The Business Year (TBY) officially launched its latest research on the local economy, ‘The Business Year: Qatar 2022, World Cup Special Edition’, at the Qatar Investment Summit 2022 held at Hilton Doha yesterday.  

TBY regional director for the Middle East Ioana Popa delivered a speech, which was followed by the official presentation of ‘The Business Year: Qatar 2022, World Cup Special Edition’ led by country manager for the State of Qatar, Nataly Almanza Madrid.

This is the eighth annual edition published by TBY, which covered the growing ambitions of the Gulf state, from diversification and self-sufficiency to sustainability and World Cup preparation.

The Qatar Investment Summit 2022 aims to draw attention to the most dynamic sectors of the Qatari economy, giving a voice to public and private sector leaders across a series of panel discussions.

The first panel, moderated by Seif Hourani, strategy partner at Consulting HAUS, featured Gudni Stiholt Adalsteinsson, acting CEO at Doha Bank, and David Cook, CEO at Sharq Insurance. It focused on the local economy’s resilience and growth prospects moving forward. The topics discussed included the rise of fintech, PPPs, and digital transformation in insurance and banking.

The next session was opened by Ghanim al-Sulaiti, CEO and founder of Enbat Holding, who talked on sustainable business models, promoting greener practices within the local community, and the push for sustainability along the supply chain.

This was followed by a second panel on sustainability and ESG initiatives in Qatar, moderated by Doha News's Hazar al-Kilani, which featured Hatem el-Mohandes, Google Cloud's Regional CE manager; Dr Fadi Nasser, COO at MEEZA; and Ali al-Shabibi, partner at KPMG in Qatar.

The event concluded with another panel featuring Ashraf Abu Issa, chairman of Abu Issa Holding; Faisal Abdulla KH al-Mana, vice chairman of RC Al Mana; Sheikh Nasser Abdulaziz al-Thani, head of Business Development of Qetaifan Projects; and Ahmed Khellil Abbassi, executive director of Competitions and Football Development for Qatar Stars League (QSL). The discussion was moderated by Venkat Krishnaswamy, partner, head of Advisory, KPMG.

Abu Issa said, “We are all working hard to guarantee our leadership. This is only the start of how we, as a small nation, can deliver an amazing event beyond everyone’s expectations.”

Sheikh Nasser added: “Whether in the sports sector or in the financial and business industries, we have much more to provide to the international community and the best is yet to come.”

The Business Year: Qatar 2022, World Cup Special Edition was produced in partnership with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Qatari Businessmen Association, and the Qatari Businesswomen Association.

It is available now at thebusinessyear.com, as well as on all major business information platforms, including Bloomberg Terminal, Refinitiv Eikon, Dow Jones Factiva, and FactSet, as well as on PressReader, Google Books.