Qatar Development Bank (QDB) concluded Wednesday the Qatar Entrepreneurship Award and Conference (Rowad Qatar) 2021, which was organised in hybrid format under the theme ‘Digital Transformation & Thriving in the New Economy’.
Speaking at the event, HE the Minister of Commerce and Industry Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad bin Qassim al-Abdullah al-Thani said: “This year’s theme opens the discussion of the post-pandemic economy and brings to the fore a wide range of timely topics, including the future of automation and digital transformation, relevant national and global challenges and opportunities, and new avenues of collaboration and joint work towards developing a more conducive national business environment that aligns with the Qatar National Vision 2030.”
QDB acting CEO Abdulrahman Hesham al-Sowaidi said, “Through this pioneering national initiative, we continue to celebrate the success and achievements of innovative entrepreneurs as part of our ongoing efforts to create a positive climate that stimulates innovation and creativity across sectors and fields, and in line with the conference’s aim to further develop the national entrepreneurship ecosystem, which lies at the heart of QDB’s strategic vision and the country’s ambitions for its economy.”
The three-day conference was held under the strategic sponsorship of the Qatar Investment Authority, the platinum sponsorship of Qatar Science and Technology Park, and the golden sponsorship of Qatar International Islamic Bank.
This year’s edition was also organised in collaboration with a sector-diverse array of national partners representing the governmental, semi-governmental, and private sectors, in addition to several global partners, including Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and the World Economic Forum.
Through a diverse agenda of over 30 focused workshops, three panel discussions, and a special keynote by the Adviser to the Founder of Zoom, Rowad Qatar 2021 explored new horizons for digital transformation at the national and global levels, the state of the entrepreneurship and SME ecosystems in the new economy, and various ways to navigate and invest in emerging growth opportunities.
The conference’s sessions saw the participation and attendance of myriad speakers representing various entrepreneurship-related domains from Qatar and around the world.
An award ceremony honoured the winners of the third Rowad Awards across five categories: The ‘Best SME of the Year’ title was awarded to Qatar Meat Production Company, while the ‘Best SME in Innovation’ award was claimed by Shoura Business Group.
Papercut Factory won in the ‘Best SME in Sustainability’ category, Qatar German Gasket Factory garnered the ‘Best SME in Quality Excellence’ award in partnership with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and Render Advertising and Printing took home the ‘Best Microbusiness of the Year’ award in partnership with Nama Centre.
QDB also signed yesterday three memoranda of understanding with Startup Genome on ‘Showcasing the Qatar Startup Ecosystem Globally’, Ooredoo on ‘Mutual Business Co-operation for the ERP Programme’, and Qatar University on ‘Mutual Business Co-operation in the Areas of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development’.
Speaking at the event, HE the Minister of Commerce and Industry Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad bin Qassim al-Abdullah al-Thani said: “This year’s theme opens the discussion of the post-pandemic economy and brings to the fore a wide range of timely topics, including the future of automation and digital transformation, relevant national and global challenges and opportunities, and new avenues of collaboration and joint work towards developing a more conducive national business environment that aligns with the Qatar National Vision 2030.”
QDB acting CEO Abdulrahman Hesham al-Sowaidi said, “Through this pioneering national initiative, we continue to celebrate the success and achievements of innovative entrepreneurs as part of our ongoing efforts to create a positive climate that stimulates innovation and creativity across sectors and fields, and in line with the conference’s aim to further develop the national entrepreneurship ecosystem, which lies at the heart of QDB’s strategic vision and the country’s ambitions for its economy.”
The three-day conference was held under the strategic sponsorship of the Qatar Investment Authority, the platinum sponsorship of Qatar Science and Technology Park, and the golden sponsorship of Qatar International Islamic Bank.
This year’s edition was also organised in collaboration with a sector-diverse array of national partners representing the governmental, semi-governmental, and private sectors, in addition to several global partners, including Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and the World Economic Forum.
Through a diverse agenda of over 30 focused workshops, three panel discussions, and a special keynote by the Adviser to the Founder of Zoom, Rowad Qatar 2021 explored new horizons for digital transformation at the national and global levels, the state of the entrepreneurship and SME ecosystems in the new economy, and various ways to navigate and invest in emerging growth opportunities.
The conference’s sessions saw the participation and attendance of myriad speakers representing various entrepreneurship-related domains from Qatar and around the world.
An award ceremony honoured the winners of the third Rowad Awards across five categories: The ‘Best SME of the Year’ title was awarded to Qatar Meat Production Company, while the ‘Best SME in Innovation’ award was claimed by Shoura Business Group.
Papercut Factory won in the ‘Best SME in Sustainability’ category, Qatar German Gasket Factory garnered the ‘Best SME in Quality Excellence’ award in partnership with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and Render Advertising and Printing took home the ‘Best Microbusiness of the Year’ award in partnership with Nama Centre.
QDB also signed yesterday three memoranda of understanding with Startup Genome on ‘Showcasing the Qatar Startup Ecosystem Globally’, Ooredoo on ‘Mutual Business Co-operation for the ERP Programme’, and Qatar University on ‘Mutual Business Co-operation in the Areas of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development’.