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British Ambassador O’Neill and Winetroube with some of the guests at the farewell reception |
The event was attended by senior representatives of organisations including the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage, Qatar Foundation, Katara, General Secretariat for Development and Planning and the Qatar Diabetes Association.
Ambassador O’Neill and other guests paid tribute to Winetroube who has overseen a major growth in the British Council’s activities in Qatar, since he arrived in August 2007, including significant new initiatives.
Winetroube described his five-year term in Qatar as an ‘exciting time with so many amazing developments’ in the educational and cultural spheres.
“I have been inspired by some of the flagship Arts projects we have undertaken during my time here; thrilled by the growth in our teaching centre and exams work, and proud of the contribution which we have made to developments in English language teaching and education in general.
“In terms of our own measures of impact and the numbers of people we engage with, the British Council has grown around 500% during the five years that I have spent here.”
Ambassador O’Neill congratulated Winetroube, pointing out that the director has done an exemplary job in the development of the British Council in Qatar and the entire region.
“Although I arrived in Qatar only two months ago, I have seen already the fruits of the outstanding efforts that Simon initiated at the council, fostering change not only in Qatar but across the GCC countries.
“The projects that he has overseen for the past five years will continue to help generations to come – for example this year’s ‘Kids Read’ course which concluded yesterday, is an initiative to promote good reading habits among children, and improved language and critical thinking skills. This highly commendable programme is in line with Qatar National Vision 2030.”
O’Neill wished Winetroube and his family the very best as they move to Australia to take up a new challenge in the university world.
During Winetroube’s period as director, the British Council in Qatar witnessed a significant growth in its three main business units – Arts, English, and Education & Society.
Major arts developments over the past five years include projects such as My Father’s House – a high-profile regional exhibition of lens-based work produced by British and Middle East artists, that uses architecture as a central motif to explore the role of heritage in defining cultural identity; Gulf Stage – a ground-breaking theatre involving UK specialist company Digital Theatre, Qatar’s Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage, and the Qatar Foundation; and Akram Khan – a collaborative effort with Katara to showcase Akram Khan’s latest contemporary dance.
In the English for the Future initiative, the British Council worked closely with Independent School Teachers to build capacity through train-the-trainer programmes, intensive summer workshops, and a regular series of workshops and events for the Council’s English Language Teachers’ Network which has over 800 members.
In education, the council introduced the Big Science Challenge project with schools, and the Energy & Security Research Symposium with Qatar Foundation.
These symposia were multi-disciplinary in approach, addressing issues from a wide range of perspectives with stakeholders from the UK and across the region.
The council also launched society initiatives such as the Springboard for Women Development programme, and worked intensively with young people in the Global Change-makers Projects, with initiatives such as the Silatech Conference and Time Bank.
Winetroube’s successor as British Council director in Qatar, Martin Hope, will arrive in Doha next month.