensuring that its long-term economic progress will remain on track

feedback qtoday@omsqatar.com

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

38 Qatar Today

may 2012

listening post

Cross-border

infrastructure

will reduce trade costs

by E z d h a r Ibr a h i m

The National Development Strategy (NDS) 2011-2016 marked a watershed for Qatar, as did the National Vision 2030 that preceded it. The Vision, for the first time, explained what kind of nation Qatar aspired to become. The Strategy – which contains over 180 targets – is an action plan that will help Qatar move forward on that journey.

May 2012

Qatar Today 39

listening post

The high growth rates of the past decade, a result of significant expansion of the gas sector, will make way for more moderate growth in the future.

T

he Qatar National Vision 2030 is a roadmap for the future and a statement of the country’s long-term strategic goals, the challenges it faces and the opportunities the future will present. To capture this vision is the National Development Strategy (NDS), while the General Secretariat for Development Planning (GSDP) will coordinate with stakeholders from civil society and the private and public sectors to set the wheels in motion. It’s a huge responsibility, but taking it head-on is Dr Saleh Mohamed Al-Nabit, Secretary-General of GSDP, who addresses some early questions about its progress.

To what extent is the national economy capable of meeting and overcoming the challenges facing the global economy?

Qatar’s economy has displayed great resilience in recent times. According to an IMD global survey, Qatar’s economy ranks 6th out of 59 countries for resilience in 2011.

Although Qatar is not completely immune to conditions in the global economy, strong fiscal and balance of payments surpluses provide a robust layer of protection.

How will you maintain a growth rate of not less than 9% post-2014 when the oil and gas investment projects have been completed?

The high growth rates of the past decade, a result of significant expansion of the gas sector, will make way for more moderate

40 Qatar Today

may 2012

growth in the future. GSDP believes that an aggregate growth of 4-5% over the medium term is achievable and sustainable – most of which will be in the non-oil and gas sector.

What are the outlooks mentioned in the report Qatar Economic Outlook released by the Secretariat last year, and how much of those expectations match the reality?

GSDP forecast growth of 15% for real GDP in 2011. It was actually 14%. We were just a shade optimistic but very close to the mark, and much closer than the majority of observers, some of whom were forecasting growth closer to 20%. At GSDP we have taken a lot of care to construct an accurate statistical picture of the anatomy of the economy that helps us think about our prospects.

We believe our Economic Outlook sets new standards in economic monitoring and reporting for the country.

Tell us about the future of the Qatari economy during the next five years.

What are the sectors that will see growth?

Over the next five years, growth in the oil and gas sector will plateau and the nonoil and gas ones will pick up the reins of growth. Only when the Barzan Project comes on stream in 2014 and 2015 will there be a significant boost to downstream petrochemical activity, with the availability of additional feed. In the next few years, large infrastructure investments will help stimulate activity, and there will be growth in some other sectors, such as financial services. Overall we expect trend growth of real GDP to be approximately 4-5%.

How about the foreign investments in Qatar and their role in the economic growth? What are the facilities provided for this area?

Joint venture arrangements between the State and international oil companies have been essential for Qatar’s success in oil and gas. Outside of oil and gas (including downstream petrochemical and energy-intensive sectors) there has been more limited foreign direct investment in the country. However, Qatar is working hard to tap foreign investment interests through, for example, the partnering of SMEs with knowledgeable partners overseas who can provide valueadds. In the past weeks we have had investment and trade delegations who were exploring such opportunities.

What is the significance of the Qatari investments abroad?

As a small economy, Qatar cannot absorb the inflows of foreign currency from sales of its hydrocarbon assets. To help stabilise the domestic economy and diversify future income sources, Qatar invests in overseas projects and foreign currency assets. These investments will provide income resources.

What are the expectations of inflation in the light of the 60% hike in salaries of Qatari employees in the public sector?

The increase in salaries for citizens is actually quite small in macroeconomic terms and indeed is not so large when measured against the totality of benefits that Qatari public service workers receive. Much of the additional income is likely to have been saved and invested or perhaps spent overseas. It is extremely difficult to detect any impact of the wage rise on recent monthly consumer price inflation figures. Inflation, in annual average terms, remains low and very close to 2%.

You have described the Qatari economy as an “open” one and predicted an increase in some commodity prices. Could you tell us a little about that?

listening post

It is very important that large capital projects meet the long-term development needs of the nation.

Some assets should have a usable life of 100 years

Qatar is of course a highly open economy.

Our earnings are still driven by exports of oil and gas (including now GTL as well as LNG) and we need to import much of our needs. The Qatar Economic Outlook in 2011 foreshadowed declining prices for many global commodities, which have since materialised. Slower growth in China and India has had a large marginal impact on demand. I expect that the outlook for commodity prices will remain subdued until we see indications of a broader pick-up in global growth. Oil prices are extremely difficult to predict, and the State, while formulating its budget, takes a conservative, but sensible view of the outlook.

Tell us about the NDS 2011-2016, which was launched almost a year ago. How much of it had been implemented by the beginning of 2012?

Implementation of the strategy rests with the responsible agencies who also participated in its formulation. Just twelve months later, we see good signs of progress in areas such as health and the environment. The Ministry of Economy and Finance is also moving forward with its reform programme. In other areas, the focus of attention is creating the capabilities to execute the strategy.

What about the awareness of the importance of this strategy within the institutions and ministries?

There is good awareness of the strategy and the GSDP is frequently asked for advice on implementation matters. The recent formation of the Supreme Committee for Development Planning, chaired by HH theHeir Apparent and with the Deputy Prime Minister as a member, gives added importance and impetus to execution.

What about the challenges that the strategy might face and how to overcome those challenges?

There are of course challenges, as the NDS is a first for Qatar. I would say the two main challenges are: 1) building institutional capabilities and ensuring good coordination at the interface of agencies and sectors, and 2) embedding principles of sustainability in the way the nation thinks about development and makes decisions on priorities.

Tell us about the strategy follow-up and monitoring processes.

GSDP is mandated to follow up and will be producing a monitoring report for the top leadership before the end of this year.

GSDP will monitor at a national level and be focusing on outcomes – the beneficial changes that interventions have led to. It is expected that agencies will strengthen their own monitoring capabilities at a programme and project level.

What about the initiatives of the private sector and its cooperation with GSDP? The strategy has many initiatives to support private sector development. In the future, the private sector must play a more vigorous role in the economy. The creation of Enterprise Qatar, an initiative that GSDP spearheaded together with the Ministry of Business and Trade, and the initiatives of the Qatar Development Bank, show that a lot has been achieved in a short space of time. But building a private enterprise culture in Qatar, rooted in high performance and competition, will take time and cannot be expected to happen overnight.

What are the plans to be implemented to increase the private sector is integration into the strategy structure?

The private sector works closely with Enterprise Qatar and the Qatar Development Bank. It was represented in the working groups that formulated the strategy. GSDP also provides support to the activities of the Qatari Businessman Association and other groups where it has something to offer. The

private sector is an extremely important stakeholder and GSDP will be looking for opportunities to promote better publicprivate collaboration.

Is domestic investment one of the main concerns of the National Development Strategy?

It is very important that large capital projects meet the long-term development needs of the nation. Some assets should have a usable life of 100 years. So yes, investment is a concern. Upstream, the planning and selection of investment needs would benefit from more rigorous scrutiny. During implementation, enhanced coordination is needed (and the Central Planning Office of the Ministry of Municipalities is a good initiative here). During operations, opportunities for public-private partnerships should be explored.

What about the second National Development Strategy post-2016?

Having just completed the first strategy plan, it may be premature to talk about the second strategy. However, a substantive review of the first strategy will be undertaken mid-way through which will look at the implementation experience and any environmental changes, and will consider what mid-course corrections might be needed.

What is the role of GCC integration in the success of domestic plans and strategies?

Qatar would benefit from closer integration with the GCC and has proactively supported existing initiatives, including on Customs Union. One area identified in the strategy is the need for better cross-border infrastructure that would reduce trade costs (in time and monetary terms) and help expand the market that Qatar has access to. Other important areas for cooperation include the sharing of natural resources and on environmental management

May 2012

Qatar Today 41

Celebrating Entrepreneurship

44 Qatar Today

may 2012

cover story

“Entrepreneurship is about getting people to believe in something which doesn’t yet exist.”

When Charles Leadbeater, a leading authority on innovation and creativity, elucidated this basic principle at the recent “EO Majlis”, he was also talking about the amazing story of Qatar and it’s winning World Cup bid – of crafting ideas for people to invest in something that is not yet there.

But even with such an inspiring story that makes the perfect setting for entrepreneurial spurts, why are Qatar’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) not making much of a contribution to the GDP? Though there are some successful entrepreneurial activities and also active governmental hand-holding, fewer than 40% of the existing SME enterprises were established after 2000. The sector only contributes about 15% to GDP, a minimal figure compared with neighbouring GCC countries.

In a country that has no defined path for an SME startup, nor any specific characterisation of an SME, how do you inculcate an entrepreneurial spirit? How vital are startups when the country has resources to last for decades and a public sector that has recently hiked its salary for nationals? How can you rationalise a positive entrepreneurial interest when a recent study, the Silatech Index shows a high level of interest in government employment similar to that of other Arab countries?

Qatar Today discusses with experts why it is essential to foster an entrepreneurial spirit even in countries with high GDP, while we discuss the tools that are made available to foster an entrepreneurial spirit in the land of plenty.

By Rory Coen and Sindhu Nair May 2012

Qatar Today 45

Celebrating Entrepreneurship

The ECONOMIC perspective

T

he overall share of SMEs in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is estimated to account for 71% of employment but only 28% of GDP. In Bahrain, the GDP share of SMEs is 28% while they are responsible for 73% of all private sector jobs.

In Dubai, SMEs are estimated to make up 95% of the total number of enterprises, 42% of the workforce and 40% of GDP. Saudi Arabia’s SMEs are responsible for approximately 40% of jobs in the country and their GDP contribution is estimated at 28-33%.

By comparison, in the US SMEs contribute close to 50% of GDP, whereas their share in the EU is just under 60%. They provide more than half of the employment in the US and more than two-thirds in Europe.

The main challenges associated with Gulf SMEs are fourfold. Firstly, they represent a minor contribution both in terms of workforce and turnover. For instance, 87.8% of Bahraini companies have no more than 10 employees. Of the 785,000 commercial establishments registered in Saudi Arabia (2008 figures), some 764,000 were sole proprietorships.

Secondly, the average Gulf SME is primarily engaged in the buying and selling of goods.

About 42% of all Bahraini and Saudi enterprises are engaged in “trading”. Construction is typically the second most important area of activity, followed by industry.

Thirdly, a typical Gulf SME relies very heavily on expatriate employees. For instance, in Bahrain nationals account for only 14% of SME employment, while the Saudi private sector as a whole is 90% reliant on expatriates. This limits the size and growth of the pool of entrepreneurs in the region as well as

46 Qatar Today

may 2012

the employment contribution of GCC SMEs. Lastly, typical Gulf SMEs are relatively inefficient. Their share of employment is far greater than their share of GDP, highlighting the limited value added contribution made by most of them. They tend to have limited access to credit and capital and the opportunities posed by retained profits are modest.

Overcoming these limitations is likely to require significant new initiatives in a number of areas.

The need for local entrepreneurs Milhan Baig, Head of Valuation Services Deloitte (Qatar) puts entrepreneuship in context by quoting Baroness Margret Thatcher, the longest serving prime minister of the UK, from one of her speeches at the Small Business Bureau conference in 1984: Small firms can be a seedbed for new ideas and a testingground for new ways of working. They often lead the way in new products and new services. The freer the society, the more small businesses there will be. And the more small businesses there are, the freer and more enterprising that society is bound to be.

It could be argued that her recognition and promotion of SMEs was one of the key factors contributing to the UK’s economic recovery and growth from the late 1980s and into the 1990s.

“Today,” Baig continues, “in the more developed economies, such as the UK, USA, Japan and much of Europe, SMEs contribute at least 50% of the countries’ GDP whereas this statistic is much lower across the GCC.” And the reason Baig sees a need for entrepreneurship activities as opposed to multinationals, is the need for sustainability or “home-grown” enterprises.

“Unlike the larger businesses or recruiting foreign-owned businesses into a coun-

cover story The freer the society, the more small businesses there will be. And the more small businesses there are, the freer and more enterprising that society is bound to be.

Baroness

Margret Thatcher

An ecosystem for SME growth Noora Al Mannai, Chief Executive Officer of Enterprise Qatar (EQ), speaks to Qatar Today about the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year (EOY) Award 2011 and the key role of EQ in developing an entrepreneurship environment in Qatar: “The Ernst & Young EOY Award is considered to be one of the most prestigious global business award programme.

“It accentuates our firm belief in its significance internationally and is strongly in line with our mandate at Enterprise Qatar to create a solid ‘ecosystem’ for such businesses to flourish,” she says.

“Such programmes help to further communication and collaboration between these Qatari entrepreneurs which could lead, therefore, to the creation of new joint-ventures and SMEs that would boost the economy - which is exactly what we are working very hard to achieve at EQ. “Furthermore, the EOY Award is

try, SMEs form part of a more successful long-term economic strategy. The reason for this is that local SMEs today will eventually grow to become the larger local firms of tomorrow. This will lead to several home-grown employment, fiscal, trade and development prospects that are contained in the local economy with little leakage to other economies.”

According to Chady Zein, a principal with Booz & Company and a member of the firm’s financial services private equity practice who advises the region’s leading private equity and venture capital firms, entrepreneurship will “undoubtedly” be one of the key driving forces in the region.

And one of the main drivers is the bulging

youth population.

“The MENA region is home to a very young population with almost half of it under 25, with growth at about 1.5 times the worlds’ average. This has led to one of the world’s youngest workforces, requiring an additional 75 million jobs to be created by 2020, or an average of eight million jobs per year. By way of comparison, the US created approximately 3.5 million jobs for an almost equivalent population in 2011,” says Zein.

The recent political unrest seems to have fanned the need for change too.

“We have witnessed (through the Arab Spring) the importance of boosting the region’s economic stability. Politics aside, we have all seen how lacklustre opportunities

a great opportunity for us to cement Qatar’s position on the global industry map and to showcase our entrepreneurship exemplars and learn from peers. It is truly an addition to our track record to what we aim at accomplishing to support the burgeoning entrepreneurial and SMEs sector in the country.

“EQ’s fundamental contribution is in supporting entrepreneurs and providing them with the essentials to achieve their ambitious and promising ideas.

“On this occasion I would like to encourage all aspiring entrepreneurs in Qatar to put forward their achievements and visions and take part in next year’s Ernst & Young EOY Award.”

for securing one’s income can quickly become a strong driver for change.

“In this context, entrepreneurship has a crucial role to play in securing the region’s economic future and stability. The challenge requires addressing all elements of the entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Moreover, this will also require the active participation of several stakeholders including governments, the private sector, educational institutions, media and the financial sector as well as entrepreneurs themselves,” he stresses.

Steps in the right direction Qatar has begun to take steps to give startups a push in the right direction. There is

May 2012

Qatar Today 47

Celebrating Entrepreneurship

QATARI YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP LEVEL LEAD ARAB WORLD 100%

Qatar

Arab Median

80% 60% 40%

36% 24%

26%

20% 0%

11%

2009

33%

25%

2010

8%

Spring 2011

9%

Fall 2011 Gallup/Silatech Index

local SMEs today will eventually grow to become the larger local firms of tomorrow.

Milhan Baig HEAD OF VALUATION Deloitte (QATAR)

48 Qatar Today

may 2012

Enterprise Qatar (EQ), a governmental body whose objective is to strengthen the SME business environment, making it more viable for entrepreneurs to take a prominent role in Qatar’s economy and to give SMEs and entrepreneurs a voice that is heard.

“At EQ we work hard to build a sustainable environment and a solid platform for SMEs which will enable entrepreneurs to become Qatar’s ambassadors for entrepreneurship on a regional and global level,” says Noora Al Mannai, Chief Executive Officer of EQ. The Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) has also launched its Executive Entrepreneurship Certificate Program and plans to become an incubator for startup businesses and entrepreneurs, both local and from overseas.

Qatar Development Bank (QDB) was opened to promote and finance SMEs. The Bedaya Center and Roudha Center are organisations that will help startups through mentoring (for more, see detailed interviews in later pages).

“But without more creative ideas, informal networks to scope them, and mentors to guide teams in exploring them, we will continue to see low rates of new firm formation in Qatar and fewer Qataris creating rather than taking jobs,” says Jonathan Ortmans, President of the Public Forum Institute, a non-partisan organisation in the US dedicated to fostering dialogue on important policy issues.

Almost as an answer to this need, Entrepreneur Organisation’s (EO) Qatar Chapter

organised the “EO Majlis” that was aimed as a networking event to highlight best practices and highlight success stories for Qataris.

Another step to encourage enterprise was the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year (EOY) award supported by EQ, which helped spread success stories in a bid to encourage and inspire young people to follow the footsteps of the finalists.

“EOY is acknowledged as being pivotal in the discovery and promotion of talented entrepreneurs and in putting our very own on the global stage to represent our country at the World Awards in Monte Carlo this June to vie for this coveted title amongst 60 peers representing over 50 countries,” says Al Mannai (See exclusive interviews with the Qatari finalists on the following pages) Strong entrepreneurial spirit As a result of these encouraging efforts, the country’s youth seem to be showing an entrepreneurial interest.

According to a recent Silatech Index analysis conducted by Gallup, Arab countries have seen a marked decrease in young people planning to start businesses in recent years. In 2009, 26% of Arab youths aged 15 to 29 could be labeled as young aspiring entrepreneurs, or planning to start a business within 12 months.

By 2010, the Arab world’s pool of young aspiring entrepreneurs dropped to 11%, before settling at 9% in the autumn of 2011. Although this drop largely occurred in parallel with the

cover story

100%

QATARI YOUTH HAVE ACCESS TO RESOURCES NEEDED TO START BUSINESS % Yes

% No

80% 60%

66%

74%

58%

61%

34%

26%

37%

35%

40% 20% 0%

Gallup/Silatech Index

global recession, its magnitude and uniformity across the Arab world has been stark.

However, Qatar stands alone as the only Arab country in which youth entrepreneurship levels held firm or grew during this period, increasing to 33% by the end of 2011 from 24% in 2009. According to a Gallup poll, Qatar has uncovered signs of a more robust entrepreneurial youth culture than any of its Arab neighbours.

“The country’s natural resources and high GDP undoubtedly constitute a comparative advantage especially if one considers how they create fundamental economic drivers for a multitude of business opportunities for entrepreneurs. However, a flourishing entrepreneurial ecosystem requires nurturing its essential components,” says Zein.

Qataris’ attitudes toward starting businesses are improving in tandem with the establishment of favourable conditions for entrepreneurship in the country. Two-thirds of Qataris aged 15 to 29 say they personally know someone who would be able to give them advice about managing a business.

Similarly, 74% of Qatari youths say there is someone other than their family members they trust enough to make a business partner.

The majority of young Qataris also acknowledge having access to training on how to start a business (58%) and access to money to start a company (61%).

Passion is the only driver While there is an improvement in views of

Know Someone Access to Access someone other than training to money who would a family on how they would be able to member need to to start give advice they trust a business start a about business enough managing to make a a business business partner

entrepreneurship, the country’s youth still show a high level of interest in government employment similar to that of other Arab countries. Assuming that pay and work conditions are similar, more young Qataris would prefer to work in government (58%) than in self-employment (13%), private business (8%), or the non-profit sector (13%), says the Silatech/Gallup index. In the Arab world, the safety of a career in government has generally been accepted as preferable to entrepreneurship in recent history. It’s likely the Qatari government’s status as a preferred employer is due to its shorter work hours, higher salaries and generous holidays.

The country’s prosperous economic climate and government benefits programmes have naturally skewed the incentive for work and entrepreneurship as compared to many countries. Symbolic of the country’s wealth, all citizens received a standard 60% salary increase on already inflated salaries in October 2011, in line with the actions of other GCC governments in the wake of Arab Spring instability. By virtue of their citizenship, Qataris are essentially guaranteed the comforts of a middle-class lifestyle, thus most would never need to start a business as a means of economic survival but are more likely to be guided into entrepreneurship by financial ambition or ideas of passion, says the report.

As Saleh Al-Khulaifi of the Bedaya Center remarked, “It is only passion that steers the youth towards start-ups.”

The challenge requires addressing all elements of the entrepreneurship ecosystem. chady zein principal, booz & company

May 2012

Qatar Today 49

Celebrating Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship

is a must, not an option

As the debate rages about what entrepreneurship really involves, thankfully there are some people who prefer to act instead of procrastinate. A number of institutions have been founded in Qatar to deal with established and local problems which are preventing startups and SMEs from getting off the ground. Qatar Today spoke to three such institutions – Qatar Development Bank (QDB), the Bedaya Center and the Roudha Center – to understand how they are addressing these deterrents.

i

Al Dhameen has provided more than QR150 million to over 50 projects since October 2010.

ABDULAZIZ Al-Khalifa EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC PLANNING AND CONTROL, Qatar Development Bank (QDB).

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f anybody was in any doubt about the enormity of the issues facing the Qatar Nation Vision 2030, then a couple of early points might focus the mind.

The engine for the future knowledgebased economy will be education and entrepreneurship, yet there are some disturbing pointers which show the latter is currently on life-support.

SME lending in the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) was 27% in 2010. In the non-GCC countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), 13% of SMEs were able to get the lending they needed. However, in the GCC region this figure dipped to 3% and in Qatar alone to 0.49% – almost negligible.

Abdullah Zaid Al-Talib, Chairman of Qatar University Wireless Innovations Center (QUWIC) recently said that if Qatar continues with this kind of lending, it will be impossible to establish a culture of entrepreneurship here. “We cannot blame the financial institutions, because they have their own private models, which don’t lend themselves to helping the knowledge-based economy, so this is why systems have to be in place and regulation has to be changed,” he said. “There are many organisations which help startups and SMEs, but the financial institutions have to shake themselves up to be aligned with the

knowledge-based economy, and there needs to be government intervention to change the policies and regulations that oversee them.”

A cultural thing?

However, there is a much deeper issue at the core of the problem. Qatar University President Sheikha Al-Misnad intimated that entrepreneurship is as much about culture as education and learning, where young people’s family life, their way of life and their discourses within peer groups influence their ideologies and actions just as much as what they learn in the classroom.

“I think the values system which we learn as individuals from indirect interaction is more important in developing our risk-taking and entrepreneurship skills,” she said. “Education can only play a part, but society itself provides an environment which promotes entrepreneurship. Our culture – Qatari or Arab – is traditionally about conformity. You have to give submission to your tribe, your family, your state, so entrepreneurship – or ‘thinking outside the box’ – is not something you would traditionally be proud of or encouraged to do.

Most of your life you’ll be respected and encouraged as much as you respect the structure of your society or family. Entrepreneurship is a personal trait – education can help, but it cannot change people to be entrepreneurs if

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“Self-motivation is the absolute essential”

What is the one quality that is essential for an entrepreneur?

Self-motivation is the absolute key to being a successful entrepreneur. We have to differentiate here between financial motivation and self-motivation. Much more than financial motivation, most entrepreneurs are driven by an overriding purpose to make a difference and change people’s lives for the better. So being successful and creating a better future for everyone around me were my motivations.

What did participation in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year (EOY) Award programme mean for you and your business? How did the awards help to spread the word of entrepreneurship?

The Ernst & Young EOY is the first of its kind in Qatar and is definitely a reference worldwide. Being recognised by my peers and representing Qatar internationally is a great honour for me and the country as only four countries from the Middle East are participating. I feel it’s a huge responsibility on behalf of my colleagues, my community, and above all my country.

This award will inspire and encourage young entrepreneurs in Qatar to achieve their dreams and reach for international recognition.

How has the country helped in setting up businesses?

There is an entrepreneurial spirit in Qatar, encouraged and developed by the government and the public and private sectors.

To give some examples, the meetings between HE the Prime Minister and the business community for the creation of a governmental organisation facilitating business exchange, such as Enterprise Qatar (EQ), and the organising of business events and economic forums.

What are the challenges for an entrepreneur here?

What has been made easier for the new band of entrepreneurs?

The small size of the local market could be the main challenge an entrepreneur may face at first. Secondly, the open market that brought in the big international players.

Location courtesy: St Regis Hotel, Doha

Ashraf Abu Issa, Chairman of Abu Issa Holding, recently won the Ernst & Young Qatar Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Taking over his family business at the young age of 19, and continuing the legacy of his late father Abdul Raheem Abu Issa while infusing it with added innovation, Abu Issa has taken the business to new heights. Abu Issa Holding is recognised as one of the region’s top retailers and distributors of luxury and consumer goods and, building on this reputation, Abu Issa set trends in the country by creating his own retail concept stores, Momento, Karisma, Msafer and Arabesque.

Opting for the business environment was not a choice for Abu Issa, it was a prerequisite, as it was his responsibility to his family to continue the tradition. But it was a responsibility that later became a passion.

However, these challenges are recompensed by governmental support regarding company setup and a flexible system encouraging new entrepreneurs with startups. Qatar has a solid infrastructure and a straightforward taxation system to support them.

How important are mentors in the success stories?

Mentors should be those whose work you admire, possess strong leadership abilities, and be an inspiration to you and others. You need to gain inspiration from entrepreneurs outside the country as well . Young entrepreneurs must learn from their success stories but not copy them.

Do you think we have too many tools for SME development?

The diversity of the tools will serve all entrepreneurs based on their exact needs.

How sustainable is it to have more than one business?

Having more than one business is a challenge in itself. Diversification needs to be a part of a strategic direction if you have to survive in the long term. Experience and market know-how are a must, but the essential point is to learn how to delegate and to have qualified staff who will push to expand the business for the long term.

Any advice to aspiring entrepreneurs?

Do not be limited or discouraged by our small market; look beyond and consider the region and even the world as a potential marketplace. But keep in mind that there is no better base than our local market in Qatar.

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“Just go for it”

Jassim Al-Mansoori, Chairman of iHorizons, was one of the youngest managers in Qatar when he was with Qtel. His people skills are revolutionary and he is an inspirational leader that young and old look up to. iHorizons provides advanced business solutions and IT services to the Arab world and has clients like Al Jazeera Network and Qatar Financial Centre. It has regional offices in the UAE, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

“Perseverance is one essential quality needed for an entrepreneur. There are times where they will face obstacles and need to hold on and believe in themselves and their products and services in order to succeed,” he says.

As a student fresh from college, he opted for the security of the public sector, not just for the security it brings but also for the opportunity to build lasting relations with the government.

Al-Mansoori remembers the starting phase where the country gave him a lot of support.

“The country helped me a lot in my starting phase, offering me a scholarship

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and giving me the opportunity to gain a practical and unique learning experience, as well as independence. This helped me to realise my current career goal.

The most challenging part of being a self-starter was being the captain of his own ship, learning from mistakes and continuing in what he believed even when the going got tough. Lack of financial resources was another deterrent, he says.

“I had to work hard to make money so I could generate more money to develop my business and this taught me to think like a business person.

“But the new band of entrepreneurs will face fewer challenges than I faced 15 years ago. Enterprise Qatar (EQ), educational institutions and banks are getting involved now, helping to develop business and entrepreneurial skills among the youth.

“Since 2008, HE the Prime Minister signalled a new direction in government support for the SME sector in Qatar, where many tools have been created for SME development like creating EQ under the Ministry of Business and Trade and enabling commercial banks to lend to SMEs; restructuring QDB to provide loans; and many other initiatives from educational institutions,” he says.

Having more than one business can be successful and sustainable, but only when professional people are put in charge and empowered to make decisions.

“With a motivated and dedicated team, I can recognise my own strengths and weaknesses and operate my businesses effectively,” he says.

On a parting note, he quotes Richard Branson: “‘Business opportunities are like buses, there is always another one coming.’ So I would advise entrepreneurs not to let their dreams go to waste, and just go for it!”

(Al Mansoori was one of the finalists of the E & Y EOY awards)

they are not that way inclined.”

The QU President argued that entrepreneurship isn’t such a serious concept in Qatar, where it’s perceived as a “bit on the side” and undefined, but the Executive Director of Strategic Planning and Control at QDB, Abdulaziz Al-Khalifa, knows this attitude has to change, and QDB is taking a strong lead in arresting the difficulties the more serious entrepreneurs have.

“There is this long debate about whether entrepreneurs can be manufactured,” he said. “To the point, we have to have entrepreneurship in Qatar, we need entrepreneurs, our economy depends on it, and at QDB we don’t see it as an option, we see it as a must.

“I can’t deny that the 60% salary raise for public sector employees – or the need for Qataris to work in many aspects - is not helping to develop a culture of entrepreneurship, but I still see a lot of people walk into my office on a daily basis; I hear innovative ideas that could turn into big projects in the near future.

“Our economy is so heavily dependent on oil and gas that if we want to diversify, then the SMEs (private sector) will have to play a huge role. We can’t fully depend on expatriates to develop our private sector, we must do this ourselves. So whether they are born or manufactured isn’t the issue, they have to exist and we are going to make sure they exist by giving them access to the finance they need,” he said.

QDB – the guarantor In 2008, the QDB mandate was changed. It changed its name from “Qatar Industrial Development Bank” and six more sectors were added to its portfolio. Capital was raised from QR200 million to QR10 billion.

“With that change a new management came on board, with our main role being to complement the private sector’s efforts to diversify the economy,” explained AlKhalifa. “We conducted a study in 2009 to understand what the main obstacles were for entrepreneurs, SMEs, the private sector in getting access to finance. That study revealed that almost 55% of all SMEs and private sector organisations in Qatar did not have an active relationship with a bank

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because of collateral requisitions from the banks.

“We drilled down more to find that to get access to finance here you needed to have at least 100% collateral or have to be in existence for more than three years (so you could produce enough financial data cash flow statements for the bank to make a rational call).

“So this was obviously a very ‘unentrepreneurial’ type of environment, as access to finance was a major problem at that time.

This is where the Al Dhameen programme came into effect. We looked internationally at other development institutions that were giving financial support to their private sectors and we found that partial guarantees were the most popular form of assistance being provided. Qatar is different from any other country, just as any other country is different from Qatar, so we designed the Al Dhameen programme in a way that suited our culture here.”

The programme will guarantee 85% of the exposure for new startups – which is the highest coverage ratio in the world – and 75% for existing businesses that have been operational for at least three years and have financial records to support their business plan. The programme was started in October 31, 2010 and has the majority of Qatar’s financial institutions as partners. It has provided more than QR150 million to over 50 projects since then.

Al Dhameen is theoretically a partnership between QDB and the respective commercial bank, which both provide a filter for any loan request – the first one being the customer’s bank of choice, which will then refer it to QDB for further analysis. However, Al-Khalifa explains that it’s a streamlined and efficient process which doesn’t

“Thinking outside the box”

Abdulaziz M. Aldelaimi, Chairman of National Petroleum Services (NPS), is one of the early entrepreneurs of the country who, through his experience in the oil and gas sector, leveraged it to set up his own business catering for the same sector. Now NPS is one of the leading take longer than two working days.

“We don’t hand out guarantees to any project; it has to make commercial sense, so we are in effect protecting the entrepreneur,” he says. “However, we have rejected fewer than 5% of the cases passed on to us from the banks. Once the feasibility study is

privately-owned GCC service providers in the region, with over 1,000 employees from 40 different countries.

For Aldelaimi, truth and honesty are the key components for an entrepreneur, and his advice to the new breed of entrepreneurs is to be disciplined, dedicated and courageous.

He believes that the government has encouraged new businesses through word of mouth and that has been crucial in building relations internationally too.

But that was one of the advantages of starting early in a small country, which wouldn’t necessarily be the case now.

Even with all the tools for SME development, Aldelaimi feels that entrepreneurs should go beyond that and think ‘outside the box’ to find solutions that are typical for their enterprise. Finding financial capital is always the biggest challenge for an entrepreneur, while having a mentor is important to polish the qualities of a businessman. For Aldelaimi, it was his father who took on that role.

(Aldelaimi was one of the finalists of the E & Y EOY awards) approved, cash flow projections are agreed upon and the business is ready to start, QDB provides the guarantee to the bank, which then dispatches the money to the client.”

It’s interesting to note that the bank doesn’t transfer the whole amount into the client’s account, but instead distributes it in

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Location courtesy: St Regis Hotel, Doha

“Be your own boss”

A business born out of a hobby, Techno Q is now providing retail system solutions and is the first systems integrator in the Gulf. Always on the alert for expansion projects in the region, the two friends behind Techno Q – Zeyad Al Jaidah and Abdulla Alansari – have a vision to be the first choice for integrated, low-current systems solutions in the Middle East.

Seeking to emulate the success stories of Steve Jobs and Jack Welch, the two entrepreneurs are stimulating company and aspire to keep building on their enterprise.

Each of them has his set of principles, and it is a marriage of ideas that is the reason behind the true success of Techno Q. For Al Jaidah, entrepreneurship is always about innovation and risk-taking, while for Alansari it is the attention to detail and values. And it is these different ideologies that each of them brings to the company that make it what it is today.

“Jack Welch’s philosophy was that a company should be either No.1 or No.2 in a particular industry, or else leave it completely. Welch’s strategy was later adopted by other CEOs,” says Alansari, talking about the most inspiring person

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in his life.

For Al Jaidah, with entrepreneurial blood gushing through him (he comes from a family of entrepreneurs), it was decided even before he finished his studies, that he would either start his own business or join the family one.

“I was prepared even to mop the floors of Jaidah Motors, my brothers’ company,” he jokes.

Thankfully he didn’t have to do that for he met Alansari during his engineering studies in the US and they decided to explore the possibilities of opening their own business in Qatar.

Alansari wanted to start his own business too, and his cousins and friends advised them on many potential business plans, ranging from sugar-free products to cars, but they finally decided to stick to their hobby of music systems.

“The idea was conceived over a chat,” reminisces Alansari. “We wanted to provide a high-end home theatre experience.

There was no one company that provided all of this in one product, and this is what we wanted to give our customer. A good sound-system and high-end seating with portable screens. We did something that

was not even available in Dubai and we provided a good demonstration.

“We did that, but our home theatre system didn’t work, so we realised it was not the best thing to do and decided to do commercial business too. We did the first commercial project for Omar Al Fardan for his BMW showroom. He wanted a state-of-the-art showroom for BMW and we did it for him. We did the installations ourselves,” says Al Jaidah.

That was just the start for Techno Q and since then they have established their business, although it took them two years to get into profit.

“Being in Qatar was such an advantage. It was a virgin market in effect and we started at the right time. From 1997, things started to get bigger here and we rode along on this wave of success. We saw exponential growth,” says Alansari.

Ask them about the inhibiting factors for entrepreneurs, and they feel the high real estate prices are one of them.

“Mentors are very important,” says Alansari. “When you are on your own you learn from your own mistakes and sometimes mistakes prove costly. But you need to learn from these and also open up new avenues. Maybe our home theatre idea was not good but that eventually led us to what we are doing right now,” counters Al Jaidah.

Al Jaidah had his brothers, Saleh Al Jaidah and Ibrahim Al Jaidah as his mentors.

There is an intention of encouraging entrepreneurs in the country, they feel, but nothing tangible has been achieved so far.

“We are hoping for change,” says Al Jaidah.

Take advantage of a small market and go forward, advises Al Jaidah.

But think rationally before you embark, cautions Alansari.

And both of them join together in saying: “Be your own boss and take the step.”

(Both Al Jaidah and Alansari were finalists of the E & Y EOY awards)

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segments as and when the client needs it.

“We want always to ensure that the cash flows towards the business itself and there are no moral hazards in place,” explains Al-Khalifa. “The businesses are monitored on a quarterly basis and both QDB and the banks do regular site visits. All of this is to ensure the project is going in the right direction.”

Culture of failure Proponents of entrepreneurship are sometimes a little over-zealous about promoting a “culture of failure” to, ironically, drive entrepreneurship and industry growth.

Entrepreneurs think differently from everyone else; this is what makes them stand out against the crowd. So is this an ideology which scares the banks, and is it something that needs to be addressed from the top down?

Charles Leadbeater, a leading authority on innovation and creativity, was speaking at the EO Majlis in early April and he said that entrepreneurs thrive on failure – they see well-designed failure as a vital part of entrepreneurship.

“One way of understanding entrepreneurship is through a process of experimentation – the better you get at making these experiments (i.e. testing results and prototypes) the quicker you learn and the quicker you build a business. It’s better to fail early rather than late, fail small rather than big, and fail in a well-intentioned way rather than hiding it.

“Entrepreneurs turn information into insight very quickly and this isn’t always acceptable for banks,” he added. “Many ideas would never get off the ground because market research – which is often what banks look for – tells them that it’s

“Making your ideas work” line of successful and inspiring EO Majlis events.”

Being in Qatar “There is a lot of governmental support. A lot of organisations like the Bedaya Center are trying to push entrepreneurship. In the SME sector, QDB and EQ are also trying to promote entrepreneurs across all age levels. Qatar is trying its best to encourage entrepreneurial activities.”

Khalifa Al-Misnad, Qatari entrepreneur and President of Entrepreneur Organisation Qatar, the Qatar division of the global initiative, was one of the promoters of the EO Majlis and is one of the many who have decided to mentor and help other Qatari youth with a passion for selfemployment.

“EO Majlis achieved the goal we set when starting out, chiefly to provide a boost to the community of individuals and organisations working hard to support SMEs in Qatar and the region and encourage entrepreneurial culture. This is the first in what we hope will be a long

One quality of an entrepreneur “I don’t think there is one quality. There are a multitude of them. The first would be to cultivate an idea and make it work.

Second would be to have the confidence and the fearlessness to take the idea forward. Thirdly, to recognise an opportunity and capture it. Make something happen from it. That’s why we see entrepreneurs who sense opportunities but who do not know how to monetise it.”

Entrepreneur over public sector “Entreprenuership is embedded in my genes. I enjoy building on opportunities and seeing them grow,” he says.

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not a runner. So instead of sensing the opportunity, they make sense of the opportunity.”

Abdullah Zaid Al-Talib, at QUWIC, also felt that conformity wasn’t the best course of action, “I don’t think we should overburden entrepreneurs with requests for business plans and paperwork because they don’t like this,” he said. “I was discussing with an angel investor from a US -Arab background recently and he mentioned that in the past two years he hasn’t looked at one business plan. He is supporting entrepreneurs on power-points presentations and from the obvious passion that his clients are showing in front of him. Obviously he has experience as well, so he has a decent perception of opportunity, but he understands how entrepreneurs operate to their optimum.”

QDB isn’t oblivious to this and understands that failures do happen, but it is not afraid of the concept and does provide a back-stop for companies that do get into trouble. But ultimately its clients will have to bite the bullet if their business does go aground.

“Businesses shouldn’t fail, but unfortunately they do,” said Al-Khalifa. “If it does fail it doesn’t mean that it’s not liable however. He starts up a business, he is taking a risk and he is liable. We are not distributing wealth or giving free rides here. When an entrepreneur walks in to get a loan, he is indebted to pay it back.

“However, we understand we have a responsibility and we have a system in place if a business is in trouble. We give three attempts to try to save the business, but if these do not work we declare this business a failure and the entrepreneur will have to repay the loan in full. With any business there come rewards and risks.”

Al Khalifa explained that QDB recognised a potential partnership opportunity with Silatech to enhance the entrepreneurial ecosystem further in Qatar, and this became a reality through the Bedaya Centre.

Bedaya means ‘start’ in Arabic, and is a career development-entrepreneurship development type of institution that exists to provide entrepreneurial support.

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“Building an ecosystem in Qatar is a tough job and we are certainly not claiming to be the main articulator, but we believe that this collaboration provides a lot of support and opportunity to the existing ecosystem.”

Bedaya Center: We must celebrate success stories Saleh Al-Khulaifi is young and passionate – two qualities that are rudiments for an entrepreneur – and one can’t help but wonder when he will kick-start his own enterprise.

But right now, he is doing something equally invigorating: he is at the helm of this initiative by QDB and Silatech, the Bedaya center.

“From the time we started six months ago we have had 2,000 youths attend our events, workshops and counselling sessions,” said Al-Khulaifi. “We had approximately 70 events, including networking events every second Sunday, and we organised and hosted a Global Entrepreneurship Week with Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP), which is a global event that is held annually.”

Al-Khulaifi puts the activities of the centre into two specific areas: one is career

the bedaya center helps students with career development to realise their potential and its entrepreneurship programme takes them through the journey of a business plan Saleh Al-Khulaifi Manager, The Bedaya Center

development and the other entrepreneur development.

“We help students with career development to know more about their potential and abilities and find opportunities that fit their profile. Our entrepreneurship programme takes them through the journey of a business plan and teaches them how to pitch ideas and connect with financers. We will have a matching event with the Qatar Angels Network on May 15 and that will kick-start the process.” continued on page 58 •

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Living a Qatari dream

Khalifa Saleh Haroon is one of the most popular entrepreneurs of the country who believed in his dream and invested in it.

His followers on Twitter are growing each day and he was also the Entrepreneur of the Year 2011. He is the creator of the iLoveQatar (ILQ) website, also the winner of ictQatar’s Most Promising Startup award, and is known for turning the website into a brand that people trust. He helps to support startups and promotes the importance of deep partnerships between companies.

“An entrepreneur has to be passionate.

You have to believe in your ideas, you have to be extremely positive and you have to

be determined to see your idea through.”

Haroon is a born entrepreneur and isn’t cut out for the routine job.

“I’d always go for the option of being a self-starter. I enjoy the challenge, I like taking risks, and I love the feeling of accomplishing something that I started myself. I’m not the type of person who wants to limit himself or have a typical 9-5 (or in Qatar it’s 7-3) job. Of course I’m also the Head of Interactive and Innovation at Vodafone, but I chose to work hard in a company that appreciates my efforts and encourages me to do my own thing as well. I balance work at Vodafone and ILQ.” Challenges being here There are a number of challenges for local businesses, says Haroon, but the reluctance of companies to go to a local company for quality services is the most pressing one.

“Companies don’t seem to want to use the services of local businesses because there is a belief that foreign companies provide better-quality services. This is changing dramatically as more and more companies seek Qatari agencies with local insights. Another challenge is the laws are not very clear to set up an e-business.

“It took me months before I understood

what the process was only to be told that there wasn’t a specific licence applicable to what I wanted to do. I was also surprised that online businesses had to comply with the same rules as a bricks-and-mortar business. Globally, most online businesses start from home,” he says.

Hiring resources is the next challenge for Haroon.

“Many people look abroad to bring in qualified staff, the problem being that there aren’t many people with the right skills here in Qatar. Even if you did decide to hire someone locally, there’s always the chance that the company wouldn’t give them an NOC to move.”

He, as all other entrepreneurs, is sure things will change in the near future for the better.

“The Qatari Dream” “Remember how people used to call a future with potential and endless possibilities the American Dream? I think people are starting to see the Qatari Dream.

There’s so much opportunity in the country, there’s so much that hasn’t been done yet. The new developments mean that there will be a great deal of commercial and retail space. There isn’t much competition and the whole country has this entrepreneurial spirit right now. With a bit of motivation you could create something great here. It’s not about simply importing brands though, it’s about creating a business that starts from Qatar and that you can export to the world.”

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• continued from page 56 But this is only for those entrepreneurs who have a very solid business plan, and they form a very small portion of the centre’s student network, stresses Al-Khulaifi.

“A month ago we trained around 100 students, and after our filtering process only a handful made a dedicated business model to become bankable entrepreneurs. We worked with them through our investment readiness programme, and these few will be meeting some Qatari angels on May 15.

Barriers to doing business Everyone seems to be blaming the legisla-

The number of female business owners is growing in qatar and franchise opportunities are a good entry into the private sector.

Roudha supports women to exploit these opportunities.

Shareefa Fadhel and Ayesha Al Mudehki, FOUNDERS AND MANAGING DIRECTORS, ROUDHA CENTER.

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tion, feels Al-Khulaifi, but it’s the cultural barriers that are the primary stumbling blocks in entrepreneurial development here.

“We need to celebrate successes. We need the success stories to inspire others to accept that the multibillionaire Al Fardan also started from nowhere to reach the pinnacle.

We need to know about success stories, but we also need to hear the startup failures too.”

Other barriers, according to Al-Khulaifi, are the QR200,000 base bank balance to get commercial registration (in the UK it’s

just QR120) and acquiring a commercial address. With high property rates, getting a commercial address is an overhead a startup could do without. But the biggest barrier, he concedes, is the 60% salary rise that public sector employees were recently granted.

“That is a huge disincentive and will kill any motivation for Qataris to enter the private sector,” he says. “Compared to Saudi Arabia, where unemployment rates are high, the private sector might be an answer there, but in Doha, there are no economic problems. Thankfully there are some passionate people who want to start their own businesses and that’s where we come in. We are not here to solve any employment crisis – we are here to give passionate youth an opportunity for self employment.”

Roudha Center: Women in business Shareefa Fadhel and Ayesha Al Mudehki, the brains behind the Roudha Center, feel that the proportion of SMEs in Qatar is set to grow and women will be the driving force behind it.

“Women in Qatar are the most untapped resource of the country. It was found that 42% of women with degrees do not enter the labour market, nor do they go for higher education. We also found out that there was a strong interest for Qatari women to start their own businesses but what they lacked was proper guidance, so this is the gap we set to fill,” says Fadhel.

Since July 2011, when the Roudha Center was launched, there have been numerous success stories for the centre.

“Our opening marked a turning point for women, and today it is the only place in the GCC that supports women entrepreneurs.

Our highlights have been reaching out to over 2,000 women in the country through our workshops, events and conferences.”

“Lamasat Qatariya” was one of the events organised by the centre, and it was the first exhibition for Qatari designers and businesswomen. Fadhel sees a marked difference in perceptions this year and the passion for startups is evident.

“The number of female business owners in Qatar is growing, and franchise opportunities are a good entry into the private sector. At Roudha, we are providing support that will help women exploit these opportunities. The next few years will change the way Qatar views entrepreneurship, but 2012 will be a flagship year for it,” she says But before that there have to be some policy changes to facilitate SME growth, as well as a push from the local businesses.

“Large organisations and enterprises should start using SMEs to help them flourish and grow,” she says. “While facilitating entrepreneurship will be the focus for a couple of years, the challenges for the next generation will be choosing the best sustainable business model. Passion is the heart of entrepreneurship – if you are passionate about an idea; then it will be a success.”

Qatar is going Dutch

Relations between the Netherlands and Qatar have grown to cover more than just oil and gas recently – THE TWO countries are now looking at ways to collaborate in sectors such as sports, food security, education, healthcare and construction. Trade grew by a staggering 600% in 2011, even after three years of unprecedented trade growth. Meghna Dey spoke to some of the Dutch personalities in Qatar who are trying to promote stronger links between the two nations.

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THE NETHERLANDS

Exploring Ties How Qatar and the Netherlands determine common objectives

W

hat started out primarily as an economic relationship based on the export of oil and gas has grown into a cooperation on food programmes, social exchanges, and alliances in the sport sector. The relationship between Qatar and the Netherlands has grown considerably over the past few years, especially since the state visit of Her Majesty Queen Beatrix to Qatar in 2011.

Qatar Today met HE John Groffen to understand the ways in which bilateral relations between the two countries are being explored. We also asked him how the Port of Rotterdam – once the biggest in the world – is guiding Qatar to perceive its objectives.

“It took a lot of preparing and it was a very successful visit for the embassy. A State visit is a very good instrument that helps in promoting bilateral relations between the two countries. Such visits are meant to open doors to promote relations and I think that’s something we have seen after the visit. Her Majesty the Queen went away from Qatar even more impressed than when she arrived.”

HE John Groffen

Dutch Ambassador to Qatar

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Can you give a brief description of the bilateral relations between Qatar and the Netherlands 2010-2011.

This embassy was established to promote good commercial and economic relations, so we are essentially a trade mission. We had four trade missions in 2011; this year we are expecting another four but this number could increase as the year progresses.

2010, 2011 and 2012 saw positive results from the successful state visit of HM the Queen to Qatar. There was extensive coverage of the visit in the Dutch media – Qatar became a buzzword, especially after it won the right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The combination of the state visit and winning this bid led to increased interest in Qatar, especially in the economics. It is nice to see that the interest in Qatar has moved away from energy and infrastructure to architecture, landscaping, agriculture, education, sports. We see not only more trade missions but also individual companies coming to us to look to invest in Qatar.

What agreements have been signed between the two nations?

We haven’t recently signed any treaties or MoUs (Memorandums of Understanding). The most important treaty that was signed, which became operational in 2010, was the Avoidance of Double Taxation Treaty, which is very important, because if you want to invest in each

TRADE FIGURES

Imports FROM QATAR:

Exports to Qatar:

QR1.4 – 1.9 Billion PER YEAR. (Machinery, Livestock, Food)

other’s countries, it makes it clear which country will levy what taxes, and makes it transparent for everyone. There are other agreements between us but those are not of the level of the government.

The Minister of International Cooperation, Ben Knapen, was in Qatar recently, because he is interested in this new role that it is playing in the world of development and international cooperation. He is also very interested in the food security programme here, and we are looking at ways to cooperate with Qatar in these areas.

We will also have a sports mission from the Netherlands visiting Qatar as we are looking to collaborate not just in football but all other sports. The agreement could mean that Dutch event management companies, experienced in conducting big sporting events, come and share their expertise (crowd control, stadium security) with authorities here. The Netherlands and Belgium co-hosted the 2000 European Championships, which means we have knowledge about big sporting events. There are opportunities for the Qatari side to learn from Dutch experience.

What is the equation between the Port of Rotterdam and Ras Laffan?

There is long-standing cooperation between Ras Laffan and the Port of Rotterdam. Summing it up, Qatar Petroleum and Ras Laffan Industrial City (RLIC) help Rotterdam establish good business relations between both countries, while the Port of Rotterdam helps Ras Laffan by providing advice on port-related matters. In practice, what the Port of Rotterdam does is provide boardroom consultancy to RLIC on portrelated issues whenever there is demand for this kind of advice.

Is the Netherlands working with Qatar on international policies?

We are both part of the international community and as such we both promote and encourage peace and stability, economic

QR237 million; 2009: QR583 million; 2010: QR867 million.

2011 (up to October): QR4.73 billion.

(This 600% increase was because of LNG sent 2008:

by Q-flex and Q-max to Rotterdam Port)

and social relations. There is not a single international organisation that I can think of where we do not work together.

For example, in NATO, we cooperate in the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative and we both voted for the UN General Assembly resolution on Syria recently.

Looking forward, how does the Netherlands see its relationship with Qatar?

The Netherlands is a gas-producing country and we have an extensive network for exporting it to other countries. We are now changing that network, not only for exports but also for the import of gas. What we try to create in the Netherlands is a gas roundabout. We want to create areas where we can import gas from other countries, including Qatar, store it and then distribute it over Western Europe.

We are also interested in the promotion of LNG as a direct product to be used in, for example, transportation. We have ships that are running on LNG, and I think it is interesting for Qatar to know that we are working in this area.

We are interested in working with Qatar on food security programmes. Qatar has so much sun, while in the Netherlands we don’t get enough. We have had to tackle our own issues of food security by constructing greenhouses, for example.

The Port of Rotterdam, which is the gateway to Europe, is also something that Qatar is interested in. So how is it that Rotterdam became this gateway to Europe, and why shouldn’t Mesaieed become the gateway to the Arabian peninsula also?

Another aspect that both countries would like to work on is how to employ the future generations in the nation. Qatar has already come to the conclusion that the way to do it is by promoting entrepreneurship and small businesses. In the Netherlands, we know that big employment does not come from the big corporates; instead it’s the smaller enterprises that provide employment. Organisations like Silatech are very

active in this respect, and I hope this aspect is something we can work on with Qatar.

What are the advantages for Qataris to invest in the Netherlands?

It has a strategic location in Europe – one can reach any major capital within two hours – and we have an educated population and good infrastructure. We are one of the most wired countries in the world, where Internet penetration is very high. We have a highly educated, multilingual and motivated workforce – 40% of it is university-educated and 80% speak English.

We have a conducive tax environment.

KPMG ranks the Netherlands the third most attractive tax environment. We have a corporate tax rate of 15% which is down from 25%. We have a well-developed financial industry which provides high-quality financial products. And the treaty on Avoidance of Double Taxation is very helpful when setting up a business.

Can you tell us about the cultural and social relations between the two countries?

During the state visit, an agreement was signed between the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Qatar Museums Authority which is a firm basis for cooperation. Like I said, this embassy is interested in promoting trade primarily so cultural and social ties are not our number one priority. We try to promote culture when we can – during the Qatari National Day this year we will hold an exhibition of some 20 Dutch painters at the Sheraton, to show where Dutch art stands. We are doing small things such as these to promote Dutch culture and arts in Qatar. It is something that needs to grow.

Also in the field of exchanges, we have a regular programme of exchange for students. We have students from the university of journalism in Utrecht who come here every year, while recently, we had a group of students from Qatar University who went to the Netherlands.

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Qatar Today 61

THE NETHERLANDS

In the five years that I have been in Qatar, I have noticed a shift towards Qatar as a location for a regional office. Where Dubai was the automatic choice in the past, now you see an increasing amount of companies setting up in Doha.

Creating Networking Possibilities

S

ince its inception more than five years ago, the Dutch Business Council Qatar (DBCQ) has been growing at a steady pace, currently hosting about 70 members. This number is expected to rise as large-scale projects in Qatar open doors for Dutch specialist companies to explore the local business environment.

Renowned companies from the Netherlands have already established themselves – but now also opportunities arise from niche sectors like sports management, infrastructure design and landscaping to other fields like construction, IT, food and beverages, hotel services and recruitment.

“The Dutch Business Council Qatar aims to promote the interests of the Dutch business community,” said DBCQ Chairman Lennart Bottenberg.

He believes it is important for the Council to focus on Qatar as an increasingly popular choice for setting up business among GCC countries.

LENNART BOTTENBERG

Platform for exchange The DBCQ generates business interest in local sectors by providing a platform where representatives of Dutch companies in Qatar, and Dutch nationals representing nonDutch companies, can meet and exchange information with each other as well as with other guests or speakers.

“We have members working for a variety of companies, both Dutch and nonDutch. The most well-known are Shell, KLM, Royal Haskoning, Nakilat Damen, Frijns Qatar, Stenden University, Tebodin and De Boer,” says Bottenberg. “Further to this, we have a larger number of

members (including myself ) who works for Qatari or international companies such as Qatar Exchange, Ronautica Middle East, Qtel, Vodafone, KPMG, PWC, Cisco, Qatar Petroleum, Al Maktab Al Qatari Al Hollandi, Maersk, QInvest, Q-Fab, Denys, BBR Design, Global Women Qatar and Moevenpick,” he adds.

While DBCQ’s main focus remains Qatar, it is part of a larger network that connects all Dutch business councils.

“There are other Dutch business councils in different countries which have their own programmes. We keep each other and our

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CHAIRMAN, DUTCH BUSINESS COUNCIL QATAR

members informed about our respective activities,” Bottenberg says.

“However, the council in Qatar works closely with the Dutch Business Council in Dubai. As our members often travel in the region we inform our respective members of the events we have,”he adds.

Within Qatar, DBCQ collaborates with several other business councils such as the Qatari Businessmen Association, the Qatari British Business Forum, the Italian Business Council, the Spanish Business Council, the Australian and New Zealand business community, the German Business

Developing Solutions in Energy Council and the Scandinavian Business Council.

“These close collaborations can especially be seen in some of the events that are organised jointly each year, such as the “Back to Business” event in autumn and the “Inter-Business Council Golf Tournament” in spring. Both events are well attended and create excellent networking and business opportunities,” he says.

Stance on Qatar “The business environment is very good and the future will be even better. Qatar is probably one of the best places for business in the region at the moment and many international companies acknowledge that and do open businesses with local partners.

In the five years that I have been in Qatar, I have noticed a shift towards Qatar as a location for a regional office. Where Dubai was the automatic choice in the past, now you see an increasing amount of companies setting up in Doha,” Bottenberg says.

DBCQ continues with its strategy to create an accessible platform to network. It aims to organise several annual speaker events or site visits which are appealing to the business community.

“We continue to develop with the support of our Annual Platinum Sponsor (IBQ), which enables us to keep the standard high of the events we organise,” he says, adding: “Our council is often approached by new companies that are developing in the region. The events we organise always facilitate networking opportunities, which makes it easy to integrate and meet experienced professionals in Qatar.”

ANTON LEEMHUIS

MANAGING DIRECTOR, TNO MIDDLE EAST

F

or a company that prides itself on developing technology and solutions in the energy sector, it is perhaps more than fitting to set up shop in Qatar, one of the largest energy-producing countries in the world. TNO, a Dutch company headquartered in the Netherlands, has recently established an office in the prestigious Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) with the ambition of accelerating the development of technology, innovation and knowledge, beginning with the energy sector and gradually branching out to other areas.

Anton Leemhuis, Managing Director of TNO’s Middle East branch office in Qatar, describes the ongoing projects and the ambitions the company holds to become an expert adviser and solutions provider in not just Qatar but also the region.

Coming to Qatar TNO is one of Europe’s largest independent companies in the areas of technology development and technical consultancy. While the company is globally active from its offices in the Netherlands, five years ago it decided to intensify its internationalisation strategy, Leemhuis says. With that decision, one of the international offices was set up in QSTP, in March 2011.

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Qatar Today 63

THE NETHERLANDS

For a company like TNO, whose bread and butter is the development and implementation of new technologies, it is essential to operate in a country where education, research and innovation are high on the agenda.

“This office (in QSTP) is our regional branch office for the Middle East, and it was selected because energy is one of our strategic markets. TNO acknowledges that the need for innovation and new technology in the energy market is increasingly driven by National Oil and Gas Companies. Therefore, in order to keep developing cutting-edge technologies in the energy sector, one should be active in countries where the main NOCs operate, either in South America, Russia or the Middle East.

We chose the Middle East for a number of reasons, and predominantly because we believe this is and will remain one of the most important sectors for the energy industry,” Leemhuis says.

The decision to come to Qatar was made two years ago after a business review of the region was conducted. The positive indicators that resulted from this review were stability, growth of business and a strong focus on education, research and innovation.

“Before coming here, we looked at Qatar as one of the most stable countries in the region and this has proved correct in the recent past,” Leemhuis says. “As far as growth is concerned, Qatar is growing at a rapid pace. The signs of growth were clear two years ago. This is also projected in our revenue as most of our regional business currently originates in Qatar.

“For a company like TNO, whose bread and butter is the development and implementation of new technologies, it is essential to operate in a country where education, research and innovation are high on the agenda. Qatar clearly has the focus in the right place for a knowledge-driven business like TNO. This becomes particularly clear when looking at Qatar’s 2030 National Vision under the leadership of HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the work of Qatar Foundation and the opportunities offered by QSTP. Ongoing projects TNO’s biggest project in Qatar is collaboration with Maersk Oil Qatar on the develop-

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ment and implementation of increased oil recovery (IOR) technologies.

“Increased oil recovery technologies are basically technologies that can be used to get more oil out of existing fields. This is important for Qatar because next to being a leading gas-producer the country also produces large amounts of oil. The work with Maersk focusses on increased oil recovery for fields that are being produced using horizontal wells, used by Maersk for fields in, for example, the North Sea and Qatar.”

TNO collaborates with Maersk Oil in QSTP, where both companies have research groups. “In addition to working in Qatar we currently have ongoing projects in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and in Abu Dhabi. Part of our work happens in the Netherlands, where we have 14 offices and over 4,000 engineers – that is totally unlike the scale of operations we have here,” Leemhuis adds.

“From the office in Doha, there is a continuous evaluation as to how much energy should be spent in which countries. The work of TNO in the region currently focuses on the oil and gas sector, on topics such as production optimisation, asset integrity, sour gas, exploration and CO2 capture, storage and utilisation. Working in all these areas it is important to realise that TNO is not a traditional service provider – we don’t sell products – rather, we develop solutions in direct collaboration with our clients.

Companies call us whenever they have a problem that traditional service providers cannot solve and innovative solutions are required. In such projects knowledge transfer to our clients is essential for success.”

Future ambitions The ambition is to grow in terms of revenue and people. “We are just coming out of the start-up phase, but in a few years’ time we should have a highly qualified and dedicated staff of research engineers in Doha on a permanent basis and have many more fly in from the Netherlands on a project basis,” Leemhuis says. “Having those people local

is important because you have to be here to understand the market, culture and the exact needs of our clients. Only when you work together with clients can new ideas for technologies be successfully developed into solutions that are trusted and being picked up by the industry.”

Another ambition is to branch out to markets outside oil and gas. “TNO is active in a variety of economic sectors, including energy, mobility, industrial innovation, life science, building, information society and defence. Our work in a number of these areas could be of interest to Qatar and other countries in the region. This year we have conducted a strategic market survey to understand which markets we want to enter, and in what order. Soon, we hope to actively collaborate in other markets,” he adds, “such as mobility, industrial security or water.”

Working with students Because TNO develops technologies, its Dutch offices all work very closely with universities and most are situated on university campuses. Hence, there is always a big influx of university students working with them. “We develop practical solution, based on scientific knowledge,” Leemhuis says. Also in Qatar TNO is gearing up to work with universities. TNO has recently published joint papers with Qatar University in the area of CO2, which were presented at the Gas Processing Centre Symposium. Another initiative is a free workshop series that will be launched soon for students who want to learn about stateof-the-art oil-field technologies. “We will expose students in Qatar to the, cuttingedge stuff from the oil and gas industry on which we work around the world, and will have visiting experts who will participate in these sessions,” Leemhuis says. “With a strong focus on knowledge transfer, TNO will be working with academia and industry alike to further increase Qatar’s position as a leading country for innovation in the energy sector and beyond.”

THE NETHERLANDS

In the past six years, Shell Qatar has invested almost QR73 billion in Qatar to build a highly material business that will be delivering value to the country and Shell’s shareholders for decades.

Largest Investor In Qatar

S

ince reopening its office in Qatar in 2002, Shell Qatar has brought onboard operations that are going to represent over 10% of the Shell Group’s production volumes. Setting an array of world records with the Pearl GTL project, Shell stands as the fifthlargest company in the world.

On a global platform, Qatar clinches a vital spot in the production and operations of Shell Qatar. With a base oil production facility that is the single largest in the world, and working with national giant Qatar Petroleum (QP), it continues to progress rapidly.

In the past six years, it has invested almost QR73 billion in Qatar to build a highly material business that will be delivering value to the country and Shell’s shareholders for decades. The two projects that got under way in early 2011 will generate QR14.5 billion ($4 billion) revenues for Shell per annum at $70 a barrel.

Ongoing projects In 2011, Pearl GTL and Qatargas 4 came on stream. Shell Qatar produces 140,000 b/d of high-quality GTL products, and 120,000 b/d of natural gas liquids when operating at full capacity.

Pearl GTL Pearl is the world’s largest integrated Gas To Liquids (GTL) project and the largest energy project ever launched in Qatar. It is the largest single construction site in the oil and gas business in the world today. At an investment of almost QR70 billion, Pearl GTL is Shell’s largest single investment and the largest FTSE 100 project investment in the world.

The integrated project produces 1.6 billion cubic feet of wellhead gas from the North Field per day and converts it onshore into 140,000 barrels of GTL products. In

66 Qatar Today

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HH THE EMIR SHeiKH HAMaD BIN KHALIFA AL THANI OFFICIALLY INAUGURATES SHELL’S PEARL GTL LAST YEAR

addition, Pearl produces 120,000 b/d of upstream products - ethane, sulphur, LPG and condensates. The onshore portion of the project is the most complex project under construction in the energy business.

Qatargas 4 This project is an integrated LNG (liquefied natural gas) project comprising upstream gas production facilities to produce approximately 7.8 million tonnes of LNG per year. The majority of the onshore and offshore facilities for Qatargas 4 have been developed jointly with Qatargas 3 through a single joint asset development team.

The LNG will be transported to

market via a fleet of eight ships, each with a capacity of approximately 250,000 cubic metres. The first cargo was shipped to India – a new market – in February 2011.

Qatar Shell Research and Technology Centre Shell is an anchor tenant of Qatar Foundation’s Science and Technology Park (QSTP), having signed an agreement in 2005. The company plans substantial expenditure of up to QR364 million over a 10-year period on technology programmes, initially focusing on upstream and GTL technologies, by-product management and a related training centre.

THE NETHERLANDS

Intercultural Learning Experience By 2030, Qatar aims to be an advanced society capable of sustaining its development and providing a high standard of living for its people. in line with this, Qatar is working towards providing a knowledge-based economy where knowledge tools are used for economic benefits and job creation. A number of reputable universities have established offshoots in Qatar that seek to work with the national policy of educating and developing the local population.

S

tenden University Qatar’s objective is to educate future leaders of the hospitality, travel and tourism industry in Qatar, which is in line with Qatar’s 2030 Vision and its development plans for these sectors. Providing a combination of active group work participation, first-class lectures and upto-date theoretical knowledge in all areas of business administration in the above sectors, Stenden attempts to develop exactly the type of employees who are needed in Qatar.

WAYNE JOHNSON

PRESIDENT, STENDEN UNIVERSITY QATAR

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Strategies in progress Stenden University Qatar offers three dis-

Borders are becoming less important all the time.

We are constantly looking beyond our own national borders as we live in a ‘global society’. In this internationally-oriented society, the demand for people with international vision and experience is increasing fast.

tinct Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degrees – BBA in International Hospitality Management, BBA in International Tourism Management and BBA in International Business and Management Studies.

Currently, 485 students are enrolled there with staff and students from 42 nationalities. Since its founding in 2000, a total of 143 students have graduated from the university.

“These graduates are a commodity in demand because of their experience, their knowledge and their business and work ethic. Most of the graduates work in midlevel management positions in various industries,” says Wayne Johnson, President of Stenden University Qatar. “We believe in providing a ‘real world’ learning experience, so it’s engaging with five-star hotels and Qatar National Hotels Company by sending the students of International Hospitality Management for practical training during their first three years of study.”

Event Management students have to organise events for the public on a regular basis. The success of the events position Stenden University Qatar in the limelight.

One of the most outstanding examples is the ‘Hide & Seek’ event organised in February 2012 – that broke the Guinness World Record – where more than 1,200 people participated. The proceeds of this and other events were donated to charitable organisations in Qatar and internationally.

“At the moment Stenden is preparing a new three-year strategic plan which includes a number of significant developments and certainly looks at what other programmes can be offered that would be in line with the developments taking

place in Qatar. These developments will be discussed with our Board and in conjunction with the Supreme Education Council (SEC),” says Johnson with regard to present objectives.

Student exchanges “Borders are becoming less important all the time. We are constantly looking beyond our own national borders as we live in a ‘global society’. In this internationally-oriented society, the demand for people with international vision and experience is increasing fast, as we find ourselves in international and intercultural working environments. It is important to prepare oneself.

Students need to prepare themselves during their studies – for example by travelling, gaining new impressions, broadening their horizons and getting to know new cultures.

We have students from 42 nationalities and our staff is truly international. Our campus represents the world.

“Knowledge is not just something you get from books; you learn a lot from life itself.

This fact was already understood back in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. At that time, young members of the European nobility travelled as part of their education.

They would visit various European capitals that were known for their vibrant cultural life. The young aristocrats would become acquainted with the customs and habits of other peoples and move in eminent foreign circles to widen their perspectives and refine their manners. Our modern-day ‘Grand Tour’ is based on this historic educational principle,” Johnson says.

Grand Tour is a unique feature of Stenden University. It will develop the participating

student into a ‘global citizen’ by combining studying with travel to new destinations.

Students can study at any of Stenden’s campuses in the Netherlands, South Africa, Qatar, Indonesia (Bali) or Thailand where the same study programmes are being offered.

“Students can go on Grand Tour for one module or for one semester per destination.

Students will learn how to stand on their own feet, make new friends and build up an international network. They will have the time of their life while at the same time learning a lot about different countries and cultures, not to mention different languages – after all, the ideal place to learn any language is where everybody speaks it,” he adds.

Local interactions Students as well as faculty have been engaging with other universities in Qatar and in the region through attending a variety of events. The most recent was the participation at the International Case Competition hosted by CNA-Q. Additionally, students contributed their business ideas to the ‘Al Fikra’ Entrepreneurship competition. Other active and successful teams are in sports and debating. Faculty members share their experience, knowledge and thoughts by attending and actively participating in national as well as international education conferences and workshops.

Students regularly organise cultural festivals at the university campus. One project is the Dutch national day, Queen’s Day, where special Dutch activities are planned for the day in order to experience first-hand famous Dutch habits, festivities, food and fun

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bottom line

In which industries is social media booming?

w

ith social media now integrated into many aspects of everyday life, and with society becoming very comfortable with it as a medium, business owners are recognising the important role that social networking can play in the world of entrepreneurship.

Social media gives marketers the world over a voice and a way to communicate with peers, customers and potential consumers. It makes the “brand� more personal and reachable by helping businesses spread their messages in a conversational or viral way. It has changed, and will continue to change, the way the business world is marketing brands, communicating with customers and selling products.

Some industries are tapping into the power of social media more than others though. Experts from Bayt.com have a compiled a list of industries that are the best at utilising social media today.

Travel Gone are the days when planning a trip meant walking into your local travel agency and leafing through brochures. Travellers are Internet-savvy now, and with the proliferation of travel-booking websites they can research and book their entire trip online. This results in travellers that care more for bargains than brands. To overcome this, and to tap into the target market, a lot of airlines have got it right with social media. A case in point would be that of a leading regional airline company that recently gave away 100 free tickets to 100 destinations to celebrate its 100th destination and the launching of its Facebook page. The results were astonishing. The campaign attracted 150,000 new fans and 200,000 active users.

Media Media brands and outlets have become very popular in the social media sphere mainly because people depend heavily on the latter for information, news and entertainment. In fact, waiting for the evening broadcast to get the daily news is no longer needed. People need the information right this minute and the meteoric rise of Twitter users proves this.

Fashion No other industry works with its branding as much as the fashion industry does. As creative directors come and go, and styles change from one season to the next, fashion brands need social media channels to help them communicate their constantly-evolving identities to audiences worldwide. The most common form of interaction for a fashion brand with its target fan-base is via its Facebook page, where users can receive automatic updates, comment on ads, and stay abreast of the latest events.

Hospitality Before social media, restaurants, hotels and lounges had to rely on their websites, large advertising budgets and event sponsorship. But with social media, the hospitality industry now has quick and direct access to the likes and preferences of its target audiences. Even the traditional form of outdoor advertising today has incorporated the online element, with outdoor ads increasingly appearing with QR codes and interactive display pages.

Sports If your favourite football team was on Twitter, wouldn’t your loyalty oblige you to follow it? But social media has also opened the door to new sports that may be trying to grow roots in your community. Event invites, free tickets to events and back-stage celebrity opportunities have made social media indispensible for the sports industry and exciting for the sports fans.

Is your company tapping properly into social media?

bookmark www.issuu.com/oryxmags

About Bayt.com: Bayt.com is the #1 job site in the Middle East, with more than 40,000 employers and over 6,750,000 registered job seekers from across the Middle East, North Africa and the globe, representing all industries, nationalities and career levels. Post a job or find jobs on www.bayt.com today and access the leading resource for job seekers and employers in the region.

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bottom line

No more plug and play Long-term planning for a developed workforce

by Casse y O l i v e i ra With a rapidly growing business community in Qatar, it’s crucial that executives are equipped with the right skillset to ensure that their business stays ahead of THE competition. However, a major setback for companies across the region has always been leadership development – the attraction, development and retention of leadership talent within an organisation.

HEC

Paris in Qatar – the region’s leading hub for executive education, offering a complete portfolio of management programmes including the first-ever international Executive MBA (EMBA) in Qatar – created the HEC Knowledge Lab with the ambition to provide a platform for senior HR and leadership and development (L&D) executives in Qatar to network and learn from each other, through a series of lectures and workshops led by local and international experts. The intent is to create a knowledge community that will contribute to the advancement of talent development for organisations in Qatar

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and in the region.

The first Knowledge Lab was facilitated by Dr Sandra Shullman, Senior Adjunct Lecturer of the Executive MBA programme at HEC Paris, who addressed the challenges faced by Qatar’s human resource professionals by sharing valuable insights from her experience of over 35 years in the field of executive development.

According to Dr Shullman, there was a time when businesses would only have a technical or financial strategy while workforce management would be an afterthought. Thankfully, that’s changing with human resources gradually becoming a

part of the core business strategy.

“It’s moved from dealing with basic employee benefits and recruitment to how employees can become leaders to maximise the effectiveness of the organisation.

That should be what human resources is all about creating leaders and retaining them,” she explains.

“Talent management is one of the foundational pieces of a good business, just like having the right budget and the right technologies. For a country like Qatar that is moving to a knowledge-based economy, the knowledge base is with the people.

So it’s not just managing employees’ basic benefits, but also managing what

bottom line

It’s hard to be committed to something that doesn’t engage you or if you feel your value is not appreciated.

they can offer.”

A recent study revealed that an average person in the US would change jobs eight or nine times before the age of 40.

“At this rate, organisations need to find ways to retain their talent by providing them with the right opportunities to grow.

They need to respond to the needs of their talent; employers need to be fast learners and be updated with the changing trends in the fast-paced world of business.”

Not just employers though; she feels it’s also important for employees too to keep uptodate with the latest business trends.

“Employees need to take more responsibility to find ways to create different opportunities for themselves. They need to understand their strengths and weaknesses to be prepared for future jobs. Jobs are changing too – the job you might want in five years may not even exist then.”

While working on strategies to retain talent, Dr Shullman has often noticed companies confuse the concepts of developing highly-technical professionals and developing leaders, and are thus unable to offer each the right training.

“The company needs to differentiate between highly technical people with skills for a particular job and people who can lead. Both of these groups are very critical to an organisation’s success, but they are not the same,” she clarifies.

Addressing common issues During the session on leadership, an interesting issue that surfaced was how to prepare Qataris to take up major leadership roles when they have limited opportunities or exposure to develop leadership skills.

“Nobody can jump from a first-level supervisor job to an effective executive vicepresident in a year, yet there are some people, particularly GCC nationals, who are pushed into such situations,” she says.

Good leadership development involves being selective about job assignments,

having good mentors and encouraging bosses, and receiving training at the appropriate times in your career. When one of the pieces is missing, then it doesn’t come together the way it should, she feels.

“Companies need to make sure that GCC nationals have the right skill development needed to make the right moves.

For this, they need to retain them in positions long enough to learn skills before moving them to the next level.”

Another topic raised was why leaders fail in their roles of effective managers, for which Dr Shullman cites two reasons – lack of interpersonal skills and lack of strategic planning.

“Leaders tend to continue to do their

Best practices for leadership development: Defining what effective leadership means.

Aligning the business strategy with the leadership development strategy.

Placing high-potential people in targeted assignments that teach them the leadership lessons needed for moving up the ladder.

Having mentors and bosses who support the efforts of those going through leadership training.

old job and never get to the next level of planning. They don’t realise they have come to a position in their career where they cannot do their job by themselves.

They need to let other people do the operational work while they focus on strategy.

“They also don’t have the interpersonal skills to work with executive peers.

We just tend to take for granted human

endeavour; we assume people who work for us know what to do. You need to learn how to engage with people at every level of your organisation.”

Promoting loyalty Even if organisations invest resources to manage their talent and inculcate leadership skills in them, how does one ensure employees remain loyal to companies?

“In my experience, most people are loyal to their organisations under two circumstances: either the organisation has played a significant role in their life because of which they are loyal to the organisation’s concept and objectives; or they are loyal to the people who engage with them from that organisation.”

The key then lies in both employee motivation and commitment, claims Dr Shullman.

“People can be motivated but not necessarily committed to the organisation. It’s hard to be committed to something that doesn’t engage you or if you feel your value is not appreciated. People are encouraged to feel good or positive about their organisation only when they are certain that the organisation really cares about them.

“For organisations, it’s really about saying to their talent: ‘you are an important part of our future success and we will invest in you just as you invest in us’,” she says.

It’s not just individual motivation, but team motivation that is required to bolster commitment. The trend should be to reward both the individual and the team effort so that people learn to do things in collaboration with their team. “‘I cannot be successful unless we all are successful’ should be the motto of employees,” she says. “Nobody seems to be engaged in long-term planning of what is needed to create a more stable and systematically developed workforce.

The norm of ‘plug and play’ has to be reconsidered,” she concludes

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green scene

GPS monitoring stage on track After the successful brand activation stage, the Green Programme for

Schools (GPS) has moved to the monitoring stage to record monthly water and electricity consumption in schools.

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he past few months saw schools receive GPS branding as Mission 20 coordinators visited each participating school, strategically placing creative stickers carrying the message of water and energy conservation as well as pledge boards all over the school campus.

With the completion of the brand activation phase, GPS has moved into the next phase – the GPS monitoring stage.

This stage involves Mission 20 coordinators visiting each of the schools every month to monitor the water and electricity meter readings. Based on these monthly readings, the school which reduces water

and electricity consumption the most will be awarded the ‘Eco School of the Year’.

GPS will also soon be launching a textbook recycling project that will encourage students to donate old textbooks to be recycled, cleaned, branded with a GPS sticker and given to the next cohort.

Since textbooks contribute majorly to paper consumption and usage, the recycling project aims to not only save paper but also inculcate the habit of sharing among students. Each school will have collection points, where students can deposit their old books.

GPS is an environmental initiative of Msheireb Properties in association with Qatar Today magazine. This unique programme aims to reach, inspire and reward

students and schools in Qatar by meaningfully engaging and inculcating in them the importance of building a green culture. As a sub-programme under GPS, an energy awareness campaign sponsored by Oryx GTL has also simultaneously been launched in each of the participating schools to educate the schools and students on the concept of energy.

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

Green ideas: GPS has received a good response from students, with many of them dropping their suggestions into the GPS ‘idea box’ placed in every school. These are some of the suggestions: 1. We should switch off lights every day for one hour. This will save a lot of electricity.

Also we should use solar energy to produce electricity at homes and schools.

Aya Lotfi, Class 8, Hafsa School 2. Electricity can be produced from wind. So schools should have lights and ACs running on wind energy.

Mona Abed El Haleem, Class 5, Hafsa School 3. At the end of the academic year, the empty pages left in the notebooks can be bound to make a new book which we can use to do rough work. We can save paper and don’t have to buy new books.

Gaurav, Class 7B, DMIS 4. We should use erasers till they completely finish. If we throw them half-way, then we would be wasting rubber which comes from trees.

Parth, 7B, DMIS 5. Schools should organise ‘best of waste’ competitions. Students will learn the importance of recycling waste and they will also use their creative skills in making the best out of waste.

Joyston Movera, Class 10B, DMIS

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To know more about the programme,

To know more about GPS,

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

contact 44550983

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Mobile Apps

Change the way you do business

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hen you operate a small business, every minute counts, so to conduct business efficiently, it is important to have a shared range of productive tools. Wouldn’t you like to run your business efficiently and perform some tasks with less effort? Mobile apps can help.

Why are mobile apps important for your small business?

– They allow you to do more with less effort. You can manage your employees more efficiently and you may not need an extra resource to do this job.

– They save costs and improve customer satisfaction by responding to queries efficiently, which will indirectly lead to revenues.

Standard mobile applications on smartphones are the ones you use daily to compose e-mails, update your calendar or edit documents.

A fully functional mobile app should allow employees to work at any time and

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from anywhere via mobile devices. They are designed for various industries that range from process-driven to consumer-facing apps.

Research commissioned by AppsArabia, conducted by Real Opinions in 2011, shows that Apple and BlackBerry are increasingly dominant smartphones in the GCC. Communication Apps are of most interest in the GCC. Social networking, maps and navigation, business, banking and finance, and travel are appealing to users.

Seventy-three percent of the people surveyed said that they like downloading apps to make their life easier.

Overall, 60% of those surveyed in the Middle East prefer to read apps in English.

Luckily, there are mobile apps for smart phone devices that can boost productivity and save you time. To customise your mobile business experience, here are some apps that are tailored to meet today’s specific business requirements, such as workflow management, logistics or shipping management tools.

tag this List of Apps

Dropbox

EasySign

Evernote

Scan Pages

This app saves files on your computer, but you can access them from your mobile device. Great for keeping large media files mobile.

It allows you to eliminate the need for paper documents altogether. Using your finger or a stylus you can put your signature to Word docs, PDFs or JPEGs. Then send the documents securely and/or import to Dropbox or Box.net.

Using this app, you can store anything (notes, audio, text or video) into the cloud and access it anywhere at any time.

Allows you to convert captured images to PDF documents and store them in Google Docs, Evernote, Dropbox or share via e-mail.

Price – Free Platforms – iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry and Android.

BlackBerry and Windows.

Android.

LucyPhone

Use it to access your Mac or PC content. It is great for travelling or to pull up files remotely. With LogMeIn you can also run any PC application from your mobile device.

A free service that allows consumers to avoid the wait-time that occurs when call-centre operators place them on hold. Search LucyPhone’s list of popular customer service phone numbers, then it will patch you through. If you are put on hold, press ‘**’ and you will be disconnected, but when a customer service agent comes back on the line, it will call you back and reconnect you.

and iPad.

Price – Free Platforms – iPhone

Price – Free Platforms – iPhone, iPad and

LogMeIn

Price – Free Platforms – iPhone

Price – Free Platforms – iPhone, iPad,

Adaptu Wallet Personal Finance This financial management app packs a lot of great features for entry- to midlevel budgeting enthusiasts, like tracking loyalty programmes, creating spending forecasts, and storing photos of insurance and business cards.

Price – Free Platforms – Android

Price – Free Platforms – iPhone Microsoft has around 70,000 apps in its marketplace compared to 450,000 apps in Google Play or Apple’s 700,000 in the App Store. BlackBerry has around 70,000 apps in its store.

Strategy Analytics, a global research and consulting firm, reports that by the end of

2012, paid downloads will reach around $2 billion with the Android Market overtaking Apple’s App Store for the volume of downloads (but not revenues) by the end of the year.

The Middle East market demands various categories of apps such as games, busi-

MightyMeeting You can view your presentation on the device and share it via a projector or in meetings. If you upload more presentations later, pull down the list of files to your device to refresh the list. Use your device as a Microsoft PowerPoint pointer.

Price – Free Platforms – iPhone, iPad and Android.

ness, communication, social networking and entertainment. Having one of the highest penetrations of mobile devices in the world, apps in the MENA region have potential to grow

follow

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

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

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Cybercrime:

a PERSISTENT threat

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by Rory C oe n

damage of attacks

ast July, Qatar Today focused on the burgeon- trusion prevention systems (IPS), anti-virus and web gateways, ing digital economy in Qatar and how the Qatari only scan for the first move, the inbound attack. These systems government was leveraging its potential for the rely heavily on signatures and known patterns of misbehaviour 2030 Vision. Part of the report focused on the to identify and block threats. This leaves a gaping hole in netthreat of cybercrime and revealed that it’s now work defences that remain vulnerable to zero-day and targeted bigger than the drugs trade. Cybercriminals are no longer inter- APT attacks.”

“Consider the time-lag in signature development due to the ested in getting their kicks from $5 thefts but are instead trying to gain long-term control of compromised computer systems, need for vulnerability disclosure and/or the mass spread of an and the way they’re doing this is through advanced persistent attack to catch the attention of researchers,” he said. “Malicious code is identified over the course of a few days as it spreads. threats (APT).

Ray Kafity, Regional Sales Director FireEye, Middle East, However, polymorphic code tactics counterbalance the effects Turkey and Africa, spoke at Starlink’s IT Security Roadshow in of signature-based removal. Signatures represent a reactive Doha last month about the unabated threats of intelligent mal- mechanism against known threats. However, if attacks remain ware. FireEye is involved in stopping advanced targeted attacks below the radar, the malware is completely missed and the network remains vulnerable, especially to zero-day, targeted APT that use advanced malware, zero-day exploits and APT tactics.

Kafity prefaced his presentation with an overview of the Stux- malware. No matter how malicious the code is, if signaturenet worm which caught the world’s attention a couple of years based tools haven’t seen it before, they let it through.”

Cyber-criminals have figago. Stuxnet wasn’t designed the new status quo: ured out how to evade detecto steal money, identities or advanced attacks tion by traditional defences. passwords, but it targeted Using toolkits to design polythe controls of industrial faCyber-espionage & morphic threats that change cilities such as power plants.

Cybercrime with every use, move slowly, The worm was available on and exploit zero-day vulnerthe web for download and abilities, the criminals have could have been altered by broken in through the hole any cyber-criminal for his or Advanced Persistent Theats Zero-Day Targeted Attacks left by traditional and nexther own malicious purposes.

Dynamic Trojans Stealth Bots generation firewalls, IPS, A former director of the Cybercrime anti-virus and web gateNational Security Agency ways. This new generation in the US revealed that naof organised cybercrime is tions were now involved in a disruption Spyware/Bots persistent, capitalising on new phase of conflict where organisational data available cyber-weapons could Worms Viruses on social networking sites to be used to create physicreate targeted ‘phishing’ ecal destruction of critical 2004 2006 2008 2010 mails and malware targeted infrastructure. at the types of applications Kafity took a step back and operating systems (with from this and discussed the mechanics of these threats and why they are so difficult to detect all their vulnerabilities) typical in particular industries.

“Once inside, advanced malware, zero-day and targeted APT and eradicate.

“Next-generation threats have changed radically from just attacks will hide, replicate, and disable host protections,” cona few years ago,” he said. “Advanced malware has replaced the tinued Kafity. “After it installs, it phones home to its command broad, scattershot approach of mass-market malware designed and control (CnC) server for instructions, which could be to for mischief. Most of today’s attacks are targeted to get some- steal data, infect other endpoints, allow reconnaissance, or lie thing valuable sensitive personal information, intellectual prop- dormant until the attacker is ready to strike. Attacks succeed erty, authentication credentials, insider information – and each in this second communication stage because few technoloattack is often multifaceted, requiring at least two stages – one gies monitor outbound malware transmissions. Administrators remain unaware of the hole in their networks until the to get in and one to get valuables out.

“Traditional protections, like next-generation firewalls, in- damage is done.”

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I C T TODAY

Qatar: Technology to enrich life Over the past decade, Qatar has placed great emphasis on the development of its information and communication technology (ICT) sector. The focus on this aspect of Qatar’s versatile growth stems from the government’s vision to connect residents to technologies that enrich their lives, drive economic development and inspire confidence in the future.

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he Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology (ictQATAR), the ICT arm of the Qatari government, does not only thrive on vision – it follows the country’s ambition of improving every aspect of life in Qatar through ICT, while holding the reins of an increasingly vibrant, innovative ICT sector which will be the driving engine behind Qatar’s economy.

The recent UN E-Government Survey 2012 backs Qatar’s strategically-paced efforts and emerging prominence on the international ICT scene. Released in February, the report indicates that Qatar has moved up the scale by 14 places – from 62 to 48 – in terms of establishing a wide-ranging and efficient e-government platform. Further, the report featured Qatar as being one of the few markets that have come close to owning a pure one-stop-shop portal with information and services integrated on a single site.

Both Qatar and Singapore are dedicated to deriving sustainable ICT solutions for the benefit of their citizens. In March, the Infocomm Development Authority May 2012

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of Singapore (IDA) and ictQATAR signed their fourth consecutive Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in relation to the ICT sectors of both nations. The MoU, which is a testament to years of strong ICT collaboration and mutual respect between the two countries, reinforces Qatar and Singapore’s commitment to further strengthen ICT cooperation, with key areas of interest being e-government, ICT industry development, and ICT manpower development. The renewal of the MoU demonstrates IDA and ictQATAR’s commitment to continue to collaborate closely and share knowledge on ICT and e-government and associated initiatives.

In the past, ictQATAR and IDA have worked jointly on several major projects such as the Hukoomi e-government portal, the Qatar customs clearance system, e-schoolbag pilot projects, business setup services, and the Qatar Ser-

vice Platform. More recently Ecquaria, a Singaporean IT company, was engaged for the Phase 2 development of the Hukoomi e-government portal in 2010, which focuses on further enabling efficient and effective government interaction. As it continues to enhance and diversify its ICT landscape, Qatar is also taking steady steps towards educating and training its ICT professionals. In 2011, IDA International, IDA’s wholly owned subsidiary, and ictQatar facilitated a senior leadership workshop in Singapore for senior officials from Qatar. IDA and ictQatar also facilitated the Qatar Assistive Technology Centre’s (MADA) visit to Singapore’s Infocomm Accessibility Centre.

In the coming years, Qatar is likely to arm many of its budding sectors, including healthcare, financial services, supply chain and logistics, tourism, hospitality, retail, small and medium-sized en-

terprises and community service, with the latest in ICT. With a track record of implementing ICT across Singapore’s various sectors, IDA can share its information and experience with Qatar.

According to several market research reports, the Middle East is one of the fastest growing ICT markets in the world.

As one of the richest countries in the region, Qatar has identified the pivotal role that ICT plays in its quest to become a knowledge-based economy and society. Singapore is therefore excited to be a part of this journey.

By Shaik Umar The Infocomm Development Authority’s Centre Director for the Middle East.

Qatar: High on network

In the World Economic Forum’s recent report, “The Global Information Technology Report (GITR) 2012: Living in a Hyperconnected World”, Qatar maintained its strong global ranking, coming in as the 28th most networked nation out of 142 surveyed.

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he comprehensive report examines the networked readiness of countries across four primary indexes: environment, readiness, usage and impact. Qatar performed particularly well in terms of national prioritisation of ICT, procurement of advanced technology, venture capital availability and mobile network coverage.

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Qatar is the second-highest-ranked country in the Arab world, one place behind Bahrain (27) and ahead of the United Arab Emirates (30) and Saudi Arabia (34). In 2011 Qatar ranked 25th overall.

Qatar’s prioritisation of ICT as essential to achieving its 2030 National Vision was clearly reflected in its high ranking.

Additionally, Qatar’s 2015 National ICT Strategy is aligned with many of the key

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areas included in GITR 2012.

The GITR 2012 report was expanded to include more countries and also assessed countries across 10 primary pillars, covering 53 indicators, compared to 71 in 2011. Additionally, the impact of ICT on economies was included in the assessment for the first time. The pillars in the 2012 GITR include political and regulatory environment, business and innovation environment, infrastructure and digital content, affordability, skills, individual usage, business usage, government usage, economic impact and social impact.

In introducing the report, Dr Soumitra Dutta, Roland Berger Professor of Business and Technology at INSEAD and co-editor of the report, said: “The success of the Networked Readiness Index (NRI) emphasises the importance of continuing to evolve its framework with the changing landscape of technology and the new opportunities it creates. To measure this impact effectively, we have introduced a new set of impact-oriented metrics this year that assess not just the availability of technology but also the ways in which economies put that tech-

nology to greater use. Considering how ICT has become omnipresent, the focus has moved from access to making the best use of ICT in order to improve business innovation, governance, citizens’ political participation and social cohesion.�

The report shows a growing digital divide in ICT impact between developed and developing countries, despite advancements across the world. Sweden (1) and Singapore (2) top the 2012 rankings; however, parts of the developing world, especially sub-Saharan Africa, are lagging behind as a result of insufficient development of ICT infrastructure, according to the report.

GITR is developed in collaboration with INSEAD and is divided into four sections. The first addresses the current networked readiness of the world, while the second shares a number of case studies on how ICT is being successfully leveraged. The third section provides country-specific profiles and the fourth section provides the comprehensive data tables that were used to calculate the rankings. The report includes hard data and executive opinion surveys.

The report shows a growing digital divide in ICT impact between developed and developing countries, despite advancements across the world.

I C T TODAY

CMUQ: inspiring innovation

For more than a century, Carnegie Mellon University has been inspiring innovations that change the world. Consistently top-ranked, the university has more than 11,000 students, 90,000 alumni and 5,000 faculty and staff globally.

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n 2004, Qatar Foundation invited Carnegie Mellon to join Education City, a groundbreaking centre for scholarship and research. Students from 39 different countries enroll at our worldclass facilities in Education City.

CMUQ offers undergraduate programmes in biological sciences, business administration, computational biology, computer science and information systems.

In the field of information and commu-

The focus of the programme is on giving students the knowledge and skills necessary to bring together people, process and technology in ways that yields results.

nication technology (ICT), Carnegie Mellon’s programmes in computer science and information systems are top-ranked and world-renowned. On the Qatar campus, both students and faculty alike have been recognised with accolades for their research and innovations by top organisations.

In computer science, student teams participating in programming competitions have been consistently topranked. On a global platform, Google recently recognised two CMUQ students through its 2012 Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship programme.

Selma Liman Mansar, associate professor of information systems, talks about Carnegie Mellon’s undergraduate degree in information systems. She says graduates of this programme are uniquely qualified to use ICT to help companies meet and exceed their strategic objectives.

What exactly is Information Systems?

Information systems is about getting the right information to the right person, in the right format, at the right time. While technology has always been linked with information provisioning, information systems goes beyond just the technology to include both the people and processes

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necessary to fulfil an informational need.

Tell us about the Information Systems degree at CMUQ. As the ability to store and access massive amounts of data has grown, the skills to process, manipulate and summarise information have become vitally important. At the same time, the ability to design systems for the effective use of information has now become central for the support of organisations decisionmakers and researchers.

The Information Systems programme at CMUQ is an internationally-recognised Bachelor of Science degree for students who want to understand and solve information problems for organisations.

The focus of the programme is on giving students the knowledge and skills necessary to bring together people, process and technology in ways that yield results.

Graduates of the Information Systems programme are ideally situated to take a leading role in shaping Qatar’s information-based economy. In fact, they are already working in a variety of organisations, such as Qatar Petroleum, the Doha Film Institute and ictQATAR.

Information systems helps companies implement the

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On a global platform, Google recently recognised two CMUQ students through its 2012 Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship program.

The Information Systems programme at CMUQ is an internationally-recognised Bachelor of Science degree for students who want to understand and solve information problems for organisations.

right processes and technology, but does it impact us as individuals?

Very much so. One example is the way in which people’s personal information is stored and accessed. Governments, organisations and businesses need to collect and process information to improve their products and services, but the individuals who provide the information must be confident in how it is going to be collected, stored and processed. Here in Qatar, our faculty is examining the security of such systems, and designing new ways in which confidentiality can be

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maintained.

Another developing area in Qatar is healthcare informatics, which explores the use of websites and mobile technologies to address important health issues such as obesity and diabetes.

If we can use information technology to reach people through health promotion, early diagnosis and effective treatment, we can really make a difference in their lives.

CMUQ researchers and students are working on a variety of innovations in this space. As well as the information security and healthcare informatics courses, the institution is also working on business process management, which focuses on best practice in business processes, and global education, which aims to maximise the interactions and address the challenges associated with crosscampus programmes and projects.

What kind of information systems innovations is your university working on?

ICT Qatar 2012 – Carnegie Mellon University Qatar

I C T TODAY

MEEZA:

Taking Qatar’s IT industry by storm

Established in 2008 as an IT services and solutions provider, Meeza – a Qatar Foundation joint venture – has moved rapidly to establish itself as the leader with the objective of accelerating the growth of Qatar through the creation and management of IT services and solutions through the provision of world-class data centres.

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eeza’s wide range of services includes managed IT services, data centre services and cloud services. It has also established a centralised command and control centre that monitors and optimises Meeza services for clients. Meeza works with clients to fully understand their specific IT challenges and offer cost-effective IT services to help them focus on their core business and scale rapidly. Offering the best IT security levels, Meeza also helps clients minimise business risk, reduce IT capital expenditure and speed up time to market for new initiatives.

Adding data centres Marking a new milestone for Meeza’s services is the addition of two new data centres, known as M-Vaults, that possess managed storage network and security systems as well as disaster recovery capabilities. Located on its own campus 30km outside Doha, M-Vault 2 is scheduled to

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begin operation at the beginning of the third quarter of this year. The facility offers business continuity solutions for all key disaster recovery requirements criteria through service delivery and IT experts. It is designed and built to Uptime Institute Tier III standards, with 99.98% guaranteed availability, and is LEED platinum-certified, where it maximises energy to increase performance.

The second data centre, M-Vault 3, has already begun operation. Located at close proximity to Meeza’s original data centre at QSTP, it is tailored towards high-density computing in particular for the purposes of servicing the research, engineering, health, banking, pharmaceutical and technology sectors. Its sustainable and environment-friendly design has earned it LEED gold certification as well.

With its multiple, interconnected and geographically diverse data centres, Meeza is uniquely positioned to offer cloud services to clients across the region. “Our new interconnected, highly secured facilities focus on backup sites,

disaster recovery solutions and business continuity solutions while offering managed services to our clients at the same time,” says Ghada P. El-Rassi, Deputy CEO, Meeza.

ISO certifications In 2011, Meeza went on to become the first and only IT services and solutions provider in Qatar to be awarded ISO 27001:2005 and ISO 9001:2008 certifications. The ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) is the world’s largest developer and publisher of international standards for activities such as information technology, construction, mechanical engineering and agriculture.

For the ISO certifications, Meeza underwent an evaluation process by Bureau Veritas Certification in two aspects: the Quality Management Systems for the scope of “Solution Design and Provision of Services for Data Centre, Managed Services, Cloud and Workplace”, and its Information Security Management Systems for the scope

of “Management of Information Security for Data Centre Comprising of Rack Space, Power, Cooling, Physical Security, Connectivity and Related Monitoring”.

“The certification of compliance with ISO 27001:2005 and ISO 9001:2008 recognises that the policies, procedures, processes and practices of Meeza ensure consistent quality and security in the services and workmanship we provide to our clients. With this certification, our clients can be confident that Meeza is dedicated to maintaining the highest efficiency and responsiveness in achieving our ultimate goal – guaranteed client satisfaction,” says El-Rassi.

“We believe that our decision to become an ISO 27001:2005 and ISO 9001:2008 certified company is a proactive one that not only anticipates the demands of our clients, but also demonstrates our commitment to providing them with quality services. This achievement enhances Meeza’s credibility and the confidence our clients, suppliers and stakeholders have in us. This demonstrates a

focus on the necessary measures and actions to deliver quality services, to protect information and to satisfy actual and future needs, requirements and expectations.”

Service expansion Meeza has also redefined its services offerings to meet market demands across all industries. The services portfolio has expanded to include data centre services, infrastructure services, application services, managed IT solutions and cloud services.

“As an end-to-end services provider, we are committed to promoting IT innovation and bringing the most advanced solutions to our customers. Our new service offerings reflect this commitment as we provide to industries at all levels, so our clients can focus on their core business,” says El-Rassi.

Over the years, Meeza has built a solid track record not only in the delivery of solutions to its clients but also in the provisioning of a full end-to-end service

In 2011, MEEZA went on to become the first and only IT services and solutions provider in Qatar to be awarded with ISO 27001:2005 and ISO 9001:2008 certifications.

which covers the entire life-cycle of deployed assets, from design through delivery to on-going support.

In line with its objective of accelerating IT adoption in the country to build a knowledge-based society, in close alignment with the Qatar National Vision 2030, Meeza continues to enable businesses of various sizes and across sectors with the option to utilise IT as a differentiator and an engine of growth.

With an expansive service portfolio, Meeza has grown to be a leader in Qatar’s ICT sector.

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Qtel fibre

100 Mbps is Just the Beginning

In March 2010, Qtel set a massive three-year venture into motion with the announcement of its Fibre to the Home (FTTH) initiative or, as it’s now known, Qtel Fibre.

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wo years later, with its official launch in January 2012, Qtel Fibre is, neighbourhood by neighbourhood, business by business, spreading across Qatar and changing the nature of how we work, communicate and entertain ourselves on a daily basis.

The largest infrastructure project of its kind ever carried out by Qtel, the launch of Qtel Fibre supports the nation’s “Broadband Qatar” strategy and will fuel development, both social and economic, throughout Qatar.

Qtel’s QR1 billion investment in fibre technology will have an incredible impact on entertainment, information access and education within homes and businesses in Qatar.

HE Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Thani, Chairman of Qtel, said: “The nationwide fibre network will

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provide the foundation for our nation’s ongoing progress towards the 2030 vision, and the growth of the knowledge-based economy.”

Why fibre?

Today’s consumers and business customers are increasingly hungry for larger data capacity and speedier Internet surfing, not to mention the ever-growing arsenal of professional communication and entertainment experiences that can only be delivered via fibre.

Fibre optics offer the potential of the fastest-ever Internet experience in Qatar, as well as high-definition television through Qtel Mozaic TV. For Qtel customers, this opens up a new world of ultrafast broadband, with Qtel packages of 10 Mbps, 50 Mbps and 100 Mbps, and high definition television.

Fibre optical cable expands data ca-

pacity and increases Internet speed far beyond the capability of a copper-based network. Qtel will also be offering new services, such as high definition (HD) digital television, online gaming, video on demand (VOD), home phone conferencing, and many other exciting services that require fibre delivery. For businesses big and small, high-speed fibre will enable local businesses to compete better domestically and provide a platform to reach new global markets by enabling a number of feature-rich business services such as teleconferencing, cloud-based applications and hosted services.

Taking the lead Qatar leads the region in terms of fibre penetration and availability. The nation’s broadband penetration of around 60% of households was driven by adoption of Qtel’s advanced mobile broadband, home

By 2014, Qtel Fibre will cover all of Qatar, with connections provided to homes and businesses across the country.

ADSL and Mozaic “triple-play” services. Trials and Roll-Out In addition, more than 2,500 companies As part of the programme design, it was are already using fibre-fuelled solutions decided to conduct pilots of Qtel Fibre in their workplaces, enjoying speeds of in select areas of Qatar for technology up to 1Gbps. assessment trials. West Bay Lagoon, an For Qatar to fulfil its stated ambition area selected for its “brownfield,” or deto be among the leading countries in the veloped infrastructure, was the site of world for ICT access, adoption of the latest the first trial, which was implemented technologies must continue. Qtel Fibre in 2009, with live trial customers since supports Qatar’s vision of transforming summer 2010. Mesaieed Industrial City the country into an advanced nation ca- housing complex, an undeveloped or pable of sustaining its own development “greenfield” area of Qatar, was chosen for and providing a high standard of living for the second pilot, which was implemented generations to come. in 2009 and has been live since the latter Qtel Fibre is also driven by Qtel’s strat- half of that year. egy to support the creation of original The pilot projects were months in the content and applications by offering suf- making. Once positive results started ficient bandwidth to support the trans- coming in from some 1,500 participatfer of movies, games and original pro- ing Qtel customers, the team prepared gramming. to move on to installation in other neigh-

bourhoods.

As of April, 2012, 109,000 homes have been passed with Qtel Fibre and nearly 30,000 are ready to receive the service.

By 2014, Qtel Fibre will cover all of Qatar, with connections provided to homes and businesses across the country. In addition to the current offering of broadband packages over fibre with speeds from 10 to 100 Mbps, Qtel will soon launch a next generation Mozaic TV service on fibre. As well as high-definition images, this service will also offer first-in-Qatar features such as recording, pausing and other advanced fibre-fuelled functions.

Truly, there is an exciting future being fuelled by Qtel Fibre!

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QSTP:

Nurturing Innovations

According to a study on world competitiveness and research in universities by the leading consulting firm Booz Allen, QSTP ranks as a key player in the region.

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nnovation is the bread and butter of ICT, and over the past two decades the sector has seen a series of revolutions globally. Every six months, new trends would make the previous ones obsolete, and it’s impossible to perceive how the ICT world will be in a couple of years from now. ICT innovation has hence become a pillar to support industries to increase efficiency and effectiveness, or to optimise returns on investments.

Providing a roof to such innovations is Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP). Since its inauguration in 2009, QSTP has been home to technologybased companies from around the world, and an incubator for startup-enterprises.

To date, 47 international companies, involving 800 engineers and scientists, have invested in the facility’s research and development.

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Tapping into diverse domains Mobility, healthcare, culture preservation and diffusion, to name a few, are all domains which cannot even be conceived nowadays without a strong connection to the latest information and communication technologies. QSTP is active in these domains and is actively contributing by providing innovative solutions across various platforms.

For instance, QSTP, in collaboration with Aspetar, developed a real time remote monitoring platform, Rasad, which is now used internationally (by local or national health authorities, hospital and clinics, large national insurance companies, top sports teams, large corporations, etc. across several continents). Rasad is an ICT platform aimed at enabling realtime remote monitoring. It was proven as a valuable concept over the second half of 2009 and demonstrated to be an

accurate method of wireless information transfer across the different interfaces of the platform. Rasad was created so that a variety of different sensors can collect data and transmit them over wireless or wired networks to cloud-based servers that process the data, providing realtime customised graphical interfaces and services. The Rasad platform does not depend on the type of sensor and can serve several different industries, including healthcare, sports and lifestyle. As a matter of fact, Rasad is the first Qatari non-oil-and-gas product or service which is exported internationally and widely adopted across continents. In the past 18 months, QSTP has been busy developing new functionalities of the software and expanding the customer base.

Another project is Loghati, an e-communication solution aimed at supporting the spread of Arabic cultural heritage by means of modern web-based technolo-

QSTP, in collaboration with Aspetar, developed a real-time remote monitoring platform, Rasad, which is now used internationally.

gies. It creates a communication system allowing people to publish information in the form of books, scientific papers, manuscripts, newspapers, audio files and video files in different languages. A key facet of the project is the creation and involvement of an international community of researchers, experts and enthusiasts that will be able not only to consult the library contents but also to contribute in a manner which enhances

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overall accuracy and completeness. In addition to written text, the library will host audio/video contents and allow users to access and contribute to them with the same approach as for books (such as classification and annotation). All of that aim at keeping and promoting the Arabic language as a vehicle of ancient, modern and contemporary culture. Both Rasad and Loghati are projects that support the Qatar National Vision 2030 of achieving either better healthcare or modernisation with the preservation of traditions and culture.

Supporting in-house projects QSTP is located at a prime spot within Qatar Foundation’s Education City, and has access to the resources of leading research universities including Carnegie Mellon, Georgetown, Northwestern, Texas A&M, Virginia Commonwealth and Weill Cornell. QSTP operations include providing strategy and partnership to its tenants on inward technology projects,

research-ready premises and infrastructure, support programmes such as training, grants and investment, and links to the co-located universities.

Provided that they meet a number of criteria, companies can apply for different types of financial support, from corporate research to research grand challenge grants, which are often provided against a share of the revenue generated by the sales of innovative solutions, to more classical equity investment. Approval of the financial support depends on the project, its business plan, its contribution to the QNV2030, and its importance to the local ecosystem of the knowledge economy, etc. The project Loghati is a result of the in-house expertise that was deployed by QSTP to develop a project and direct its operations. Though it would take a while for the new technologies to be adopted, the growth of these technologies from zero to something measurable is a step further in cementing Qatar’s position as a leading ICT innovator.

I C T TODAY

Vodafone Qatar

Ringing in Competition

Vodafone Qatar switched on its mobile network in March 2009 - to add some competition to the mobile segment here - and it feels that customers have benefited from a wider choice of innovative communication services and new value offers and promotions since, were the overall use of international calling, and particularly mobile internet, have significantly grown.

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hey have also delivered a new customer experience, whether it’s calling their call centre and or going into one of their stores.

With everything from sole-traders to multi-national companies being asked to collaborate with Qatar’s National Vision 2030, and Vodafone Qatar are certainly doing their share to stimulate the workforce to drive a knowledge-based economy.

It’s well documented that a world class communication service, and the infrastructure which complements this, are key enablers for supporting the growth of a knowledge-based economy. As a global company with local roots in Qatar, Vodafone Qatar is helping to shape that future by bringing new and innovative technologies to the country. For example, it has partnered with the Qatar National Broadband Network (QNBN) to deliver fast broadband internet access over fibre for everyone in the country.

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Vodafone Qatar showcased some of its latest innovations at the recent QITCOM event in Doha, where it organised in cooperation with ictQatar, “Indie Fikra” Appathon, which was a 48-hour coding competition during which talented programmers developed new mobile applications. One of the winning teams developed was an app that educates children on diabetes. Vodafone Qatar are planning to play a key role to promote local and regional Arabic Internet content and applications.

With Qatar’s economy currently on the crest of a wave, and with future growth imminent, Vodafone Qatar is promising to deliver new and innovative mobile voice and internet services, which includes the launch of its post-paid services complementing its standing prepaid offering. Consumers will enjoy a wider choice and be enticed by some attractive propositions for business. The business sector will be a major growth opportunity for Vodafone Qatar in the coming years.

Vodafone Qatar is promising to deliver new and innovative mobile voice and internet services, which includes the launch of its post-paid services

TECHTALK Pictures worth one billion words

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acebook sealed a deal to acquire mobile photo sharing app Instagram for approximately $1 billion (QR3.64 billion) in cash and stock. Instagram will continue to be independently branded and separate from Facebook, but the services they offer will be linked more closely. The quick-fire exchange should go through this quarter pending some standard closing procedures.

Instagram had 27 million registered users before its Android launch in early April, and early indications of its popularity – one million new users on the first day alone – impressed Facebook, which decided that a quick-fire offer was needed.

With the deal, Instagram will gain massive design and engineering resources by joining forces with Facebook, but Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom maintains that the brand will stay somewhat independent and maintain some of its old culture.

This is a big departure from the way Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has historically run his company.

He has always tried to feed applications back into Facebook, so keeping Instagram as a separate product and brand is similar to how Google handled its acquisitions of YouTube and Android.

New Generation lazy about online security threats

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even out of 10 young employees frequently ignore IT policies, and 25% are victims of identity theft before the age of 30, according to the Cisco Connected World Technology Report.

The desire for on-demand access to information is so ingrained in the new generation of employees that many young professionals take extreme measures to access the Internet, even if it compromises their company or their own security. Such behaviour includes secretly using neighbours’ wireless connections, sitting in front of businesses to access free Wi-Fi networks, and borrowing other people’s devices without supervision.

Considering that at least one out of every three employees (36%) responded negatively when asked if they respect their IT departments, balancing IT policy compliance with young employees’ desires for more flexible access to social media, devices and remote access is testing the limits of traditional corporate cultures.

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ur thing yo y n a e r e Is th sm ar t-p ho ne ca n’t do ?

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professor from the University of Hertfordshire in the UK hopes hundreds of people will take part in an experiment to manipulate dreams. Participants will download a specially designed iPhone app that turns their phone into a dream machine. Placed on the bed, the phone can detect when a sleeper is not moving, which signifies the onset of dreaming, before it plays a ‘’soundscape’’ designed to evoke pleasant scenarios. The idea is that this will influence dreaming, causing dreamers to conjure up situations and experiences inspired by the sounds they are hearing. At the end of the dream the app sounds an alarm to wake the dreamer, who then submits a brief description of the dream to a ‘’dreamcatcher’’ database.

Prof. Richard Wiseman, who is best known for his work on the paranormal, said: ‘’Getting a good night’s sleep and having pleasant dreams boosts people’s productivity, and is essential for their psychological and physical well-being. Despite this, we know very little about how to influence dreams. This experiment aims to change that.’’

As many as 10,000 people are expected to take part in the mass-participation study, launched at the Edinburgh International Science Festival. The ‘’Dream:ON’’ app can be downloaded for free from iTunes or via the project site, http://dreamonapp.com.

Have you taken your tablet? @QatarToday asked our tweeps of their impressions of the available tablets on the market today – be it an iPad, a Blackberry Playbook, a Galaxy Tab or another – and how they best fit into their day-to-day routine. We certainly received some interesting replies.

Follow us on Twitter to get involved in discussions such as this every month. @MrAndrewD You’ve omitted the Asus Transformer Prime – The best Android tablet around. @pquinn17 I’m new to the iPad, use it for ebooks, but I prefer my Kindle at night, its lighter. Prefer my laptop for working on with docs. @pquinn17 Am waiting to see what the new Microsoft tablet will be like versus the iPad – would prefer to be able to use documents normally @gamsy64 like comparing a Beetle...Bentley...Buggatti simply !

@YasserM86 Depending on how people are using it, it’s proven to be a helpful tool for me. I’ve seen some use it as a luxury item. @nrushman iPad is great for reading documents on the go @vanish_forever I use it as an e-book primarily. @vanish_forever almost all my social media activities and mails are on my phone. iPad for books. Comp for work. My ph killed my tablet. #emurder

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SECURE YOUR FINANCIAL HEALTH

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Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Doha is honoured

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RRMC-Doha General Manager Mohammed Kandeel said: “Rolls-Royce is the pinnacle of motoring luxury; therefore it’s only natural that we offer our distinguished customers the same level of after-sales services. This is only possible thanks to a highly dedicated and passionate team composed of the highest-calibre individuals in the industry. Additionally, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ compelling selection of Bespoke features and extras has helped us enjoy success in 2011. And based on the same criteria, our continuous development, and of course the introduction of the subtly yet remarkably refreshed Phantom Series II, we’re confident that Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Doha will maintain this success in the years to come.”

olls-Royce Motor Cars Doha won a string of laurels for its performance in 2011 during the Rolls-Royce World Dealer Conference at New York’s Trump SoHo Hotel. The RollsRoyce World Dealer Conference is an annual global get-together for all dealers of the luxury brand in which the successes of the year are recognised and strategies are proposed.

The dealership was awarded two worldwide recognitions for Best After-Sales Provider and Highest Total Bespoke Revenue Per Car. It also picked up a brace of regional wins: Best Accessories Performance and Chris Wiglinsky as Sales Manager of the Year for the Middle East.

BMW and MINI report positive sales

Legendary G-Class Continues To Surprise

lfardan Automobiles has reported a 30% increase in BMW and Mini car sales in the first three months of 2012 compared to the same period in 2011 and demonstrated its intention to complete yet another successful year by achieving double-digit growth.

“The increase in our sales confirms the loyalty of our customers and the strength of the BMW and Mini brands in Qatar,” said Mohammed Kandeel, General Manager of Alfardan Automobiles. “BMW Group vehicles represent high performance, engineering excellence and pioneering innovation, all of which are qualities appreciated and desired by discerning customers.”

The flagship BMW 7 Series was the highest volume selling model.

Combining ultimate style, comfort and luxury with supreme driving dynamics and pleasure, the BMW 7 Series continues to be one of the company’s best-selling models. Also contributing to Alfardan Automobiles’ solid performance was the BMW X5 Sports Activity Vehicle (+57%), the BMW 5 Series (+104%) and the BMW X6 Sports Activity Coupé (+33%).

ercedes-Benz has once again significantly upgraded the G-Class and so reemphasised its position as the leader among off-road vehicles. The interior is characterised by high-quality appointments finished with exquisite materials. The instrument cluster and centre console have been completely redesigned. The driver’s field of vision now encompasses a colour screen between two new round dials.

The car features as standard the sophisticated COMAND online infotainment system, including a navigation system. New LED daytime driving lamps and new exterior mirrors bring a few discreet changes to the exterior appearance of the luxury offroader. The range of safety features can be optionally enhanced with the addition of Blind Spot Assist, the parking aid Parktronic and the adaptive cruise control system Distronic Plus. New to the range are the G63 AMG with an eight-cylinder bi-turbo engine and the Eco start/stop system as standard, and the G65 AMG with twelve-cylinder bi-turbo engine.

Frank Bernthaler, Director, Sales and Marketing, MercedesBenz Cars, Daimler Middle East and Levant, said: “Our G-Class has been a force to be reckoned with for the past 33 years. In its latest evolutionary stage, it offers state-of-the-art, powerful engines, a further improved range of luxurious appointments and the very latest safety features, as well, of course, as its now-legendary off-road capabilities. At the same time the design remains true to its down-to-earth, unmistakable style.”

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Abdulaziz crowned Porsche GT3 Cup champion in Qatar

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atar’s first encounter with the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East was a landmark occasion from the start, and a weekend of spectacular race action under the lights of Losail International Circuit saw a champion-in-waiting clinch his title earlier than expected.

Abdulaziz Al-Faisal had arrived in Doha in a commanding position, but fully expected that he would need two more rounds in Bahrain at the end of April to ensure his second Porsche GT3 Cup triumph in three years.

Instead, the Saudi found himself celebrating on a bitterly cold Saturday night

at Losail after a first-corner disaster – in Round 10 of the 12-round one-make series – took his only remaining challenger, Bandar Alesayi, out of the race.

By that point Abdulaziz had squeezed ahead of Clemens Schmid, who had started in pole position for the second time in 24 hours, although the young Austrian driver

fought back to claim his fourth victory of the season.

Given an unassailable championship lead thanks to his second position on the night, Abdulaziz was followed home by Oman’s Ahmad Al-Harthy in third, and for the second night in succession Qatar was able to celebrate a double success.

New Porsche Panamera GTS arrives at Porsche Centre Doha

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he sportiest Porsche Panamera to hit the road – the Panamera GTS – is now available at Porsche Centre Doha, Al Boraq Automobiles

Co. WLL. The Panamera GTS delivers racetrack performance – with a striking engine sound – yet it also offers the space and comfort of a four-seater Gran Turismo. It supports more power and upgraded brakes, a body lowered by 10mm and a tuned chassis with

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air suspension and Porsche Active Stability Management (PASM). It sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in under 4.5 seconds and has a top speed of 288 km/h.

The Panamera GTS reveals its independence with distinctive design features in the front-end, side and rear areas, as well as black highlights. The interior is carefully tailored to underline the sporty personality with sports seats, a SportDesign steering wheel with shift paddles and an exclusive GTS leather interior.

George Wills, Managing Director of Porsche Middle East and Africa FZE, said: “The key to the excitement of driving this new Panamera is in the name. Gran Turismo Sport (GTS) is a promise that you are driving something extra special, and a link to our extraordinary historical performance – the first Porsche to carry the GTS moniker was the legendary 904 Carrera GTS in 1963.”

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“Bespoke element in all Phantom and Ghost models in qatar”

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olls-Royce Motor Cars have been at the forefront of the customisation business for over a century. In the early days, cars used to be delivered to buyers with custom coachbuilt bodywork to suit the vehicle’s purpose and its client’s affinities towards luxury and refinement. However, the trend in individualising vehicle bodywork soon became a thing of the past as Rolls-Royce Motor Cars persevered with their “Bespoke” programme.

“Bespoke is a personalised service which allows our clients to commission choices

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which are unique and very individual,” said Thomas Jefferson, Manager, Bespoke Sales and Communications, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited. “We have a motto that our only limit is the client’s imagination. We really feel that no two Rolls-Royce motor cars should ever be the same. No two clients’ needs are the same either.”

Bespoke, as its name implies, is a service offered to buyers by which they have the choice to custom-order their vehicles with an almost limitless array of features and materials, so creating a vehicle that reflects its owner’s taste.

“The portfolio of Bespoke services that we offer includes personalised paints, leather, head-rest embroideries and threadplates, marquetry inlays in the veneer – any element that lends itself to meeting the client’s personalised needs, really,” Jeffersoncontinued. “Personalised colours [in Qatar] are popular.”

Jefferson explained that the colours of the showroom cars, one of which was a purple-pink (see next page), were outside the standard range. In addition to personalised paints, developing interior leather colours matched to the exterior paints was also

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proving a hit in the country. “Clients here love something bold.

“Many Qataris are also going for personalised embroidery in the head-rest – so perhaps it might be the family name written in Arabic, or a logo from their family business, or a graphic that has a lot of meaning.”

Phantom and Ghost On a global basis, about 90% of Phantoms have some element of Bespoke. In the Middle East, it’s every single Phantom. With Ghost – which is in its third model year – about half of the cars globally have some element of Bespoke, but in the Middle East, it’s actually 90%. The Middle East region has always set the benchmark in terms of personalised Rolls-Royces, admitted Jefferson. It typically accounts for about quarter of Rolls-Royce sales globally.

“Phantom Series I was launched in 2003, and the Series II was just unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March, and will be available for sale in Qatar very shortly,” said Jefferson. “We believe that with each model we will make evolutionary changes regarding equipment, colour, trim and features.

“This enthusiasm for Bespoke is carrying over into the Ghost Product line as well.

The first series of Ghost was introduced in 2010 – there’s Ghost and Ghost Extended Wheelbase and last year we saw a sharp increase in the personalisation for Ghost.

Globally, half of the Ghosts ordered have an element of Bespoke, and in the Middle East it is 90%, but here in Doha every single Ghost that was produced had some element of Bespoke.”

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MARKET WATCH

CHINESE OPPORTUNITY IN YEAR OF DRAGON?

Radiomir by Officine Panerai: the diver’s collection

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rom the iconic collection Radiomir by Officine Panerai come two new modelsthe California 3 Days and the Radiomir SLC 3 Days – which represent a tribute to the watch that has been a milestone in the history of professional diver’s watch-making. Many of the features from the prototype created by Panerai in 1936 to equip the commandos of the Royal Italian Navy make a comeback, such as the cushion case in steel with a diameter of 47mm, the slender wire strap attachments, the conical crown and the simple dial reduced to the essentials to increase legibility even in poor light.

The element which differs in the two models is the dial design. The Radiomir California 3 Days has the inscription “California” engraved on the flange at 12 o’clock and the little date window at 3 o’clock. The Radiomir SLC 3 Days has a historic dial with a minimalist design, with alternating bar and dot-shaped hour markers.

Both models form part of the Historic Collection. They are fitted with the sophisticated P.3000 manufacture calibre, supplied with a cambered sapphire crystal and a brown leather strap fastened by a polished steel buckle.

Richard Mille: Golfing Glory

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fter successful collaboration with Formula One racing, tennis and polo, Richard Mille has stepped into the world of golf, pushing technical limits and testing new boundaries in high-end watch-making. American golfer Bubba Watson now joins ambassadors Rafael Nadal, Felipe Massa and Pablo Mac Donough, who proudly wear Richard Mille during their respective tournaments. Watson recently won the US Masters wearing the RM038 tourbillon, which was designed specifically for the player to test its performance and resistance to the extreme.

The RM038 tourbillon is any golfer’s delight thanks to three specifications: lightness, extreme shock resistance and comfort. The baseplate, bridges and balance cock are made of grade five titanium, which improves rigidity, while the fast-rotating barrel increases performance. The RM038 case is made of an alloy called magnesium

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WE54 which has been given a new electroplasma oxidation treatment that improves both the durability and scratch-resistance of the alloy as well as wear and tear.

The RM055 and the RM038 are extremely technical timepieces combining innovation and sportiness with a handmade finish in the tradition of high-end watch making.

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MGallery: Heritageinspired

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ccor and Msheireb Hospitality have joined forces to develop and manage the MGallery Hotel in Doha – a distinctive ‘boutique hotel’ that will offer a modern interpretation of Qatari heritage and hospitality within Msheireb Downtown Doha.

CEO of Msheireb Hospitality Abdul Aziz Al-Emadi said: “We are pleased to partner with Accor, the world’s leading hotel operator and market leader in Europe. Accor also shares our passion in creating a new hub in this part of the city which integrates the best elements of Doha’s historical heritage with innovative facilities.

“Developing a modern hotel that reflects the Qatari culture and heritage fits very well with our strategy of introducing innovative and integrated hospitality products that will enrich the hospitality sector in Doha and contribute to the broader vision of the country, supporting the tourism industry to promote Qatar as an international tourist destination.”

This first-of-its-kind boutique hotel will feature 215 rooms as well as meeting facilities, an exclusive spa and an outdoor pool. The property will offer original cafes and restaurant concepts as well as terraces overlooking unique views of the Msheireb district and Souq Waqif. It is in the design phase and is scheduled to open in 2015.

The MGallery is one of the many features to be introduced as part of the Msheireb Downtown Doha project – the world’s first sustainable downtown regeneration project that aims to transform the old business district into a vibrant city centre.

M AR K ET W ATCH

Nusantao opens at Four Seasons Hotel Doha

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he Four Seasons Hotel Doha has opened a new restaurant, Nusantao-Sea Kitchens, that brings the culinary excitement of the Far East to the heart of Doha. Nusantao – a combination of the word ‘nusantara’ meaning archipelago in ancient Javanese and ‘tao’, a Chinese word signifying a way or direction evokes the adventurous sea-faring heritage of the early Arab traders who ventured to the shores of Southeast Asia.

Nusantao will present authentic panAsian dishes prepared by a multicultural culinary team from Indonesia, Thailand, India, China and Japan. Japanese Chef-deCuisine Toshikazu Kato will lead the team in the use of theatrical cooking techniques including a sushi bar, tandoor ovens, satay grill, tawa griddle, dumpling steamers and much more.

Another highlight is the pastry kitchen where guests will be able to take in a full view of the preparation of baked, griddled and chilled exotic treats and signature dishes. Guests will also be able to enjoy a newly -created covered outdoor patio with an art installation, a live fireplace, tropical plants and a chilled Asian soundtrack.

“With Nusantao, our aim is to create an experience that’s fun and plays on the ideas of discovery, culinary adventure and energy rather than a classical fine dining experience,” says Simon Casson, Regional Vice President and General Manager of the Four Seasons Hotel Doha. “The theatrical kitchens, the ability to interact with the chefs, the music, the dramatic interiors, the food and personalised service will create an immersive, convivial experience that appeals to all the senses.”

SME Initiatives for the Middle East

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Crafting legacy

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acheron Constantin was one of the master watch-makers who participated in the 2012 Metiers d’Art days held in France and Italy recently. The annual exhibition serves to form a cultural bridge between the hand craftsmanship traditions of different countries by hosting a dozen masters and their apprentices to share their talents.

During the “Capi d’Opera” exhibition in Milan, Vacheron Constantin unveiled the third box-set of its “Metiers d’Art: La Symbolique des Laques” collection, which tells the tale of a meeting between the artists from one of the oldest Japanese lacquer houses, Zohiko and the world’s oldest watch manufacturer. The third and final set are the “Hanami Tsukimi Yukimi” watches that pay tribute to the natural beauty of the changing seasons as can be seen by the emblems engraved on the dials. The cherry flowers on the Hanami watch dial are a sign of spring and the full moon on the Tsukimi is the arrival of autumn, while the snowflakes on the Yukimi watch are the sign of winter.

Manufactured in 18-carat gold, the watches are equipped with an ultra-flat 1003 calibre and designed with an open-worked silhouette that enhances its contemplative appeal.

With a mere 1.64 mm thickness, it is the world’s thinnest hand-wound movement.

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nder the patronage of the Ministry of Business and Trade, the Second Middle East SME Forum will be held May 28 – 29 at the Grand Hyatt, where SME professionals, entrepreneurs, financial and banking professionals and government officials will discuss the scope of the SME sector in the region and evaluate different means to enhance economic growth.

With Qatar’s current approach focused on a holistic programme to diversify and strengthen output and improve its competitiveness globally, there’s a strong emphasis on SMEs being at the heart of the country’s economic future.

The conference will be opened by HE Sheikh Hamad bin Faisal Al Thani, Chairman, Al Khalij Commercial Bank QSC (conference headline sponsor). The forum will highlight the success stories of industry leaders who will share their experiences and address the audience with updated information and SME-supported ventures.

Presentations, discussions and case studies will touch on aspects such as the SME ecosystem in the Middle East environment, challenges, best practices and opportunities for business start-ups.

M AR K ET W ATCH

Lifetrons: Innovative accessories

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ifetrons, a Swiss electronic and designer travellers’ accessories company, has been launched in Qatar. From the world’s smallest high-capacity portable charger to the world’s smallest car chargers, the company produces ground-breaking products to address the needs of the travel industry market.

These products are exceptionally built and designed as compact, slim and versatile, with high performance to enhance people’s mobility when travelling.

Lifetrons also ensures that its products are environment-friendly. All products are manufactured under a strict quality assurance system and

reliability test that includes high and low temperature operation, storage, drop resistance, thermal shock, vibration, life-test endurance and corrosion testing.

For its initial collection, Lifetron offers a range of products that include drum-bass speakers, travel adapters, digital dual power-chargers, business note-writers and holistically-developed health bracelets in different stones suiting different body types. Lifetrons products in Qatar are exclusively available at the Royal Plaza Mall.

Conference on dentistry held

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he Second Qatar International Dental Association Conference was held in cooperation with the Eighth Gulf Dental Association at the Sharq Village and Spa, with more than 800 dentists and dental surgeons from across the world participating. The two-day event was organised by the Qatar Dental Society in partnership with the Hamad Medical Corporation, the SCH and the Gulf Dental Association and under the patronage of HE the Minister of Public Health and Supreme Council of Health (SCH) Secretary General Abdullah bin Khalid Al-Qahtani, who was represented at the opening by the SCH Assistant Secretary-General for Medical Affairs Dr Saleh Al-Marri.

In the opening speech, Dr Al-Marri said: “Oral and dental health represents an important part of our general and holistic health and is one of the priorities set by the second and third objectives of Qatar’s National Health Strategy 2011 - 2016.”

The conference chairman, Dr Mohamed Sultan Al-Darwish, said that the objective of the conference was to shed light on the latest techniques in the field of dental surgery, to exchange expertise with participants from all over the world and to strengthen co-operation and knowledge.

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Zenith open at Gate Mall

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wiss watch manufacturer, Zenith Watches recently hosted an elite opening of its newest boutique at Doha’s Gate Mall.

More than just a boutique opening, the event was an experience in itself as guests were invited to immerse into the wonderful Zenith universe, with the ambience of the boutique exuding the brand’s elegance. Zenith has been synonymous with exactitude and craftsmanship, and its exclusive watch designs on display always echo these values. The latest to follow the new design concept of Zenith’s boutiques, seen only in Geneva and Hong Kong thus far, the Doha boutique is truly a work of art.

The CEO of Zenith, Jean-Frederic Dufour, said: “The opening of this boutique is a proud moment for all of us present and we would like to thank Blue Salon for their constant support and companionship in the development of Zenith in Qatar. We hope to continue to build on our commitment to watch-making for our loyal connoisseurs and strengthen our brand’s rich legacy.”

doha diary

Educate and empower

By S i nd h u N a i r

That is the core of what CARE, a humanitarian organisation, has been doing effectively for over 60 years.

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r Helene D. Gayle is one of Foreign Policy’s “Top 100 Global Thinkers” and Newsweek’s “Top 10 Women in Leadership”. She serves on several boards, including the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Rockefeller Foundation, Colgate-Palmolive Company, Cox Enterprises Incorporated and ONE. That she is the CEO of CARE, a leading humanitarian organisation based in the USA, comes as a surprise. You might imagine that a woman in leadership would be someone who leads a huge conglomerate, not a humanitarian organisation. But then CARE is no small endeavour; it has approximately 10,000 staff whose povertyfighting programmes reached 82 million people in 87 countries last year.

She was here in Doha to meet and collaborate with organisations like ROTA, QF and Silatech, and spoke about the role played by CARE in humanitarian activities in the region.

“We have been in the region for 60 years; our entry was primarily on a humanitarian basis, but over time we have moved to look at long-term sustainable development in countries like Egypt, Morocco, the West Bank and Gaza.”

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doha diary

One such programme is the Partnership Programme for Democracy and Governance (PPDG – Hewar) which aims to increase the capacity of local government officials, politicians, civil society actors and community members in Upper Egypt to participate in the development and monitoring of government policies and processes to promote transparent, accountable and participatory local governance.

After the Arab Spring, has CARE’s role expanded or altered in these affected communities?

For Gayle argues that the environment has changed and there is increased engagement in civil societies and an augmented concerned effort to build societies within countries that have witnessed the Arab Spring.

“For us it is more about building civil societies and responding to instability. We work in developing community-based organisations. We are providing support for the Syrian refugees, especially those who escape to Jordanian borders. We assist the UNHCR in locating the needy ones to give them cash assistance and continue to assist from Jordan in a humanitarian context.

When things improve we will look into Syria more deeply and assess how we can help.”

Talking about change, Dr Gayle touches upon Egypt, a country she has just visited and where CARE has been assisting for many years. She perceives openness in the system, a sense of optimism and hope among the population.

“But on the other hand, it has been more than a year since the Arab Spring, and people are anxious for change. They have realised that change is not an overnight process, it is a laborious one.”

And helping this process of change management is CARE through its communitybuilding process.

“Our work continues to focus on making sure that we work with communities to continue to bring long-lasting change.

We help poor communities tackle issues that lead to poverty, which are similar the world over – poor governance, inequality, discrimination, lack of civil society participation, lack of education – all of which in a way instigated the Arab Spring too.”

Helping women to help the world In the programmes that help to eradicate poverty, CARE has taken a revolutionary approach to helping women that is almost revolutionary in its results. “The reason for

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focusing on women is simple,” says Gayle, “because equipped with the right resources, women have the power to help whole families and communities escape poverty.

“Women are at the heart of CARE’s community-based efforts to improve basic education, prevent the spread of disease, improve access to clean water and sanitation, expand economic opportunity and protect natural resources,” she says.

On how CARE zeroed in on this concept.

“We didn’t choose the programme, it chose us. It is a result of the work we have done in poverty-affected areas. We know that poverty disproportionately affects women and children all over the world. Girls and women comprise 60 -70% of the world’s povertyridden population, and that makes up a major portion of the people living on less than a dollar a day. If we influence this segment then we make an impact on the largest por-

We help poor communities tackle issues that lead to poverty, which are similar the world over – poor governance, inequality, discrimination, lack of civil society participation, lack of education – all of which in a way instigated the Arab Spring too.”

tion of poor people,” Dr Gayle said.

“We have realised that if we provide a woman access to an income we make a long-term impact. A girl who is educated is more likely to have an income, more likely to be able to have a healthy child, send that child to school, and have access to health services. When the family has an added benefit of women contributing to the income then you increase the potential of the family. You can’t hold back 50% of the world’s population and expect the same results,” she added.

Pathway to Empowerment is one of the global programmes which is an umbrella of a plethora of programmes (living, learning and earning) structured to help a girl in various stages of her life, from early education to setting up a business and micro-financing.

Reminiscing about the efforts in each country and the constraints faced in each of them, Dr Gayle said: “We were in Afghanistan during difficult times, when educating girls was illegal, but we had huge support from the community and we could continue doing our work only because they believed what we were doing would help them. They had embraced the value of educating their girls. They saw what a difference it made when women were educated and brought income in to the family. So even under tough conditions, like when schools around us were being burned down, we were able to maintain our programmes.

“We were one of the few organisations in Gaza during the last couple of years that could continue to provide food and access to clean water and health services, even when others were not able to operate.

All this because we were in Gaza for almost 60 years.”

Making a difference Dr Gayle is a qualified medical doctor who came to CARE with an intent to make a tangible difference to society by looking at the root cause of poverty. An expert on health, global development and humanitarian issues, she spent 20 years with the Centers for Disease Control, working primarily on HIV/ AIDS. She has worked at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, directing HIV/AIDS programmes and other global health issues.

“I was drawn into public health because I wanted to do something that contributed to making a tangible difference to society and to those affected by social injustice,” she says.

But poverty is not in the process of being wiped out yet, and it is heart-wrenching to be working in such conditions, especially when you know that what you do is just a drop in the large ocean of poverty.

But Dr Gayle is quite pragmatic about it.

“CARE on its own cannot eradicate poverty and that is why we want to coordinate with others to make long-lasting sustainable change.”

Talking about AIDS and HIV and the Middle East region’s inability, till recent times, to address this issue, Dr Gayle says: “We’re quite fortunate that this region hasn’t been affected. But it is equally important that this issue be properly addressed in the right cultural context. Every community finds its own way to talk and address issues that need to be discussed. But silence is not the answer.”

QATAR IS CASH RICH AND WATER POOR 38

doha diary

Earth Hour celebrated

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arth Hour, which began as a single-city initiative in Sydney, Australia in 2007, has since grown into a global movement. Earth Hour that was observed on March 31 between 8.30 and 9.30pm and witnessed many innovative initiatives in addition to the turning off of non-essential lights, proving Qatar’s strong commitment towards environmental causes.

The Pearl-Qatar unveiled a unique community mural made out of recycled products such as bottle caps based on the theme “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle”. The project brought together the Solid Waste Interest Group (SWIG) of the Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC) with The Pearl-Qatar.

A brainchild of Dr Sarah Clarke, Coordinator SWIG and Ronnie Anderson of AMEC-BlackCat, a member of SWIG, the art project involved a collection of as many as 60,000 bottle caps. For the project, Seana Mercedes Mallen, a contemporary artist based in Bahrain, guided volunteers from all sectors of society including businesses, schools and individuals.

The Ritz-Carlton Spa and the hotel’s popular Italian restaurant, Porcini, offered a special Earth Hour evening for supporters with a choice to participate in a special class for yogalates (yoga and Pilates) or candlelight dinner. The Ritz-Carlton, Doha hopes to use this initiative to bring further awareness on the importance of taking care of the environment.

Grand Hyatt Doha and Australia and New Zealand Business in Qatar (ANZBIQ) came together in a special candlelight dinner, with menu prepared from sustainable and organic products, to mark this year’s Earth Hour. The proceeds from this unique social event will see ANZBIQ funding a donation of 12 trees each to 12 schools (144 trees) across Doha.

Katara Cultural Village supported the Hour by switching off lights and illuminating the darkness with candles. A number of outlets including Khan Farouk, Saffron, Mamig, Sukar Pasha and L’Wzaar supported the global hour with dining by candlelight. Visitors were given candles to guide them on a walk through the Amphitheatre to the Esplanade.

Doha RFC hosts youth rugby series

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cores of children competed in the fourth and final leg of the HSBC Youth Rugby Series at Doha Rugby Football Club (RFC) in early April. A frantic day of rugby fixtures and training was hailed as a great success by players and spectators alike. Rugby Festival Doha formed part of the HSBC Youth Rugby Series – a new competition bringing together four junior rugby festivals sponsored by the bank across the Middle East.

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doha diary

TEDx idea talks

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Photo courtesy: Kiran Alvi

or the first time, more than 600 TEDx organisers from 90 different countries gathered for a week of workshops, collaborative projects, regional and cross-regional brainstorming, talks, special events and cultural activities during the TEDxSummit hosted by the Doha Film Institute. TED, a non-profit organisation, supports worldchanging ideas with multiple initiatives and has included some leading thinkers as its speakers.

Journalistic insights

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Curtain-raiser on Sotheby’s sale

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atara Village in Doha yet again became the cultural hot seat with highlights of Islamic art, Ottoman art and Orientalist paintings being displayed ahead of Sotheby’s Turkish and Islamic Week sale series in London. The exhibition featured important artworks from across the Islamic and Ottoman worlds, spanning centuries of fine craftsmanship and traditions unique to Muslim culture as well as paintings of the Middle East and Turkey by nineteenth-century European, Russian and American artists. The works on show were a special preview of the forthcoming sales at Sotheby’s London within ‘Turkish and Islamic Week: Classical to Contemporary’.

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Georgetown School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFS-Q) alumnus, Fatima Muneer, is creating waves in the world of journalism with several published articles that have been linked through mainstream American media, including Forbes magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Dallas Morning News and USA Today, to her credit. Muneer was accepted in the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where this semester she has published an infographic about the 2012 Super Tuesday in The Miami Herald, a project she worked on in collaboration with her peers for class. More recently, her byline appeared twice in the same week on The Huffington Post.

doha diary

Jotun supports cancer patients

Clear win for Carnegie Mellon

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ana Al-Ansari and Patrick Steinhagen, the star duo of the Carnegie Mellon Qatar team of Business Administration students, brought laurels to their college by winning the fifth Qatar Universities National Debate Championship. The closely-contested debates included topics ranging from transnational adoption policies to state-led cultural identification initiatives.

Qatari students exposing environmental challenges

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n a commendable CSR initiative, Jotun Paints, one of the world’s leading producers and distributors of paints and powder coatings, organised its annual ‘Golf Challenge 2012’ charity event at Doha Golf Club. Proceeds from this event went to the Qatar National Cancer Society (QNCS), the country’s leading charitable institution focused on increasing awareness of the dreaded disease and providing assistance to needy cancer patients.

Career opportunities at QCF

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atar Career Fair (QCF), an important initiative of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), was held recently at the Qatar National Convention Centre. It is seen as an important platform bringing together talented students, job seekers and potential employers. This year saw participation from over 130 public and private sector organisations.

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he 21st century poses some key grand environmental challenges such as climate change and water conservation. The Youth Ambassadors for Science and Environment (YASE) programme will help train youth from Qatar, the US and Brazil to better understand critical and global environmental issues and to more effectively raise environmental awareness in their own communities. YASE aims to expose students to the two key elements of environmental education in the 21st century: conservation and innovation.

Four Qatari high school students have already been selected to become Youth Ambassadors and represented their peers from the US and Brazil during Qatar Foundation’s Earth Day Environmental Festival. They also participated in the launch of the Mapping Mangroves programme at Al Dakhira Mangroves on April 21.

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Grand Millenium Dubai in Doha

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rand Millennium Dubai hosted a special evening in Doha, Qatar recently for travel and tourism professionals and key corporate accounts in appreciation of their continuous support to the hotel.

1 Canada

2 Israel

3 Japan

In Canada, 50% of the adult population have completed tertiary education, easily the highest rate in the OECD. Each year, public and private expenditure on education amount to 2.5% of GDP, the fourth-highest rate in the world.

Tertiary education spending accounts for 41% of total education spending in the country.

Only 78% of funds spent on educational institutions in Israel are public funds. The country is also only one of three - the other two being Ireland and Sweden - where expenditure on educational institutions as a proportion of GDP decreased from 2000 to 2008.

Japan is tied with Finland for the thirdhighest upper-secondary graduation rate in the world, at 95%. It has the third-highest tertiary graduation rate in the world, but only spends the equivalent of 1.5% of GDP on tertiary education – the 17th-lowest rate in the OECD.

% of population with postsecondary education: 50

1

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% of population with postsecondary education: 45

7

4

Top Educated Countries

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2 Top Educated Countries 6 3 9

4 United States

% of population with postsecondary education: 44

5

5 New Zealand

Qatar Today April focused on education, looking at how QATAR’S various educational institutions are training the country’s future workforce to take it into a new era of diversity. Here we look at the most educated countries in the world, based on the percentage of their populations with third-level education.

6 South Korea

% of population with post-secondary education: 41

% of population with postsecondary education: 40

% of population with postsecondary education: 39

Just 71% of funding for educational institutions in the country comes from public funds, placing the US sixthlowest on this measure. Among OECD countries, the largest share of adults with a tertiary education live in the United States – 25.8%.

New Zealand has a rapidly growing population, increasing 11.88% between 2000 and 2009. This was the eighth-largest increase in the OECD. Part of the reason for the high rate of tertiary graduates is the high output from secondary schools. More than 90% of residents graduate from secondary school.

South Korea is one of only two countries – the other being Finland – in which the most popular fields of study are not social sciences, business and law. In Korea, new students choose to study education, humanities and arts at the greatest rates.

Only 59.6% of expenditures on educational institutions come from public funds – the second-lowest rate.

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8 United Kingdom

Norway

% of population with postsecondary education: 37

Norway has the third-greatest expenditure on educational institutions as a percentage of GDP, at 7.3%. Roughly 23% of that is spent on tertiary education. In Norway, more than 60% of all tertiary graduates were in a bachelor’s programme, which is close to the OECD average of 45%.

% of population with postsecondary education: 37

One aspect that the UK shares with a number of other countries on this list is relatively low public expenditure on education institutions as a percentage of all education spending. As of 2008, 69.5% of spending came from public sources – the fourth-smallest amount among OECD countries.

9 Australia

% of population with postsecondary education: 37

Australia’s tertiary-educated adult population is increasing at a less than impressive annual rate of 3.3%. Australia spends the sixth-least amount in public funds on education as a percentage of all expenditures.

The country also draws large numbers of international students.

10 Finland

% of population with post-secondary education: 37

Source: http://247wallst.com/

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Finland is a small country relative to the other OECD members. The share of its adult population with some sort of post-secondary education, however, is rather large. This select group is reaching the end of its expansion. From 1999 to 2009, the number of college-educated adults increased only 1.8% annually. New entrants are most likely to study engineering, manufacturing and construction.