Ten influential people who made it to the 2015 Power List of Qatar

Qatar has more to it than the glitter, shine and gold that we are all well aware of. Little do we know about the massive number of people who are reputable, powerful and hold important titles in this country.

Any country to that matter, is made of its people. All countries have its own share of individuals that it’s extremely proud of.

In that manner, here’s a list of ten such people of Qatar who are well known and have made it among the first ten in the “Qatar Power List 2015”.

10- Khalifa Jassim Al-Kuwari

Aged 37, Al-Kuwari is the General Manager of the Qatar Development Fund. He is part of a new generation of young Qataris linked closely to the Emir and this year he signed off a deal to provide $100m in financing to the Palestinian Authority.

09- Hussain Ibrahim Al-Fardan

From cars to property and banks to jewelry, Hussain Ibrahim Al-Fardan has his name engraved in most sectors. He’s the chairman of one of the largest family-run businesses in the Gulf, the Al-Fardan Group, which was started 60 years ago with a small jewelry shop and a money exchange operation.

He was also one of the driving forces behind the foundation of Commercial Bank Qatar, which opened in 1975, and of the Pearl-Qatar.

08- Akbar Al-Baker

(Pic courtesy: thebusinessyear.com)

Being the CEO of Qatar Airways, he’s also the man who is overseeing the development of Hamad International Airport. There’s no doubt that he made among the first ten of the Qatar Power List.

07- Nasser Al-Khelaifi

A childhood friend of the Emir, Al-Khelaifi is the President of the French football team, Paris St-Germain, which was bought by Qatar in 2011. His main job is to run the team smoothly.

He also heads up Qatar Sports Investments, an investment vehicle that also has stakes in FC Barcelona as well as several Doha properties. Al Khelaifi also runs beIN Sports (the sports arm of Al Jazeera Networks).

06- Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi

The President and CEO of Qatar Petroleum, Al-Kaabi previously served as director for oil and gas ventures at the firm. He was the man behind a decision to restructure QP earlier this year, a move that resulted in job cuts and withdrawals from non-core areas. Al Kaabi holds a degree in petroleum and natural gas engineering from Pennsylvania State University.

05- Ahmad Al-Sayed

(Pic by John Stillwell)

Now the advisor to the Emir, Al-Sayed was number one of last year’s power list when he was the chief executive of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA). 

Al Sayed held a wealth of other roles as well. He was executive chairman of Harrods Aviation, and sat on the board of Canary Wharf Group. He was also a member of the supervisory board at Volkswagen, and sat on the board of Qatar National Bank. Lastly, Al Sayed was a board member at the Supreme Council for Economic Affairs and Investments.

04- Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Sada

(Pic source: thebusinessyear.com)

The only Minister in the list, he’s not only the Energy Minister of Qatar. He also chairs three of Qatar’s largest companies: Qatar Petroleum, Qatargas and Industries Qatar, the country’s second-biggest listed company.

While the oil price drop may have played havoc with budgets of many of Qatar’s contemporaries in the Gulf, the country is still set to post a small surplus this year. 

03- Ali Al-Kuwari

(Pic source:thebusinessyear.com)

CEO of Qatar National Bank (QNB) he had also served as acting head of the bank since July 2013, when his predecessor, Ali Shareef Al Emadi, became finance minister.

02- Hussain Ali Al-Abdullah

One of the few non-royal family members to sit on the board of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), he is also credited with founding the QIA.

He was a former minister of state and Al Abdullah also served as the deputy secretary general for investment affairs in the Government of Qatar Supreme Council for Economic Affairs and Investment.

Added to that, Al Abdullah also chairs Masraf Al Rayan, Qatar’s largest Islamic bank, and sat on the boards of both Qatar Airways and the Qatar Financial Centre.

01-Hassan Al-Thawady

Secretary General of Sports in Qatar, He’s the man in charge of delivering the world’s biggest sporting event for his country, the FIFA World Cup 2022. The World Cup will be the Gulf’s first ever truly global event and organizing it is no easy task.

As well as his main job, Al Thawadi was also former general counsel at the Qatar Investment Authority and Qatar Holding, while he also holds a board position at Hassad Food Company.

(Cover pic courtesy: Abdullah Yousef)