HER HIGHNESS SHEIKHA MOZA BINT NASSER
Chairperson
Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser has been actively engaged in education and other social reforms in Qatar for many years and has played a major role in spearheading national and international development projects.
She currently serves as Chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, a private non-profit organization founded in 1995 on the personal initiative of His Highness the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. In autumn 2003, Qatar Foundation inaugurated Education City, a prototypical university of the future, bringing branches of renowned international universities to Qatar to provide top class degree programs and share research and community-based ventures.
In addition to her work at Qatar Foundation, Her Highness serves as President of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, a government institution with the aim of strengthening the role of the family in society, and Vice Chair of the Supreme Education Council which oversees the on-going comprehensive reform of Qatar's K-12 education system. In addition, she is Chairperson of the Sidra Medical and Research Center project to build a premier academic medical center in Qatar; Chairperson of the Silatech initiative to address the growing challenge of youth employment in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region; Chairperson of the Doha-based Arab Democracy Foundation; and Chairperson of Msheireb Properties which seeks to integrate traditional Qatari architecture into modern urban living environments.
Her Highness plays an important role on the international stage as well. In 2003, UNESCO appointed her Special Envoy for Basic and Higher Education. In this capacity, she promotes international projects to improve the quality and accessibility of education worldwide. In June 2003, she established the International Fund for Higher Education in Iraq which is dedicated to the rehabilitation of institutions of advanced learning. In 2005, she was selected by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to be a Member of the High Level Group of the UN Alliance of Civilizations.
In concert with her UNESCO work, Her Highness is actively promoting and protecting the right to education in conflict-hit areas of the world, particularly Gaza, Iraq and Afghanistan. She initiated a new strategy development project on ‘Education in Conflict’ in February 2009 and has created an internal Task Force on this issue.
In recent years, Her Highness has been recognized internationally for her leadership in various areas. As founder of the Shafallah Center for Children with Special Needs, she was awarded the Spirit of Leadership award from Best Buddies International in 2008 for her advocacy on behalf of children with disabilities. In 2007, she was awarded the prestigious Chatham House Award which is given annually to a leading international statesperson who is deemed to have made the most significant contribution to the improvement of international relations in the previous year. Also in 2007, Forbes magazine named Her Highness one of the 100 most powerful women in the world, and The Times of London named her one of the 25 most influential business leaders in the Middle East.
Her Highness graduated from Qatar University in 1986 with a degree in sociology. She has been awarded honorary doctorates from Virginia Commonwealth University, Texas A&M University, Carnegie Mellon University, Imperial College London, and Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.
HIS EXCELLENCY DR. ABDULLA AL KUBAISI
Vice Chairperson
His Excellency Dr. Abdulla Al-Kubaisi is the Vice Chairman of Msheireb Properties.
As Executive Director of the Office of Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser, he is responsible for the management and execution of Her Highness’s national and international initiatives.
Dr. Al-Kubaisi’s earlier assignments included Principal Advisor to Qatar Foundation, leading the conceptual development of Qatar Science and Technology Park as its Chairman until 2007, and serving as the Dean of the College of Science at Qatar University.
He also serves on the Board of Directors of Qatar Foundation and Qtel.
Dr. Al-Kubaisi holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and Biology from Qatar University and Masters of Science in Chemistry from A&T State University in North Carolina in 1983. He earned his Doctorate in Chemistry from the University of London in 1988.
MR. RASHID AL-NAIMI
Member of the Board of Directors.
Rashid Al-Naimi is a member of the Board of Directors at Msheireb Properties.
In his capacity as Vice President of Administration for Qatar Foundation, Mr. Al-Naimi holds portfolio responsibility of administrative and operational functions including shared services areas of Finance, Procurement, Information Technology, Human Resources and Support Services.
He is the Chairperson for Qatar MICE Development Institute and the Limited Tender Committee, maintains the Vice Chair for the General Tender Committee, is a Member of the Joint Advisory Board (Georgetown University) and as a Board Member represents Qatar Foundation on six Boards.
Charting an interesting career graph of over twenty years, Mr. Al-Naimi has held multiple managerial positions. Prior to Qatar Foundation, Mr. Al-Naimi was the Manager of Human Resources for RasGas Company Limited, where he was responsible for maintaining human capital numbers as the plant aimed to increase margins by doubling production and fixing head-count.
Mr. Al-Naimi's breadth of experience encompasses a wide spectrum of the business lifecycle from conception to production, from supply chain to delivering cost-effective world class products and services. He holds an outstanding record for performance in delivering successful restructuring and turnaround programs by creating team oriented environments that focus on continuous improvement to increase shareholder value.
Mr. Al-Naimi holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Indiana State University, USA, and continues to drive for personal and professional excellence.
ENG. SAAD AL MUHANNADI
Member of the Board of Directors.
Eng. Saad Al Muhannadi is a member of the Board of Directors at Msheireb Properties.
Eng. Al Muhannadi also executes the role of Vice President of Capital Projects and Facilities of Qatar Foundation (QF) for Education, Science and Community Development. The Capital Projects and Facilities Division oversees the planning, design, construction and maintenance of the Education City campus sprawled over 14 million square meters, and its supporting infrastructure.
Eng. Al Muhannadi oversees the development of various other multimillion dollar Education City projects including Qatar Science and Technology Park, a new Convention Center, and Sidra Medical and Research Center.
With over 14 years of distinguished service, Eng. Al Muhannadi has served in a series of leadership and managerial positions as Project Manager, Assistant Director and Director in the Capital Projects Department of QF.
Prior to his work at QF, Eng. Saad Al Muhannadi held leading managerial positions at the Qatar Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture. As Head of the Design Development section, he developed guidelines and regulations for urban development throughout Qatar. Prior to this he worked as Assistant Head and Head of the West Bay Planning Unit, overseeing all planning activities for the West Bay area.
Eng. Saad Al Muhanadi holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Engineering from the University of Miami (US).
MR. NORMAN LYLE
Independent Non-executive Director of the Board of Directors.
Norman Lyle OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) was appointed an Independent Non-executive Director of the Board of Directors at Msheireb Properties.
He is an Independent Non-executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee for Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited, and is a Supervisor of Standard Chartered Bank (China) Limited and Standard Chartered Bank (Taiwan) Limited.
He is also an Independent Non-executive Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of Grosvenor Asia Pacific Limited.
From 1997 to his retirement in 2005, Mr Lyle was Group Finance Director of Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited. During this time he was also a Director of Hongkong Land Limited, Mandarin Oriental Limited and Dairy Farm Limited. From 2002 to 2004 he also held the post of Chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.
Prior to 1997 he worked in the UK, Malaysia and Kenya for ICI PLC where he was Group Treasurer before becoming General Manager, Finance of Zeneca Group on its demerger from ICI PLC in 1993.