qatar today april 2011

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37 ArAb World in trAnsitionThe Arab Region is witnessing a new wave of change. However, Mustafa Zaidan asks if they might resolve to follow their instinct and sur-render.

42 timeline of the ArAb revolutionRory Coen looks at how Tunisia ignited the revolution and gave hope to Egyptians and other Middle-East nations to revolt.

34 WhAt’s driving oil-prices?Burkhard Varnholt lends his thoughts about peak oil, investment strategies and how the GCC region is performing.

48 is your compAny beAting itself up?Overcoming in-house barriers can promote bet-ter chances of success

c o n t e n t sA p r i l 2 0 1 1

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. 240 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 [email protected]. material in this publication must not be stored or reproduced in any form without permission. request for permission should be directed to [email protected]. reprint requests should be directed to the [email protected]. qatar today is registered trademark of oryx advertising co.wll

april 2011volume 4issue 3

www.omsqatar.com

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54 the future is bright; the future is knoWledgeQatar aims to transform itself into a knowledge-based economy with science and technology coming to the fore. Cassey Oliveira looks at Qatar’s National Vision and how education is its paradigm.

58 A looming crisisKahramaa warns against profligacy of natural resources, and to rationalise electricity and water consumption. Pragati Shukla speaks to its President, Essa Hilal Al-Kawari, about the apparent crisis we might face.

62 getting your compAny to ‘sociAlise’Why not promote your company in a modern way by utilising what social media have to offer.

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n e W s b i t e s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0r e A l t y c h e c k . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6o & g o v e r v i e W . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8b A n k n o t e s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0W o r l d v i e W . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2b r A k i n g n e W s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 4m A r k e t W A t c h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 2d o h A d i A r y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 6

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68for the love of speedThe Panamera 4S is Porsche’s answer to an all-wheel drive but not at the expense of its sporting DNA. Sindhu Nair revels in the attention that a Porsche driver attracts.

82 Ability, not nAtionAlity, mAttersHSBC-Qatar CEO Abdul Hakeem Mosta-fawi speaks to Vani Saraswathi about his achievements and success, and how being Qatari built his identity not his success.

inside: cgc nokiA product booklet

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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.

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.

Write tO: the editOr, QAtAr tOdAy, PO bOx 3272, dOhA.

FAx: (+974) 44550982, emAil: [email protected]

Publisher & editor-in-chief yousuf Jassem al darwish

chief executive officer sandeeP sehgal

executive vice President alPana roy

vice President ravi raman

managing editor vani saraswathi

dePuty editor sindhu nair

assistant editor mustafa zeidan

editorial coordinator cassey oliveira

corresPondents rory coen

Pragati shukla

ezdihar ibrahim ali

fashion &lifestyle corresPondent orna ballout

features writer shalinee bharadwaJ

art director venkat reddy

asst art director – Production suJith heenatigala

assistant art director hanan abu saiam

senior graPhic designers ayush indraJith

samPath gunathilaka

PhotograPher rob altamirano

managers –marketing mohammed sami

zulfikar Jiffry

senior media consultant chaturka karandana

media consultants victoria ferraris

hassan rekkab

marketing research & amJeth ali suPPort executive

accountant PrataP chandran

sr. distribution executive bikram shrestha

distribution suPPort arJun timilsina

bhimal rai

v o l u m e 3 7 i s s u e 4 a P r i l 2 0 1 1

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A p r i l 2 0 1 1 QAtAr todAy 5

f r o m t h e d e s kA p r i l 2 0 1 1

W h e n WAs t h e l As t t i m e yo u o p e n e d yo u r d A i ly n e W s pA p e r o r n e W s p o rtA l , s m i l e d A n d sA i d : “ WoW, W h At A g r e At dAy i t i s . ”

Catastrophes, meltdowns, crises, bombings, killings... and if there was a month that outdid the rest in terms of sheer and absolute madness, it was March.

The only saving grace was that the Qatar protests started with a whisper, and disap-peared without even a whimper. The reasoning behind them ranges from the sycophantic and studiedly objective observations to the inexplicably pessimistic and outrageous con-spiracy theories.

But if you live and work here, you can understand why the majority of Qataris would not want to challenge the status quo – after all, their interests are being taken care of.

However, the rest of the region – or more specifically the governance of the region – isn’t coping well with the widespread unrest.

Qatar Today speaks to protestors, policy makers and diplomats on the threat now facing nations that have revolted against incumbent governments. Will the ‘revolution’ become an end in itself? Will one set of dictators give way to another? Will Western interference be quelled? Are the states prepared to establish constitutional law?

Amongst all this chaos, the World Water Day and Earth Hour were observed last month. We speak to Kahramaa on the dire water situation in the Gulf, and on what Qatar plans to do to avoid shortage.

As we go to press, Syria erupts, Libya is still out of control, and Japan’s post-tsunami/nuclear meltdown fate is still undecided. We can only hope that the tide turns, and better news is in the offing.

vA n i sA r As WAt h i

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l e t t e r s

Economic divErsification

I believe the cover story in the March issue of Qatar Today explored a very crucial sector in Qatar’s economy - the automotive industry. The country is no doubt thriving on the revenues from the oil sector. But for how long will the fossil fuels last? For a sustainable economy, the country has to diversify its economic strategy that is well-reflected through its National Vision 2030. The automotive industry is a guaranteed path for diversification.

steve leigh

Brush with BrussEls

For all these years, in my European itinerary, Brussels has always escaped from my choice of destination. But the write-up on this city by Vani Saraswathi in Qatar Today has made me guilty of not visiting this impressive city. It’s good that the writer has mentioned about the various attractions and hotels that are handy for visitors.

lisa ann murray

Era of rEvolution

How a spark of protest in one nation can trigger a series of rebellions in others is truly shocking. What started in Tunisia has now gained momentum throughout the Arab world, Egypt being the biggest revolution of this century. The article ‘Birth of a new Egypt?’ in Qatar Today provides a fair take on this sensitive issue.

Jassim tahim

GloBal ExhiBition

First the Qatar Motor Show in January, and then the Doha Jewellery and Watches exhibi-tion in February - Qatar is turning into a global platform for showcasing high-end and luxu-rious products. The country has become a major luxury market in the Middle East region with several of the international brands partnering with local retailers and dealers.

sunil mehta

[email protected]

a motorinG huBthis is regarding the cover story on qatar’s automotive industry. with the successful qatar

motor show this year, the country will definitely be at the forefront among the leading

automobile industries in the world. now that qatar ag has been established in the country,

which claims to be aligned to qatar 2030 national vision, it won’t be too long when this oil-

producing nation will also be a leading producer of automotive components.khalid sheikh

s m s A n s W e r s to + 9 74 3 3 0 7 2 5 24 A lu c k y W i n n e r W i l l W i n A n o k i A e 6 3

the cAll for revolution in the ArAb World highlights the poWer of sociAl mediA

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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.

Will QAtAr become A motoring hub?

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t h e W i n n i n g n u m b e r o f t h el As t Q t p o l l i s 3 3 0 0 4 6 5 5

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.

write to: the editor, qatar today, po box 3272, doha.

fax: (+974) 44550982, email: [email protected]

check out All Articles of QAtAr todAy onWWW.issuu.com/oryxmAgs

folloW us onWWW.fAcebook.com/QAtArtodAyWWW.tWitter.com/QAtArtodAy

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QAtAr todAy A p r i l 2 0 1 110

he Qatar Foundation for-mally announced an initia-tive aimed at raising the profile of higher education here last month.

Many critics infer that Qatar needs to fo-cus on the future; harness the wealth of to-day to provide for a sustainable knowledge-economy tomorrow.

With this in mind, the Qatar Foundation have teamed up with HEC Paris, Europe’s leading business school, and Total, who are one of the world’s largest oil and gas compa-nies, who together will focus on Energy and

Management in particular.HE Dr Abdulla bin Al-Thani, Vice Presi-

dent for Education at Qatar Foundation, said, “This is very much in line with our philosophy of encouraging collaboration between world-class players in areas of sig-nificance for our future development.”

HEC Paris will lend its expertise in educa-tion to the project. Bernard Ramanantsoa, HEC Paris Dean, said the history of their success was deeply rooted in their ability to help invent the future of business.

“Our hope is to focus on executive edu-cation and make available our expertise

to the firms in Qatar. We want to improve best business practice and improve global competiveness. Our partnership with Qatar Foundation and the Chair with Total will help achieve this mission,” he added.

Meanwhile, Francois Viaud, Total Vice President of Human Resources, intimated that Total was dedicated to sustainable growth in Qatar and the region.

“Education is the very centre of corpo-rate responsibility and we want to develop partnerships in this field. We have been in Qatar for 75 years now, so we felt we should get involved in a project such as this.”

neWs bites

cry freedom 37

he new Qatari Rail Network is becoming a reality as the Board of Directors sat down for the first time to review outstanding issues

such as its current development status, the capital budget of Qatar Railways Company (QRC) and of course the project’s operating budget.

QRC, a private and independent compa-ny, was founded to support and coordinate the growth of Qatar’s rail industry; they will oversee the management, operation and maintenance of all local railways and lead coordination efforts with regional and international rail networks.

H.E. Ghanim bin Saad Al-Saad, Chairman of the QRC Board of Directors and Manag-ing Director of QATARI DIAR said, “Our meeting today is a big step toward putting QRC into operation and moving forward with the work ahead of us as we build for the future of Qatar, under the wise leader-ship of His Highness the Emir of Qatar and the 2030 National Vision.” Eng. Abdulla Al-Subaie, Managing Director of QRC, also commented, “We are proud to be entrusted with developing one of the largest and most

progressive rail networks in the Middle East, and as such, we at QRC are committed to achieving the highest international stan-dards in creating this signature project in national development that will become an international legacy for Qatar for genera-tions to come.”

QAtAri rAil netWork one step closer

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thE Qatar railwaYs comPanY Board of dirEctorsproud to be entrusted with developing one of the largest rail networks in the middle east

World-clAss plAyers promoting QAtAr’s future

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atar’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose dramatically in January 2011, after a rela-tively stable 2010. It shot up by almost 1% compared

to December’s average and by over 1.5% in the last twelve months, which really puts the sharp rise in January into context.

The only CPI group not to increase was rent, fuel and energy, which saw a decrease of 0.8% for the month and 5.4% over 12 months.

Transport and communication showed

the highest monthly increase with a 2.9% average gain, while clothes and footwear jumped by almost 1.8%.

In the preceding 12 month period, clothes and footwear rose by 7.8% and transport and communication by 6%.

The CPI weighs the price of different con-sumer goods and services, such as transport, medical care, clothing and footware, food, entertainment, fuel, etc, and generates an overall average based on these. Different groups are afforded a proportional weight-ing when calculating the overall CPI.

n e W s b i t e s

tel and Barwa signed an agreement last month to bring high quality telecom-munication services to new residential developments.

The seminal agreement hopes to provide estates with fixed and mobile telecommu-nication infrastructure and services, cop-per and fibre cabling, as well as active and passive equipment required to manage, op-erate and maintain their communications network.

Qtel is deploying a lot of resources in the infrastructure necessary to generate Smart City solutions throughout Qatar. With Smart City solutions, Qatar will be able to place information technology at the heart of new projects to enable a smart economy, smart mobility, a smart environment, and smart governance, as well as decrease car-

bon emissions throughout the country.His Excellency Sheikh Abdulla bin Mo-

hammed bin Saud Al-Thani, Chairman of Qtel, said, “Real estate is a vital industry for Qatar that will continue to play a key role in the nation’s development. Qtel has already invested in a number of bespoke solutions for the real estate sector”

Barwa Real Estate was established in 2005 and is one of Qatar’s leading real es-tate and investment companies.

Ghanem Bin Saad Al Saad, Chairman and Managing Director of Barwa, said, “With our increasingly diversified portfolio of real estate developments, investments and business support companies, and to guar-antee smooth operations, it is crucial that we have a reliable telecommunications sys-tem platform that will not be impaired by unexpected events.”

Qtel And bArWA Agree to develop smArt homes

AlternAtive energy, At WhAt cost?

A naseba who organised the Qa-tar Alternative Energy Summit touched on the current situa-tion of the nuclear reactors in

Japan and how it serves as a learning experience for the industry globally on project planning, to take into account disasters and natural hazards.

Benjamin Cotton – Partner at Earth capital Partners – said that the recent incident is a graphic example of what would happen if a society doesn’t pay heed to the long-term effect of alter-native energy. He said that energy ef-ficiency is one of the best investment opportunities in the country and across the world.

The first interactive panel discus-sion tackled the issue of investment perspective for the renewable energy industry which was conducted by Daniel Calderon, Head of Organisa-tion and Investment at Masdar, Jens Yahya Zimmermann, Partner, New Silk Route Capital, and Cotton. The discussions were moderated by Oliver Cornock, Regional Editor of Oxford Business Group.

Calderon felt that sponsors with the right technological know-how along with subsidies from the government will push renewable industries.

Zimmermann outlined three broad segments of the renewable energy in-dustry which offer investment oppor-tunities. These include manufacturing products for renewable energy such as solar cells or wind turbines. The other end of the spectrum includes operators of renewable energy plants and middle line service providers of peripheral products to the renewable energy industry. He stressed the need for regulations, which he said, are very important not only as far as subsidies are concerned, they are also important when it comes to providing a shield for domestic players to make it to the manufacturing stage.

JAnuAry A costly month for consumers

his ExcEllEncY shEikh aBdulla Bin mohammEd Bin saud al-thani, chairman of qtel, and GhanEm Bin saad al-saad, chairman and managing director of barwasigning the agreement at the four seasons hotel in doha

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n e W s b i t e s

n Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) seminar was recently held in Doha to highlight software piracy laws and ethics in this coun-

try. Business Software Alliance (BSA) – in conjunction with Qatar’s Department of Justice – were keen to publicise the mes-sage, so Qatar’s reputation in the IT-sector would continue to blossom.

The BSA praised the Intellectual Prop-erty Protection Centre here and claimed they were very active in implementing and enforcing piracy laws here.

Jawad Al-Redha, the BSA Chairman of the Gulf Region, said: “Education is one of the most potent tools in our fight against piracy. This seminar is an ideal platform for us to promote a balanced three-pronged ap-proach to piracy; namely education, aware-

ness, and enforcement.”“We are very happy with how the Qatar

Government is implementing piracy laws. They have their own plans of course, but we fully appreciate the Ministry of Justice for organising this seminar and addressing some of the key issues surrounding Qatarís IPR landscape.”

Abdullah Ahmad Qayed, Director of the IP Centre at the Ministry of Justice, under-scored Qatar as one of the Middle East’s top IT-enabled countries and said, “It is impor-tant that we prevent illegal activities such as software piracy from compromising the gains we have made through our progres-sive IT development agenda.”

The UAE boast the least amount of soft-ware piracy in the Middle East Region. The most recent figures state that 36% of the software there was acquired illegally.

QAtAr hospitAl enhAnces cAncer treAtmenthe Radiation Oncology De-partment at Al Amal Hospi-tal – part of Hamad Medical Corporation Qatar – has become the first health-

care institution in the world to install GE Healthcare’s premium wide bore 1.5T Op-tima MR450w MRI system with Radiation Oncology Options.

This will provide clinicians potential im-provements for tumor targeting in brain, head/neck and pelvis therapy sites. The system – supplied by Mannai Corporation, Medical division, the GE Healthcare rep-

resentative in Qatar – was integrated into the hospital’s oncology treatment program earlier this year.

To commemorate the event, a special ceremony was held at Al Amal Hospital on March 13, presided by the Corporationís Managing Director, Dr Hanan Al-Kuwari.

Dr Noora Al-Hammadi – Director of the Radiation Oncology program – noted, “We have always strived to ensure that the treatments offered to cancer patients in Qatar parallel those found in any pres-tigious cancer centre globally. To enhance our capabilities in oncology diagnosis,

planning and treatment, we selected GE Healthcare’s Optima MR450w with its comprehensive Radiation Oncology Options.”

“We’re proud to be the first site in the world to deploy the system at our hospi-tal. The system offers a 70 cm bore for en-hanced patient comfort and 50 cm field of view with uncompromised image quality over large anatomical regions.”

“To receive the full benefit of this invest-ment, we plan to use the Optima MR450w as a regular diagnostic MRI as well,” he added.

QAtAr enforcing pirAcy lAWs

Qatar University (QU) is doing its bit to spread information about reduc-ing, reusing and recycling.

A workshop titled ‘What a Load of Rubbish! Reducing waste for a more Sustainable Future in Qatar’ was held on March 8 at QU. The aim of the workshop was to allow young people to engage in proactive dialogue about the waste man-agement problems the country faced. It was hoped their collaboration would develop some ideas to promote better

waste management practices and more efficient recycling in Qatar. The event was organised under the Sustainable De-velopment Initiative of QU International Affairs Department and was attended by a host of participants comprising of gov-ernment and civil society representatives, business and industry leaders, academics, environment experts, researchers and QU students of sustainable development.

Prof Paul Sillitoe, Chair of QU Shell Sustainable Development, said “There

is a growing concern globally to promote the recycling of used materials and reduce our demands on the Earth’s resources. The time is ripe to take up the recycling challenge in Qatar which produces a huge amount of such materials, currently thrown out as waste.”

The workshop also highlighted some ‘up-cycled’ examples such as folders used by the participants that were made from discarded newspapers; they were designed and produced at QU.

WhAt A loAd of rubbish!

Jawad al-rEdha, Bsa chairman of Gulf rEGion. content with how qatar is implementing piracy laws

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our sustainable projects in Qatar were recognised at the Green Buildings Solution 2011 (GBS) conference and exhibition held recently. HE

Abdulla bin Mubarak bin Abud Al-Medadi, the Minister of Environment distributed the sustainability awards to Eng Essa bin Hilal Al-Kuwari, Chairman of Kahramaa for the exceptional ‘Green’ design of Kahramaa Education Park; Eng Abdulla Al Najjar, CEO of Qatar National Museum was awarded for the design of Qatar New National Museum; Eng Hisham Al-Emadi, CEO of Energy City Qatar for the Energy City Qatar HQ; Eng Khalid Ahmed Al Nasr, General Manager of Barwa City Schools for the sustainable de-sign of the schools.

“The climate change data is clear – we are in a global environmental crisis, and building design and operations must be a key part of the response,” said Dr Youssef Al-Horr, Founder and Managing Director, Barwa and Qatari Diar Research Institute, when he spoke at the opening of GBS, “The key issue at Green Building Solutions 2011 is to inspire and empower people in the building development and operations to

take the next significant steps.”According to Dr Al Horr, the exhibition af-

firmed Qatar’s position as the Gulf’s ‘Capi-tal of Green’. The three-day event featured a tour of the green developments in the coun-try, workshops and seminars by experts in the sustainable buildings.

The GBS 2011 Conference also had a workshop to introduce delegates to the Qatar Sustainability Assessment System (QSAS).

GBS 2011 Conference sessions focused on three of the most critical challenges fac-ing the region’s construction industry: Sus-tainable Urbanisation, Sustainable Build-ing Typologies and Products and Solutions for sustainable construction.

n exhibition with display boards put up at the main hall of Carnegie Mellon University Qatar (CMUQ) explored the urban make-

up of the country. It also displayed the studio work from architecture students’ of CMU-Pittsburg, their visions for a retrofit solution to the Qatar Green Building Coun-cil (QGBC) headquarters. The exhibition titled ‘Investigating Sustainable Urbanism in Qatar’ also had Didactic Space Mod-els from the Architecture for non-major students of CMUQ. These models were designed for an exhibit area using passive cooling techniques.

Professors Kelly Hutzell and Rami El Sa-mahy along with Research Associates Kris-tina Ricco and Spencer Gregson were the brains behind this effort with the support of the students involved.

“With the World Cup now slated for 2022, the current growth rate promises to continue, if not accelerate. Clearly, this is an exciting moment in the country’s his-tory. But is the growth sustainable? With four fifths of the population living in or around Doha, this is clearly an overwhelm-ingly urban conurbation, with its associ-ated benefits and costs. Benefits include a multiplicity of new options for housing, and public spaces. Costs include the twin pitfalls of overcrowding and sprawl, as well as the threats to the indigenous culture and the natural environment,” says Hutzell.

sustAinAble urbAn city

reAlt y check

WhAt’s driving up oil prices? 34

gulf’s ‘cApitAl of green’

dohaland cElEBratEs 2nd annivErsarY the company was officially launched in 2009 with a

mandate from hh sheikha moza bint nasser al-missnet to address the gap in the architectural history of qatar and

rediscover a unique form of qatari urban development.

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aersk Oil established a long term collaboration agree-ment with TNO, a Nether-land-based research innova-tor, to jointly develop new

technologies for increased oil recovery (IOR). The focus will be on long horizontal wells and increasing oil recovery through integrated operations and production optimisation ac-cording to officials. The joint research project will be located at the Qatar Science and Tech-nology Park (QSTP) where both Maersk Oil and TNO have their centers.

“Maersk Oil has an ambition to become a leading oil and gas company within IOR. By bringing together our and TNO’s experi-enced people, we create a research environ-ment that will develop groundbreaking IOR

technologies taking our oil recovery to a new level,” said Lewis Affleck, Managing Director, Maersk Oil Qatar.

“Mastering increased and enhanced oil recovery is key to unlocking future hydrocar-bons in tight reservoirs. Our state of the art research centre forms the base for our efforts to better understand the opportunities and limitations in the Al Shaheen field in Qatar. This enlarged insight into the reservoirs will enable us to optimise our production while providing sustainable long-term benefits to the Qatari people,” said Affleck.

Maersk Oil Qatar, a unit of AP Moller Maersk, is devising a scheme to extend the life of Al Shaheen, after completing a QR23 ($6.2) billion project to boost its production, Bloomberg has reported.

atargas achieved a new mile-stone as it signed a heads of agreement to supply lique-fied natural gas (LNG) to Centrica plc, the largest

supplier of gas to customers in the UK. Qatargas will deliver 2.4 mtp of LNG to

the UK Isle of Grain Terminal for the next three years.

The UK is the world’s third largest con-sumer of gas and one of the fastest growing for gas imports. In 2010, Qatar supplied the UK with 15% of its total gas demand, and

by 2025, LNG will supply around 50% of UK gas needs. The current deal is likely to supply around 3% of the UK gas needs, and around 10% of UK residential gas demand.

Commenting on this achievement, Qatar-gas, CEO, Khalid bin Khalifa Al-Thani said, “This deal represents the establishment of a new relationship with Centrica, and fur-ther underlines Qatargas commitment to the UK as one of our key gas markets. This is an important milestone for Qatargas and we are delighted to be able to deliver LNG to additional UK customers.”

o & g overvieW

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mAersk oil to Work on enhAnced oil recovery

m

Qlng from QAtArgAs 4 to indiA

the first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Qatargas 4 Project has been sent to Hazira receiving terminal in India. The

cargo sailed on the LNG carrier Al Ru-wais, one of the new class of Q-Flex vessels owned by Qatar Gas Transport Company (Nakilat).

Commenting on this achievement, Minister of Energy & Industry for Qatar & Chairman of the Board of Qatargas, HE Dr Mohammed Saleh Al Sada said: “Qatargas adds to the energy diversity of Asia, Europe and North America. The company contin-ues to demonstrate its commitment to assisting in the diversification and the long-term mix of the world’s energy supplies.”

HigHligHt

Maersk Oil is investing

Qr365 MilliOn ($100 MilliOn) in its researcH

facility at QstP.

lEwis afflEck, managing director, maersk oil qatar.

U k 3 r D l a r g e s t c O n s U M e r O f g a s

15%O f U k ’ s t O ta l g a s D e M a n D i s

s U P P l i e D b y Q ata r

50%O f U k ’ s g a s n e e D s w i l l b e s U P P l i e D b y Q ata r i n 2 0 2 5

gAs to centricA

g a s t O U k

QT-April.indd 18 3/28/11 5:57:26 PM

QT-April.indd 19 3/28/11 5:57:28 PM


QNB maintained its position as one of the Middle East’s leading banks as it scooped two prestigious awards at the 3rd Annual EMEA-Fi-

nance Middle East Banking Achievement Awards, which are charged with recognising the efforts of leading banks to drive growth in their region.

QNB was credited with being the Best Asset Manager, while QNB Capital – the investment arm of the Group – was named Best Local Investment Bank in the region.

One of the strategies which impressed the judges was the launch of Contract for Difference (CFD) in 2010 – which was the first product of its kind in Qatar. It enabled customers to hedge movement in share prices over a set period of time.

It is acclamation of QNBs recently pub-lished figures. The Group’s Net Profit was over QR5.7 billion in 2010 – an increase of 35% on the previous year – while their return on average equity was 28.8% for 2010, up 3.4%.

The bank increased its branch network in Oman and Sudan to three locations to optimise local performance, while QNB-Syria increased its branch network to 15. QNB Group also acquired a majority stake in QNB-Syria, and tripled its capital during the year. QNB now have branches spread across five North African countries, includ-ing Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Sudan, and a recently opened one in Mauritania.

here are still some delicate steps to be taken before a GCC common currency be-comes a reality.

This was one of the mes-sages which were highlighted at the 10th Banking Conference for GCC Countries at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on March 24.

Dr Ahmed Alkholifey, Executive Director for Saudi Arabia at the International Mon-etary Fund, said it’s difficult to know when a common currency in the Gulf Region will become official.

“We are working hard but there are so many challenges facing us,” he said. “There

are a lot of rules and regulations that need to be modified and reviewed; there are legal and business issues that need to be addressed. We need training for qualified Human Resources in all fields. We are still really in the preliminary stages, but we are putting in a huge effort to reach our targets.

Principle Economist at the European Central Bank, Michael Sturm, said that “there are a lot of lessons to be learnt from the European experiment regarding a sin-gle monetary policy, but the Gulf Union is a distinct situation in its own right and this needs to be taken into consideration when designing the GCC monetary union”.

common currency fAcing chAllenges

bAnk notes

A need to sociAlise 62

Al khAliJi posts positive result

l Khaliji recently announced impressive profits, which are significantly higher than those witnessed a year ago.

At their recent Annual General Meeting (AGM), shareholders heard that the bank reached profits of QR427 by year end, December 31, 2010, which was a 155% increase on 2009’s figure of QR167.

HE Sheikh Hamad bin Faisal bin Thani Al-Thani – Chairman and Managing Director of Al Khaliji said: “2010 proved to be a mile-stone year for Al Khaliji, underscored by an outstanding financial performance in all ar-eas of the business. This performance can be seen as a validation of the bank’s underlying medium term, wholesale led strategy which was agreed and put into effect at the begin-ning of 2010. About merger discussions with International Bank of Qatar (IBQ), he said, “We believe that the merger is highly appro-priate for the Qatari financial market. The merger will be submitted for approval to the shareholders as soon as all required regula-tory approvals are obtained.”

t

A Q

Q r5 .7 b i l l i O n i n 2 0 1 0

U P b y 35% f r O M 2 0 0 9

28.8% i n 2 0 1 0

U P 3 .4% O v e r 2 0 0 9

Q n b

n e t P r O f i t

a v e r a g e e Q U i t y

Qnb perform Well At emeA finAnce AWArds

h. E. shEikh aBdulla Bin saoud al-thaniqatar central bank governor

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W o r l d v i e W

dalai lama to stEP downindia, dharamsala : tibetan spiritual leader the dalai lama (c) greets devotees after a teaching session at a buddhist temple in dharamshala on march 19, 2011. the dalai lama has announced his plans to retire.

nukE no morEphilippines, manila : anti-nuclear

activists wearing masks hold a “die-in” protest near the presidential palace

in manila on march 15, 2011 as they rally against the revival of the mothballed

bataan nuclear power plant (nbpp) amidst the danger of a nuclear melt-

down in Japan. the plant took the gov-ernment of late dictator ferdinand

marcos eight years to build, at a cost of $2.3 billion, and was finished in 1984.

wrath of naturEJapan, rikuzentakata : a family walks

past piles of rubble as the wind blows up dust in the devastated town of

rikuzentakata in iwate prefecture on march 19, 2011, eight days after a massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami hit the northeastern coast of Japan’s

main island of honshu. in an updated toll, national police said at least

18,000 were dead or missing in Japan’s worst natural disaster in 88 years.

afp photo / nicholas kamm

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liBYan odYssEYthis image released by the us navy visual news service march 19, 2011 shows the arleigh burke-class guided-missile destroyer uss stout (ddg 55) launching a tomahawk missile in support of operation odyssey dawn in the mediterra-nean sea. Joint task force odyssey dawn is the u.s. africa command task force established to support the international response to the unrest in libya.

YEmEn dEmands nEw lEadErshiP

yemen, sanaa : yemeni anti-govern-ment protesters chant slogans

against president ali abdullah saleh during a demonstration in sanaa,

on march 19, 2011, a day after some 52 people were killed in the yemeni capi-tal sanaa making it the bloodiest day

in weeks of unrest that has shaken the regime of saleh, a key us ally in the war against al-qaeda militants

on the arabian peninsula.

suPEr moon amidst GloBal chaosunited states, washington : the statue of freedom, on top of the us capitol hill is pictured against a perigee moon as it rises in washington, dc, on march 19, 2011. a perigee moon is visible when the moon’s orbit position is at its closest point to earth during a full moon phase. the full moon coincided with its closest approach to the earth, 221,565 miles (356,575 km), making the so-called “super moon” look slightly larger than average.

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v i e W p o i n t

centuries, the people of this region have been masters of a nomadic lifestyle whose culture was essentially anti-urban. It is ironic that the Gulf has seen the rise of some of the fastest grow-ing and dynamic cities world-wide. It has not all been without tears – as recent property problems testify – but despite this tem-porary set-back no one could help but be amazed at the speed of development and the huge cultural change that has taken place.

Most cities in the region have experienced massive and expan-sive growth with places like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Doha

FOR

Cultured CitieshistoricAlly, trAnsportAtion And lAnd use Are inextricAbly linked. it is no different in the 21st century. one of our greAtest dilemmAs is hoW to move people Around cities efficiently And comfortAbly.

in thE makinGqatar national museum by Jean nouvel

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v i e W p o i n t

and Kuwait vying for the best collection of ‘iconic’ signature buildings, tallest, smartest and now, thankfully, greenest buildings. Many are commercial or hotel buildings with highly fashionable designs. They may dress up in Arabic motif but most have their cultural underpinning in the homes of their imported designers. More recently, several Gulf cities have splurged on a culture fest of competitions of museum buildings. .

Museums are the ultimate repository of a country’s ‘culture’. Well, at least its cultural history and artefacts. Some of the most spectacular and thoughtful in-ternational museum designs have been prepared or are underway across the region. From the Guggenheim and the Louvre in Abu Dhabi to the Qatar Na-tional Museum by Jean Nouvel in Doha. These are sophisticated ‘trophy’ build-ings but no collection could be complete without a contrarian statement from one of the Middle-East’s own - the proposed Performing Arts Complex in Abu Dhabi. Always game for theatre, Zaha Hadid’s de-sign has five theatres with “performance spaces, which spring from the structure like fruits on a vine” according to Hadid. All in all these buildings are meant to combine at Sadiyaat Island into a cul-tural district, the scale of which is hardly matched anywhere in the world.

The flip side?At the other end of culture, the recently opened Ferrari World is part-museum and a theme park of recent automotive history of one of the best-known brands. Arguably it is a testimony to borrowed culture in the form of Italian testosterone machined to perfec-tion. Its website boasts a raft of excesses including the fact that the roof used enough aluminium to cover 16,750 Ferraris! This is one case where imported culture meets local love of speed and elegant machismo. It seems perfectly at home surrounded by roller coasters set in 4 hectares of grass and ground cover on the edge of the desert. But then Ferraris were never designed to be sustainable – just magnificent.

In Doha, the thoughtful, less egotistical Museum of Islamic Arts of IM Pei still has many spaces to fill with culture. In the National

Master Plan, this building is seen as one of a series of civic facilities including the proposed ‘Grand Park’ and the Corniche, that will eventually combine into a Capi-tal City District on a par with the cultural quarters of well-known international cit-ies such as London or Paris.

The district will include the highly pop-ular Souq Waqif and the evolving ‘Mush-eireb – The Heart of Doha’ project. These projects are meant to act as a stimulus for future city-wide renaissance by combin-ing traditional approaches to Arabic and Islamic architecture in a contemporary manner right in the historic heart of the city. Time will tell but certainly these early statements are an attempt to define a new paradigm of architecture and plan-ning for the cities of the Arabian Gulf.

Museum buildings and ‘big’ architec-ture are very tangible statements of the region’s wealth and its search for a new ‘urban’ culture but cities themselves are the strongest symbol of a society’s self-confidence and ingenuity. The space between the buildings, the ‘public realm’ is where the social and cultural maturity of a city expresses itself. Cities such as Doha and Abu Dhabi are beginning to invest in a more diverse economy where attracting the best and the brightest knowledge workers will depend at least as much on lifestyle and culture as upon the ‘package’. Searching for talent is when cities really be-gin showing their soul

follow us on twittEr@qatartoday

by ian lYnE

lyne is managing director of future-dynamix – providing strategic change management for sustainable development.

ian can be reached at [email protected]

“museum buildings And ‘big’ Architecture Are very tAngible

stAtements of the region’s WeAlth And its seArch for A

neW ‘urbAn’ culture but cities themselves Are the strongest

symbol of A society’s self-confidence And ingenuity.”

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v i e W p o i n t

TRanspORTaTiOn will play a critical role in Qatar’s con-tinuing economic and social development – a fact highlighted by the road projects, worth close to QR11 billion ($3 billion), cur-rently planned or under way. But while a strong road transport network enables trade and brings people together, it also comes with a drawback in the form of negative environmental effects. Il-lustratively, Qatar already has the world’s highest carbon dioxide emissions per capita (below). These are only likely to increase as more miles of road translate into more cars, since road transport is responsible for 17 to 18% of global CO2 emissions (and likely accounts for a similar %age in Qatar).

Therefore, any serious national initiative to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions should take road transport into account. But while Qatar has taken active steps to reduce GHG emis-sions in its oil and gas industry, it has yet to follow the lead of global best practices in areas such as enforcing vehicle emissions standards.

Qatar has an opportunity to reduce its emissions even as it expands its network of roads. A comprehensive national strategy that incorporates four elements – land use, clean technology, low-emission fuels, and policies and regulations – should sup-port this opportunity.

tAke A Green turnWhile A strong roAd trAnsport netWork enAbles trAde And brings people together, it Also comes With A drAWbAck in the form of negAtive environmentAl effects.

source: the world bank-world development indicator, booz & company analysis

selected globAl co2 emissions2007, in mEtric tons PEr caPita

qatar

55.4

32.3

16.9 16.6

13.711.8

9.6 9.1

6.0 5.4

31.029.6

19.3 17.7

kuwait uae bahrain usa australia canada saudiarabia

oman singapore germany norway france sweden

GoinG the extrA mile with eCo-friendly trAnsportAtion

d

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v i e W p o i n t

Bookmarkwww.issuu.com/oryxmags

by ulrich koEGlEr, partner; alEssandro BorGoGna, principal; and ahmEd wEtidi, senior associate.

booz & company is a leading global management consulting firm, helping the world’s top

businesses, government ministries and organisations.

Land Use: Governments can use urban planning to encourage citizens to use public transportation instead of driving cars, which would reduce both conges-tion and energy consumption. Today, only 7% of motorised passenger trips in Doha take place on public transportation – well below global averages. In light of the suc-cessful bid for the 2022 World Cup, Qatar is preparing to move an influx of visi-tors by significantly expanding its public transportation network, with ambitious projects such as a rail development pro-gram, that includes four metro lines (cov-ering 350 kilometres with 109 stations), an underground people mover system, and a 22-kilometer light rail system with 34 stations.

Yet providing the infrastructure isn’t enough. City planners must design the public transportation network with an eye to residential density and ensure ex-cellent accessibility of stations. Other critical elements include integration be-tween different forms of transportation – for example, an easy bus to metro transfer – as well as availability of required infra-structure such as park and ride facilities; affordable fares; and an integrated ticket-ing system with multimode smartcards. Finally, governments can encourage the use of public transportation by making it difficult to use private vehicles by charg-ing fees based on the number of vehicle miles travelled, tolling systems, and con-gestion charges. Clean Vehicle Technologies: When Qa-taris choose to use road transport over public transportation, they can choose clean vehicle technologies. Hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid, battery electric, and fuel cell electric vehicles increasingly offer en-vironmental advantages over conventional vehicles.

Still, there are a number of issues with such technologies. One is the limited ener-gy storage capacity of current batteries. An-other is the higher cost of electric vehicles compared to conventional vehicles due to the cost of the electric engine and battery packs. Finally, any significant introduction

of clean vehicle technologies will require a massive investment in infrastructure, in-cluding facilities for battery charging, hy-drogen distribution, and storage.

However, car manufacturers are cur-rently working on these technological challenges, and expect clean vehicles to rise from 1% of total vehicle produc-tion in 2011 to 10% in 2020. At that point, there will be 35 million clean vehicles on the road, constituting 7% of the global car market. If this option seems feasible, the government would invest in infrastructure and offer citizens incentives to use such technologies.

Low-Emission Fuels: The use of fuel al-ternatives – including modified fossil fuels, compressed natural gas (CNG), and biofu-els – could be another way to lower overall emissions from road transport. Recent studies show that CNG-powered vehicles produce up to 29% less greenhouse gas emissions than those powered by gasoline. Already, many cities have reduced emis-sions by converting high-usage vehicles like taxis and municipal fleets to CNG.

Again, if this seems to be a viable option, the government’s role in promoting the use of these fuels could be to ensure that the necessary infrastructure is in place,

as well as imposing requirements on fuel companies to produce low-emission fuels. Finally, governments can subsidise food production to direct agricultural efforts toward biofuels without undermining food security.

Policies and Regulations: Vehicle manu-facturers and owners are unlikely to make choices – such as opting for clean vehicle technologies or low-emission fuels – that will reduce emissions unless offered incentives by Government policies and regulations.

The most common policy tool, in wide-spread use in the European Union and the US, is the enforcement of fuel efficiency and emission standards for vehicles. By dictating strict emission levels on CO2, NOx and particulate matters, these coun-tries force vehicle users to abide by envi-ronmental regulations.

Of special interest to countries like Qatar, where fuel prices are comparatively low, may be the introduction of fuel pric-ing and fuel taxation schemes that dis-courage the use of private vehicles and to encourage public transport. However, pri-or to implementation of such schemes, the socioeconomic impact of such measures must be carefully analysed.

Other options include road pricing schemes, in which governments levy tolls on road users based on their vehicle emis-sion levels, and low-emissions zones, in which the movement of most polluting vehicles is restricted. Both of these op-tions would offer incentives for drivers to invest in clean technology vehicles or low-emissions fuels.

In summary, governments can preserve their environments by taking immedi-ate steps to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, including those generated by vehicles. Careful planning is necessary to develop an overarching strategy that con-siders land use, clean vehicle technologies, low-emissions fuels, and the development of supporting policies and regulations. Only by holistically considering all these elements can the government make signif-icant progress in reducing emissions

cAreful plAnning is necessAry to develop An over-Arching strAtegy thAt consid-

ers lAnd use, cleAn vehicle technologies, loW-emissions fuels, And the development of supporting policies And

regulAtions.

f

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v i e W p o i n t

its part, Georgia, which has problematic relations with Rus-sia, has been keen on developing economic ties with its Middle Eastern neighbours. The former Soviet state has signed an open skies agreement with Qatar, paving the way for Qatar Airways’ planned direct service between Doha and Tbilisi.

But it’s not just aviation – agreements have also been reached in other sectors. A Georgian government delegation met with

expAndinG ties AbroAd

in februAry QAtAr AirWAys Announced neW services to venice And ... tbilisi? Air trAvellers Would be forgiven for rAising An eyebroW At the lAtter destinAtion. Although its cApitAl is knoWn for its Ancient beAuty And delicious cuisine, georgiA does not typicAlly shAre heAdlines With QAtAr. lAtely thAt hAs chAnged. the tWo hAve begun cultivAting deeper commerciAl ties, Which under-score QAtAr’s broAd Ambitions for increAsed internAtionAl trAde ties.

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their Qatari counterparts in February to discuss double taxation and hydropower cooperation, according to Bloomberg. Having expressed interest in Spanish, British, and Central Asian invest-ments, Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund has shown a healthy appe-tite for overseas investments in recent years. However, Georgia’s location makes it slightly different. As a transit state along the EU’s planned Nabucco pipeline, Georgia is an important stepping stone in the trans-fer of gas from Azerbaijan and Central Asia to Turkey and Europe. Moscow tends to view the project unfavourably, as it will directly compete with Russian-predom-inance in the European gas markets. As one of the world’s top gas exporters, it is not hard to see that Qatar may have much to gain by building connections in this strategic region, including investment opportunities and involvement in energy projects.

Increasing import optionsAnother important aspect of Qatar and Georgia’s budding relationship is Doha’s desire for greater food security. Most Gulf countries have climates unsuited for crop cultivation. This makes imports increas-ingly important to maintain sufficient supplies and control food prices. Qatar is no exception. According to Mohammad Bin Fahd Al-Attiyah, Chairman of Qa-tar’s National Food Security Programme (QNFSP), the country imports 90% of its food resources. And, in line with other GCC trends, Qatar’s population more than doubled between 1999 and 2009, ac-cording to the World Bank. What’s more, those numbers are expected to con-tinue growing, fuelling even higher food demand.

So Qatar’s strategy of exploring ad-ditional import options makes sense. “They’re interested in buying land in Georgia for agriculture and also in importing our vegetables and sheep,” Georgian Agricul-ture Minister Bakur Kvezereli told Bloomberg. The Georgian government said that Qatar plans to buy land for corn cultiva-tion this year. In addition to helping the Gulf state meet its food

demand, it is hoped that Georgian imports could also help ease market fluctuations. In Australia, one of Qatar’s key sources of meat imports, such market shifts are occurring this year. Austra-lian meat prices are expected to rise this year on a combination of devastating floods, rising transportation costs, and a stronger Australian dollar. As a result of these expected changes, Ma-

washi, Qatar’s sole meat importer, is look-ing to shift import streams.

“We are planning to expand imports from abroad, particularly Georgia and Uruguay to face any future crisis,” Ahmed Nasser Sraiya Al Kaabi, Managing Direc-tor of Mawashi told a local daily. Georgian sheep are planned for import starting this year.

But in this region with a number of disputes held over from the Soviet era, not all transactions can be expected to proceed smoothly. Last month, 150 sheep died in the Tbilisi airport while waiting for a flight to Qatar. According to The Fi-nancial, a Georgian daily, an Armenian-registered airline called New Georgia was meant to transport the sheep, and SOCAR, the Azeri state oil company, was meant to provide the fuel. Jamil Omran, a Sales & Marketing Manager at the sheep importing company, said it would not be farfetched that an Azeri company might be reluctant to work with an Armenian airline. The two countries cut trade ties over the Karabakh territorial dispute. For its part, Tbilisi moved quickly to ameliorate the situation, issuing an apol-ogy and offering to cover the costs of the delay.

Whatever the causes of the delay, there is a simple lesson to be learnt here: Caveat emptor, “May the buyer beware.” Like any investment, Georgian livestock comes with some strings attached. But

equally true is that higher risks often lead to higher returns. Qatar has much to gain as it explores economic opportunities

overseas and expands its international trade ties: improved food security, a higher international profile and connections in stra-tegic regions that should prove useful

“the georgiAn government sAid thAt QAtAr plAns to buy lAnd

for corn cultivAtion this yeAr. in Addition to helping the gulf stAte meet its food demAnd, it

is hoped thAt georgiAn imports could Also help eAse mArket

fluctuAtions.”

by olivEr cornockthe author is the regional editor

of oxford business group

[email protected]

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l i s t e n i n g p o s tl i s t e n i n g p o s t

t’s wonderfully ironic that Burkhard P. Var-nholt didn’t perceive his project in Uganda growing to the heights it’s achieving today. The highly accredited investment strategist noted that had he realised the potential of his idea, and the lives he could change, he

probably would have lost faith in his ability to see it through.

Thanks largely to his own investment, vi-sion and the capacity to ‘cross each bridge as he came to it’, a hundred orphans or abandoned children now have refuge in a Ugandan village, which is also serviced by a farm, a public health clinic and a primary school.

Varnholt cut his teeth with Morgan Stan-ley in London, before he was recognized as ‘Global Fund Leader of the Year’ by Institu-tional Investor magazine - while he was at Credit Suisse Private Banking - for his role in creating transparency in the investment funds market and promoting an open-ar-chitecture approach. Between 2001 and 2005, he built up the largest global hedge fund port-folio, with just under US $90 bil-lion (QR330 billion) in Hedge Fund Assets under management.

What’s moving oil-prices?He is currently the Chief Investment Offi-cer and Head of Asset Management at Bank Sarasin & Co. Ltd., which published “Crude Oil: What’s Moving Oil-Prices in 2011” in January. The thesis of the report is that oil-prices will continue to rise and will hit $120-a-barrel at the end of first quarter of 2012, and will reach $200-a-barrel by 2015.

Although there has been quite a lot of geo-political tension sweeping across the MENA region since the published report, Varnholt doesn’t feel he should revise the report. In the week of the Libyan uprising (Feb 21 - 27), the price of a barrel of oil rose from $88 to $99-a-barrel, an increase of 12.5%, but he doesn’t pay much attention to short-term factors.

“[Short-term factors] have some merit obviously; the world economy is going strong, infrastructure growth continues

I

germAn bAnker lends his thoughts on peAk-oil, investment strAtegies And hoW the gcc region is performing.

End of “fossIl fuEl AgE” wIll drIvE oIl-prIcEs up

b y r O r y c O e n

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l i s t e n i n g p o s tl i s t e n i n g p o s t

“the stone Age didn’t end becAuse We rAn out of stone; it ended becAuse We evolved

to better methods And technologies. in the sAme WAy, the Age of fossil fuels Will come to An end becAuse We Will discover And develop

better technologies.”

– these will drive up the price of oil – and while geopolitical conflicts and tension don’t help when one is trying to predict the future of oil-prices, I’m more of a believer in long-term potentials and factors, and in long-term investing,” he said.

Peak OilVarnholt is a big believer in the Peak Oil thesis – the theory whereby we are extract-ing the maximum amount of oil, so as we decline from this peak, the price of oil will inevitably rise – and he backs up this con-fidence.

“Look at what the Saudis have invested in their operational infrastructure in the last decade, and they’re not producing more oil, they’re actually producing less than they did in 2000. This tells you one of two things; there’s less oil available, or it’s harder to get to it – or possibly a combination of both – but the latter is the most likely.”

All of this means of course that oil explo-ration and production is costlier than ever. There hasn’t been a single oil-field discov-ered in the last thirty years, so the chances of discovering one at this stage are almost negligible.

Overstating ReservesVarnholt also speaks of how OPEC is struc-tured so all the members are cutting the best deal possible for themselves by over-stating their reserve.

“You get higher production allocations based on high estimates, so the OPEC mem-bers have an interest in overstating their reserve for the ultimate gain. The corollary of this is that there’s a lot less oil out there than what people believe.”

To complement his views on the supply side, he spoke about how the global demand for oil had become insatiable.

“We have seen the global population grow exponentially (from 2.5 to 7 billion) during the last two generations, and this

has coincided with an unprecedented pe-riod of economic prosperity. We have wit-nessed the rise of the middle-class – which had never before existed in regions such as Asia, Middle East, South America and Af-rica - and this has had an impact on lifestyle choices. Suddenly people wanted to live in urban areas, which requires more energy for mobility and construction.”

It’s essentially a demand/supply question which is highly inelastic and where there’s little price sensitivity. Varnholt uses a Stone Age analogy to explain his thesis for mitigat-ing or resolving the oil issue. He argues that the Stone Age didn’t end because we ran out of stone; it ended because we evolved to bet-ter methods and technologies. In the same way, the age of fossil fuels will come to an

end because we will discover and develop better technologies. But this won’t happen overnight, inevitably, and before these new technologies and innovations quench our thirst for oil, we’ll be paying some very high prices for our energy.

Emerging EconomiesThe emergence of the aforementioned mid-dle class, coupled with the economic boom – in countries such as India, China and Bra-zil – means that their robust growth will continue, prompting a lot of “hot money” to flow in to these markets.

Varnholt understands why the Brazil-ian Government imposed a tax on capital imports. Hot money comes and goes, but it’s a mirage of wealth in effect. They’re not real investments, which stay in the country and create jobs and generate wealth; it is fast money which can really destabilize an economy because it’s so liquid.

He feels that emerging market curren-cies – publically or discretely – are pegging themselves to the US dollar for more lucra-tive trading, but they are doing this at a time when they are facing rampant inflation, and their economies are firing on all cylinders.

“The last thing these economies need is a super accommodative monetary policy; that’s like pouring oil into fire. Ben Ber-nanke (US Federal Reserve Chairman) has been pouring oil into these economies – which are performing exceedingly well without it – for the past twelve months, but it’s not his fault; the fault lies with the other currencies.”

QE2 (The US Federal Exchange shifted focus to increase its reserves, and provided commercial banks with more capital to lend) will fuel an increase in money supply to these emerging economies, which will stimulate inflation and Varnholt believes that risk assets should continue to be the ultimate beneficiaries in this environment.

The US is still the biggest consumer of

Burkhard varnholt, chief investment officer, bank sarasin & co ltd

QT-April.indd 35 3/28/11 5:58:15 PM


l i s t e n i n g p o s t

energy. However, these emerging econo-mies provide a big swing factor.

“If you ask yourself – as an investor – where do you want to place your bet, then we are very keen on companies that are really exposing themselves to emerging market growth. For instance, if you look at buying Nestle shares, you have a choice;

the Swiss or the Indian ones. The Indian shares trade at 50 times earnings, while the Swiss ones trade at 13 times earnings, so you have to make a conscious call and that is where active stock selection can be worth its money.”

Credit the GCC EconomiesVarnholt was quick to credit the GCC region with how they have handled their fortune, pointing out that they have been extremely

prudent and smart for reducing their de-pendency on their primary asset; they have done a great deal to mitigate and diversify their revenue into other industries.

“It’s enormously impressive what this oil wealth has created in the GCC Region. Other countries like Nigeria, Angola and Venezu-ela would be proud if they had generated a fraction of the wealth the Gulf Region has achieved, but instead, they made a mess of their allocation of oil. Dubai decided to di-versify – and in doing so burdened them-selves with a lot of risk – but by and large, I think the Gulf States have done enormously well.”

There has been some recent discourse about the introduction of a common cur-rency into the Gulf Region. Some feel it would stabilise the region and prepare it for the future, others feel they should learn from the mistakes in the European Union. Varnhholt didn’t sit on the fence when he was asked for his opinion on a single com-mon currency among the GCC members.

“I hope they can avoid that. It’s politically motivated, as it creates stronger political ties. What it really does is force the poorer countries to adhere to the same monetary and fiscal policies and that’s not neces-sarily a good thing. Admittedly, the Gulf economies are very homogeneous – so it may work – but economic development can change over time.

“In Europe, for example, they’re very dif-ferent in what drives them economically, so when you run into financial difficulty, like Portugal and Greece – and you have surrendered your currency – you obviously cannot devalue your new currency, so the only thing you can do is lower salaries, and this won’t resonate well with your citizens, as we have seen across the Middle East and North Africa.” Varnholt holds the view that economic risk should be bourne where it can be best managed, and that is in the financial markets and not in the labour markets, but he’s fully behind the ideology of knocking

down trade barriers and opening currencies. “It’s a pity the WTO (World Trade Organ-

isation) Rounds came to an inconclusive end all those years ago, because the world could have really become economically in-tegrated. Trade barriers are always a nui-sance and the more you can reduce them, the better for everyone.”

As Varnholt nervously eased himself from his chair, one couldn’t help but notice his arm in a cast. He explained he injured it on the ski-slopes in Italy recently. In other words, he was talking like a man who under-stood the enzymes of risk.

Conversely, he stressed it would be irre-sponsible to expand his project in Uganda – as much as he wanted – as it was privately-funded and run by volunteers. Any further expansion might compromise the whole project and the children it was supporting. It was a risk he was not willing to take

“you get higher production AllocAtions bAsed on high estimAtes, so the opec members hAve An inter-

est in overstAting their reserve for the ultimAte gAin. the corollAry of this is thAt there’s A lot less

oil out there thAn WhAt people believe.”

kids of africaburkhard varnholt’s proJect in

uganda is registered in switzerland

and uganda as kids of africa. the

swiss board is populated by many

walks of life, such as physicians,

architects and bankers. the opera-

tion is largely funded by friends of

these associates, anonymous do-

nors – volunteers essentially – only

for which the proJect wouldn’t be

sustainable.

the village was created on a

derelict site on the shores of lake

victoria, which had neither power

nor running water. with the help

of kids of africa, the village is not

only home to many orphaned and

abandoned children, but home to

families who are eager to care for

these children. it’s a village that

promotes loyalty, friendship and

family-values and fosters a real

belief in a bright future for these

children.

what aBout Qatar?qatar is coming off a very impres-

sive 2010 - largely due to their lng

exports - and varnholt sees this

trend replicating oil-prices. the

price of liquified natural gas (lng)

is going to go high for the same

reason as oil - high price of extrac-

tion and scarcity - even though the

factors involved aren’t always the

same; i.e. they’re infrastructure de-

pendent and industry specific.

“the biggest challenge facing

qatar is managing these natural

resources, and making sure they’re

properly invested for future gen-

erations. great progress has been

made here to reduce red tape and

bureaucracy, but more needs to

be done. attracting new industry,

where intellectual property is the

most valuable asset rather than

the ones played out by capital

goods. these are the investments

that qatar can do to protect its

future, and i feel it is already doing

that. these next few years are very

crucial.”

QT-April.indd 36 3/28/11 5:58:15 PM

cry frEEdom

QT-April.indd 37 3/28/11 5:58:18 PM


atar played an important role in this change. The Al Jazeera news station has supported the will of the people despite the accusations against Qatar from some remnants of corrupt Arab regimes. Qatar also has lost one of its citizens for the liberation of Libya, Ali Al-Jaber of Al Jazeera. During the sixth Al Jazeera Forum (the Arab World in Transition: Has the Future Arrived) Sheikha Hessa bint Khalifa Al-Thani, Mem-ber of the Board of Directors of Nada Centre for Spe-cial Needs, and Deputy Chairman of Shafallah, greet-ed Egypt’s youth and said: “I wanted to go to Al Tahrir Square to join Egypt’s youth but I was afraid that the role of Qatar would be misunderstood.”

The Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions have suc-ceeded in achieving their primary goal: overthrowing the regime, which had a Doppler effect in the region,

touching different countries in different manners, depending on what stage of frustration or readiness they are in.

But how is the future of the Arab region shaping up after that? How can the rebuilding be done? And what are the risks and potential challenges?Qatar Today met with a group of young activists who contributed to the change. The activist Islam Lutfi Shalabi, a member of the 25 January Revolution Coalition in Egypt, says, “We are trying to achieve a certain kind of brotherhood in the region, but in a critically different way from the old vision of Arab brotherhood. For example, we don’t want visa restric-tions between the countries, and we want to empow-er the Arab common market, trade and agricultural

the ArAb region is Witnessing A neW WAve of chAnge thAt might bring bAck the region’s uniQue economic, sociAl And politicAl feAtures. is it in their nAture to chAnge or Will they resolve

to folloW their instinct And surrender.

b y M U s t a f a Z e i D a n

c o v e r s t o r y c r y f r e e d o m

QQT-April.indd 38 3/28/11 5:58:18 PM


cooperation between the various countries so they can come together for development as we did for a revolution.”

He stressed the importance of Qatar’s role in sup-port of this Arab Revolt, and the extent of its support for Egypt, Tunisia and Libya.

“We, the youth, will step back to give the profes-sional politicians the opportunity to run the country, but if they fail we will remove them as we have done with their predecessors.”

Islam also calls for strengthening economic ties between Arab nations. Asmaa Mahfouz, a member of the Revolution Coalition in Egypt, says the next step would be about empowering the citizens to address issues facing them. She wished to set up the Union of Arab Rebellions intimating that they would adopt the slogan ‘Heads up, you are an Arab’.

“The National Party (the party of the former re-gime) set up a committee working through the In-ternet, as a counter-revolution against the Egyptian evolution, but we are confronting them. Over the coming months we need strong media and further support from Al Jazeera to face these attempts,” she maintained.

Ahmed Maher, one of the main founders of the April 6 Movement and a member of the Revolution Coalition in Egypt, said, “The role of the youth is to monitor and neutralise any attempts to repress the

demands of the revolution, most importantly democ-racy and freedom. If the next regime doesn’t achieve the demands of the revolution, we can overthrow it as well.”

We met Sara Alaa, 21, one of the members of the Muslim Brotherhood, who spoke about Islamic gov-ernance. “We do not want to be like the Saudi or Ira-nian models, but we want the presence of Islam and universal ideals such as freedom, democracy, justice and human rights. Once those values are in place, we will have good governance. The real purpose of Islam is to suit all sects of society for a civil, not religious, state.”

When asked about her plans and future projects, she expressed her desire to focus on teaching chil-dren the values of freedom, dignity and democracy, as well as organising camps and meetings for them on a wider scale as the former regime discouraged any group activity.

Lina bin Mehdi was a participant in the Tunisian Revolution - an activist and political blogger who had been chosen after the revolution as a member of the National Authority of Information and Communica-tion. She said, “There are several concerns regarding the Tunisian Revolution being overtaken by the rem-nants of the former regime and some political parties in addition to the Islamic movement.”

“i WAnted to go to Al tAhrir sQuAre to Join egypt’s youth but i WAs AfrAid thAt the role of QAtAr Would be misunderstood.” -

Sheikha heSSa bint khalifa al-thani.

cElEBration timEtunisians celebrate in front of the egyptian embassy in tunis after egypt’s president hosni mubarak cedes power to senior military personnel on february 11, 2011

(contd on pg 45)

c o v e r s t o r yc r y f r e e d o m

QT-April.indd 39 3/28/11 5:58:22 PM


ohsen Marzouk, the Secretary-General of the Arab Foundation for Democracy, presented the Nation-al Democratic Charter to be signed by all political groups for the formulation of the new Tunisian Constitution. Tunisian people decided to write a new constitution – and not to have a referendum to amend the old constitution, as in Egypt – so that the Constitution is not linked to the victory of a specific electoral-list that employs it politically. The Char-

ter contains principles of the Tunisian revolution, as a foundation for a new constitution, based on re-spect for freedoms to protect the Constitution from any political force. This Charter was developed as a core for the Constitution and was deposited with the President, the judicial body, the army, the ‘Su-preme Authority to Achieve the Revolution Goals, Political Reform and Democratic Transition’. Mar-zouk is a member of this Authority.

constItutIonAl

lAw, nEEd of thE

hourDemocratic transitions – by their nature – are supposeD to be unpreDictable anD DisorDerly. those chargeD with Drafting the constitution neeD to answer Difficult questions which will affect the Direction the transition takes.

m“We Will AdApt the

slogAn ‘heAds up, you Are An ArAb’.”

aSmaa mahfouz.

i n t e r v i e w


QT-April.indd 40 3/28/11 5:58:23 PM


“We Are trying to Achieve A certAin kind of federAtion betWeen the ArAb countries.”

iSlam lutfi Shalabi.

The Arab Foundation for Democracy in Qatar is one of the most important institutions of the civil society supporting democratic action in the Arab world. Please tell us about its role and its projects after the Arab Revolution.We decided at our last meeting chaired by the pres-ident of the foundation, Her Highness Sheikha Mo-zah bint Nasser Al-Missned, to work on three main themes. Firstly, to help different political and social elites in the Arab States to organise a dialogue to agree on common principles of democratic tran-sition. Secondly, to train and support civil society to share experiences of democratic work. Thirdly, to focus on media promotion to build a culture of democracy through traditional media and activate the reliance on new media for the dissemination of democratic awareness.

What is the Supreme Authority to Achieve the Revolution Goals in Tunisia and how has it evolved? The Authority to Achieve the Revolution Goals, Po-litical Reform and Demo-cratic Transition is an official body composed of 71 members from all seg-ments of Tunisian soci-ety. It includes represen-tatives of parties, experts, representatives of civil so-ciety, national figures and representatives of youth movements. Its main ob-jective is to propose laws and strategic directives to achieve the goals of the democratic revolution of Tunisia and to attain a national reconciliation. It is of an advisory nature and it expresses its opin-ion regarding the laws and the Constitution and maintains the National Charter which protects the Constitution.

Democracy is not a solution for differences and contradictions, but is the management of differ-ences and contradictions.

Intellectuals call the Tunisian and Egyptian revolution the Arab Revolt. How do you see this proposal? Actually it is an Arab Revolt as the Egyptian and Tunisian cases influenced all the countries of the region. Tunisia and Egypt provided a fancy vision of the dreams the region can achieve. These waves of change reach some countries with more strength than others. Some rulers interacted quickly and intelligently with this wave. It is not necessary to cause a revolution to overthrow or change a regime, as changes can now be brought about in response to the reform wave of Arab democracy.

There are countries that have no significant eco-nomic problems, but they are calling for more democracy. What is the relationship between more democracy and economy? The relationship between democracy and the econo-my is a clear and important once since greater democ-racy provides sounder management of the country and services, attracts investments, increases employ-ment opportunities, detracts the monopoly, increases transparency and other economic and social benefits. In the countries that enjoy economic prosperity, the sooner the ruler introduces democratic reforms, the easier it will be to run the country in the future.

There are concerns about the fundamentalist Is-lamic forces assuming power, especially in Tuni-sia. What are the most important concerns that may threaten the Arab Revolt?

The very likely thing that threatens the revo-lution is that the civil elites might not develop a path of political tran-sition with principles agreed on. There is a difference between the overthrowing of a re-gime and democratic transition: the former is difficult, but the latter is more difficult. There is a concern that the politi-cal situation might dete-riorate because of a lack of agreement among elite members regard-ing four or five princi-ples or phases; the most

important of which are freedom and democracy.

What is required from the Islamists at this stage? To be up to this stage and refrain from imposing themselves on society because they will get defeated once again, but more bitterly than what happened to them during the former regime. The Arabs Muslims must learn from those in Malaysia, Turkey and Indo-nesia to separate the fundamental religious side from the political one, and Turkey is good example of that.

Qatar contributed significantly to the support of the Arab Revolt, partly through the Al Jazeera news station, but what is the impact of the Arab tsunami on Qatar?Of course, Qatar has been affected by the revolution in various forms such as interactions at grassroots and government levels. During one of his talks to the Financial Times, His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Emir of Qatar, announced that the reform shop is open in Qatar and an election is neces-sary and indispensable.


QT-April.indd 41 3/28/11 5:58:23 PM


n December 17 2010, Mohamed Bouazizi sparked the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia when he doused himself in gasoline and set himself ablaze. This act of self-immolation was triggered by his disil-lusionment with his life and future. Bauazizi (26) was constantly harassed by the local police in Sidi Bouzid, for failing to have a permit to sell vegeta-bles, his means of income. Jasmine – the national flower of Tunisia – means “gift from God”; it could just as easy be levelled on Mohamed Bouazizi.

Bouazizi died from his injuries two weeks later on January 4, amid nationwide civil protest, which disseminated from Sidi Bouzid to other regions and eventually to the capital Tunis. Protestors argue that was it not for the ubiquitous availability of on-line social networking, the revolution would never have reached the levels it did. This has indeed been a symptom of the recent North African and Middle Eastern unrest.

Other towns in Tunisia witnessed desperate acts like that of Mohamed Bouazizi, but failed to publi-cise them to the same extent as those in Sidi Bouzid. Al Jazeera reported that protestors took to the Sidi Bouzid streets with ‘a rock in one hand, a cell phone in the other’; a modern way of inferring ‘brawn with brains’. Word diffused not only locally, but to a na-tional and international audience as well, through the functionality of social networking media.

Rochdi Horchani – a relative of Bouazizi – told Al Jazeera: “We could protest for two years here, but without videos no one would take any notice of us”.

Al Jazeera aired an online video of the peace-ful protests in Sidi Bouzid on December 17, but it wasn’t until December 29 that a Tunisian station

tImElInE of A rEvolutIonthe tunisian uprising generateD a powerful Domino effect across north africa anD the miDDle east as millions of oppresseD arabs vociferously conDemneD their autocratic regimes anD DemanDeD funDamental change at the highest level.

“the role of the youth is to monitor

And neutrAlise Any Attempts to not Achieve the demAnds of the

revolution, most importAntly democ-

rAcy And freedom. if the next regime

doesn’t Achieve the demAnds of the

revolution We cAn overthroW it As

Well.”

ahmed maher.

member of the revolution coalition

in egypt

o


b y r O r y c O e n

QT-April.indd 42 3/28/11 5:58:24 PM


followed their lead. By then, Facebook had enlight-ened the 3.6 million Internet users in Tunisia (one-third of the population) of the unrest in Sidi Bouzid and other regions. Frustrated Tunisians were be-ginning to mobilise themselves against the regime.

Tunisian President, Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali, and the Government tried unsuccessfully to curb the primary tool of the Revolution – online social media – as power and Internet outages frequently halted the flow of information.

However, Ben Ali was quickly losing control and he knew it. He spoke to his people on a special broadcast on Thursday, January 13, promising not to run for re-election in 2014, and to cut food-pric-es. The following day he dissolved the government and declared a state of emergency. The protests continued until Ben Ali finally found his position untenable and handed over control to the incum-bent Prime Minister – Mo-hamed Ghannouchi – and fled.

Shadi Hamid _ Director of Research at Brookings Doha Centre _ contends that because modern revo-lutions move so slowly, revolutionaries don’t quite grasp the potential of the situation in real-time. He says that “initially the pro-testors would have accept-ed a lot less than what they were actually demanding, but the longer it goes on, the higher their aspirations become”.

Suddenly Tunisians found themselves in a quite unbelievable situation, only a month ago, and now had the destiny of their country in their owns hands. A temporary government was established on Janu-ary 17 - with Mohamed Ghannouchi as Prime Min-ister - to oversee the foundation of a constitutional assembly and ultimately parliamentary and presi-dential elections later in the year.

Ayesha Sabawala – the UAE, Oman and Tunisia Deputy Editor, Economist Intelligence Unit – said that “Tunisia has enjoyed about 5% growth over the last five years – which is very good – but the growth was not spread evenly. The regions closest to Europe thrived, while the south and west were left to languish”.

Economic success is often used to hide the defi-ciencies of government. Sooner or later, these in-adequacies are exposed so blatantly that reaction is inevitable

You would expect this kind of swift and relatively simple process not to go unnoticed around the World, but more specifically, among countries that are similarly oppressed by autocratic governance.

EgyptEgyptians have flirted with revolution in the recent past, but the necessary will – to go for Mubarrak’s jugular – was never there. Security forces stymied a mini-revolt in April 2008, as protestors voiced their concerns about the price of bread. This was on the back of other industrial strikes which seemed to promote an air of defiance against the regime. However, if this failed revolt did nothing else, it allowed the online seeds of revolution to be sown. Virtual networks were formed with vernal enthu-siasm, ideologies were exchanged, and a movement for change gathered pace. It wasn’t the blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood or any opposition political party which stimulated the revolt against Mubar-rak’s regime; it was the down-trodden youth. As Emad Shahin – an Egyptian scholar at the Univer-sity of Notre Dame – told the New York Times: “The

Brotherhood is no longer the most effective player in the political arena. It is the youth that know how to use the media, Internet, Fa-cebook, so there are other players now.”

The Tunisian Revolution – in effect – gave them the opportunity to strike while the iron was hot. Many pun-dits use the word “catalyst” to describe how one lead to another. It is amazing how one hopeful nation can in-spire another, which – as Ayesha Salawala points out – is why Saudi Arabia is now trying to prevent any po-tential revolt in their coun-try by curing the turmoil in Bahrain.

On January 25, these youthful rebels took to the streets of Egypt for a “day of rage” and demanded Mubarrak’s exit. Protests broke out in Cairo and Alexandria, Mansura and Tanta along the Nile, as well as Aswan and Assuit to the south of the coun-try. The Egyptian interior minister announced that three protesters and a police officer were killed during the demonstrations.

Shadi Hamid contends that at this stage the pro-testors would probably have agreed to a lot less than what they were actually demanding, but the discourse shifted as events unfolded. Three protes-tors died, so suddenly there was more at stake, the gravity of the situation had exacerbated.

“If Mubarrak had come out on the third day and said he would step down in five months, the pro-testors would have accepted that willingly. About half-way through the uprising, they would have ac-cepted the Prime Minister heading the transition; but by the end, they wanted him gone too as he was part of the old regime,” he said. “During these revo-

“the relAtionship betWeen democrAcy And the economy is A cleAr And im-portAnt one since greAter democrAcy provides sounder mAnAgement of the country And ser-vices And AttrActs investments.”

mohSen marzouk

secretary-general of the arab democracy foundation

“tunisiA hAs enJoyed About 5% groWth over the lAst five

yeArs - Which is very good - but the groWth WAs not spreAd evenly. the regions closest

to europe thrived, While the south And West Were left to

lAnguish”.


QT-April.indd 43 3/28/11 5:58:25 PM


lutions, it’s not necessarily clear in which direction they are going to move”.

On February 4, hundreds of thousands of protes-tors gathered in Tahrir Square in Cairo, in what was named the “Day of Departure”. These mass dem-onstrations were commonplace throughout the country, where civilian deaths and injuries were commonplace.

On February 11 – over two weeks since the dem-onstrations had commenced – Mubarrak decided to step down. Power was devolved to the military council, who took responsibility for ruling the country until a democratically elected Government was put in place. No reform would be proposed in the interim, including the incumbent international treaties.

LibyaLess than a week later – on February 17, the 5-year anniversary of the previous anti-Gadaffi protests – Libyans carried out what they were promoting for weeks. Gadaffi warned against such protests ob-served in Tunisia and Egypt, but ordinary Libyans were inspired and rejuvenated by these.

Since then, there has been a lot of devastation in Libya as pro-Gaddafi forces have fought with rebels, hundreds have died for the cause. The US, France and the UK finally decided to take action against Gadaffi on March 19 and bombarded Libya with mis-siles as the UN-mandated no-fly zone was validated.

Shadi Hamid said: “I think Arabs understand that this is their moment, they’re not going to let it go, they’re going to fight for what they believe in, they’ll make sure there’s not a reversal to authoritarian rule and they’ll do whatever it takes.

“The National Libyan Council – that represents rebel forces in the eastern part of the country – has called on the international community to intervene. There is an imminent threat and danger, thousands

of people are being slaughtered and this will con-tinue. The leader of Libya [Gadaffi] went on the na-tional airwaves – in case anyone was having trouble understanding his intentions – and declared his in-tention to massacre his own people.”

By now, the protests and demonstrations across North Africa had spread to the Middle East and it was obvious we were witnessing a significant mo-ment of history. It was appropriately dubbed the ‘Arab Spring’ as revolutionaries and like-minded individuals across the Arab World moved for change which they hoped would promote more liberty and a better life.

BahrainOn February 14, there were violent clashes in Ma-nama in Bahrain where security forces had to quell some violent scenes from protesters with differ-ent agendas, or different reasons to feel oppressed. More recently, Saudi Arabian forces have been help-ing with easing the tension there.

“Saudi intervention is less to do with protecting the people and the economy, and more to do with sending out a message that this isn’t going to happen in our country,” says Ayesha Sabawala. “They want to pre-empt the same type of protests in their own country. It’s not the best strategy.”

She also says that before any violence took place, the vast majority of the protestors were simply look-ing for a constitutional monarchy and an elected government.

“They wanted a shift in the balance of power so all decisions weren’t centred on the Al Khalifa family, so for instance the King could not simply elect the Prime Minister,” she said. “But given the escala-tion in violence and the fact that some protestors may have been killed by external forces, they were demanding more than they may have originally bar-gained for.

liBYan anti-GovErnmEnt ProtEstsprotesters chant slogans and wave the revolution flag in tobruk, libya, on march 18, 2011.

outlookayesha sabawala feels

the necessary time

should be afforded to

any political system to

allow legal parties to

fully participate in

parliamentary and presi-

dential elections. in

tunisia, ben ali sup-

pressed any opposition,

so now time is needed to

license new political par-

ties, rewrite the

constitution, and give

these parties an opportu-

nity to form their policies

and talk to their con-

stituents. unfortunately

this means that some of

the primary reasons for

protests – the economy,

unemployment, and food-

prices – are pushed to one

side. it may be a long time

before protestors see

any change, so this will

lead to disillusionment

and a possible counter-

revolution.


QT-April.indd 44 3/28/11 5:58:29 PM


Regarding what the Tunisian youth are doing at this stage, she said: “Many young people are creating civil society associations and are pressing on the govern-ment either on the ground or through the Internet.”

Buthaina Kazim of UAE, a blogger, said, “My con-cern now is to activate the role of civil society, the new media and the role of young people. We also sup-port Arab revolutions through online social network-ing. We in the UAE do not need a revolution, but we have some demands for reform, such as strengthen-ing our democracy through elections of the National Council.”

Former President of Brazil shares his country’s experience in Qatar.Former Brazilian President Lula da Silva, attended the forum, and stressed that peoples’ democratic as-pirations will always prevail. “Democracy is not just talk; it is a very difficult construction that demands the participation of all,” he argued.

He continued to say that the changes in the Arab re-gion can be understood in the context of the world’s need for more freedom and equality in development, and that the world is going towards new global governance.

Da Silva urged the countries of the region not to consider their detractors as enemies, but as an expression of the as-pirations of its citizens, and he described what was happening as an “exceptional moment”.

Da Silva mentioned Bra-zil and other Latin American countries as an example of where people were able – after great sacrifices – to establish democratic regimes that could in turn stimulate eco-nomic and social development. “The Brazilian model can help the Arab world,” he continued.

He called for reform of international institutions so as to establish a global system that’s not controlled by just a single state.

Turkish Foreign Minister calls for construction Turkish Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, when speaking about the conditions for building demo-cratic regimes in the Arab world said, “It is time for change and the formation of a regional regime and another one that’s global. Both should be based on co-operation and the promotion of human values such as justice, dignity, respect for the will of the people and equal development.”

“There is an urgent need for change, and this on-going spontaneous movement is a genuine historical expression, albeit a little late,” he added

He stressed the time had come for political re-

construction in the region and called on the exist-ing regimes to understand the logic of change and to embrace it. Warning about the risks surrounding the ongoing transformation in Libya and Yemen, and the fear of division, he maintained: “The transition pro-cess should be led by forces representing the will of the people without outside interference; it should be done without violence and in a way that ensures the survival of state institutions.”

The Turkish Foreign Minister stated that the re-gion has all the elements of economic, social and political power to become a stable, international and cultural hub.

He said that there has to be more political and in-tellectual dialogue to formulate a common vision that allows the region to move to that kind of situation, but it requires a new economic and cultural system.

Davutoglu said that the region can contribute to a new economic world order, provided that the youth

contribute significantly in transition.

Winds of changeThe President of the Tuni-sian Conference for the Re-public, Moncef Al-Marzouki, expressed his confidence that the ongoing transformations would lead to the birth of the real citizens and promote the concept of an Arab nation.

“This revolution by the pub-lic - in the Arab region - will give birth to a nation where the people will unite, and the Arab Union is approaching day by day,” he added.

Dr Heinrich Krift, Special Representative for Dialogue among Civilizations at the Federal Foreign Office of Ger-

many pointed out that “it’s a big step forward to cre-ate a new future, and we in Europe are very interested in what is happening and hope it gives a dynamic boost to the economy of the Arab world. We are very interested in change and economic development for more partnerships and economic ties between us and the Arab world.”

Differences among the Arab tsunami waves The revolution model in Tunisia and Egypt may not apply to all the Arab countries. In Jordan there is a near consensus among all political forces – and peo-ple from various walks of life – to achieve the theme of “reform” and the fight against corruption and tyr-anny. There is a call for deep constitutional amend-ments to achieve the principle of people power and to have a constitutional monarchy that owns but doesn’t govern. This is required in Jordan and there will be a big movement towards the achievement of these de-mands, according to Al-Kefahi.

“there Are severAl concerns regArding the tunisiAn revolu-

tion being overtAken by the remnAnts of the former regime

And some pArties politicAl in Addition to the islAmic move-

ment.” “We could protest for tWo yeArs here, but Without videos no one Would tAke Any notice of us”.

rochdi horchani

relative of bouazizi

c o v e r s t o r yc r y f r e e d o m(contd from pg 39)

QT-April.indd 45 3/28/11 5:58:29 PM


Concerns and risks that may threaten the revolution Regarding the risks that threaten the revolution, the Arab thinker, writer and editor of Al Quds newspa-per, Abdel Bari Atwan, said “The concerns are in the counter-revolution from the remnants of previous regimes; the West’s attempts to contain these revo-lutions and take advantage of the element of time to control them.”

He said the military inter-vention against Libya is van-dalism, an abortion of the Lib-yan Revolution and a cause of frustration for revolutions in other countries. The greatest risk for these revolutions is foreign intervention, so the Arab states should support these revolutions internally with money, weapons and volunteers if possible.

Regarding the future of these revolutions and its protection, Atwan said that economic factors play an important role. We need an Arab, not just Gulf “Marshall Plan” as happened with Oman and Bahrain. The Gulf States should allocate funds for the Arab States to be able to stand up and attain economic recovery.

Atwan also called on the Arab immigrant compe-tencies and experiences in the West to return to their countries to contribute to reconstruction and develop-ment. “We should stay away from political ideologies, adopt a liberal unionist approach and focus on justice, the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary,” he said.

Al-Marzouki said that “there are still remnants of

the former Tunisian dictatorial regime and there is no political security yet. We know for every revolution there is a counter-revolution, so we have to continue the momentum and pressure to achieve all of our ob-jectives, such as what happened with the previous governments and the removal of Prime Minister Mo-hamed Al- Ghannouchi.”

He also described the position of the West – and France in particular – regarding the revolution in Tu-

nisia as “a negative attitude”. For the success of the revo-

lution in Tunisia, Al-Marzouki called Europe and the West to postpone debt repayments for a specific period until the Tuni-sian economy recovers, in addi-tion to repatriation of the Tuni-sian monies frozen in Western banks boost their economy.

Dr Mustafa Barghouti, Sec-retary-General of the Palestin-ian Initiative, speaking to Qatar Today, said “The Arab Revolt is still in its infancy and there are revolutions that have not yet succeeded, such as Yemen and Libya. The most impor-tant thing is the imposition and consolidation of democracy as a political system, because the revolution can only be pro-

tected by democracy, and there is always the fear of counter-revolution.”

Jordanian politician, Mustafa Hamarneh, thinks that the constant pressure of the Arab peoples on the political elite, like what is happening in Tunisia and Egypt, might be a guarantee to move to the desired sit-uation. He stressed that the success of the revolution in Egypt would place a lot of pressure on existing Arab dictatorships.

“We should stAy AWAy from politicAl ideologies, Adopt A

liberAl unionist ApproAch And focus on Justice, the rule of lAW And the independence of

the JudiciAry,”

economist intelligence

unit

“tunisiA hAs enJoyed About 5%

groWth over the lAst five yeArs

– Which is very good – but the

groWth WAs not spreAd evenly. the

regions closest to europe thrived,

While the south And West Were left to

lAnguish”

ayeSha Sabawala

uae, oman and tunisia deputy

editor, economist intelligence unit


rEvolution daYopposition forces gather to publically call for the resignation of hosni mubarak

QT-April.indd 46 3/28/11 5:58:44 PM

QT-April.indd 47 3/28/11 5:58:47 PM


b o t t o m l i n e

true stories are examples of problems that occur each day in far too many organisations, creating hidden costs and draining profitability in ways most companies don’t even recognise. That’s because these threats to efficiency, responsiveness, and growth aren’t from exter-nal sources – they are problems companies create for themselves. They are barriers: internally built, locally maintained, and pro-foundly harmful.

Often, policies and practices that become barriers are created with the best of intentions: to protect a particular individual’s or group’s ability to meet a goal or objective. The policy or practice makes sense at the time to the person who puts it in place. However, when meet-ing local needs conflicts with the needs of the organisation – or when checking off a box becomes more important than achieving strategic goals – barriers are born.

These

Overcoming Barriers to Successwhat creates them? anD how can your organisation knock them Down?

it ’s the end of the yeAr. A mAnAger commissions A proJect thAt is completely unnecessAry Just so he doesn’t lose Any of his budget next yeAr – even though Another depArtment desperAtely needs those funds. A consumer products compAny is behind schedule With its next production bAtch. the production mAnAger Will be penAlised if she cAn’t get the product releAsed to mArket on time. but the QuAlity AssurAnce mAnAger Won’t releAse the test results until the production memo, Although fine As it WAs originAlly Written, is put in A style thAt is closer to her WAy of Writing – cAusing A tWo-dAy delAy.

QT-April.indd 48 3/28/11 5:58:51 PM


b o t t o m l i n e

chEck outwww.omsqatar.com

copyright the gallup organisation, princeton,nJ. all rights reserved. reprinted with permission.

visit the gallup management Journal at gmj.gaLLup.com

by tonY rutiGlianotom rieger is a senior practice expert for gallup. his

book breaking the fear barrier will be published this year by gallup press.

Barrier bustingAn organisation can start eradicating its barriers and improving its performance by conducting an objective analysis of the root cause, manifestation, and impact of barriers, then prioritising them based on their influence and how difficult they will be to remove. Though barriers can seem insurmountable, it’s important to remember that because they were created internally, they can be knocked down in-ternally. The need that led to the barrier may have been legitimate, but there might be a better way to meet the need without creating

collateral damage. So how do you successfully remove barriers in your organisation? Barrier-busting activities include conducting an audit of rules and practices to find those that are blocking success rather than protecting the organisation, or restructuring perfor-mance management systems to better align outcomes with goals.

Removing barriers could require finding a better balance be-tween empowerment and accountability or setting more interde-partmental goals and joint accountabilities.

Solutions for barrier removal vary greatly from organisation to

fear, especially

fear of loss, can

lead managers to

fiercely protect

their ability to meet

their goals or to

impose overly strin-

gent control on

people they manage.

fear can create

silos, cumbersome

bureaucratic prac-

tices, and walls be-

tween groups, and

it can cause a local

process to trump

overall success.

there are two types of

information flow bar-

riers: transmission and

assimilation. transmis-

sion barriers arise when

information that one

group needs is blocked

by another group or is

simply inaccessible. as-

similation barriers result

from the opposite prob-

lem: too much informa-

tion and not enough time

or resources to process

it, handle conflicts, or

understand different

interpretations.

barriers due to misalignment

come in three types. align-

ment to mission barriers exist

when there is no clear link

between why a person Joined

an organisation and what

he actually does; they also

flourish when there is a gen-

eral lack of inspiration or

strategy. misalignment barri-

ers can also build between

a manager and her staff

members if the manager’s

evaluation protocol is sub-

Jective and doesn’t relate to

her employees’ performance

results.

money barriers can be

personal or depart-

mental. personal

money barriers result

from manipulation

of a bonus system,

for example, or self-

aggrandisement at

the expense of others.

departmental money

barriers generally

stem from protecting

budget, headcount, or

decision rights even

when the organisation

desperately needs to

make changes.

f e A r i n f o r m At i o n f l o W m o n e y

short-term thinking barriers

are either “sins of omission”

or “sins of commission.” a sin

of omission occurs when

a decision is made without

consulting those who must

live with the consequences

or when a decision is made

in haste. one example is not

allowing anyone to use

overnight shipping because

one person overused it. sins

of commission, on the other

hand, occur when longer

term concerns are known

but ignored or rationalised

away.

s h o r t-t e r m t h i n k i n g misAlignment

bArrier buildingin studying this phenomenon Across multiple industries, And orgAnisAtionAl levels, gAllup found thAt bArriers result from five cAuses: feAr, informAtion floW, short-term thinking, misAlignment, And money.

a customer

service center

changed its

national ranking

from worst to

first.

in a retail bank, divisions

that tore down barriers saw

improvements in key metrics

that far exceeded gains that

other parts of the network

experienced.

a hospital chain had sharp

increases in employee

engagement compared to

facilities that did not par-

ticipate in barrier removal

work.

a financial ser-

vices firm realised

a 10% reduction in

turnover.

a nutritional company

achieved a boost in

sales conversions of

nearly 10%.

1 2 3 54

organisation depending on the specific barriers. If barrier removal is done properly though, the benefits to the organisation can be dramatic. Here are some examples of significant successes that re-sulted from barrier removal:

Removing barriers takes courage. It takes a strong commitment from the top, but it also requires commitment and participation

from employees across all levels of the organisation. Barrier remov-al may cause some short-term pain. But in time, it makes organisa-tions run faster and better, putting them ahead of the competition. The effort and cost of barrier busting can be regained many times over when the walls are finally torn down. And that’s not just a sig-nal of success, that’s a genuine triumph

QT-April.indd 49 3/28/11 5:58:52 PM


b o t t o m l i n e

Performance Appraisals:

Make Yours Glow

BelOw Are A few TiPS TO MAke PerfOrMAnce review GlOw.

it ’s thAt dreAded time of the yeAr AgAin. the rumour mill hAs it thAt those much-mAligned AnnuAl perfor-mAnce revieWs Are AlreAdy in the process of being churned by the hr depArtments And thAt this yeAr they Are even more rigorous And detAiled thAn lAst yeAr. the sudden silence from the hr QuArters Would seem to confirm this. no Wonder the Whole orgAnisAtion is suddenly in A flurry of obseQuious Activity As eAch employee Attempts to put some lAst-minute boss broWn-nosing under their belt. so hoW do you minimise the performAnce ApprAisAl Jitters And substitute them for A performAnce revieW thAt gloWs And glitters?

01mAke sure you Are very cleAr About yourJob description And the goAls And tArgetsexpected of you:

Your performance appraisal will be directly based on these param-eters, so if you have any lingering doubts about them or feel there is any ambiguity, seek a written description of your roles and respon-sibilities and clarify your targets immediately.

02 don’t let the feedbAck At the AnnuAlperformAnce ApprAisAl tAke you by surprise:

Make it a point to solicit feedback from your direct manager regu-larly throughout the course of the year. Invite him/her for a cup of coffee or a lunch at frequent intervals and tell him/her you would like to take this as an opportunity to enquire as to how you’re doing at the firm, whether your boss is happy with your performance and how you can improve your performance even further.

03come to the ApprAisAl prepAred With A list of All your Accomplishments And Achievements over the yeAr:

Come to the appraisal prepared with a list of all your accomplish-ments and achievements over the year: Try to be as factual as possi-ble expressing achievements in terms of money, time and resources you’ve saved, targets you’ve met or exceeded, deadlines you’ve met

QT-April.indd 50 3/28/11 5:58:57 PM

QT-April.indd 51 3/28/11 5:58:58 PM


b o t t o m l i n e

ahead of time, new skills you have acquired, products/processes/procedures you’ve introduced, innovations you have been respon-sible for, clients you have won for the firm, colleagues you have trained and mentored etc. That way if your employer has missed any or if his appraisal is not in sync with your actual contributions to the firm you can interject with factual evidence of your contribu-tions.

04remember, AnnuAl performAnce ApprAisAls Are often As uncomfortAble for your mAnAger As they Are for you:

This is especially true if your boss has a large number of direct re-ports and has to complete the paperwork and rigorous analysis and suffer the difficult confrontation for each and every one of them. Be prepared to take the lead and spare your boss the burden by offer-ing to give your own objective appraisal of your performance for the period, making sure to support your every category appraisal with clear quantifiable evidence.

05 ink AheAd of your goAls, obJectives And tArgets for the next yeAr:

Now is the time to mention what you wish to achieve at the firm in terms of career progression as well as any resources you need to better meet your objectives.

06 plAn for the trAining And development needs thAt Will help you Achieve your cAreer goAls:

Be proactive in designing a training/ skills development programme for the next 12 months complete with details on how/where you can receive this training whether through a job rotation, in-house of-fered workshops, external conferences and seminars, enrollment in a part-time university programme etc. When you present this, make sure to be specific about where/how you intend to source the neces-sary training, the costs of these courses, how you will manage your workload during your training modules and how this training will positively impact the company’s bottom line. Sell the importance of your personal development to the company and be prepared with solutions for any obstacles your supervisor may think of including how to manage your workload while away on training, and the wis-dom, price-efficiency and time-efficiency of choosing certain cours-es/training programmes over others.

Remember a performance appraisal is intended to be an open fo-rum for honest communication between you and your direct man-ager where thoughts, ideas, feedback and plans can be shared with candour and professionalism. Seek to participate actively and keep in mind that the end goal is to develop you as a professional and to ensure that your strengths are being rewarded and optimally chan-nelled, your aspirations are understood and aligned with the organ-isation’s, and your weaknesses addressed and solutions found

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QT-April.indd 52 3/28/11 5:59:12 PM

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QT-April.indd 53 3/28/11 5:59:14 PM


t A g t h i s

n 2008, when the country’s National Vision for 2030 was launched, a development plan for the next two decades was simultaneously charted out. It foresaw the country transform into a knowledge-based econ-omy, and hence cemented human capital develop-ment especially in science and technology, as one of

its four pillars. Prior to the launch of the National Vision, Qa-

tar Foundation (QF), chaired by Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned, was al-ready on a mission to turn Qatar into a leader in in-novative education and research. In 2006, it estab-lished the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) as a member, to further support research through funding and collaborations. “Since then there has been a dramatic evolution of local research institu-tions into a major regional force within the global sphere of research,” says Dr Abdul Sattar Al-Taie, Executive Director, QNRF.

Qatar’s research strategyFor a strong global presence, QNRF emphasises a strategy built on complementing Qatar-based re-search efforts with expertise from abroad to build networks that provide home grown solutions for the

IAccording to QAtAr nAtionAl vision 2030, QAtAr Aspires to trAnsform into A knoWledge-bAsed economy With science And technology being the heArt of this trAnsformAtion.

rEsEArchIng thE futurE...

b y c a s s e y O l i v e i r a

QT-April.indd 54 3/28/11 5:59:14 PM


t A g t h i s

ExPandinG araBic wikiPEdiabehrang mohit, ph.d.

“Arabic is one of the top 10 spoken lan-guages, yet the number and length of Ara-bic articles is not in the top 20 languages of Wikipedia,” Mohit says.

Mohit is working on a translation tech-nology that translates Wikipedia articles from English to Arabic and automatically locates the good quality translations that can be used by Arabic Wikipedia authors.

Why Wikipedia? Though the authenticity of the site’s content is subject to debate, ac-cording to Mohit, it serves as a testing ground for a wider web-content. “I chose Wikipedia for its richness of content, diversity of topics and authors. Moreover, its widespread com-munity of authors and writing styles lend to its unique characteristics.”

Why the Arabic content is dwindling online is yet another interesting question to research. Mohit cites limited internet access as a major reason. “A big part of the Arab world belongs to developing coun-tries, which are fairly undeveloped in terms of internet and computing access. As a re-sult a large group of the Arab population cannot contribute to the digital and online contents.” Mohit hopes that with his proj-ect, Arabic authors would be motivated to expand Arabic content on the web.

3-d maPPinG usinG roBotspeter hansen, ph.d.

Talk about 3-D mapping, and GPS comes to mind. But GPS can be unreliable at times says Peter Hansen who plans on developing 3-D maps using robots. Also called Simulta-neous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM), this technology allows a robot fitted with a camera to automatically generate a 3-D map of its surroundings. “GPS can be un-reliable near large structures such as LNG processing plants, and in some cases it may not be possible to even obtain a GPS signal. A GPS fitted to a robot would also be un-able to ‘see’ the robot’s surroundings for it to build/update a map of its surroundings. In contrast, a visual SLAM system fitted to a mobile robot could be used to simultane-ously localise the robot and build/update a map.”

Hansen’s project will further explore how information from different cameras can be combined into a single visual SLAM system. “These maps will be used to fa-cilitate automated corrosion detection of LNG processing facilities by monitoring structural changes over time,” he says. The project is part of a large research effort at CMUQ to develop SLAM systems that could be used with robots operating in the oil and gas industries in Qatar.

sEcurinG wEB aPPlicationsthierry sans, ph.d.

Internet security affects almost all of us on a daily basis. Sans intends to provide a so-lution through his type-safe programming web language project called Qwesst.

“Attackers are very interested in stealing valuable personal information such as your passwords and credit card numbers. The more they know about you, the more they will be able to abuse your trust and take ad-vantage of you,” cautions Sans.

With Qwesst, Sans is devising a safe pro-gramming language for programmers to ensure internet security. “Threat comes from unsafe programming practices. Pro-grammers do not use good tools while writ-ing applications. This is due to a lack of understanding about what security is and what the good security practices are. I want to raise awareness about security issues and explain the people how to be safer on the internet, especially non technical peo-ple and the very young ones,” he says.

Sans’s project is still at a latent stage to be made available to the community. “But if the idea clicks, the community too will contribute to its growth,” he says.

proJects With An impActqatar today reviews three proJects from carnegie mellon university qatar

(cmuq) that recently received grants worth qr365,000 per year from qnrf.

sharP minds (l-r): cmuq phd students, behrang mohit, thierry sans and peter hansen

rEsEArchIng thE futurE...

country and beyond. “We are also moving towards self-financ-

ing via commercial ventures with global partners in order to support industries that may be lacking in Qatar and in the region. These initiatives include Qatar Science Leadership Programme and Sidra Medical and Research Centre,” says Dr Al-Taie. In addition, the Fund will soon launch the Dis-tinguished Fellowship Programme which aims to connect Qatar to the international research community, raise its visibility, and offer additional mentors to its students.

“However our primary focus is to fund re-search of national interest and importance i.e. in healthcare, environment, energy and technology,” he says. Though these sec-tors are of high importance for the region specifically, its benefits is aimed at a global audience. “We want to establish a regional hub that can benefit the global commu-nity.” Three new research institutes have been established by QF in collaboration with stakeholders to address the needs of the country – Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Qatar Environmental and Energy

QT-April.indd 55 3/28/11 5:59:16 PM


t A g t h i s

Research Institute and Qatar Computing Research Institute.

QNRF also ensures that every project it funds emerges successful. This is achieved through a stringent and comprehensive assessment process. “Strict criteria and regular checks ensure that only serious research funding requests reach the final approval stage with commitment from both parties,” says Dr Al-Taie. QNRF re-cently launched a joint project with Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) to identify those research projects that have practical applications and assisting the research teams in the utilisation of their innovations. Future plansTo expand the countryís booming research culture, the organisation plans on tuning young minds towards a more research-centric environment. It does so by intro-ducing research courses at an early level in secondary schools. In 2010, QNRF in association with the Supreme Educa-tion Council had launched the Secondary School Research Experience Program.

“This programme aims to engage all stu-

dents (Qatari and non-Qatari) in all sec-ondary schools in Qatar (independent and private) to gain their initial experience in implementing a modest research project to enhance their capabilities to carry out further university research projects,” says Dr Al-Taie.

“If successful, we will take it to interme-diate and then primary schools. This will be in line with the vision of HH Sheikha Mozah to introduce research culture at all the K-12 levels.”

Dr Al-Taie stresses that investing in re-search today will produce a better tomor-row. “It will lead to a substantial flow of domestic technological advances, encour-aging creativity and nurturing entrepre-neurial spirit in Qatar’s scientists and en-gineers who would later develop their own commercial and academic opportunities. The country will gradually see the dawn of new, non-hydrocarbon based industries leading to a natural economic expansion.”

As for 2030, he says “Qatar will have es-tablished its global presence for research and development and emerge as an ad-vanced and diversified economy, driven by a well-educated workforce ”

dr aBdul sattar al-taiE, executive director, qnrf.

Q A t A r ’ s r e s e A r C h f i G u r e s :

t h e G o v e r n m e n t A l l o C A t e s

2.8% o f t h e G d p f o r G o v e r n m e n t- f u n d e d

r e s e A r C h w h i C h s u m s u p t o

Qr13 ( $ 3 . 5 ) b i l l i o n A n n u A l ly.

i n 2 0 1 0 , Q n r f A w A r d e d G r A n t s o f A t o t A l

Qr414 ( $ 1 1 4 ) m i l l i o n t o m o r e t h A n 1 2 6 p r o j e C t s

i n v o lv i n G 1 4 i n s t i t u t i o n s w i t h i n Q A t A r t h A t C o l l A b o r A t e d w i t h 3 7 3 o t h e r i n s t i t u t i o n s f r o m

m o r e t h A n

49 C o u n t r i e s .

Q s t p w A s l A u n C h e d i n 2 0 0 4 A s A

Qr2,384 ( $ 6 5 5 ) m i l l i o n s t A t e - o f -t h e - A r t fA C i l i t y ,

h o m e t o s e v e r A l i n t e r n A t i o n A l t e C h n o l o G y-b A s e d C o m p A n i e s ( e x x o n m o b i l , s h e l l ,

C i s C o , v o d A f o n e , v i r G i n h e A lt h b A n k , e t C ) . b y p r o v i d i n G p r e m i s e s A n d s e r v i C e s , i t s

p r o G r A m m e s A i m s t o b r i n G r e s e A r C h A n d b u s i n e s s t o G e t h e r f o r d e v e l o p i n G Q A t A r ’ s

k n o w l e d G e - b A s e d e C o n o m y.

s i d r A m e d i C A l A n d r e s e A r C h C e n t r e , t o b e o p e n i n 2 0 1 2 , w A s G i v e n

A n e n d o w m e n t o f

Qr29 ( $ 8 ) b i l l i o n f r o m Q f. i t w i l l b e A C u t t i n G - e d G e r e s e A r C h fA C i l i t y ,

A s w e l l A s A C l i n i C A l C A r e p r o v i d e r A n d t e A C h i n G h o s p i t A l .

QT-April.indd 56 3/28/11 5:59:18 PM

QT-April.indd 57 3/28/11 5:59:18 PM


t A g t h i s

espite the fact that water forms 70% of the planet, it is surprising to know that water scarcity is a ma-jor global problem that directly affects the lives of people. Where on the one hand the rate of water consumption is growing twice as fast as the popula-tion, but on the other, natural resources are declining drastically.

A loomIng crIsIs

b y P r a g a t i s H U k l a

dkahramaa, in line with national vision 2030 strives to achieve sustainability in the electricity & water sector to promote Development at all levels.

QT-April.indd 58 3/28/11 5:59:19 PM


t A g t h i s

b y P r a g a t i s H U k l a

atar is researching to diversify its energy supplies within a low-carbon economy or the use of renewable sources of energy. For

this purpose, Qatar is exploring many initiatives to diversify its energy sup-ply such as nuclear and solar power options. In 2009, it announced plans to launch a preliminary study into the viability of developing a nuclear power facility in the country. The study will look for an appropriate site and assess potential to link the plant to the grid. Qatar has signed two MOU’s with Are-va France in 2009 and Russian Nuclear Authority in 2010 during the HH Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani’s official visit to Russia. The two MOU’s aim to provide assistance to Qatar for building its national strategy on the peaceful use of nuclear power. Many projects in Qatar are ongoing that will establish the backbone of renewable energy and serve as a vehicle in Qatar’s surge to diversify its economy based on the Qatar National Vision 2030 which called for economic diversification, sustainability, environment protec-tion, and building a modern state. For example Qatar Foundation announced a joint venture with German company Solar World, to produce poly-silicon; the main ingredient in solar panels, at a QR1,845 ($500) million plant in northern Qatar. In 2010, Kahramaa commissioned an international com-pany to carry out a feasibility study for what would be Qatar’s first solar-pow-ered desalination plants. The company has been asked to look at establishing several plants. “We suggested using parabolic trough solar technology and multi-effect distillation, though the international company will make its own recommendation on which tech-nology to use and where to situate the plants,” says Al-Kuwari.

QnucleAr & solAr poWer

Essa hilal al-kuwari, president of kahramaa

2005

50

100

150

200

02006 2007 2008 2009

cu

Bic

mE

tr

Es

WAter consumption in QAtAr2009 stAtistics

YEars

Who is to be blamed? Who is to take responsibility?We have to ‘save it to the last’ says Essa Hilal Al-Kuwari, President of Kahramaa (the sole owner and operator of the elec-tricity and water sector in Qatar).

The UN ‘Water for Life’ Report shows that around one-fifth of the world’s popula-tion is already living under the physical scar-city and around 500 million people are ap-proaching the situation while the other one quarter of the world’s population is living in economic scarcity (where the countries lack the basic infrastructure to desalinate the water to make it potable for human life).

QT-April.indd 59 3/28/11 5:59:21 PM


The situation is shocking in the Gulf re-gion where five % of the world’s population resides with less than one percent of global water resources available.

Experts stress that water supply in most Arab countries is in a ‘continuous decline’ and the region will suffer a severe scarcity in a decade and a half.

Qatar’s situation is as dire. In the absence of permanent surface water, irrigation is de-pendent totally on groundwater. The Qatar aquifers are also expected to deplete in the next 20 to 30 years as per the current rate of groundwater withdrawal.

As the situation exacerbates, the ques-tions that arise are: Would Qatar be able to preserve the civil amenities for the coming generations considering the increase in population, growing demands of water and electricity, and the pace of development in various economic and industrial sectors in the country? And will these amenities be safe and sustainable?

Qatar is a budding nation which has wit-nessed rapid growth in recent years, and after the successful World Cup 2022 bid, the nation is looking forward to building many grand projects that would also attract many game lovers from around the world. This may call for a sudden increase in the exploitation of water resources and consid-ering that not many resources are available it might lead to an emergency situation. So, how does Kahramaa plan to curb this situ-ation and take precautionary measures so that no such problem arises?

“Kahramaa, in line with National Vision 2030 strives to achieve sustainability in the Electricity & Water sector to promote de-velopment at all levels. This is done through continuous upgradation and expansion of Electricity & Water network projects,” says Al-Kuwari.

“Our key priority for the coming years is completing Kahramaa capital projects awarded in the previous years, and contin-ue the development and expansion of Qatar electricity and water networks to meet the unprecedented demand growth witnessed in all sectors.

“The coming years will be very chal-lenging for us and for potential qualified contractors and manufacturers as the ex-pansion plan for electricity and water in-frastructure continues, including Phase 10 of Electricity Network Expansion Project, which is under tendering. Other projects such as AMI (Advanced Metreing Infra-structure) and the New Integrated Electric-ity and Water Emergency Call Centre are in the pipeline. Billions of Qatari Riyals are

allocated to start the 7-Day Strategic Water Stock within Kahramaa network system and other water network expansions and replacement projects,” he added.

Water ProjectsQatar faces limited and declining resources of fresh water. Desalination is the main source of getting potable water in Qatar and is con-sidered the main response to water scarcity in the country. Qatar, which is among the world’s top ten desalinating countries, relies heavily on the desalinated water for its fresh water supply in order to meet growing water demands in agriculture (72%) and domes-tic sectors (23%) which are also the main consumers of fresh water.

Having the longest-standing desalination programmes in the Middle East, Qatar has many desalination projects in the pipeline.

Kahramaa which works constantly to improve the utilities infrastructure within Qatar has already completed Water Trans-mission Pipeline to Ras Girtas (Laffan C) project which have a capacity of 2,730 MW of power generation and 63 MIGD of water, an increase from the earlier envisaged 2,600 megawatts (MW) of power generation and 55 MIGD (Million Imperial Gallons per day) of water. The company is also upgrading water RPS stations while water distribution in North Doha and South Doha has been completed successfully. Twelve MIG Reser-voirs have been added to the Water Network thereby increasing the Network storage capacity by four percent, and adding 1161 new customers to it.

Water safetyBut, as important as quantity is quality - with pollution increasing in some areas, the amount of potable water declines. What is

Kahramaa doing to provide its users with safe and healthy drinking water?

“Kahramaa follows the UN Standards for water quality. Trained experts are following up with the latest technology in the com-pany’s water lab. The observance of HSE – local and international – standards is placed at the core of Kahramaa strategic objectives, so Kahramaa distributes potable drinking water in compliance with HSE and WHO standards. Kahramaa water is the safest to drink with 100% excellent water quality assurance.

Water concernsWater and electricity are considered a basic necessity for citizens and therefore is provided free of cost. But as Qatar is located in a very dry, hot zone, and poor in natural resources. except oil and gas, it is a major concern for Kahramaa to encourage custom-ers to rationalise their electricity and water consumption.

According to the 2009 statistics, the average consumption per capita for electric-ity has been decreased by 2.5% while country population was increased by an average of 16.5% (population in 2005 was 888,452 per-sons and reached 1,631,728 persons in 2009), while water consumption per capita reached an average of 139.2 cubic metres p.a. in the last 5 years (145 cubic metres in 2005, 142 cubic metremetres in 2006, 135 cubic metres in 2007, 132 cubic metres in 2008, and 142 cubic metres in 2009).

The company also undertakes various con-servation campaigns as part of its education and awareness strategy developed in-house and launched annually. Through the cam-paign the company tries to educate customers concerning best practices to assist in reducing consumption and saving water and energy

t A g t h i s

Qatar continually sup-ports regional capital project initiatives. GCC electricity interconnec-tion grid has a potential to

increase the diversification of the Qatari economy and the ability to compete in a very demanding market.

Qatar now boasts of having the largest electricity reserves in the GCC with con-tracted electricity production capacity currently at 7,643 MW, increasing to 8,761 MW in 2011. Even after taking into con-sideration the population and economy

growth rates, the country is able to share the surplus capacity through the GCC In-terconnection Power Grid and maintain a leadership position in electricity trade. This year, the power was to Bahrain and earlier to Kuwait and the nation is ready to supply other GCC countries connected to the regional grid.

Additionally Qatar is looking forward to enlarging the electricity interconnec-tion grid among other Arab countries which will open a new path for electricity trade and consolidate the economy of our region.

Qgcc electric grid netWork

QT-April.indd 60 3/28/11 5:59:25 PM

QT-April.indd 61 3/28/11 5:59:31 PM


t A g t h i s

he last conversation with your boss on adoption of Social Media may have left you stranded and you may be wondering how to convince him/her. You may con-clude that the person is rigid and not open to new ideas. A close minded person is dif-ficult to convince and it requires a strong will to change one’s thought process. Ac-

cording to marketing guru Seth Godin, “A closed-minded worldview doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it means that you are sell-ing yourself and your colleagues and your community short.”

Your boss is not stupid, probably ig-norant. One of the best ways to change perceptions and open a closed mind is to

present data in an appealing manner. The adoption of Social Media in the

Middle East for commercial purpose has been encouraging. However, it is still well short of its potential. Senior management is still puzzled by the question – “Why the company should explore the Social Media route to reach their customers?”

Boss, wE nEEd to ‘socIAl’IsE...when you go online try searching “your company name + baD experience”, you woulD be surpriseD at the results.

tQT-April.indd 62 3/28/11 5:59:33 PM


t A g t h i s

Instant ResponseSocial Media not only gives you customer feedback online, but gives you the opportunity to respond back to your customer online. Many companies in Qatar like Qtel, Virgin Mobile give instant response to customer queries on a social network like Twitter. Customers are keen to interact with their brands online. A study conducted on MENA Twitter habits by Spot-On PR in Feb 2010 gave the following results: -

Here is an opportunity for many of you to sell these stats to your boss which would help you build a case to monetize the investment in online media.

kapil bhatia is an e-business executive, working in the financial services industry. his work ranges across digital marketing, e-channels and development of online

strategies, with a sound information technology base. he will be writing a regular technology column for qatar today.

he is an avid blogger @ http://iwep.blogspot.com.

BY kaPil Bhatia

follow

twitter@kapilkb

50% of those surveyed

had purchased a prod-

uct or service as a

result of twitter

88% of twitter users

recommend products /

services

65% of respondents were

interested in receiving

special offers & coupons

from brands on twitter

5 0 % 8 0 % 6 5 %

here Are some tips thAt could help you to sell sociAl mediA to your senior mAnAgement:

BloGs:

over 5 million blogs Are trAcked by technorAti, the “bible” of blogs With 600,000 being corporAte blogs (technorAti)

Show Them Facts and Figures A survey conducted on Media consumption and habits of MENA Internet users in 2010 by Spot On PR firm based in Dubai showed:

Social Networking is the second most popular activity carried out by Inter-net users after email.

32% of all Middle East & North Africa Internet users surveyed, bought prod-ucts or services online

Spot On PR has reported that the MENA Population on Facebook has reached 17.3 million as of August 2010.According to InsideFacebook.com, a lead-ing source of news and analysis on Face-book, the Arabic language version of Face-book was the fastest growing language as of August 2010.

Keeping up with the CompetitionThe hype of Social media would have caught your boss’s attention and there is a possibility that he/she may have seen some social media work at other corporations.

This means your boss is likely to be in a po-sition to have a conversation on commercial aspects of social media. You just need to de-velop an online strategy that fits the organi-sation’s business objectives. Your boss might just be looking for someone to take the lead. A survey conducted by IQPC in 2010 showed that 80% of corporate executives consider Social Media an important aspect of the on-line communication strategies.

Customer Feedback OnlineEvery year companies spend millions on customer service surveys. This helps the executives to get an insight on what their customer is thinking.

When you go online try searching “your company name + bad experience”, you would be surprised at the results. Unfor-tunately, this freely available data online is overlooked by companies. ICICI bank is known to monitor 3000 to 5000 tweets per day via its Twitter handler @icici_care. The bank also monitors online conversations on Facebook, Blogs and other social mediums, to help quell rumours. Listening to your customers creates strong relationships and helps you develop the right products. This would eventually lead to monetisation.

One step at a time If your boss is partially convinced and asks you to give him a lead, start with maintain-ing an online blog. It is not that difficult to move some corporate offline content online. Recommend a person who has the passion for writing and can update the blog on a regular basis.

a fEw morE rEasons: -

Use seO (search engine OptimisatiOn)

and sOcial media – get your website

among the top 10 searched items on

google, which leads to more traffic

and visibility of your brand.

repUtatiOn management – customers

are discussing your brand online,

whether you like to listen or not.

cUstOmer service – twitter, facebook

and various other social networks

are becoming prime source of direct

interaction with customers.

according to the internetworldstats.

com the middle east has 63 million in-

ternet users. so, if Just 50% of those

are affected by brand recommenda-

tions online, that’s 32 .5 million people

who are reachable through online

mode of communication.

internet is here to stay and grow

big; however, it’s your choice to ride

the wave or stay onshore to make a

difference.

QT-April.indd 63 3/28/11 5:59:34 PM

bdullah Abdulghani & Bros. Company, the leading au-tomobile distributor joined hands with the Traffic De-partment to sponsor the

‘Al Qal’ah traffic Campaign’ as part of their CSR activities. The campaign aims at edu-cating the public by providing first-hand knowledge of traffic rules and regulations

that will help them to be more cautious in driving. In this noble effort, displays will be set up at various locations in the coun-try that will educate and urge the people on safe driving.

The company believes that creating awareness on this issue can help bring down the incidences of accidents, saving precious human lives.

sAfety first for AAb

A

Am

QAtAr’s World cup rivAlsbrAkingneWs 88

lfardan Automobiles launched the exclusive BMW X model offer to cel-ebrate its eighth consecu-tive year as the Official Car

of the CommercialBank MotoGP in Qatar. The opportunity to own a new BMW X Se-ries model at an exceptional starting price comes close on the heels with the 2011 event held at the challenging course of the Lusail International Circuit.

The campaign will run for a limited peri-od and includes all four X series models: the BMW X1, X3, X5 and X6. The offer includes

the BMW Service Inclusive Package for any X model purchased within the promotional period.

A luxury fleet of 27 chauffeur and self driven BMW vehicles catered to the trans-portation needs throughout the MotoGP event. Dorna organisers of Commercial-bank MotoGP worldwide, who are spon-sored by BMW Group, supplied the BMW 1 Series M Coupe that will be launched later this year in Qatar. A raffle draw by Alfardan Automobiles offering a stunning white BMW X1 2011 on win, added to the excitement.

bmW x series gets A roAring lAunch

behbehAni compAny– World’s lArgest stAnd Alone gmc deAler

ohammad Saleh & Reza Yousuf Behbehani Co, the world’s largest stand alone GMC dealer for both retail sales as well as total sales,

has boasted record figures in 2010. Located in Kuwait, the Behbehani dealership was officially honoured by GM for the distinc-tive performance and outstanding success it achieved throughout the past years, and continues to achieve in terms of growth of sales, successful business operations and customer service.

Delivering outstanding performance for the GMC brand since 2002, the Kuwaiti dealership was one of the first companies to receive GM’s recognition as the ‘Largest Stand-Alone GMC Dealer in Sales in the World’ in 2006, for distinctive delivery and stellar success in multiplying GMC sales and consolidating brand presence. Presi-dent and Managing Director of GM Middle East Operations, John Stadwick said, “The Behbehani Company has taken the GMC brand to another level altogether, with sales figures speaking for themselves. Year on year, the Behbehani team have been devoted to seeing the brand thrive, with exceptional results. We are thrilled to be presenting them once again with the title, ‘Largest Stand-Alone GMC Dealer in Sales in the World for 2010’, and look forward to a continued fruitful partnership.”


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QT-April.indd 65 3/28/11 6:00:05 PM


b r A k i n g n e W s

six day event was organised by Nasser Bin Khaled Au-tomobiles (NBKA), exclu-sive dealers of the iconic Mercedes-Benz in Qatar,

to celebrate the global Mercedes-Benz 125 years of automotive excellence with the Mercedes-Benz Service Week from March 26-31, 2011.

The event gave all Mercedes-Benz own-ers in Qatar the opportunity to experience it all by driving into one of NBKA’s service workshops and taking advantage of an ar-ray of unique value-added benefits such as

a complimentary visual checks and give-aways, expert insights by Mercedes-Benz trained technicians, special prices on gen-uine spare parts and servicing, test-drives of the latest Mercedes-Benz mind-blowing models and trade-in offers for Mercedes-Benz pre-owned vehicles. In addition, Mercedes-Benz owners availed of a 33% discount on parts and labour covering any necessary repairs found during their ve-hicles’ health check.

General Manager of NBKA, Khaled Shaa’ban said, “With over a millennium worth of experience and expertise in the

history of automobiles and automotive services, Mercedes-Benz is definitely a pioneer of the industry and a true thought-leader.”

“Mercedes-Benz has to its name an illus-trious track record brimming with cutting-edge inventions that have helped shape the present and future of transportation means. It is only natural to celebrate this outstanding achievement by offering our customers the chance to join in the spirit of success and genuinely feel that they are a key factor in the expansion and growth of the brand.”

he production site for the fifth model line of the Dr. Ing h.c.F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, will be at the Porsche plant in Leipzig. The decision to

produce the vehicle – with the project des-ignation “Cajun” – at this location was taken by the supervisory board.

Within the context of the Cajun produc-tion, at least one thousand new jobs are to be created in Leipzig, and additional new jobs at Porsche in Zuffenhausen and Weissach. Sub-ject to approval by the authorities, construc-

tion work at the 400 hectare (1.54 square miles) site is scheduled to begin in 2011.

“During the production of the Cayenne and the Panamera, our Leipzig plant has impressively proved that it can produce premium vehicles of highest quality,” says Matthias MÜller, Chairman of the Porsche AG board of management. “The decision in favour of this location is proof of our trust in the skills and qualifications of our Leipzig as-sociates, and at the same time another con-tribution to the economic advancement of the region.”

ord is the brand shoppers first think of when they look to purchase a new automo-bile.

That’s the latest offering from KBB.com, the online resource for pric-es, values and expert opinion on new and used cars. Kelly Blue Book (KBB) says that Ford (29% of shoppers) has reclaimed top spot for Q4 2010 – as the most considered automotive brand – ahead of Toyota (22%), Chevrolet (22%) and Honda (21%).

Ford also leads the field in other sectors, such as the truck segment, where it has been number one for the last nine quarters. It is also currently the most-considered brand in the non-luxury SUV/CUV segment and con-tinues to gain on its more experienced rivals in the non-luxury sedan/coupe/hatchback segment.

“With enticing products offered in nearly every segment and an emphasis on forward-thinking technology like SYNC(r) and My-Ford Touch(tm), Ford is dominating the shopping lists of many new car buyers,” said Jack R. Nerad, kbb.com’s executive editorial director and executive market analyst.

nbkA celebrAtes 125 yeArs of excellence

shoppers think first of ford

A

f

tleipzig porsche plAnt to expAnd

QT-April.indd 66 3/28/11 6:00:08 PM

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The Region’s Leading Forum on SustainabilityA unique knowledge generating platform created to identify, address and enable the development of Corporate Governance, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability in the Middle East

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QT-April.indd 67 3/29/11 9:26:37 AM



for the love of speed

the risk of starting with a ‘stereotypically’ female observation, the first thing that I fell for in the Porsche Panamera 4S was its colour. A traffic-stopping chocolaty brown. But at the wheels of a Panam-era, you learn to live with attention in any case.

Class, is what Porsche is all about, when you start with the looks. But once you are behind the wheels it is pure, clean driving plea-

At

the panamera 4s is porsche’s answer to an all-wheel Drive but not at the expense of its sporting Dna. Sindhu nAir revels in the attention that a porsche Driver attracts.

QT-April.indd 68 3/28/11 6:00:09 PM



sure. Zipping off from Al Boraq Automobiles Co – exclusive Porsche dealers in Qatar – I hit the Ras Abu Aboud road alongside the new airport site that connects Wakra to Doha. The long-stretch gave an opportunity for the ‘Porsche experience’. Touching 120km (and go-ing beyond too) in seconds, the machine handles speed effortlessly. After experiencing the Porsche’s old classics like the Spyder 550 and the first 911 four-by-four in February at the Lusail Circuit, I had come to the conclusion that speed is what the machine is made for. And the Panamera lives up to that ethos.

Panamera is Porsche’s answer to a four-door all-wheel drive. Sports coupe meets luxury saloon and voila, there is the Panamera Gran Turismo line-up. This is also the first four-door Gran Turis-mo in the history of the company.

StylingThe Panamera embraces an out-and-out Porsche DNA. Look at its wide-angled, low-roofed, elongated headlight placement, muscular flanks and the purposeful stance and you can interpret the Porsche features. The styling of the car reflects the philosophy refined through decades on the 911 Carrera and successfully applied also on the Boxster, Cayman, and Cayenne.

The proportions, combining the widest with the lowest body of all comparable four-door models makes Porsche’s Gran Turismo range of which Panamera 4S is one, truly unmistakable at the very first sight.

The qualities of the Panamera also come out clearly in the func-tional luggage compartment, with the tailgate opening up wide. Seen from the side, it stands out immediately as a genuine Porsche. The silhouette is characterised by the front overhang made com-pact in its look by the sweeping contours moving down to the sides. Look at it from the side and it boasts that typical flyline impres-sively reflecting the aerodynamic qualities of the car.

Get the card, press the accelerator and the answering growl of the

he Panamera 4S Exclusive Middle East Edi-tion is unique in its styling. Its exterior paint Carrara White Metallic has never been used on a Panamera model before and includes the painting of the front air intakes, the headlight washer system cover as well as the rear apron

and diffuser. As a result, the black painted trim strips, em-blems and the Guards Red “S” in the model designation are emphasised clearly. Based on Middle East customer demand the car comes with natural Carrera Red leather. Limited to 66 vehicles each model has a unique serial number shown in the illuminated door entry guards.

the red fervour

t

QT-April.indd 69 3/28/11 6:00:13 PM



engine is music to any car-enthusiast. It took me a few moments to get used to the key-less entry detailing but with the computer dis-play board, driving a Porsche is easy. Parking even more so with the rear view camera giving you live-feed.

MechanicsPorsche’s new Gran Turismo is the first car in this segment with doubleclutch transmission or, to use the technical term, the PDK Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe.

And for the businessman who fancies speed, the Panamera 4S comes with an option, of a Sport Chrono Package for a sportier setting of the engine, suspension and transmission, at the simple touch of a button placed on the centre console. Click the button and you can feel the car go down, poised for flight.

Yet another breakthrough technology is Launch Control for op-timum acceleration whenever required.

The Panamera 4S combines a 400-horsepower 4.8-litre eight-cylinder with rear-wheel drive, power being transmitted in stan-dard trim by a six-speed manual gearbox, and as an option seven

gears.The car details mention power transmission which comes as

standard with Porsche Traction Management (PTM) for innova-tive, active all-wheel drive.

The Panamera for the first time offers air suspension with addi-tional, on-demand air volume in each spring, and it is also the first model with active aerodynamics provided by the rear spoiler mov-ing up automatically and adjustable in its angle.

InteriorsDespite its unusually low and stretched silhouette, the Panamera measuring 4.97mts in length but 1.42 mts in height ensures gener-ous spaciousness on all four seats.

The interior with its centre console extending all the way from the front to the rear and rising up slightly in the front is perfect for driving comfort. The low seat position, gives the driver and passen-gers that direct feeling for the road so typical of a Porsche. Each seat has a cocoon-like feel, which is high on comfort. When you have to accommodate more than four people in the Panamera, what do you

QT-April.indd 70 3/28/11 6:00:18 PM



do? But then who said Panamera 4S purchase was about logic? It is more of a passionate possession.

When it comes to comfort, Porsche pulls out all the stops, the seats are electrically adjustable in no less than eight directions, a four-zone automatic air conditioner with a separate adjustment of temperature, blower strength and air distribution for each seat, cools or heats each seat as per individual need.

SpecialsA particular highlight of the Panamera is the adaptive spoiler at the lower end of the rear window which moves up at a speed of 90 km/h or 56 mph and automatically adjusts to the optimum angle as a function the road speed.

The air outlets behind the front wheels, the exterior mirrors, and the rear spoiler all moves up as a function of speed.

Special wheel spoilers, in turn, optimise the flow of air around the wheels, while the side windows absolutely flush with the body ensure a smooth flow of air around the car.

The exterior mirrors are specially designed for minimum air re-sistance and are fitted on the doors and not, as is usually the case, on the mirror quarter lights. This not only improves the car’s aero-dynamics and acoustics, but also the visibility of the rear.

But I have a grouse, the wide angle of the car hinders visibility while crossing lanes or joining the main from a service road.

Unique to PanameraThe Porsche Panamera is the first car in the luxury performance class to introduce the Auto Start-Stop function. This fuel-saving system which comes with all the models of a Gran Turismo can be deactivated if the driver so wishes. The system helps save approxi-mately 10% fuel and reduces CO2 emissions by approximately 5%.

I was assured that the comfort and safety functions remain fully operational even when the engine is switched off, with the audio and communication systems, lights, airbag systems and PSM re-maining fully active. The air conditioning also functions at a com-fortable level by using residual heat from the engine to heat up the interior or residual energy in the cooling system to reduce the inte-rior temperature. And as soon as the interior temperature starts to vary, the system will automatically start the engine again.

When you slow down to a standstill with the Auto Start-Stop function active and with your foot on the brake pedal, the engine is completely switched off after about a second. And the eerie silence of the engine cutting off and the green light on the centre console indicates the system kicking in. This unique feature will definitely find more takers, as environmental regulations are getting strin-gent around the world.

orsche Centre Doha, Al Boraq Automobile WLL, is in the business of sports cars. But with a conscience. They have very successfully implemented the Porsche Kids Driving School programme which has gained popularity in the

country. Available to children between four and eight years of age, the programme follows the edutainment model. It in-cludes a theory lesson on basic traffic rules and road signs as well as a practical driving session on Porsche 911 pedal cars under professional supervision and guidance.

“We have so far hosted more than 6,000 school children. And to add to the experience of these passionate kids, we give them a Porsche driving license (it is just for the day),” says Sal-man Jassem Al Darwish, Chairman and CEO of Al Boraq.

speed With cAution

salman JassEm al darwish, chairman and ceo of al boraq.

Another unique feature that the car has is the underfloor cover extending almost completely from front to rear and side to side in order to optimise the flow of air beneath the car and reduce air swirl or turbulence.

So if you are a business person, with a passion for sports and with enough resources (around QR481,500) for a hefty purchase, you need not look beyond the Panamera 4S

p

QT-April.indd 71 3/28/11 6:00:19 PM

mArketWAtch

he new Cesto sofa from BoConcept is not just a vi-sual treat through its classic look, straight and clean lines but is designed keeping in

mind the comfort of its users. Designed by Anders Norgaard, the sofa comprises many features that are a perfect example of in-telligent and multi-functional pieces of furniture. The seats with adjustable back cushions are designed in a way so it can be customised according to the ease of the

user. Each back cushion can be raised and lowered independently from each other. The transformation goes from low back to high back and from a formal to more lounge seating. By changing the position of the legs you can create different looks for you whether you’re in for an elegant, light or more box-shaped expression.

The Cesto sofa is a modular system with 10 different seating units available to cus-tomise your own sofa from and comes in more than 80 fabrics and leathers.

boconcept brings comfort With cesto

t

W

c

cgc Achieves silver certificAtion from ciscoith the announcement of achieving the Silver Certi-fication from Cisco, Con-solidated Gulf Co. (CGC) has placed itself in the elite group

of solution providers with proven, in-depth technology skills and customer success in selling. To earn Silver Certification, CGC had to meet rigorous standards for networking competency, service, support and customer satisfaction set forth by Cisco.

“Cisco is committed to providing tools, training and programs to help drive CGC’s growth, differentiation and profitability,” said Mazen Raad, Regional Channel Man-ager at Cisco Qatar. “With specialisations

in two main technology domains – Express Unified Communications and Advance Wireless LAN, CGC has made an investment in delivering the integrated and custom-ized technology solutions today’s customers

demand.”CGC, COO, Anil Mahajan, said, “This

achievement further strengthens our resolve to provide qualified and quality technologi-cal solutions to our valued clients in Qatar.”

cgc lAunches nokiA c2 01 GC, the Nokia partner in Qatar launched the new affordable entrant Nokia C2 01. This slim and light 3D device is available in Qatar at vari-ous stores, at the introductory price of QR350 only.

The mobile offers great value with its 3.2 megapixel camera, 2-inch screen with TFT display technology, easy and instant messaging, email

and other essential features such as a music player, FM radio, Bluetooth and support for up to 16GB MicroSD memory card. Having a capacity of storing up to 2000 entries in its phonebook, Nokia C2-01 also offers its users a long lasting battery life with a starting talk time of nearly nine hours in the 2G mode.

cal solutions to our valued clients in Qatar.”

GC, the Nokia partner in Qatar launched the new affordable entrant Nokia C2 01. This slim and light 3D device is available in Qatar at vari-

The mobile offers great value with its 3.2 megapixel camera, 2-inch


QAtAr mArine festivAl

78

QT-April.indd 72 3/28/11 6:00:28 PM

m A r k e t W A t c h

t

hr

g

nAvigon lAunches neW nAvigAtion devices

erman-based Navigon AG, a world- leading provider of navigation solutions, an-nounced the launch of a new line of Personal Navigation

Devices (PND’s) in Qatar. The four new de-vices range from the entry level Navigon 20 Easy with a 3.5-inch display to the Navigon 70 Plus, featuring an extra large 5 inch screen. The new line-up is the first launch of German navigation specialist Navigon in Qatar.

“Navigon devices stand for outstanding tech-design and the finest German engi-neering. We are excited to now make these quality navigation units available to con-sumers in Qatar,” said Stephan Balte, Coun-try Manager Middle East, Navigon. “The new range of PND’s includes many premium features not found on other navigation sys-tems, including customised functions for the region.”

he new Spring/Summer col-lection from Moschino this year has burst of graphic en-ergy with designs in stripes, polka dots, Vichy checks,

3D flowers, prints, cockades, alternating colours, white, blue, red, black, and yellow.

Inventive new silhouettes hug the bust and flare at the hips; strapless bustier dress-

es and full skirts with appliquè flowers, slim-legged menswear pants are restyled with darts and cuffs and an oversized black and white Vichy check silk tunic is trans-formed with drawstrings.

Accessories and jewellery accompany the clothes in a refreshing and exciting explosion of colourful graphic energy that defines this collection.

yatt Plaza’s 8th anniversary celebration was dedicated to its mall tenants and their families, where tenants were awarded certificates

of appreciation from the mall management. The distribution of certificates was followed by the cutting of a giant cake decorated with company logo of all Hyatt tenants.

The event which took place inside the mall’s Fashion Concourse was a special treat for children as a childrens programme was organised in collaboration with one of its anchor tenants Kiddy Zone featuring popular international cartoon characters such as Sponge Bob and Mickey Mouse.

In addition to hosting stage performances by the cartoon characters, the Hyatt Plaza management also unveiled its official mall magazine during the private ceremony. Ti-

tled after the iconic mall, Hyatt Plaza maga-zine is designed to empower mall custom-ers and visitors with the information they need to make informed consumer choices.

The bimonthly mall magazine is pro-duced by Oryx Advertising Co. W.LL., and will accompany issues of Qatar Today, Qa-tar Alyom, and Woman Today. The maga-zine will also be available in outlets within the mall.

“Our anniversary reminds us of how far we – the Hyatt Plaza management and our tenants – have come from where we first began eight years ago,” said Feroz Moideen, General Manager, Hyatt Plaza, during a keynote address.

“Enjoying a healthy and mutually re-warding relationship with our tenants, who are our business partners, is the key behind our phenomenal success,” he said.

reuge creAtes something uniQue

euge, a luxury brand known for its art of Mechanical Mu-sic and Singing Birds have come up with a unique piece that combines both, outdo-

ing themselves in the world of luxury. Two singing birds with real bird

feathers are placed in the box of this one of a kind piece. Each bird sings a differ-ent song. Then, in the front, there is a customised 72 note movement which plays three melodies specially chosen by the customer. While listening to this won-derful mechanical music, you see a white gold butterfly moving in sync with the melodies. Truly unique!

hyAtt plAzA celebrAtes 8th AnniversAry

moschino lAunches neW collection


QT-April.indd 73 3/28/11 6:00:37 PM


m A r k e t W A t c h

rotAnA Accepts neW google progrAmme

otana signed the Google agreement of Trust Inter-national becoming the first hotel management com-pany in the Middle East &

Africa to engage the new cost-effective, effi-cient Google programme that drives book-ings to the hotel’s own website. The con-tract, signed at this year’s ITB conference in Berlin, will allow Rotana to display their real time rates and availability in relevant search listings on Google Maps and on re-lated Google Place pages as a pay-per-click advertising module connected with the Ro-tana booking engine, which is powered by Trust International.

Google’s brand new service allows users to simply enter their desired arrival and departure dates in Google Maps and find the best prices and check availability in real time. The yourVoyager system enables the hotels to display the pricing information of their own website next to the prices of advertisers, such as online travel agencies, and drive potential bookers directly to the hotel’s own booking engine. The service is available on Google Maps and Google Place pages on many of Google’s domains in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

sAlsA celebrAtes neW you

alsa, the innovative jean-swear brand has come up with the concept ‘Happy New You’ which celebrates self renewal and personal

reinvention. ‘Happy New You’ is a world of colour, brightness, celebration, confidence, optimism, and spontaneity.

Developed by the Spanish agency Tiem-po BBDO Barcelona, Happy New You was launched with a first round of advertise-ments focused on innovative products. In total, five ads were developed, for: Push-In, Push-Up, Unisex Jeans, Sculpture and Hope. Each product is presented, together with a renewal proposal, which can be at-tained by wearing Salsa Jeans. The Happy New You publicity campaign will continue with a second phase as well as in the Salsa shop windows’ displays around the world.

shoe mArt lAunches neW collection

his summer be inspired by the past, present and future that rings in a world of fasci-nating looks and wondrous styles and will get feet tap-

ping with the new Summer/Spring Collec-tion that Shoe Mart has launched.

With soft pastels and candy colours still in vogue this season, the collection has a fo-cus on sensuality. From feminine crochets to woven leathers the shoes have an organic feel to them. Textures are key in this look ranging from kid suede, nubuck leathers to laser cut out’s and embossing. Bling is back on footwear and the trend is about sparkle and statement shoes. This collection ranges from gorgeous flat toe posts and gladiators to sexy platform and heeled sandals that will make you standout in a crowd.

number of real estate com-panies around the world are set to announce, invest and sign on the dotted line at this year’s highly antici-

pated Cityscape Abu Dhabi. Starting from April 17, 2011 the four day event is the best

arena for the real estate industry to show-case projects and services, network with key investors and developers from around the world and participate in content driven discussions with industry leaders. Sev-eral participants have already announced that they plan on utilising the platform to

communicate directly to the industry and ensure company awareness is paramount.

Exhibitors from the region and around the world including Mubadala Real & Es-tate & Hospitality, Al Qudra, Aldar, Baniyas, Sorouh, TDIC, ICT, DMA and Burooj will be taking part in this year’s event.

reAl estAte industry looks to Abu dhAbi opportunities

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dfi’s dAring feAthe Doha Film Institute (DFI) hosted a professional train-ing workshop for students and filmmakers in the art of directing and performing

high end stunts. It was an opportunity for students in Qatar to get behind-the-scene experience on dare devil stunts used in film combat. It was conducted by professional stuntman Zed Korshoonoff who specialises in film combat, stunt driving, high falls and fire burns and has worked with film indus-tries in Russia, Australia, Turkey, India and Europe. The programme prepared the stu-dents in filming short stunt clips through theory and practical rehearsals.

he American Chamber of Commerce in Qatar (Am-Cham) gave a swinging start to the first annual AmCham Qatar Golf tournament at

the Doha Golf Club. The event further ce-mented the strong US-Qatar interest in the business community. AmCham Qatar ac-tion plan for 2011 includes supporting Na-tional Vision 2030, supporting the Business and Investment Forum on Qatar in New York City, contributing to a vibrant private sector in Qatar and upholding the highest standards of commercial practice.

he annual recruitment fair-Medicine Unlimited at Weill Cornell Medical College shared the world of science and exploration with high

school students and their families. The in-teractive event facilitated by the WCMC-Q faculty and attended by more than 320

interested students introduced them to the wonders of experimental sciences.

They shared simulations and demon-strations that reviewed the workings of genes, molecules and the human body. Using medical models and experiments, the various techniques and functioning of the human body were explained to the

inquisitive students. Staff members from the Office of Admissions and Student Af-fairs were also available to discuss the re-quirements for entrance to and success in WCMC-Q.

The WCMC-Q six-year programme of studies leads to the M.D. degree from Cornell University.

medicine unlimited At Wcmc-Q

dohA diAry

Ability, not nAtionAlity, mAtters 82

t

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in actionamcham qatar officials unveil

action plan for 2011

flYinG stunt doha film institute

AmchAm hits the course

bAybArs nAmed deAn of cmu-Q

mark S. Kamlet, University Provost and Executive Vice President announced Ilker Baybars, Deputy Dean and the

George Leland Bach Chair and Profes-sor of Operations Management at the Tepper School of Business at Carn-egie Mellon University as the Dean of CMU-Q. Baybars sees this as an op-portunity to work more closely with the stakeholders in the region, assur-ing the continued success of CMU in Education City.

QT-April.indd 76 3/28/11 6:01:07 PM


olunteers from five inter-national and independent secondary schools in Doha set off on a seven-day trip to visit the Reach Out To Asia

(ROTA)-funded Kampot Traditional Music School for orphaned and disabled children in Cambodia.

The trip aims at fostering the spirit of vol-unteerism in the students and to facilitate cultural exchange of music and theatre.

d o h A d i A r y

hElPinG hands volunteer group in cambodia

Al thAni beAts oWn record

n a significant journey to conquer Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Americas, standing at 6,962 m (22,841 ft.), Sheikh Mo-

hammed bin Abdullah Al Thani, co- found-er of Musafir.com, triumphantly beat his own record by reaching 6,700 m (22,000 ft.). Dubai’s Masoud Mohammed reached the top in a significant victory for the team and for ROTA. The climb was meant to rally support and raise money for making qual-ity education accessible across Asia.

atar University’s Student Activities Department or-ganised the four day long Cultural Village Festival that celebrated the culture,

heritage, history, cuisine and traditions of the over-25 nationalities represented at the organization. Booths decorated with national flags exhibited cultural artefacts

and handicrafts, and depicted various fam-ily and community settings. The highlights of the event were various competitions, a fashion show, henna displays, traditional dances and an open air musical concert. The festival helped in promoting an environ-ment of shared values and respect for other cultures, also encouraging a spirit of team-work and volunteerism in the students.

Qu’s culturAl gAlA strikes success

An acting class with a difference, conducted by the world re-nowned acting coach Lee Delong addressed some basic compo-

nents of clown, the most authentic of all the theatre styles. The week long workshop Theatre Clown organised by The Doha Film Institute, DFI helped empower the participants to develop self-confidence and presence, to take greater risks on stage before a live audience.

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cultural fEstqu students at the cultural village festival

QT-April.indd 77 3/28/11 6:01:10 PM


d o h A d i A r y

he much awaited ten day Qatar Marine Festival cul-minated in great success. Thousands of visitors of all ages thronged the Katara

Cultural Village East side seafront to wit-ness one of the major edutainment events of the year.

The Seals Show literally stole the show with four Siberian seals displaying incred-ible skills in balancing, dancing, clapping and whistling! This is the first perfor-mance of the seals in Qatar and in any GCC nation. Over a dozen floats depicting an ar-ray of sea creatures including crabs, fishes, seashells and mythological figures such as mermaids added to the carnival like atmo-sphere. Artists created life like sculptures out of sand at the Sands Kingdom. Paint-ings being created by artists in the Visual Arts symposium were a visual delight for the audiences.

Children had much to explore and learn. The Baharna (Our Sea) exhibition allowed them to explore the wonders of the sea,

touch live sea creatures such as star fish, horseshoe crabs and get first hand infor-mation about them through interactive guides. Visual arts workshops brought out the artist in children through ceramics, metal embossing, etching, and painting techniques. New innovative sport-Bossa-ball that combined football, volleyball, gymnastics and acrobatics was a great hit with the audience.

Al Fereej zone, the traditional village provided opportunity to experience the traditions and culture of Qatar. It included exhibits of traditional handicrafts, folk-lore music and dance, a traditional photo studio and café and regional traditional games such as Al Sabba, Al Teelah, Al Hau-sa and many more.

Other interesting features of the QMF were the ‘Secrets of the Sea’ musical play, cinema, marine library and the spectacu-lar Dancing Fountain show of water, light and music. A selection of food joints pre-senting recipes from various regions made QMF a complete family gala.

QAtAr mArine festivAl

sEcrEts of thE sEacelebrations at katara cultural village

t

QT-April.indd 78 3/28/11 6:01:12 PM


d o h A d i A r y

he 54-year old Serb guided Ghana to the World Cup Quarter-Finals in 2010, before being agonizingly beaten by Uruguay on penalties – after a game full of incident. Earlier in the year, they were defeated by Egypt in the African Cup of Nations Final in Angola. More recently, he was manager of Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ahli, in Jeddah, but quit that post to help Qatar prepare for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and 2015 Asian Cup in Australia.

The draw for the Asian Qualification groups for World Cup 2014 was made in Kuala Lumpur on March 30, 2011. Qa-tar was not expected to be seeded, which means they will be involved in the first round draw. However, their high co-effi-cient should be enough to see them gain a favourable draw here. These first round ties will be played on dates to be confirmed in late June and July.

QAtAr gEAr up for

world cup 2014

tmilovAn rAJevAc stArted his Appointment As QAtAr footbAll mAnAger on mArch 1 And tAkes over from bruno metsu, Who WAs sAcked folloWing QAtAr’s exit from the AsiAn cup in JAnuAry.

milovan raJEvacis hoping to guide the qatar football team to the world cup in brazil in 2014

raJEvac in hot watEr with his aGEntraJevac’s appointment with the qatar fa has not resonated well with a number of

his associated parties. his agent, goran milovanovic, is filing litigation against him on

the basis that he twice went against the terms of their contract. he first quit his

position as ghana head coach to take up the vacancy in Jeddah, and not six months

later quit that position to become qatar’s main man. milovanovic claims that he vi-

olated the terms on their agreement, which stipulated that he must negotiate any

deal through his agency.

the case is currently with the sports court in lausanne (cas) and a provisional date

has yet to be set for the hearing. milovanic’s lawyers are looking for one million

euro for each contract breach, plus 10% of his salary from the qatar fa.

milovanic has been his agent since 2007, initially finding him work at fk borac cacak

in serbia (January - august, 2008), before negotiating a four-year contract with the

ghanaian football association.

QT-April.indd 79 3/28/11 6:01:13 PM

d o h A d i A r y

Bin hammam to run for fifa PrEsidEncYmohamed bin hammam – the asian football

confederation (afc) president – has said

he will challenge sepp blatter for the

fifa presidency this June. it was wildly an-

ticipated that he would put his name for-

ward, but he didn’t confirm it formally

until a press conference in kuala lumpur

last month.

bin hammam, a qatari national, will become

the eighth fifa president if he succeeds in

upsetting blatter’s aim for a fourth suc-

cessive term in office. the irony of this

presidential race is that bin hammam was

one of blatter’s protagonists since he

was elected to fifa’s executive committee

in 1996 and he lobbied support for him in

the 1998 and 2002 presidential elections.

however, this support has dwindled in the

recent past and bin hammam now feels he

has the support and the confidence to

run on his own.

he said: “after careful study, consulta-

tion and consideration, armed with my

love and passion for football and believ-

ing that football is about fair competi-

tion, i have decided to contest the upcom-

ing fifa presidency election, scheduled

on June 1, 2011.

i am glad to say that the afc (asian foot-

ball confederation) executive committee

encouraged me and supported me in my

candidacy and i am inviting the member

associations, football communities and

media to be part of my humble endeavour

to make the change that is necessary and

needed in fifa,” he continued bin hammam

(61) is an advocate of goal-line technol-

ogy, probably the most contentious top-

ic in football at the moment. england’s

disallowed goal in the 2010 world cup

forced fifa to look again at the potential

of utilising technology for key decisions

on match days. bin hammam wants to see

more transparency, and will do all he

can - if elected as fifa president - to make

the bidding process for future world

cups more open.

bin hammam will need to secure a two-

thirds maJority vote (139 of 208) in June

to secure the position that has only been

held by two other men since 1974; Joao

havelange of brazil (1974-1998) and blat-

ter of switzerland (1998-2011).

Qatar is currently 90th in the Official World Rankings, but more importantly is ranked 10th in Asia, where only five teams will qualify for Brazil. However, they gave eventual winners Japan a great game in the recent Asian Cup Quarter-Final twice be-

ing ahead, before losing 3-2 so they should be approaching this World Cup campaign with momentum and confidence.

Rajevac’s appointment in Ghana in 2008 was met with derision in some quarters, as supporters questioned his suitability for

the role, citing his lack of coaching expe-rience as their main angst. This is also the case in Qatar, as fans might have preferred a ‘big name coach’ in light of the recent an-nouncement of their hosting of World Cup 2022.

mohamEd Bin hammam will be hoping to make fifa processes more transparent if he is appointed its president in June

QT-April.indd 80 3/28/11 6:01:27 PM

QT-April.indd 81 3/28/11 6:01:30 PM


o u t W i t h Q t

e is the first Qatari CEO of a multi-national corpora-tion – HSBC Qatar – and the first national to be ap-pointed to the HSBC Middle East Board of Directors.

But nationality is not what Abdul Hakeem Mosta-fawi wants to be distinguished by. “These appoint-ments are recognition of me as a person, my team, and of course the country I am from, but I don’t want to measure it with a nationality-based yardstick alone.

“At the end of the day, HSBC is a multinational corporation and has a certain process and evalua-tion procedure when appointing people. Capabili-

ties, dedication and commitment are all taken into consideration”

“I was given the opportunity. Anyone who is com-mitted – given the opportunity – can achieve what I’ve done or go beyond. It is not rocket science; if people have passion for what they do it’s not difficult to be successful.”

In an interview to Vani Saraswathi, he speaks of his personal mantras, professional goals and the challenges of keeping up with the manic speed of development.

ABdul hAkEEm mostAfAwI

ABIlIty, not nAtIonAlIty, mAttErs

hQT-April.indd 82 3/28/11 6:01:30 PM


o u t W i t h Q t

aBdul hakEEm mostafawi ceo, hsbc qatar

rOle MODel

my father, a self-made man, who with passion, commitment, hard work and dedication overcame many chal-lenges to become the resounding success he is today. he always tells us, “when there is a will, there is a way.”despite not being educated himself, he has always emphasised the importance of education and demon-strated by example the importance of balance between work and family.

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QT-April.indd 83 3/28/11 6:01:32 PM


o u t W i t h Q t

For 20 years, your growth has been steeped in international best practices of a global player. From that vantage point, how do you assess the growth of local companies?One needs to be fair in assessment. In recent years, many companies are becoming more regional and global in their outlook and operation. Consequently, they face more challenges when they go beyond their boundaries – one needs to look at issues like corporate governance, operational risk, diversity, transparency to ensure that they are considered firms of a global standing. Many companies have already done that - Qatar Petroleum and Qatar Investment Authority to name a couple. These are really global players. There are others who can develop further – mainly in the private sector.

At the bank or when you meet them informal-ly, what are the main concerns of local busi-nessmen, especially those running smaller operations?Sustainability is a major con-cern for them. How can they sustain their businesses, con-sidering the size of the econ-omy here – yes, it is growing, however innovation, deter-mination and adapting to cus-tomer needs can overcome any obstacle.

So how do they expand and keep up with those demands?

What we offer in terms of guidance is our global con-nectivity. For example, a cli-ent here in Qatar wishes to expand his business beyond its boundaries or a company wants to diversify its risk portfolio. We help them find new opportunities. If they want to go to the UK or China or Saudi, we help them, because we have the expertise and global connectiv-ity. We are well placed to help our customers in this manner.

Risk management obviously is right up your al-ley. HSBC was relatively unscathed in the finan-cial turmoil. So from your standpoint, where did people mess up?Very simple. We were in the past criticised for being conservative; that played a big role. As a financial in-stitution, you have an obligation to be conservative. It is not about protecting the shareholders and capital alone, it is also about protecting the depositors – to whom most of the money belongs.

It is very important you play it right, and it should not be only about profitability. You need to assess your risk. Being conservative has been the main thing

for us, and it has paid off very well.

But despite the conservative outlook, your funds did well even before the crash...Yes, because of our culture – being conservative is not an approach; it’s ingrained in everything we do.

Talk to the senior most person at London HQ, or to our client service executive at the branch, it is the same mindset and outlook. If you approach the bank for a loan, we will not look at your salary and decide the amount and pass it; we don’t have a ‘one size fits all’ approach. We will assess your overall financial po-sition, creditworthiness, if your spouse is earning and what your liabilities are. Two people earning a similar amount will not necessarily receive similar advice or credit; we play the role of a financial advisor at this point and that is how it should be. We go through a process, for which we get criticised, but we are taking a long term view.

Talking of criticism. Local banks have not tapped into the retail potential, have they?I don’t think that’s true. Retail banking business is dynamic and ever-evolving – because its needs to change based on the global economy, market fluctuations and needs and aspirations of the customers. Keep in mind, there are unique challenges in countries such as Qatar, where the percentage of locals is lower as compared to the larger migrant popula-tion; and to top it off, there are 18 to 19 players in the financial services sector. So within this context, I don’t think that ac-cusation is fair.

Ok, what about the customer service experience then? Do you think it is up to scratch?Service industries are always under pressure, when it comes to customer expectation. And that is to be expected. If you are in the industry, you need to be aware of what your customer wants and deliver ac-cordingly. Again, when you are in a country such as Qatar where the population is very young, you need to be on your feet.

Our organisation takes this very seriously. We have mystery shoppers to assess our services. The results have been very good, but it keeps evolving. We have a department that looks at the customer experience, and this is an ongoing effort. There will be challenges, and we have to learn to overcome them.

Financial institutions have been waiting for a more level playing field with regulatory

“As A finAnciAl institution, you hAve An obligAtion to be conservAtive. it is not About

protecting the shAreholders And cApitAl Alone, it is Also

About protecting the depositors...”

QT-April.indd 84 3/28/11 6:01:33 PM


o u t W i t h Q t

unification...Personally I think it’s a good sign, it will take away ambiguities and with one regulator, it will make op-erations within the financial sector very transparent.

But there have been delays...Yes. But as far as we are concerned, it’s heading in the right direction. These things are not easy to do. Es-pecially when you are integrating two regulators, it takes time to get it right.

The other unification in the pipeline is the GCC common currency. Does it have a future at all, given the current social and economic scenario?Of course. The Europeans took 40 to 50 years, and the GCC is expected to do it in five? There are build-ing blocks we need to overcome to get to that goal, and the region is working on that. You need to take into consideration the diversity and imbalance socially, culturally, economically from country to country to ensure a smooth transition. Case in point, after they unified, Europe realised that each country had a dif-ferent pension policy.

What’s happening with us in the GCC is that we are learning from others experiences. There are a lot of different perspectives we need to consider, but the end objective, vision and direction is to go ahead with the unification, which for us, as a financial institution is a great opportunity; it makes for a bigger market.

Tell us a bit about HSBC’s Corporate citizenship ethos.HSBC has a history of supporting the communities where we operate and with sustainability being a key priority, we focus on two main areas – Education and the Environment.

Through the Global Climate Partnership that was launched in 2007, HSBC is working with four interna-tionally renowned environmental NGOs to find ways of reducing the impact of climate change. HSBC staff all across the world are encouraged to take part in this effort through the Climate Champions programme where they undergo an intensive two-week training on climate change. We have 13 Climate Champions in

Qatar who after being trained, are now working on lo-cal environmental projects. Further to this we invest extensively in education projects and in Qatar we an-nually have over 20 volunteers working closely with Injaz Qatar to deliver our tailored personal financial management module, the More Than Money pro-gramme to Independent Schools.

We also support community health programmes and cancer-awareness programmes by actively par-ticipating in the Terry Fox Run and Think Pink Walk every year.

Children with special needs are high on our priority list and we have invested greatly in some of the proj-ects across Qatar. As you can see, this is something we advocate and implement because we believe it is vital for a sustainable future.

Like all good things, Corporate Citizenship be-gins at home, and employee well-being and en-gagement are HR buzzwords; monetary perks alone don’t cut it. Flexibility. We give people the liberty to be flexible with their schedule. As long as they do their eight hours, we don’t hold them to coming in at 7 am. Then, it’s about bonds. We spend more time here at work, with colleagues, than with the family. So it is important to make it a fun place, to have the right environment.

Equally important is how we manage diversity. We have 45 different nationalities, and each one brings their own experiences to the mix.

When you see younger staff or youngsters in the community, do you feel it is easier for them be-cause everything is given to them on a platter or tougher because of the competition?When you speak to someone like my dad he would say he had it easier in his time. Because life is chang-ing all the time – I may not realise it now, but I will when I grey a bit more.

Our aspirations and means of communication are very different. Competition is just one part of it. Being in the service industry, one of the dilemmas we face is predicting what the market place wants,

hat happens is that people wait to have a chunk of money before they invest. While planning fi-nances, people tend to give pri-ority to building assets, such as

property. One of the things we started doing here is creating a wealth management team that is also looking at the needs of people who wants to invest 300 or 500 dollars a month, whereas earli-er it had to be a minimum of say 10000 or 50,000 dollars,” says Abdul Hakeem Mostafawi.

“It is our responsibility to educate our cus-tomers. Having financial advisors on the ground is important rather than having fly-by-night advisors.

“My advice is, “Do NOT borrow to invest and don’t wait for a big chunk of money to invest, do it gradually and make it an integral part of ba-sic financial planning. I personally advocate a conservative long-term approach with reason-able returns rather than a high-risk, high-return approach.”

sAving And future plAnning tips

W

aDvice

treat people the way you wish to be treated. keep that in mind, always.

QT-April.indd 85 3/28/11 6:01:33 PM


how it will evolve, and what the younger generation wants and needs from us. They have to function in this ever-evolving environment.

But is there a sense of entitlement?When you are talking about a ‘generation’, I can’t take the example of a few and extrapolate it to the rest.

The thing about wealth is, if the family doesn’t manage it well with its younger gen-eration, it could be a burden. One needs to hold children accountable – if there is no accountability, there is no responsibility and the family plays a large role in ensuring the child grows up with the right values.

Is there anything that wor-ries you about the younger generation?Honestly, in this country, very little worries me from that perspective. We have a leader with a strong vision, with emphasis on intellectu-al capital; the strategy revolves around the younger generation, which is strengthened by the country’s investment in world-class facilities like Education City and the Science and Technology Park. That means younger Qataris will be far more educated, far more aware of global issues and far more exposed to international best practices; the world is getting smaller and more connected every day.

Yes. But let’s look at it from the context of the geo-politics of the region we live in. On the one hand they have access to everything good, on the other there is exposure to a lot that is not. To top it all there are cultural and social taboos that they have to deal with. There is a lot of conflict – how do you address that issue?Democracy in India is different from the one in the US. They have different cultural contexts and pro-cesses, but both are considered successes. It’s similar to that.

With the technological advances and different me-dia the younger generation are exposed to these days, they are constantly accumulating and processing knowledge. When you challenge their thinking pro-cess or understanding, there will be conflict, which is normal. Youth are about conflict; they challenge the status quo every day.

Remember, the world is changing very fast. Be it at the marketplace, geopolitics or social development. Cultural lines are also blurring.

This is why good education and openness are very important, as a parent, to help your child deal with these challenges and adapt to an ever-chang-ing world. You need to be open, expose them to the world, travel – you can’t say ‘don’t do this’ – you need to explain why they should consider not doing it. And let them make a few mistakes and learn from them.

Even at HSBC, we feel giving the employee room to make a mistake and learn from it is healthy, be-

cause then you create a cul-ture of questioning the status quo. If you are rigid, with too many raps on the knuckles, then you are not going to nur-ture growth and innovation.

You are a fitness ‘freak’... how do you manage to fit your fitness schedule into your workday?Yes, absolutely. I say to my friends, I pray five times a day, and this is my sixth. It has to be part of your life. Some people think it’s an addition. For me it’s a ritual.

How do you unwind after a busy day?When you are passionate

about what you do, you can manage time well. You will not have workload issues if you love what you do. Spending 16 hours on something you are pas-sionate about would probably feel like just six. But if you don’t enjoy what you do, even an hour becomes a burden.

Sometimes I say I wish there was another four hours in a day

o u t W i t h Q t

“When you chAllenge their thinking process or

understAnding, there Will be conflict, Which is normAl.

youth Are About conflict; they chAllenge the stAtus Quo

every dAy.”

QT-April.indd 86 3/28/11 6:01:38 PM

QT-April.indd 87 3/28/11 6:01:38 PM

JaPanthe current asian champi-ons - are virtual certain-ties to qualify. they have

competed in the last four finals, whilst reaching the

knock-out stages in two of them (2002 & 2010). they defeated qatar 3-2 at the

quarter-final stage of this year’s asian cup.

south korEa will feel unlucky to have

fallen to uruguay in the last 16 stage in south africa. they

went down to Japan (after penalties) in the asian cup semi-

final. they have qualified for each of the last seven world cup finals (1986-2010), so their

pedigree isn’t to be questioned.

australiahave figured well in recent tournaments, but their influential players are pushing on in age. this will be the last campaign for players like brett emer-ton, lucas neill, tim cahill, harry kewell and mark schwartzer. they were of course narrowly beaten in the asian cup final here in qatar earlier this year.

iran was unlucky not to qualify for the 2010 world cup, where they drew five of their eight games in the final group, only losing one. they were knocked out of the asian cup at the quarter-final stage by south korea. they’ll need to be more decisive against the weaker teams in this qualifying campaign.

uzBEkistan were hammered 6-0 by australia in this year’s asian cup semi-final, after topping qatar’s group earlier in the tournament. they con-vincingly beat each oth-er at home in the final group of qualification for the 2010 world cup, but ultimately finished bottom of the group, below qatar.

china has played qatar quite a bit recently, with the latter having the upper hand. they de-feated china 2-0 at this year’s asian cup, while also beating them in china in the 2010 world cup campaign. china has cer-tainly regressed considerably since their qualification for the 2002 world cup.

Jordan qualified for the quarter-finals of the asian cup this year, beating neighbours saudi arabia and syria in the group stages, whilst also gaining a draw against Japan, before uzbekistan eliminated them. they also drew with south korea in seoul in the last world cup campaign, so they can spring a surprise.

saudi araBiawho were regulars at the

world cup a decade - aren’t reaching the same heights

anymore. they narrowly missed out on their fifth

straight world cup in 2010, getting eliminated by bahrain in a qualification tie, but they recently lost three asian cup

games in qatar - 5-0 against Japan - so their confidence

is low.

iraQ were defeated by qatar twice in the last world

cup campaign, finishing below them in the third round group stage. this

was a disappointing return for them, having won the

2007 asian cup. they did reach the quarter-final here, but were defeated

after extra time by austra-lia. the potential is there

though.

north korEa are the 14th ranked team in

the afc, but they qualified for the last world cup, so

they know what it takes. they seem to have an offen-

sive problem, not scoring at all in qatar in January,

but only leaked two at the other end. don’t let their world ranking fool you

though.

with the draw for the asian qualifiers for world cup 2014 in kuala lumpur made, qatar

today looks at our chief regional rivals for the five places on offer. qatar’s current

world ranking (wr) is 90

the roAd to brAzil is long enough: Who to Avoid?

JaPansian champi-

ons - are virtual certain-they have

competed in the last four inals, whilst reaching the

knock-out stages in two of them (2002 & 2010). they

atar 3-2 at the quarter-final stage of this

asian cup.

where they drew five of their eight games in the final group, only losing one. they were knocked out of the the quarter-final stage by south to be more decisive against the weaker teams in this qualifying campaign.

(Wr: 32) (Wr: 21)

(Wr: 43)

(Wr: 77)

(Wr: 75)

(Wr: 84)

(Wr: 82)

(Wr: 88)

(Wr: 111)

(Wr: 17)

QT-April.indd 88 3/28/11 6:01:43 PM

QT-April.indd 9 3/31/11 8:32:07 AM

QT-April.indd 7 3/31/11 8:24:50 AM

qatar today april 2011

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