The men leading Qatar’s 2022 World Cup organizing committee, the nation’s sovereign wealth fund and banking and petroleum sectors are among the most powerful people in the country, according to a new list released by Arabian Business.
Its new Qatar Power List 2015 is comprised of 50 Qataris who have been deemed “Doha’s most influential movers and shakers” who are not members of the ruling family and do not hold ministerial positions.
The only exception to the rules is the inclusion of Mohammed Saleh Al Sada, Qatar’s Minister of Energy and Industry, who was ranked fourth due to his role as chairman of Industries Qatar, Qatar Petroleum and Qatargas.
Preceding Al Sada is Hassan Al Thawadi, secretary general of the Supreme Committee for Legacy and Delivery (SCDL), which is overseeing the football tournament preparation in the country.
Al Thawadi is at the top of the index – up from second place last year – because his role in delivering the “Gulf’s first ever truly global event” is now only seven years away, Arabian Business states:
“Al Thawadi has had a busy year; there have been plenty of progress updates on the stadiums that will be used during the tournament.
But on the negative side of the ledger, he has also had to defend Qatar’s right to hold the World Cup against a storm of recent accusations, especially with regard to corruption allegations that have forced FIFA boss Sepp Blatter, as well as others out of their jobs.”
Earlier this year, the official ranked highly in the latest list of the 100 Most Powerful Arabs Under 40.
Joining him on both lists is entrepreneur and businessman Khalifa Saleh Al Haroon (46th), who became a public name after setting up the community website I Love Qatar (ILQ) in 2008.
Since then, Al Haroon has grown ILQ into a network of websites. He’s also CEO of Haroon United Group (HUG) and executive director of the Qatar Stars League.
Who’s who
The list also includes the heads of some of the country’s most internationally recognized brands, including the president of Qatar-owned Paris St. Germain (PSG) Nasser Al Khelaifi (7th), CEO of Qatar Airways Akbar Al Baker (8th) and President of Qatar Foundation Saad Al Muhannadi.
Because ministers and ruling family members are not factored into the index, this year’s list once again features few women, and at three is down from four last year.
The first female is Hanan Al Kuwari (2oth), the managing director of Hamad Medical Corp. (HMC).
According to HMC’s website, Al Kuwari holds a PhD in healthcare management from Brunel University in the UK. She was also named Business Woman of the Year at the Arabian Business Qatar Achievement Awards in 2014.
The two other most powerful women in the country are head of the Qatar Business Incubation Center Aysha Al Mudahka (32nd), and Mira Al Attiyah (36th), CEO of QNB Capital.
See the full list of influential people here.
Thoughts?
