Qt jan 2014 web by Oryx Group of Magazines

inside this issue JANUARY 2014 / VOL. 40/ ISSUE 1

COVER STORY

46 THE BEST IS YET TO COME

Qatar Today brings you the projects that will change the face of Doha in the coming years, from signature buildings to dream-like bridges, massive ports, gas commissions and even complete smart micro-cities. With the major thrust of the megaprojects shifting into high gear, Doha is chalking out its place among the greatest cities in the world, brick by brick and building by building.

33 DIVERSIFICATION PLANS GAIN MOMENTUM

The Helium 2 plant at Ras Laffan, officially inaugurated last month by HE Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada, is the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest helium refining facility, making Qatar the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest exporter of helium and the second-largest producer.

16 WHY BROADBAND MATTERS

In recent years the importance of broadband connectivity for economic growth and socioeconomic well-being has become a key focus of attention for governments and regulators. Qatar is no different, and last month it revealed its 10-year Qatar National Broadband Plan.

72 WANTED: EXPERTS IN SPORTS LAW

With Qatar inching its way to becoming a sports hub in the region, there is a need for experts specialising in sponsorship contracts.

26 QATAR BECKONS

Business optimism is high and global investors are starting to look at Qatar to expand their businesses.

inside this issue JANUARY 2014 / VOL. 40/ ISSUE 1

92 LIVING WITH DIABETES

Qatar has one of the highest rates of diabetes in the world. How does the disease impact the everyday lives of those suffering with it? What is the country doing to combat this? And what can be done to prevent it? We look at some answers to these pressing questions.

24 WHY BASEL III MATTERS IN QATAR

This global regulation is impacting Qatari banks in a unique way. Basel III presents significant strategic and operational challenges to the local banking industry, but these challenges can also be viewed as opportunities to create a strong and forward-looking banking industry that has a competitive advantage not just in the Middle East but worldwide.

42 A MUSEUM THAT IS ALSO ABOUT ART

Aisha Al Khater, Director of MIA, talks about the importance of fostering a museum culture and constantly thinking of innovative ways to make the museum even more accessible to everyone.

58 THE MIDDLE EASTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NUCLEAR DREAM

Booming economies and a desire to diversify away from traditional hydrocarbons to generate more electricity have fuelled the interest of the region in exploring the prospects for nuclear energy. But how far along are the different Middle Eastern countries in realising their nuclear potential?

94 THE FIRE WITHIN

Another entrepreneur who found a world of opportunities opening up after she became a part of How Women Work shares her story. Former firefighter and fire safety expert Donna Strachan talks about her vision for fire safety in Qatar.

and regulars 12

NEWS BITES

BANK NOTES

O&G OVERVIEW

REALTY CHECK

TECH TALK

AUTO NEWS

MARKET WATCH

SPORTS

DOHA DIARY

from the desk We asked our readers whether 2013 had been a virtuous year for Qatar, and we were inundated with responses in the affirmative. But was 2013 really a good year for Qatar? Well, if you were to go by the projects announced and the ground-breaking work om numerous construction projects, then yes, it was a good year for the country. To give our readers a glimpse of all the good things still to come, Qatar Today has compiled a list of some of the great projects that are on the anvil and will completely wipe out the image of the old Doha. A Doha that was a small town with cosy three-storey buildings lining the main ring roads which were interrupted by landmark roundabouts, (does anyone remember the Parachute Roundabout?) and where the Corniche was the only place you could congregate without being reminded of cultural or regional differences. A Corniche that just had a serene Sheraton Hotel and an architecturally perfect General Post Office or the Qpost building on the skyline. Two buildings that represented the country – a country with solid foundations reaching for the sky. The Souq that had many rundown buildings, a mix and match of different styles of construction, Indian jallis on some windows with Gulf architecture inspired windowless walls in the south. Buildings that made you aware of the place you were in as they triggered nostalgia for the country you were from. A country that mirrored the many influences it had imbibed. Keep the remaining images of the old Doha wellimprinted in your mind because they will be soon be replaced with an ultra-modern, tall-tower-lined, broadband-covered, tram-and-metro-expressways connected city that will make us all reach our destinations faster with no memories of the journey we have endured. This image of Doha is from the exhibition titled "Qatar My Country" on display at The Gate Mall.

So we ask you again, was 2013, a good year for Doha? It is all a matter of perception. With all the bad media surrounding the 2022 World Cup and Qatar’s role in world politics, from the ridiculed design of a new stadium, to Muslim Brotherhood, an organisation earlier supported by the country, being branded a terrorist organisation by the Egyptian government to Amnesty International's report on the “inhuman” treatment in Qatar of the migrant labourers, 2013 could indeed have been a better year for Qatar. But then 2014 is another year, a year of promises to be kept. The Qatar Today team wishes all our readers a year of prosperity. Happy Reading in 2014. SINDHU NAIR

PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF YOUSUF JASSEM AL DARWISH CHIEF EXECUTIVE SANDEEP SEHGAL EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT ALPANA ROY VICE PRESIDENT RAVI RAMAN EDITORIAL EDITOR SINDHU NAIR DEPUTY EDITOR V L SRINIVASAN SENIOR CORRESPONDENTS EZDIHAR IBRAHIM ABIGAIL MATHIAS AYSWARYA MURTHY SUB EDITOR SUE EEDLE ART SENIOR ART DIRECTOR VENKAT REDDY DEPUTY ART DIRECTOR HANAN ABU SAIAM ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR AYUSH INDRAJITH SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER MAHESHWAR REDDY PHOTOGRAPHER ROBERT F ALTIMIRANO MARKETING AND SALES SENIOR MANAGER – MARKETING ZULFIKAR JIFFRY ASSISTANT MANAGER – MARKETING THOMAS JOSE SENIOR MEDIA CONSULTANTS HASSAN REKKAB LYDIA YOUSSEF MARKETING RESEARCH AND SUPPORT EXECUTIVE KANWAL BALUCH SENIOR ACCOUNTANT PRATAP CHANDRAN DISTRIBUTION SR. DISTRIBUTION EXECUTIVE BIKRAM SHRESTHA DISTRIBUTION SUPPORT ARJUN TIMILSINA BHIMAL RAI BASANTA POKHREL

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Figures in percentages

WAS 2013 A GOOD YEAR FOR QATAR?

THE YEAR THAT WAS

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It is always bittersweet to see how the year has gone by. Always a touch of sadness and hope for the coming year. Your last issue captured this rather well.

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QUEST FOR TRUTH As an avid viewer of CNN, it was interesting to read Richard Quest’s views on the Middle East. It is always good to learn more about the man who is not just a news anchor.

REBECCA SAMUELS

RENTS TO BE STABLE FOR SOME TIME We have just moved to Qatar, and reading this piece of news in your magazine was both reassuring and welcoming. Let’s hope the stability holds true for most of the coming year! RIHAB MULLAIYAH

SUN IS THE SOLUTION The world’s resources are fast depleting and there is a threat of shortage of energy like never before. The alternative energy options piece was a fascinating read. I hope Qatar succeeds in making the country a solar hub for the region. TIMOTHY D’SOUZA

QATAR’S DHOW FESTIVAL The Dhow festival was a source of enjoyment and learning for me and my family. We got to learn a lot about the country’s rich pearl sourcing and sailing traditions. It was a thrill to see so many countries compete at the rowing competition. Your magazine captured the spirit of the festival quite vividly.

EXPERIENCE A NEW ERA OF READING QATAR TODAY INVITES READERS’ FEEDBACK

Share your views about the magazine or any issue that affects you here in Qatar. One lucky reader will win an exquisite Montblanc writing instrument. WRITE TO: THE EDITOR, QATAR TODAY PO Box 3272, Doha. Fax: (+974) 44550982 e-mail: qtoday@omsqatar.com

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affairs > local A CALL FOR UNITY ON QATAR NATIONAL DAY HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Father Emir HH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani greeted well-wishers who turned up to celebrate Qatar National Day on the Corniche. Qataris and expatriates joined hands to mark National Day with a series of activities held in several venues around the country.

15,000 SOME 15,000 QATARIS, INCLUDING WIDOWS, ORPHANS AND ELDERLY PEOPLE, WHO GET STATE SUPPORT AND 2,000 QATARI PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, ARE ELIGIBLE TO BE ALLOTTED 750 FREE SHARES AS PART OF THIS STATESPONSORED INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING (IPO).

16 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

QR3.3 BILLION IPO OFFERING The government is confident of more IPOs to follow, and expects to raise QR50 billion in the next 10 years

fter a gap of three years, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding Company (MPHC), a unit of state-owned Qatar Petroleum, conducted a QR3.3 billion ($880 million) Initial Public Offering (IPO) of its shares on the local market, which started on December 31. Disclosing this to reporters, Finance Minister HE Ali Shareef Al-Emadi, Energy and Industry Minister HE Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada and Qatar Petroleum Director (Finance) Abdulrahman Ahmad Al Shaibi said the IPO was open only to Qatari citizens and would be conducted till January 21. “The government is planning to raise QR50 billion in the market in the next 10 years, and we want Qatari citizens to take part in this investment and also to await other opportunities in the pipeline,” the Energy and Industry Minister said. The Finance Minister said that foreigners would be allowed to buy a total of up to 15% of MPHC in the secondary market. Trading in shares is expected to start in February 2014. The offer price of each share is QR10, excluding listing costs of QR0.2, and the IPO comprises about 26% of the company. The government will buy 750 shares, valued at QR7,500, as a gift for each disadvantaged Qatari citizen – those receiving social insurance payments and people with special needs.

READY FOR BROADCAST

QATAR’S FIRST SATELLITE, ES’HAIL 1, WILL START EFFECTIVE OPERATIONS SOON AND WILL BROADCAST THE QATAR EXXONMOBIL TENNIS OPEN 2014 IN DOHA FROM DECEMBER 30 TO JANUARY 4, THE QATAR SATELLITE COMPANY (ES’HAILSAT) SAID.

BRAZIL IS NEXT The Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) has announced that 2014 will be the Qatar-Brasil Year of Culture. Being observed under the patronage of QMA Chairperson HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, QatarBrasil 2014 will be the third consecutive Year of Culture launched by QMA, following Qatar-UK 2013 and QatarJapan 2012.

A MINISTERIAL MEETING

SURPLUS

AFP PHOTO/YASSER AL-ZAYYAT

The GCC states have decided to set up a regional police coordination centre to put up a concerted fight against terrorism. The proposed centre, the headquarters of which was not announced, will coordinate with security agencies in the six member countries.

(A)GAIN QATAR IS EXPECTED TO POST A BUDGET SURPLUS OF OVER

80 $65

QR BILLION ($21.97 BILLION) IN THE 2013 FISCAL YEAR, AS THE BUDGET WAS BASED ON AN OIL PRICE OF

PER BARREL, WHILE AVERAGE CRUDE PRICES IN THE INTERNATIONAL MARKETS HAVE BEEN RUNNING AT

$105

CC leaders took the decision at the 34th session of the GCC Supreme Council, held in the Liberation Hall at Bayan Palace in Kuwait City. Along with the Emir, HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Dr Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah also participated in the summit. For external security, they also gave the nod to a unified military command. It was also decided to establish a Gulf Academy for Strategic and Security Studies, which is to be based in the UAE.

ACCORDING TO FINANCIAL EXPERTS. THE SURPLUS ESTIMATES WERE ACTUALLY QR7.4 BILLION (BASED ON AN OIL PRICE OF $65 PER BARREL) IN THE CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR, WHILE IN THE PREVIOUS BUDGET THE SURPLUS ESTIMATED WAS

27.7

QR BILLION.

QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 17

affairs > local

HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser launched Qatar’s human genome project, a groundbreaking initiative to map the genetic code of citizens for better diagnosis and treatment of various diseases.

“There will be a massive expansion of healthcare facilities in the next few years, including several specialised hospitals to treat lifethreatening diseases that are relevant to the country. However, the setting up of specialised facilities is based on a thorough review of the diseases and health requirements of the citizens.” HE ABDULLAH BIN KHALID AL QAHTANI Minister of Public Health

QATAR GENOME

LAUNCHED AT WISH

heikha Moza announced the project, Qatar Genome, while addressing the opening session of the first World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH 2013) at the Qatar National Convention Centre. “As a result of the integration of scientific research and clinical realities, I am pleased to announce the project ‘Qatar Genome’, a project that consists of a future road map for personalised medicine,’’ said Sheikha Moza. "Qatar Genome" will be implemented in three phases: collecting samples, analysing them, and then working on tailored

medicine. It will aim to understand the diseases that affect Qataris. The Human Genome Project internationally serves as a source of detailed information about the structure, organisation and function of the complete set of human genes (genome). This information is considered the basic set of “instructions” for the development and function of a human being. Genome studies are moving from analysing the personal DNA code of individuals for research purposes to clinical applications such as treatments tailored to the genetic make-up of cancers.

HEALTHCARE

EXPANSION MAJOR PROJECTS IN HEALTH SECTOR (IN DIFFERENT PHASES OF CONSTRUCTION) AN ADDITIONAL HOSPITAL IN AL KHOR A NEW CANCER HOSPITAL A HOSPITAL FOR DENTAL CARE EXPANSION OF THE HEART HOSPITAL THE NEW HOSPITALS AT HAMAD MEDICAL CITY WILL BE READY FOR OPERATION BY MID-2015. CONSTRUCTION OF THREE WORKERS’ HOSPITALS AND 17 NEW HEALTH CENTRES IS IN PROGRESS

18 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

CALATRAVADESIGNED BRIDGE FOR CORNICHE Ashghal Officials at the launch of the project

ENERGY SAVED

ahramaa has tied up with the Japan-based Mitsubishi Research Institute (MRI) to prepare an energy efficiency road map for Qatar. MRI will conduct a study on power consumption patterns in Qatar, will analyse how energy is consumed, set benchmarks, and quantify potential savings. Factories, households and commercial entities will participate in the survey, which aims to understand how Qataris consume energy. This will lead to an energy efficiency road map, a policy package with target times for introduction. One of the policies would be the creation of standards for appliances and building materials, and Qataris will have wider access to such energy-efficient products.

Work on an ambitious 12-km-long infrastructure project comprising three iconic bridges interconnected by eight kilometres of long subsea tunnels will begin in 2015 and is expected to be completed by 2021, before the FIFA World Cup.

he project, called Sharq Crossing, will connect Doha’s new Hamad International Airport with Katara Cultural Village to the north and the downtown central business district of West Bay. The crossing will include three interconnected bridges, named "West Bay", "Cultural City" and "Al Sharq", of between 600 and 1,310 metres in length. “Sharq Crossing is an engineering masterpiece of design, and while providing an important new artery to Doha’s existing road network, it will be instantly recognisable across the world and will be an emblem for Qatar,” said Nasser bin Ali Al Mawlawi, President of Ashghal. The design of Sharq Crossing is by Santiago Calatrava.

CAMELS ARE SAFE

tudies conducted on 14 camels at a farm in Qatar where three camels were recently found to be infected with MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) have revealed that all of them had developed antibodies to MERS, suggesting that the virus might have been circulating for some time. The study, published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, also revealed that the gene sequences in the camels were very similar, although not identical, to those identified in the two people who were infected with the virus from the same site, Reuters reported. QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 19

affairs > local

WHY

BROADBAND MATTERS In recent years, the importance of broadband connectivity for economic growth and socioeconomic well-being has become a key focus of attention for government sand regulators. BY DAMIAN RADCLIFFE

20 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

“The future will be full of surprises.” RICHARD ADLER Distinguished Fellow, Institute for the Future

“Research has shown that most broadband users in Qatar subscribe to lower-speed packages, due to the high cost of faster services and a lack of awareness." HE DR HESSA AL JABER Minister of Information and Communications Technology

esearch in 2010 by Ericsson and Arthur D. Little concluded that for every ten percentage-point increase in broadband penetration, GDP increases by 1%, while a 2011 follow-up study determined that doubling broadband speed increased a country’s GDP by 0.3%. Given these figures, along with new analysis related to the “trickle down” effect of broadband speeds on household income it is not surprising that most countries not only have a broadband plan, but that these plans look extensively at the mechanisms for stimulating investment in networks as well as moves to get as many of the population online as possible. By mid-2013, the Broadband Commission reported that “134, or 69%, of all countries had a national plan, strategy or policy in place to promote broadband.” Qatar’s National Broadband Plan That number increased in December when Qatar joined their ranks. Launched at a one-day symposium that discussed the potential impact of

broadband on both industry and society, the Qatar National Broadband Plan features a 10-year plan with specific policy actions around competition, management of resources, take-up and the supply-side of services and content. “Taken together, these form the basis for the broadband ecosystem to flourish,” the report notes. In her keynote opening address, HE Dr Hessa Al Jaber, Minister of Information and Communications Technology, highlighted that in Qatar “broadband penetration among households continues to rise, from 41% in 2008 to 80% in 2010 to a high of 85% in 2012,” as well as the fact that Qatar was placed 27 out of 190 countries in the United Nations E-Government Survey 2012, and ninth on the UN’s e-participation index. However, in an observation which echoed some of the consumer response to the plan she also observed that “speed and affordability of both fixed and mobile broadband remain major issues. Research has shown that most broadband users in Qatar subscribe to lower-speed packages, due to the high cost of faster services and a lack of awareness of the benefits associated with higher speeds,” she said.

Short- and long-term goals In an effort to address these concerns, and in line with the global “demand for faster and more secure broadband networks”, the minister outlined a number of short-term targets, as well as wider policy initiatives designed to create more e-Government services and further strengthen cyber security in the country. “Qatar’s National Broadband Plan is a major step in a journey that will establish Qatar as a leading broadband economy in the region,” the minister said. Specific targets in the plan outlined in the ministerial address, with a 2016 delivery date and focused on choice, speed and skills: all of the population to have the ability to choose between a minimum of two broadband retail providers, irrespective of location, ninety-five percent of households to have the ability to access affordable and high-quality broadband service of at least 100 Mbps effective download and 50 Mbps effective upload speeds; all businesses, schools, hospitals and government institutions to have access to at least 1 Gbps effective symmetrical QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 21

affairs > local EVOLUTION OF MOBILE BROADBAND ADOPTION IN QATAR PER ACCESS MEDIUM

20I0 20II 20I2 778

INTERNET SPEEDS IN HOUSEHOLDS WITH INTERNET ACCESSS

10 Mbit/s+

4-10 Mbit/s

1,091

1-4 Mbit/s

29%

256 Kbit/s - 1 Mbit/s

52%

1,163

103

MBB Subscribers

Separate Data Cards (Dongle, USB Modem)

Narrowband/ Dial-up

Not Sure

12%

SOURCE: MINISTRY OF ICT

speeds; and digital literacy activities to be expanded to all of the mainstream population by 2016, along with guarantees of digital privacy, protection of personal data and freedom of opinion and expression.

“Good execution can correct for any errors in the Plan. A great plan with lousy execution will ultimately fail" BLAIR LEVIN Communications & Society Fellow, The Aspen Institute

22 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

“The debate is not about the endgame. It is about how to get there” Commenting on the plan, Blair Levin, Communications and Society Fellow at The Aspen Institute and former Executive Director of the US Federal Communications Commission's Omnibus Broadband Initiative, reflected on his experience working on the American national broadband plan. “The single most important sentence in the US broadband plan was the opening sentence of the final chapter on implementation: This plan is in beta and always will be.” As a result, he advised attendees that “while there is much to admire in the Qatar plan, I hope you will regard the plan as being in beta and adjust as necessary.” Richard Adler, Distinguished Fellow at the Institute for the Future and the event’s second external keynote speaker, also alluded to this theme. “The future will be full of surprises,” he told the delegates, citing how Netflix had pivoted from being the US Mail’s biggest customer in 2006 to the US’ biggest streamer less than half a decade later, as an example. “The Internet is part of our everyday environment and a constant companion to us,” he added, with driverless cars, augmented reality and robots among the

bandwidth-hungry technologies he felt could start to become mainstream in the next decade. “Aspiration is easy, execution is hard” Levin further advised, regarding implementation, that “the execution of the plan is more important than the plan itself,” noting that although “good execution can correct for any errors in the plan, a great plan with lousy execution will ultimately fail. “The countries that have done well, like Korea,” he counselled, “have demonstrated a long-term commitment to building a broadband-based economy. They are constantly studying, reconsidering, course-correcting and moving towards that goal.” This echoed remarks made by HE Dr AlJaber, who had earlier stressed that "this is not just the government’s plan, and the government can’t do this alone. “It belongs to all of us in Qatar, and its success – which will also drive the continued prosperity and progress of our nation – depends on all of us,” she said. “...While the Broadband Plan provides needed guidance, the road ahead has any number of obstacles and challenges. We will need the help of public and private institutions, as well as individuals, to guarantee its success." DISCLAIMER:

The author works for the Ministry that published the Broadband Plan, and was part of the project steering committee. He writes here in a personal capacity.

business>bank notes A VISION IS NEEDED

“This new phase requires government support to diversify the national economy and support the expansion of non-oiland-gas sectors. It also requires the active participation of the private sector to encourage positive competition and to support the employment, training and development of young people.”

PRIME MINISTER HE ABDULLAH BIN NASSER BIN KHALIFA AL THANI inaugurating the two-day Euromoney Conference Qatar held on December 10 and 11.

DOHA BANK TO OPEN BRANCH IN INDIA Indian Central Bank issues licence to Doha Bank

he Indian Government has granted Doha Bank a licence to commence banking operations in India and pemission to open a branch in Mumbai to provide full-scale banking services. Doha Bank is the only Qatari Bank to have obtained a banking licence in India. The bank will soon start its operations as a foreign bank branch and will offer wholesale banking, retail banking, treasury and trade finance services. “This licence will further enhance the niche role Doha Bank is playing and

facilitate the movement of trade between Qatar and India. The proposed branch will contribute in servicing a larger segment of the bank’s customers in both countries,” said Sheikh Fahad bin Mohammad bin Jabor Al Thani, Chairman of Doha Bank. With the addition of the Mumbai branch, the bank has now full-scale operations in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and India and has presence in major global cities through its 11 representative offices. The new banking licence is expected to boost trade relations between the two countries.

BARWA WINS Qatar’s youngest Islamic bank walks away with top honours at the Eighth Islamic Business and Finance Awards.

arwa Bank of Qatar brought home the top accolade of Best Bank, on the back of wins for Best Premium Banking, Best Domestic Commercial Bank (Middle East) and Best SME Finance Company for its subsidiary First Finance Company, at the prestigious eighth annual Islamic Business and Finance Awards, held at the Emirates Towers hotel in Dubai on December 14. Malaysia’s AmBank Group also took home three awards, with Best Corporate Acccount (Asia) for AmIslamic Bank and two wins for AmInvest: Best Asset Manager (Asia) and Best Commodities Fund for its AmCommodities Equity Fund.

ANOTHER FEATHER IN QNB’S CAP QATAR NATIONAL BANK (QNB) HAS BEEN NAMED THE BEST-CAPITALISED FINANCIAL INSTITUTION AND THE SECOND LARGEST CAPITALISED “CORPORATE” IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION BY GULF BUSINESS MAGAZINE’S ANNUAL SURVEY 2013. The survey carried out in conjunction with market research agency Markaz. The state-backed bank overcame strong competition from Al Rajhi Bank in Saudi Arabia to secure the top rank among financial institutions while being a credible second to Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) in the entire Middle East ranking league tables. Overall, QNB improved its market capitalisation standing by one place over its 2012 performance, reflecting the ongoing strong financial fundamentals in place across the group.

QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 23

business > bank notes

QATARI EQUITIES

THE FUSS AND THE FIZZ Qatar’s equity market reminds one of the chicken and the egg. The question is whether liquidity attracts investors or more market participation improves liquidity? The country will find out next year when it gets included in the Emerging Market (EM) indices of Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) and Standard & Poor’s Dow Jones, in May and September respectively. BY SOWMYA SUNDAR

24 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

he excitement among market participants about the prospects for equities is palpable. Let's look at what is in store for Qatari equities this year.

Expected flows The EM upgrade by MSCI and S&P means that funds tracking these emerging market indices will have to rebalance their portfolios to include Qatari and UAE-listed stocks. Funds tracking MSCI EM indices will allocate 0.45% and 0.40% of their total investable corpus to Qatari and UAE-listed stocks respectively. Both countries were earlier classified as Frontier Markets. Hence funds tracking frontier market indices will pull out from these markets. The net inflow is still expected to make a substantial difference. Jaap Meijer, Executive Director of Equity Research at Arqaam Capital, says: “Assuming US dollar-denominated funds tracking the MSCI are QR7.28 trillion ($2 trillion), we expect QR29.12 billion ($8 billion) in the UAE and QR32.76 billion ($9 billion, inflows) into Qatar.” He expects net inflows amounting to 55% and 65% of the foreign ownership-adjusted freely tradable value of equities (free-float market capitalisation) in Qatar and the UAE respectively. That is a large amount of inflow, enough to send the markets soaring. Liquidity set to improve? Low liquidity was one of the reasons for the EM upgrade eluding Qatar and the UAE for the past few years. Afa Boran, Head of Asset Management at Amwal, points out that “compared with total market capitalisation of around QR546 billion ($150 billion), daily trading volumes are only around QR291360 million ($80-100 million). Many stocks trade only around a few thousand dollars’ worth. With this kind of low liquidity, it is difficult for Qatar to make it onto the radar screen of many international investors.” Meijer, on the other hand, is quite positive that foreign inflows will pep up liquidity. “We expect gross volumes (buying and selling) to reach 60% of foreign ownership

limit and free-float adjusted market cap on the back of the MSCI change. This could help reduce the liquidity discount the market has imposed on Qatar and the UAE,” he says. The Qatar Exchange (QE) has been actively campaigning to allow more foreigners to own stocks in Qatari companies, and its efforts are paying off. Doha Bank recently increased its foreign ownership limit to 25% of market cap; Commercial Bank of Qatar and Qatar Islamic Bank too have expressed interest. Ooredoo and Vodafone have opened up 100% to foreigners, and Masraf Al Rayan up to 49%. Though more shares can now be bought by foreigners, low activity (traded volumes) is still a concern, as foreigners prefer active markets where money can be injected and pulled out effortlessly. Boran says the issue with Qatar is that “many investors just passively hold their stocks. If it was more closely and actively managed, not only would returns be better for investors, it would also increase market liquidity. Annual trading volumes in most markets around the world are around 50-60% of market cap. This number in Qatar is only around 10%.”

“Assuming US dollardenominated funds tracking the MSCI are QR7.28 trillion ($2 trillion), we expect QR29.12 billion ($8 billion) in the UAE and QR32.76 billion ($9 billion, inflows) into Qatar.” JAAP MEIJER Executive Director, Equity Research, Arqaam Capital

The IPO buzz The market is abuzz with expectations of new listings in 2014. According to Deloitte Middle East’s first Equity Capital Markets Confidence Survey, “From a trot to a canter?”, over 70% of respondents expected the volume of IPOs in the GCC region to increase in the next 12 months, and QE will be among the most active GCC exchanges. Meijer too is positive about the IPO scenario. “We expect increased foreign investments in Qatar to boost IPOs, though some companies are opting for London listings,” he says. Qatar Petroleum may have a $880-million issue on QE before year-end, the first listing in Qatar in three years. Doha Global Investment, a QIA arm, was to make a high-profile debut in May 2013, which has now been put off till further notice. Experts have mentioned that issues regarding QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 25

business > bank notes SIMULATED COUNTRY WEIGHT OF MSCI EMERGING MARKETS CZECH REPUBLIC

EGYPT

UAE

TURKEY

CHINA

0.25

0.I6

0.44

I.7I

I9.37

GREECE

QATAR

POLAND

RUSSIA

TAIWAN

0.3

0.47

I.6I

6.II

II.34

CHILE

COLOMBIA

SOUTH AFRICA

INDONESIA

INDIA

I.69

I.I7

7.42

2.5

5.74

PERU

HUNGARY

PHILIPPINES

MALAYSIA

THAILAND

0.4I

0.2I

0.88

3.6I

2.5I

MEXICO

5.2I BRAZIL

II.24 “Annual trading volumes in most markets around the world are around 50-60% of market cap. This number in Qatar is only around 10%. Many stocks trade only around a few thousand dollars’ worth. With this kind of low liquidity, it is difficult for Qatar to make it onto the radar screen of many international investors.” AFA BORAN Head of Asset Management, Amwal

26 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

listing requirements and the lengthy listing process need to be addressed. QE has been working to overcome obstacles related to the IPO process in Qatar. Boran thinks improving liquidity in existing stocks should take priority. “Qatar is not a country that needs to necessarily raise capital from abroad; nevertheless, attracting capital is still very important from the point of diversifying the investor base, increasing market efficiency and improving corporate governance,” he says. Valuation Qatar was a relative underperformer among its GCC peers during 2013, gaining about 18% compared to over 40% for Dubai and Abu Dhabi. A September 2013 report entitled “Meet the EM class of 2014”, from Merrill Lynch, noted that Dubai is expensive and Qatar is seeing lower multiples. The question that then arises is whether the country is now undervalued? According to Boran, “this was true at the beginning of 2013, but this was because the Qatari market performed better in prior years. Also, in the last couple of quarters the market has caught up with most other GCC markets and is currently valued broadly in line with them.”

Bader Al-Ghanim, Vice-President and Head of GCC Asset Management at Global Investment House, says: “Qatar is in a sweet spot amongst the regional exchanges with many a positive catalyst. The valuations are not pricey and the market will be up for re-rating once the catalysts materialise.” Dividend yield At 3.6%, Qatar offers one of the highest returns from dividend payouts. According to Boran, “most stocks pay good dividends, typically higher than deposit rates. But in addition, some stocks offer good growth, which means future dividends will be even higher.” Boran cautions that it can be misleading in instances where companies raise capital after distributing dividends. “When this is netted out, overall dividend yield is not as high as it appears at first,” he reveals. Meijer agrees that “dividend yields in Qatar are slightly higher than the average sector. But we don’t expect dividend payouts to remain at current levels, notably for the banks that are tight for capital due to the stricter Basel III regulations imposed by the Central Bank.” Qatari banks are top on the investment radar, as they best capture the underlying infrastructure theme driving growth

business > viewpoint

WHY BASEL III

MATTERS IN QATAR

Of all the regulations hitting the global banking industry, Basel III is probably the one that has attracted most attention. Very simply put, it is intended to set standards forthe amount of capital a bank must hold in reserve to cushion it against adverse market conditions.

he G-20 governments and policymakers identified capital adequacy issues at global banks as one of the prime reasons for the financial crisis, and Basel III is intended to help minimise the impact in future. While this is a global regulation, it is impacting Qatari banks in a unique way. Basel III presents significant strategic and operational challenges for the local banking industry, but these challenges can also be viewed as opportunities to create a strong and forward-looking banking industry that has competitive advantage not just in the Middle East but worldwide. Basel III was created by the Committee on Banking Supervision at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS). While the details of the regulation are subject

28 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

to refinement, most countriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; regulatory authorities are following its guidelines straightforwardly. However, the Qatar Central Bank (QCB) has chosen to take a different, more demanding, approach. Its directive is intended to go above and beyond that required by the BIS. This is most evident in the way that it applies the Basel III capital standards equally to both conventional and Islamic banks. Under the Basel guidelines, Islamic banks are treated differently, being deemed more stable than conventional banks, given lower capital requirements in adverse situations. In addition to this, the QCB has decided to combine Basel III with proposals put forward specifically for Islamic banking operations by the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB), the organisation responsible

for promoting stability in Islamic banks. Other countries in the Middle East – the UAE and Saudi Arabia, for instance – have elected to implement Basel III and the IFSB standards separately, giving their banks time to deal with one before the other. This all means that Qatar’s banks are dealing with a unique combination of regulatory challenges: implementing a strict interpretation of Basel III across both conventional and Islamic operations at the same time as ensuring their Islamic arms comply with the new IFSB guidelines. This has significant implications in particular for Qatari banks that deal with both conventional and Islamic finance. They will have to establish processes to ensure that the two sets of rules are implemented across two divisions simultaneously. For those banks already specialising in either conventional or Islamic finance, the impact is no less significant. They will have to comply with new regulatory measures around their liquidity ratios. They will also have to implement strategies for stress testing that allow for complex data to be analysed in order to demonstrate compliance with the QCB’s guidance on the Basel III directives. These requirements will require considerable technology change at many banks to ensure that the required financial and risk data can be accurately gathered, cleansed, analysed and reported to board members and the regulator in the formats required. Banks will therefore have to meet the challenge of creating the optimal structure, systems and controls to demonstrate compliance with these new regulatory requirements. To do this effectively, banks must define strategic compliance objectives around capital management and liquidity. They should then consider establishing a dedicated "Basel III Compliance Change Team" that comprises internal and exter-

nal experts from across the finance, risk and technology functions. This should be supported by an impact assessment team that will assess Basel III impacts periodically. Doing this will provide banks with the skillsets and cross-department synergies required to develop a complete response to the regulations. While it is tempting for banks to work on meeting the regulations as they are currently shaped, Basel III is not a one-time compliance exercise; its requirements are expected to evolve further with time. Banks will benefit from taking a long-term view of regulatory compliance. This means developing a framework for implementing consistent compliance practices and utilising enterprise-wide risk management tools. This will help assure compliance as Basel III (and other, related, regulations) change with time. In fact it’s not going too far to suggest that Basel III may have a lasting influence on banks’ business models. Given the strict interpretation of the rules being mandated by the QCB, it’s likely that some banks may need to raise additional capital to comply, or even divest business units that no longer make sense for them to operate under the new regulatory regime. So all in all, Basel III is going to have a far-reaching effect on the Qatari banking industry. It presents several challenges that the country’s banks will need to face during 2014 and beyond. But if approached correctly it can also represent an opportunity for banks to instigate operational improvements and strengthen core competencies. With strong government impetus for growth, backed by adequate investments in risk management and a culture of compliance, Qatar’s banks can set an example in the Middle East

BY SRIDHAR ATHREYA Principal, SunGard Consulting Services

"A significant proportion of this development has been triggered by regulatory need, which has for many firms tended to be interpreted as requiring a ‘compliance’ focus rather than being primarily driven by the business itself."

QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 29

business > bank notes

QATAR BECKONS Business optimism is high and investors are looking at Qatar for expanding their businesses. BY V L SRINIVASAN 30 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

he brief lull witnessed by Qatar in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) seems to be over, with Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) announcing the upgrading of Qatar’s status from frontier to emerging market in May 2013. Along with the world's highest GDP per capita, largest surpluses and fastest-growing non-oil sector, this change in status will draw the attention of foreign institutional investors to local businesses, including the equity markets. The Qatar Exchange has already urged the government to increase the cap on foreign ownership limits, which are at or near 25% of market capitalisation at present. It is estimated that FDI inflows will range between QR1.275 billion ($350 million) and QR3.64 billion ($1 billion) once the MSCI announcement comes into effect from May 2014. The incentives working in favour of creating a conducive atmosphere for FDIs include the government’s liberal policies to lure foreign investors, providing them with appropriate business structures, fixing a low corporate income tax of 10%, no tax on the income of expatriats, facilities like well-structured schools and universities for their children, and air connectivity to major countries by its national carrier, Qatar Airways. A survey by Dun & Bradstreet has revealed that business optimism in Qatar soared in Q4 of 2013 to its highest level in nearly three years. Confidence has particularly peaked in financial, real estate and business services to its highest level in three years, indicating the strong growth and resilience of the country’s economy. While the outflows of FDI from Qatar declined by 8.5% to QR6.552 billion ($1.8 billion) last year, the inward fund flow saw a marginal increase of 0.6% to QR1.19 billion ($327 million), according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)'s “World Investment Report 2013”. UNCTAD’s country fact sheet on Qatar’s cross-border mergers and acquisitions shows the country’s net purchases reached QR16.78 billion ($4.61 billion) in 2012, and inward foreign direct investment to the region increased five-fold to QR131.04 billion ($36 billion) between 2003 and 2010. With the government taking on infrastructure projects worth more than QR819 billion ($225 billion), as highlighted in the National Development Strategy

programme, and spending QR546 billion ($150 billion) on its part, public investment, part of it from foreign investors, is set to gain pace and accelerate private sector growth as well. Of the total sum around QR291.2 billion ($80 billion) is being spent towards the development of infrastructure for the FIFA 2022 World Cup. High-profile projects include the new Hamad International Airport, the Qatar Rail and Metro networks, the Lusail City development and the Barzan gas project. The debt markets, according to a National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) report, which have been a source of funding for development projects, have increasingly been tapped by both public and private sectors: QR17.462 billion ($4.8 billion) in bonds and QR20.02 billion ($5.5 billion) worth of sukuk were issued in 2012. “Overall, the FDI in the GCC in 2012 increased slightly over the previous year to reach QR96.096 billion ($26.4 billion), bringing an end to three consecutive years of declining FDI flow to the region since the pre-financial crisis peak of nearly QR224.59 billion ($61.7 billion) in 2008,” the NBK report says. International Capital Market Association (ICMA) Chairman and International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm) President René Karsenti says the ICMA is keen to establish the right framework for Qatar by collaborating with institutions in the country, including the Qatar Financial Centre Authority (QFCA) in its quest to attract more foreign investment. “Qatar’s continued success in attracting foreign investment into its domestic markets is indicative of its commitment to best market practice in this area. From an international perspective, Qatari banks, and the corporate sector, have become welcome borrowers in the international debt capital markets, following the example of the sovereign. “ICMA and its members would welcome increasing participation from the region. Conversely, increased access to global capital markets has given Qatari investors and financial institutions the potential for investment in a wide range of credits, including socially responsible investments such as the vaccine bonds issued by IFFIm,” Karsenti says. He also says the ICMA is actively supportive of the rapidly growing markets of the Gulf region, and specifically of Qatar as it progresses towards its aim of becoming a major international financial centre.

“We are investing heavily to support the development of our fast-growing business in Qatar. The people here are highly capable and we are looking at significant investment in the country. We are talking to our customers and will finalise plans soon.” ALEXANDER M CUTLER Chairman and CEO, Eaton Corporation

QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 31

business > bank notes “Foreign investors have injected significant cash into Qatar in 2013. Year to date, net buying of Qatarlisted equities by foreign investors exceeds QR2 billion ($550 million).” AKBER KHAN Director, Asset Management Masraf Al Rayan Investment

“Qatar’s continued success in attracting foreign investment into its domestic markets is indicative of its commitment to best market practice in this area. From an international perspective, Qatari banks, and corporate sector have become welcome borrowers in the international debt capital markets, following the example of the sovereign.” RENÉ KARSENTI Chairman, International Capital Market Association

32 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

“High-quality regulation carried out to internationally recognised principles is one of the key requirements for the sustainable development of a modern financial centre in this post-crisis world,” he adds. The other factor which ensured an increase in the FDI flow into the GCC region is the significant improvements made by individual countries in the ease of doing business. Saudi Arabia and the UAE, for instance, ranked 22 and 26 in the world respectively, have made positive strides in reforming the procedures, costs and time taken to start a business, trade across borders and deal with construction permits. Though Qatar has been placed in 48th position, it ranked 5th in the Middle East and North Africa region in 2013. “Foreign investors have injected significant cash into Qatar in 2013. Year to date, net buying of Qatar-listed equities by foreign investors exceeds QR2 billion ($550 million),” says Akber Khan, Director, Asset Management at Masraf Al Rayan Investment. Looking at private equity, the majority of FDI remains in oil and gas and related industries such as petrochemicals, industrial gases and aluminium, he adds. The multi-billion dollar Eaton, a USbased power management company providing energy-efficient solutions across the world, recently announced its alignment with Qatar’s drive for more diversified economic growth. Eaton’s Chairman and CEO Alexander M Cutler says his company has a long-standing history of doing business in Qatar. “We are investing heavily to support the development of our fast-growing business here,” he says. Though he remains noncommittal

KEY HIGHLIGHTS Optimism rises for both hydrocarbon and non-hydrocarbon sectors; the composite business optimisim index for the hydrocarbon sector increases quarter to quarter by 16 points to 29, and that for the non-hydrocarbon sector by 14 points to 53. More than half (55%) of the respondents in the hydrocarbon sector expect stronger sales volume in the coming quarter. Sales and profitability expectations among firms in the non-hydrocarbon sector also reflect a robust outlook, with 71% and 68% of respondents respectively anticipating an increase in Q4 2013. 72% of the non-hydrocarbon sector respondents perceive that no negative factors or challenges will affect their business operations in Q4 2013, a significant increase from the previous quarter’s 58%. Competition and delays in payment / receivables continue to be the key challenges impacting non-hydrocarbon businesses. A comparison between SMEs and large companies shows that the former are more optimistic on sales volume, profitability and selling prices, while large companies have a stronger outlook on hiring and are more optimistic on their business expansion plans. 33% of hydrocarbon firms and 35% of nonhydrocarbon sector companies will invest in business expansion.

on the quantum of funds to be invested in Qatar and the GCC region, he describes the investment climate in Qatar as very good. “The people are highly capable and we are looking at significant investment in the country. We are talking to our customers and will finalise plans soon,” Cutler adds

business > viewpoint

BROADBAND BENEFITS

atar's National Broadband plan also includes a number of shorter-term targets for 2016, which demonstrate the government’s desire to fast-track development of the nation’s broadband infrastructure, both mobile and fixed fibre optic, with the view of ensuring the success of this plan in the long term and of getting some of the benefits of an expanded broadband network soon. These targets include aiming for all residents to have access to a minimum of two broadband retail providers by 2016. Similarly goals have been set for 95% of households, along with all businesses, schools, hospitals and government institutions, to have the ability to access affordable and high-quality broadband by the same time. But why is so much energy being focused on broadband? The simple reason is that broadband has the potential to have a positive impact in a large number of areas, both social and economic. In terms of the ICT sector, rolling out broadband across Qatar will increase the number of people who can access services, so boosting the number of potential customers. This increased reach of broadband, combined with the ready uptake of such technology by Qatari youth, will undoubtedly increase demand for services. Meeting this demand will drive growth and create jobs in an important non-hydrocarbon sector, which is in itself a positive outcome of meeting these targets. Minister of Information and Communications Technology HE Dr Hessa Al Jaber says that in order to meet these targets the government would support a “healthy competition in the ICT sector through establishing an independent telecommunications regulatory authority.” Ooredoo Chairman HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Thani has says that while mobile phone subscriptions may be at saturation point, there is considerable potential for growth in terms of providing access to the Internet. “There are almost as many mobile phone subscriptions as there are people in the world, but 4.4 billion people are not yet online, meaning that internet access remains a key area with high growth potential.” The same can be said of Qatar, where although the number of SIM cards is greater than the population, mobile

broadband penetration remains low, and providing for this growth in demand will boost the ICT sector as a whole – and access to broadband has broader economic and social benefits. A 2009 World Bank study argued that there is a direct link between access to broadband and GDP growth. The report suggested that a 10% increase in broadband penetration can lead to a 1.3% rise in GDP, a figure that dwarfs most European nations' annual GDP growth over the past half-decade. The government has recognised this, and is looking to exploit broadband as a driver of economic growth and diversification, in line with QNV 2030. One of the major ways access to broadband produces growth is by driving innovation. This will boost entrepreneurialism and in turn the growth of SMEs. This is an area of particular focus for the authorities, as SMEs are recognised as a major driver of diversity in economies. Along with spurring innovation, access to broadband has the capacity to boost SMEs by helping to reduce their operating costs. Broadband vastly lowers the cost of communications and allows companies to store, retrieve and share information at the touch of a button. E-government initiatives that are able to create greater transparency and efficiency in governance and compliance, and other previously time-consuming practicalities of running a small business, also help ease the way for SMEs. As Mohamed Ali Al-Mannai, CEO of Qatar National Broadband Network (Qnbn) recently told OBG: “Access to broadband fibre optic networks empowers SMEs to compete with larger firms, improves performance of ICT and creates a more favourable innovation and investment climate.” Fast, reliable broadband and an advanced telecommunications network also attract big business. Being ahead of regional competitors in terms of ICT infrastructure creates an attractive environment in which businesses can operate across all sectors. Rolling out broadband will not just drive growth in the ICT sector, but will have positive effects across other sectors. The government has recognised this, and the latest targets are another step towards ensuring that Qatar will accrue the many benefits that universal access to broadband can bring, in both the short and long term

BY OLIVER CORNOCK Regional Editor, Oxford Business Group

At the launch of the Qatar National Broadband Plan on December 8, ambitious goals were set for the coming ten years.

A WORLD BANK STUDY

ARGUED THAT A

INCREASE IN BROADBAND PENETRATION CAN LEAD TO A

I.3

RISE IN GDP

QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 33

news bites > regional

C O L D P L AY A Lebanese man holding an umbrella walks past abandoned Israeli cannons during a snowstorm in the southern village of Khiam, on the Israeli-Lebanese border, on December 13. AFP PHOTO / MAHMOUD ZAYYAT

business >oil&gas HIGH UP FOR DOWNSTREAM INDUSTRY

“It is the vision of our leadership to harness the tremendous potential of the petrochemical sector and to embark on a large-scale expansion of our downstream industry. To this end, we aim to raise our petrochemical output to 23 million MTPA by 2020, thus supporting the growth and diversification of the Qatari economy. This will increase the universal reach of the value-added “Made in Qatar” product portfolio across the globe.” HE DR MOHAMMED BIN SALEH AL-SADA, Minister of Energy and Industry

AL SEJEEL TAKES OFF Under the patronage of H Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry, Qatar Petroleum (QP) and Qatar Petrochemical Company (Qapco) signed the Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) contract for the Al Sejeel Petrochemical Complex to be built in Ras Laffan Industrial City.

he signing of the FEED contract with Tecnimont SpA marked a strategic milestone for the progress of the mega petrochemical complex. The project, scheduled for completion in 2018, will feature one of the world’s largest mixed-feed steam crackers, and is designed to produce 2.2 million MTPA of polymers, including PE and PP resins. Dr Al-Sada stressed that Al Sejeel Petrochemical Complex will strengthen Qatar’s

position as a leading global petrochemical producer. “This project is aligned with the principles of the Qatar National Vision 2030. We are committed more than ever to the accomplishment of our growth objectives, and to meeting our economic needs while safeguarding the requirements of future generations,” he said. “Today is a clear demonstration of such a commitment.”

QATARGAS NOTES ACHIEVEMENTS 36 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

GAS DEMAND TO GO HIGHER

According to OPEC's World Oil Outlook, which shows key information on global oil demand and supply to 2035, energy demand is set to increase by 52% by then.

ossil fuels accounted for 82% of energy supply in 2010 and will constitute 80% of the global total by 2035. Throughout most of the projection period, oil will retain the largest share. In volume terms, natural gas use will rise faster than any other form of energy supply. In percentage terms, gas will rise faster than any fuel except non-hydro renewables.

atargas made significant achievements in establishing relationships with new customers as well as strengthening existing customer relations in 2013, it was noted in a two-day town hall meeting that reviewed its annual performance. Singapore received its first ever LNG cargo from Qatargas. Qatargas also delivered its first cargo to Malaysia, a new and promising LNG market. Also in 2013, commissioning cargoes were delivered to China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) and PetroChina, the review meeting, held in the presence of top officials including Qatargas Chief Executive Officer Khalid bin Khalifa Al Thani was told.

DIVERSIFICATION PLANS GAIN MOMENTUM

The Helium 2 plant at Ras Laffan was officially inaugurated by HE Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry, on December 11 in a ceremony at Katara Cultural Village. The Helium 2 plant is the world’s largest helium refining facility, and makes Qatar the world’s helium largest exporter and the second-largest producer.

HELIUM 2 FACTS FEEDSTOCK STREAMS FOR HELIUM 2

n a press conference following the inauguration, HE Dr Al Sada said: “I would like to present this achievement to His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar.” He described the Helium 2 plant as “a testament to how Qatar’s national resources from the North Field can best be optimised.” Speaking at the inauguration event, Dr Al Sada said that by making Qatar the world’s largest exporter of helium, “this project is also a testament to how the elements of Qatar’s Vision 2030 can be put in place to build a better future for many generations to come”. The Helium 2 plant incorporates highly complex and advanced technology that captures, extracts and refines crude helium from six liquefied natural gas (LNG) mega-trains: RasGas’ trains 6 and 7, and Qatargas’ trains 4, 5, 6 and 7. RasGas managed the two-year construction project and now operates the plant, which has an annual production capacity of 1.3 billion standard cubic feet (Bscf ). “For RasGas to develop, build and operate the facilities that make Qatar the

RASGAS MEGA TRAINS 6 & 7 QATARGAS MEGA TRAINS 4,5,6 & 7

TECHNOLOGY

DESIGN CAPACITY

I.3

BILLION STANDARD CUBIC FEET PER YEAR

I7.3

TONNES OF LIQUID HELIUM PER DAY

world’s largest exporter of helium reflects the confidence our shareholders have in our proven ability to manage projects and operate facilities safely and reliably. RasGas is very proud that the Helium 2 project was executed and achieved timely production with an excellent safety record from the outset. As a global energy supplier RasGas is committed to building on Qatar’s reputation as a reliable international supplier of high-quality helium,” said Hamad Rashid Al Mohannadi, RasGas' Chief Executive Officer and Vice-Chairman of Qatar Petroleum. More than five million man-hours were worked constructing the Helium 2 project without a single lost time incident. This milestone is testament to RasGas' and Qatargas’ commitment to creating and maintaining a safe work environment. As a result of RasGas’ and Qatargas’ mega LNG trains, Helium 2 has doubled the production capacity of its predecessor, Helium 1. The two plants’ combined annual production of 1.96 Bscf per year is expected to meet around 25% of current total global liquid helium demand.

CONSTRUCTION

3,000

WORKERS AT PEAK CONSTRUCTION

AIR LIQUIDE’S PATENTED ADVANCED HELIUM RECOVERY PROCESS

CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF HELIUM

A COLOURLESS, TASTELESS AND ODOURLESS GAS THAT IS LIGHTER THAN AIR AND BOILS AT

268.9 ˚C

QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 37

development> oil & gas

38 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

JUST TWO YEARS AFTER QATAR BECAME THE KINGMAKER OF THE LNG INDUSTRY, THE DYNAMICALLY CHANGING NATURAL GAS LANDSCAPE IS THREATENING TO DETHRONE THE COUNTRY FROM ITS CURRENT DOMINANT POSITION AS THE THIRD-LARGEST PRODUCER AND SECOND-LARGEST EXPORTER IN THE WORLD. BURGEONING AMERICAN SHALE GAS RESERVES HAVE ALTERED THE GAS FLOW MAP AND THE FACTORS GOVERNING THE TRADE, THROWING UP CHALLENGES FOR KEY PLAYERS IN THE ENERGY BUSINESS. BY SOWMYA SUNDAR Reality check A recent QNB Group report concluded that US shale gas is not a game-changer for Qatar. Explaining the reasons for this conclusion, the report notes that the US shale gas revolution is unlikely to spread to other parts of the world. While Asia has the largest proven reserves of shale gas in the world (19% of the world’s total), technical issues such as the depth of gas deposits, proximity to urban areas and a shortage of technological skills make exploitation costly and will prevent development of the industry similar to that in the US in the near term. In Australia, early attempts to develop the shale gas industry have turned out to be very costly and have not yet produced significant output. In Europe, shale gas is for the most part not commercially viable or allowed because of ecological concerns. Overall, the US shale gas revolution has resulted in a redirection of Qatar’s LNG exports to Asia. Going forward, strong Asian demand and the limited impact of the US shale gas revolution on global energy markets are projected to result in strong demand for Qatar’s LNG exports. Qatar is therefore likely to maintain its leading role as the largest LNG exporter in the world for years to come. Global Investment House's Head of

Research Faisal Hasan says: “Shale gas is unlikely to have a significant impact on Qatar’s gas exports in the short term. However, it may lead to pressure on gas prices in the medium to long term. The impact of shale gas will be mitigated by the fact that many industries are moving towards gasbased power production instead of furnace oil and coal in view of cost and environmental considerations. In other words, the size of the pie is likely to get bigger.” According to Ernst and Young’s recently-released "Business Pulse: Oil and Gas" report, demand for natural gas is expected to increase steadily as a percentage of the global fuel mix over the next two decades, and is projected to account for almost a quarter of the world’s energy demand by 2035. Deloitte Middle East Energy and Resources Leader Kenneth McKellar says: “There are sufficient uncertainties in a gas market, that is still far from global for Qatar to continue to market to its core markets of Asia and Europe, which it has already done for several years.” Though Qatar may be well positioned to ride the demand and price wave in the short term, going forward it may be increasingly difficult to strike long-term contracts, and it may have to reconcile itself to

SPOT VOLUMES UP

I3 73.5 %

YEAR-ON-YEAR IN 2012 AT

MILLION TONNES QATAR SUPPLIED

OF ITS PRODUCTION THROUGH LONG-TERM CONTRACTS IN 2012.

QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 39

development > oil & gas QATAR DIVERTS GAS INTO MAKING VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTS DOMESTICALLY (METRIC TONNES PER YEAR, % SHARES SHOWN)

GAS USAGE AS % OF TOTAL PRODUCTION

2008

2012

2016 (FORECAST)

GTL (%)

NIL

3.2

5.7

Pipeline exports (%)

22.6

13.9

17.1

Domestic use(%)

23.9

16.5

23.9

LNG (%)

52.1

66.4

53.3

Total production (million tonnes per year)

58.6

114.8

142.4

SOURCE: QNB QATAR ECONOMIC INSIGHT REPORT 2013

“Qatar can advocate replacing coal with gas for energyintensive industries to reduce pollution, get exposure to shale gas companies and further develop gas exporting infrastructure, i.e expansion of shipping fleets.” FAISAL HASAN Head of Research Global Investment House

lower gas prices. In the long run its capacities will be dwarfed by upcoming capacities in Australia and America. Qatar will be keeping a keen eye on the competition and technology innovations such as gas from methane hydrates. Unruffled yet cautious, Qatar seems to be weighing its options and has charted out a mitigation strategy for the long term. In Faisal’s view, “Qatar can advocate replacing coal with gas for energy-intensive industries to reduce pollution, get exposure to shale gas companies and further develop gas exporting infrastructure, i.e expansion of shipping fleets. Diversifying the geographical customer base, (entering into) long-term contracts and aggressive customer retention policies can also help maintain the edge.” Qatar is experimenting with all of the above. Securing long-term customers The LNG trade historically has been done through multiyear (usually 20-25 years) supply contracts based on oil prices. Over the past few years, increasingly more LNG has been traded on spot markets due to demand from Asian countries and rising spot prices. A 2013 International Gas Union (IGU) report states that spot volumes were up 13% year-on-year in 2012 at 73.5 million tonnes. This accounted for 31% of the total traded volume, as compared with less than 8% in 2005. Accounting for a major chunk of spot volumes, Qatar rode the price wave to its benefit, compensating for the drop in US offtake. According to the QNB Group, “Qatar supplied 73% of its production through long-term contracts in 2012. The share of long-term contracts will rise to 84% of total production by 2014, as long-term supply contracts to Asia and South America will take up large amounts of production.” Buyers are now becoming wary of entering into long-term contracts due to the fast-changing market dynamics, and negotiating for shorter tenures of five to 15 years.

In the past two years Qatar has struck 20year deals with new markets such as Thailand and South America. The QNB Group notes: “During the period 2014-21, around 16% of production is not covered by existing SPAs (Sales and Purchase Agreement) and is potentially available to be sold on spot markets. A number of potential SPAs are currently under discussion, reportedly with India, Pakistan and Turkey." The QNB Group expects new contracts will be signed to replace or extend existing contracts as they expire. Price “Wise” To cover the huge initial investments required for LNG, long-term contracts are linked to oil prices and have traditionally been higher than spot prices. Due to rising oil prices and lower gas prices, buyers have been demanding to move away from oillinked pricing. The difference is now narrowing, leading to gas-to-gas competition. Japanese spot prices have shot through the roof, recently nearing the $19/mmBtu (million British thermal units) levels, compared with $16/mmBtu in 2012. It’s been a good ride for Qatar in the spot markets so far, as it has enjoyed higher prices by diverting longterm supplies to short-term Asian spot markets. McKellar says Qatar is “already moving away from oil-indexed pricing” as it is “no longer necessary to underpin the large amounts of capital expenditure for big LNG projects”. He thinks that, “by becoming a truly global provider of LNG, Qatar has done more than any provider to move away from oil indexation towards gas-to-gas competition”. Reports indicate that Japan may move towards benchmark pricing to lower its gas import costs, in turn affecting Qatar’s revenues. Japan, Korea and India made up for 61% of spot market transactions in 2012, according to the 2013 IGU report. To secure long-term gas offtake, Qatar may have to strike a bargain on gas prices

going forward. Recently, long-term buyer India refused to pay the price demanded by Qatar and struck a US deal for shale gas supplies at a much lower price. Many buyers are now reviewing their options. The QNB Group denies impact on LNG prices as rising Asian demand will be supportive of LNG prices, in the near term even if oil prices dip. But in the long run, Qatar may have to bow to market pressures. Russia: Building a bridge? Qatar and Russia, the top two gas-exporting countries, and arch rivals in the natural gas business, are charting a common path to face future challenges. When Qatar started supplying to the European market, which has traditionally been Russia’s stronghold, the two did have issues to sort out. Qatar has now largely committed its gas to Asian countries, leaving much of Europe to Russia, a win-win situation. Qatar benefits from high Asian prices and long-term commitment, and Russia from geographical proximity and utilisation of its existing pipeline infrastructure. Deloitte’s McKellar writes in an article entitled “Who Goes There: Friend or Foe?” published in the journal Middle East Point of View: “A more coordinated supply approach to Europe would certainly benefit Russia, and this is where a Russian/Middle Eastern axis might play out.” He argues that China, “the swing demand market in Asia”, may well keep Qatar as a marginal supplier. In his opinion, “the demand situation in Asia is not really enough for Qatar to focus all its efforts there. It is in China’s interest to ration its Qatar LNG imports at current prices and to allow gas-to-gas competition to develop further in Europe, as that will help it in negotiating lower prices with Russia for larger quantities (up to 60 billion cubic metres) in the short to medium term, and with Central Asian suppliers in the medium to long term. It may well be in China’s interest to retain Qatar as a marginal rather than a base-load supplier in order to force down the price of pipeline gas.”

Despite their business rivalry, Qatar and Russia seem keener on cooperation. In a significant development, Gazprom, Russia’s state-owned energy company, opened an office in Doha in 2013 to pursue joint investments with Qatar. It may signal the beginning of a new era of cooperation among gas exporters. The Gas Exporting Countries Forum, a 13-member group of gas exporters headquartered in Doha, seeks to promote cooperation on gas exports. The two together may share a slice of upcoming energy projects to ride the threat posed by new technological innovations. But McKellar is sceptical and says: “The gas map of the world is too complicated, fragmented and dynamic to enable forging of a strong partnership between Russia and the Middle East.” Energy investments abroad Qatar Petroleum’s new mission statement is to be a world-class oil and gas corporation with its roots in Qatar and a strong international presence, reflecting its fighting spirit to stay ahead of the game. Qatar started expanding its energy investments abroad a couple of years ago, with investments in top energy companies such as Shell and Total. Through investments in these companies, Qatar gets a slice of any future development, be it technology, innovation or new energy resources. The only way to beat the uncertainty is to own a piece of the global energy business. Qatar Petroleum International (QPI), the international investing arm of QP, has been mandated to scout for promising energy investments globally. Recently, QPI and the UK’s Centrica agreed to buy Canadian natural gas fields from Suncor Energy. Qatar also created Nebras Power, a company that will invest in power generation, water desalination, cooling and heating projects abroad. Investing in end user industries could not only maximise earnings potential but also give Qatar the clout to negotiate back-end feedstock deals for natural gas

“By becoming a truly global provider of LNG, Qatar has done more than any provider to move away from oil indexation towards gas-to-gas competition.” KENNETH MCKELLAR Energy and Resources Leader Deloitte Middle East

Read More Articles on Oil & Gas

business > realty check

FIRST CUT PLANS OF CHELSEA BARRACKS

ew images suggest the development of Chelsea Barracks – dubbed the “Gucci ghetto” by critics – is back on track, a year after it was put on hold. UK media have reported that Qatari Diar, which is planning to build 448 homes in blocks up to eight storeys high on a “super-prime” 13-acre site, will start major work next year. The first detailed images of the initial phase of the project have been created by architects Squire and Partners, ahead of a planning application in January and a public consultation. The London site, bought for almost QR5.95 billion (£1 billion) six years ago, is still a wasteland months after Qatari Diar won planning permission from Westminster Council. The Qatari master plan will open up and reconnect it to the surrounding areas of Belgravia and Chelsea in a new integrated residential neighbourhood in a landscaped setting.

TRANSACTIONS CROSS

868

QR MILLION

Real estate transactions between December 1 and 5 for real estate sales contracts registered at Qatar’s Ministry of Justice totalled QR

868,553,920 according to the real estate registration department at the ministry. The list of properties that were traded by sale includes open plots of land, two-floors villas, annexes, houses and residential compounds and buildings, located in the municipalities of Umm Slal, Al Khor, Doha, Al Rayyan, Al Shamal, Al Daayen and Al Wakra.

NEW REALTY LAW FOR QATARIS ON THE ANVIL A new law for nationals is under consideration to enable them to buy residential villa land in Doha

he government is likely to announce a decree that Qatari nationals can own a residential villa plot within Doha municipality at a lower price than the prevailing market rate. The implications for the market of such a decree can only be interpreted after its release, a recent report by Al Asmakh Real Estate Development says. At present overall land market in upcoming quarters looks positive. According to the report, the overall appreciation of land prices across Qatar within Q3 2013 was in the range of 3-10%. Such appreciation shows that investors are fairly interested in the land market. Commercial sites located on the C Ring Road, which were available in Q2 2013 at around QR2,400 per sq.ft., now fetch as much as QR2,800 per

sq.ft.. Residential land in a similar zone that was being offered at QR1,650 per sq.ft. may now reach up to QR2,000 per sq.ft. Such appreciation is not limited to sites located in prime areas. Plots in Gharrafa and Madinat Khalifa with residential villa approval were obtainable at an average price of QR350 per sq.ft. and currently similar plots offered at QR400 per sq.ft. Other municipalities, such as Al Wakrah, where land with commercial approval was available at an average price of QR1,200 per sq.ft., now may fetch as much as QR1,600 per sq.ft. For more distant communities such as Al Khor, appreciation in land prices has been around 8%; correspondingly, land prices in Umm Slal and Al Daayen surged by 5-10% in the last quarter, the reports adds.

PRICE SALE IN QR/SQ.FT

AVERAGE LAND PRICES

The developers have released the first picture of the QR10.92 billion ($3 billion) Chelsea Barracks project known as London’s most luxurious residential address.

Source: AREDC RESEARCH

business > viewpoint

"QATCH 22"

BALANCING SUSTAINABILITY WITH DEMAND

ne of the key deliverables in achieving this success will be the provision of accommodation for the guests expected to attend the event. How to do this while ensuring a sustainable hotel market both in the lead-up to and after the tournament? Although the bid document proposed the provision of 84,000 rooms, the focus of Qatar 2022 has been to meet FIFA’s minimum requirement of 60,000 rooms. Current hotel room supply is around 15,000 rooms, and pipeline forecasts indicate 20,000 rooms in the market by the end of 2016, suggesting a short fall of 40,000 rooms. To achieve FIFA’s requirements from current 2013 levels, room supply will need to increase at an annual growth rate 16.5%, well in excess of the present growth rate. In terms of demand, the World Travel and Tourism Council has recently forecast growth of 5.8% per annum for Qatar up to 2022. Based on this forecast demand growth, to sustain the current occupancy performance in the Qatar market of around 60%, supply of approximately 25,000 rooms would be sufficient. Even an optimistic demand growth of 10% per annum would only require supply of just over 35,000 rooms. This would suggest that with 60,000 rooms, the market would be significantly oversupplied which would reduce occupancy and average room rates and consequently impact on hotel profit levels, with many likely to trade at a loss, a far from ideal position for investors or the Qatar hospitality market as whole. It could also set off a cycle

of decline by limiting the ability of investors to reinvest in their hotels through refurbishment, weakening the quality of products in the market, further impacting on a hotel’s ability to compete for business leading to a further reduction in performance. The accommodation issue represents a "Qatch 22" situation for the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee and both private and public stakeholders, with all parties needing to work together to identify solutions that help meet FIFA’s requirements while achieving a sustainable hotel market that is viable for investors and beneficial to the country’s tourism strategy. Temporary solutions such as cruise ships offer options to make up some of the shortfall. It also offers the opportunity to consider alternatives that can also meet nonWorld Cup requirements such as providing accommodation that can be converted into residential units after the tournament. This option can be seen in the athletes' accommodation for the London 2012 Olympics, which was forward-funded by Qatar and was converted into residential flats after the games; or the conversion of the athletes' accommodation from the 2006 Asian Games into housing for Hamad Hospital staff. Although time presses on, from our experience as advisers to the Organising Committee for London 2012, with the commitment of all stakeholders to work together, such issues can be used positively to create sustainable solutions not just for the tournament but also for Qatar’s wider 2030 strategies

BY JONATHAN WALL Assistant Director, Hospitality and Real Estate Advisory, Deloitte Qatar

Whether the FIFA World Cup takes place in the summer or winter of 2022, the focus for the Supreme Committee for Qatar 2022 together with other key government stakeholders is ensuring that the country is ready to host a successful tournament.

QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 43

news bites > world view

44 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

LO N G WA L K TO F R E E D O M Helicopters carrying the South African flag fly over a nine-metre bronze statue of South African former president Nelson Mandela that was unveiled on December 16, 2013 on the lawns of the Union Buildings, the seat of government in Pretoria where Mandela was inaugurated as South Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first black president in 1994. Mandela, the revered icon of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa and one of the towering political figures of the 20th century, died in Johannesburg on December 5 at the age of 95. R.I.P Mandela. AFP PHOTO / ALEXANDER JOE

QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 45

culture > listening post

A MUSEUM THAT IS ALSO ABOUT ART 46 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

THE MUSEUM OF ISLAMIC ART (MIA) CUTS AN AUSTERE YET ABSOLUTELY AESTHETIC SILHOUETTE ON THE DOHA SKYLINE. THE I. M. PEI MASTERPIECE EVOKES AWE, BRINGING WITH IT A SENSE OF REMOTENESS TO THE BUILDING, SO MUCH SO THAT THE ARTEFACTS WITHIN ARE REGARDED IN THE SAME LIGHT, IF NOT WITH ADDED REVERENCE. BY SINDHU NAIR

ne person who is constantly reminded of this is Aisha Al Khater, the zealous Director of MIA who is forever thinking of innovative ways to make the museum even more accessible to everyone. “Nobody sees the art in the Museum of Islamic Art; they focus on the Islamic part and assume that it is a museum about the religion. We are sometimes referred to as the Museum of Islam. We are a museum about the religion but not only about it,” she says. Her passion for her work is evident when she recounts her most memorable moment at MIA. “When you have been working in the space with only the staff around you, and then after the inauguration, to see lot of people walking in, the excitement of schoolchildren when they see the place and the exhibits.It is a bitter-sweet experience,” she says. “The grief of losing the sanctity of the space spiced with the joy of sharing this wonder with the world. It is almost like losing your baby. But then I always remember the joy reflected on the children’s faces when they visit MIA.” Al Khater has been working in the museum since 2007, long before the building was inaugurated, and was made Director in April 2011. Shadowing two great scholars of Islamic art, the two earlier directors of the museum, Dr Oliver Watson and Dr Sabiha Al Khemir, during their work of cataloging and curating at MIA was a great learning

experience for Al Khater. She is currently studying for a masters degree but that in no way slackens her work at the museum. She is busy with the rebranding of MIA, and she and her team have “taken major strides in defining who we (MIA) are, finding our way and having a long-term vision for MIA”. “Earlier, it was about the opening of the museum, extravagant events and magnificent objects. Now it is about reaching out to the community and sharing the knowledge,” she says. Al Khater is distinct about her priorities and clear about the direction to be trodden, “My focus in the next five years is more on the region and locally. We want to build the trust of the people here. We want to share the knowledge of our experts, make the most of our expertise,” she says. MIA has gained international prominence, too, Al Khater reminds us. “We are constantly bombarded with requests for loans from our permanent collection from major museums around the world.” For a museum that is barely five years old that is indeed an achievement to be proud about, and Al Khater feels that “this shows the commitment of the staff in building on the presence of the museum.” “We want to reach out to the community virtually too. Information on the whole collection will be available online, and that will be a whole resource of information,” she says. MIA has seen consistent growth over the past five years, with 2013 being

MIA gets a colourful new logo

QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 47

culture > listening post

“We are bringing MIA spaces to life with events and expanding the exhibition experience to include workshops for kids and adults, lectures and behind the scenes tours" AISHA AL KHATER Director Museum of Islamic Art

particularly monumental. The museum welcomed its one millionth visitor in February 2013, a new record for exhibition attendance, and “attained a social media following that not only rivals international counterparts, but surpasses them”. A vibrant branding The past two years have been “wonderful” for both MIA and Al Khater with the number of visitors growing steadily. But the job doesn’t end there. It is work in continuity. “Over the past five years MIA has grown exponentially,” she says, and now, with the new branding, a fresh whiff of vitality is being injected. “We are bringing MIA spaces to life with events and expanding the exhibition experience to include workshops for kids and adults, lectures and behind-the-scenes tours,” she says. “Though we had a branding in terms of logo, what we did not have was a strong understanding of the vision. How we communicated to the public, in terms of who we are and what we should be doing, was not very clear. We were asked to do a lot of things we were not supposed to do, that didn’t really fit into our scope of work, which was fine at the time since we were the only museum with a professional exhibition space. We had to agree to some exhibits that did not fit our profile, like the 16th-century Dutch 48 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

Exhibition, etc,” she says. This is what Al Khater wanted to set right, to have a logo and branding that reflects the direction and ambitions of MIA, “to say this is what we are, what we can deliver and also what we can’t.” “Another misconception that the earlier branding evoked was that we were about Islam. Which we are partly but we were also about the art of that era. In this new logo ‘Art’ or Fen (in Arabic) is much more prominent,” she says. MIA’s new brand expresses itself with a dynamic approach centred on the six pens of traditional Arabic calligraphy, a lively colour palette that reflects the diversity of Islamic civilisations past and present, and cubic shapes to represent Islamic architectural traditions and the museum building itself. But will this new branding move the revered MIA away from its traditional role? Will this evoke dissent in the Qatari community who have always opposed the museum culture? Al Khater agrees that the museum culture is new to the region. “The museum culture is something we borrowed from the West. The MIA represents an era from 7th to 20th century from Spain to China. In this era, exhibits were in mosques, madrasas, palaces, temples and in elite people’s houses. There was no concept of an exhibit place for the public,” says Al Khater.

Which is why she believes in the notion that a museum is more of an educational institution. A belief that holds true for the MIA, with almost half of its space dedicated to education. And this is the reason why Al Khater wants to make the museum more than a space to keep valuable historical monuments but an educational tool that is accessible to all. “We aren’t just a museum; we are a centre of knowledge and inspiration, a place for local community and an icon of the diversity and depth of our culture.” It is for this that Al Khater is putting a lot of her time into a programme or guide for different segments of society to access and interpret the collections, to make the MIA experience more detailed to remain with you for a long duration. “This programme will be delivered in two years’ time,” says Al Khater. Who visits MIA While MIA doesn’t keep a record of the demographic segmentation of visitors, Al Khater says that there has been a high percentage of South Asian, Bahraini and Saudi visitors. “Visitors come directly from airports and through travel agencies and we have a high percentage of VIP visitors. Any high profile dignitary will surely come to visit the MIA,” she says adding, “ We will need to get the demographics of visitors not for anything but to find out which communities we are missing and find ways to entice them to our museum.” She is not so much focused on the number of people coming to MIA as on the intrinsic value that each person takes away from their museum visit. Al Khater also notices that the Qatari visitors seem to have increased which might imply a changing mindset towards museum culture too. Teaching the Teachers MIA is handling the educational programmes quite intelligently by equipping teachers with the tools to pass on their knowledge to the students. “We also want to bring back the art of calligraphy. For this too we try to educate the teachers on the process. Making the teacher confident to pass on what they learn to the students,” she says. MIA is also working with universities, especially UCL and QU on research. “We had much bigger student participation, visits from schools increased this year, which is very encouraging.”

Under the skies The MIA Park has become a place where people of all cultures congregate and enjoy the beauty of the Doha Corniche, in the shadows of MIA. The plan for MIA park was already in the Museum master plan according to Al Khater. And having a park close to the museum is not new to museums worldwide. “We can now entice people who do not come to museums as such. We try and do events that connect the MIA exhibitions with the park activities. Like how we had a kite-flying event that connected with the Ferozkoh: Tradition and Continuity in Afghan Art exhibition, as it was a tradition followed by the Afghans,” she says. From Park Bazars to free concert by the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra in the museum atrium, to Jazz in the Park where MIA partnered with Jazz at Lincoln Center Doha for a series of free world-class jazz concerts, activities within MIA park have done what many institutions dream of, bringing communities together. The year to come The MIA will bring interesting new exhibitions in 2014. Starting with an exhibition on chess, the format of the new exhibitions will include more educational programmes to make the exhibit more interesting. Al Khater has an idealistic dream for MIA and what it can achieve. She imagines the recreation of her favourite period in Islamic history, the Islamic Golden Age, the Abbasid period beginning in the mid-8th century CE, an era when the Arab world became an intellectual centre for science, philosophy, medicine and education; an era when the Abbasids championed the cause of knowledge, where both Muslim and non-Muslim scholars sought to translate and gather all the world’s knowledge into Arabic. During this period the Arab world was a collection of cultures which put together, synthesised and significantly advanced the knowledge gained from the ancient Roman, Chinese, Indian, Persian, Egyptian, Greek, Byzantine and Phoenician civilisations. “A place where people come back, to congregate, discuss, give us feedback about what they saw at the exhibitions, communicate, and tell us what they would like from us...” These are her dreams for MIA. And given her passion, it might all be a reality.

MIA YEARLY FIGURES 2012-2013

OVER

4600

CHILDREN AND ADULTS HAVE PARTICIPATED IN MIA ACTIVITIES. OVER

12,000

VISITORS TAKEN ON GUIDED TOURS OF THE MIA GALLERIES AND SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS. OVER

4,900 14,500

VISITORS TO THE LIBRARY. OVER

SCHOOL CHILDREN VISITED MIA GALLERIES AND EDUCATION CENTRE.

QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 49

THE

BEST

IS YET TO COME QATAR TODAY BRINGS YOU THE PROJECTS THAT WILL CHANGE THE FACE OF DOHA IN THE COMING YEARS, FROM SIGNATURE BUILDINGS TO DREAM-LIKE BRIDGES, FUNCTIONAL PORTS, GAS COMMISSIONS AND EVEN COMPLETE SMART MICRO-CITIES. COMPILED BY AYSWARYA MURTHY

50 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

ith the major thrust of the megaprojects shifting into high gear, Doha is chalking out its place among the greatest cities in the world, brick by brick and building by building. Not a single month has gone by in the recent past without another new addition to the city being announced, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be a wonder to watch how the city morphs into its ultra-modern identity, quietly, under our feet, over our heads and all around us. What are these big projects? Qatar Today lists the most distinctive, high-impact projects, announced or under construction, that will directly or indirectly touch all of our lives, and giving an approximate idea of when they will all see the light of day.

MOBILITY ON THE MIND

Doha Tram In 2012 Qatar Foundation awarded Siemens a contract worth QR500 million ($137 million) to supply turnkey solutions for an energy-efficient and environmental-friendly tram system linking the various campuses in Education City. Nineteen trams, each with a capacity of 239 passengers, are scheduled to start operating from last 2015 over the 11.5 km track and will service 25 stops across the area, in addition to connecting with the proposed Doha Metro station in Education City, giving students easy access to the city. With no overhead contact lines, the air-conditioned trams are equipped with energy storage systems that will be recharged at the depot and even during the short stops at the stations. The project is currently ironing out some technical issues like communicating the specifications of the electrical feed to Kahramaa, according to CEO of Siemens Mobility and Logistics, Dr Sami Attiya.

BODY, MIND AND SOUL

Qatar National Library HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser announced the creation of a new national library on the 50th anniversary of Dar-al-Kutub, which opened in Doha in 1962. Designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, the gorgeous glass-paneled structure will open in late 2014. The ultra-modern structure will house 1.2 million books, 500,000 e-Books, periodicals, newspapers and special collections, and give access to over 60 online databases and websites, 300 public computers, and multimedia production studios, according to a statement released by the Qatar National Library. It is also working closely with the British Library to create an online hub that will give everyone around the world access to thousands of archives resources from the British Library pertaining to the Arab world that hitherto have been inaccessible. The pride of the library is undoubtedly the Heritage Collection, which features more than 100,000 manuscripts, books and artifacts representing Islamic and Arab civilisation.

BODY, MIND AND SOUL

National Museum of Qatar Inspired by the desert sand rose and designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) will sprawl organically around the old National Museum structure, the restored Fariq Al Salatah Palace originally built by Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani. Though the nature of the exhibits has not been discussed yet, it has been confirmed that they will shed light on the past, present and future of Qatar Recently, in November last year, the Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) announced that Sheikha Amna bint Abdulaziz bin Jassim Al Thani, current acting director of the museum, would take over as the director. The NMoQ is scheduled to open in December this year.

QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 51

coverstory > the best is yet to come

BODY, MIND AND SOUL

Sidra Medical and Research Centre The opening date came and went in 2012, and since then Sidra Medical and Research Centre (Sidra) had maintained a stoic silence on when it might be up and running. Which meant Damien Hirst’s unveiling last year of his 14 giant metal statues depicting an embryo from conception to birth (“The Miraculous Journey”) had to take place on a construction site instead of a QR28.7 million ($7.9 million) bustling and modern hospital premises. But a few weeks ago a local news website quoted Khalid Al Mohannadi, a spokesman for Sidra, as saying that the hospital would be fully open to patients by 2015. The Sidra Medical and Research Centre, under Chief Research Officer Dr Francesco M Marincola, is set to open the first reprogrammable cell therapy facility in the MENA region. Last year the team made a significant discovery, a gene called Bach2, which may play a central role in the development of a range of allergic and autoimmune diseases and have implications for cancer treatment.

MOBILITY ON THE MIND

Sharq Crossing Ashghal recently announced a landmark infrastructure project that will dramatically change the skyline of the city – the Sharq Crossing, a video of which went viral when it appeared online last year. Comprising three bridges interconnected by subsea tunnels, the bridge will link Doha’s Hamad International Airport with Katara and West Bay, Ashghal said. Spanning 12 kilometres (eight of which will be subsea tunnels) and estimated to cost about QR18.2 billion ($5 billion), the structure, inspired by the flying fish, has been designed by Spanish architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava, known for his many eye-popping creations like the Milwaukee Art Museum in the US and Brookfield Place Atrium in Canada. The West Bay bridge, probably the most exciting of the three, is a two-deck arched structure incorporating a recreational park that can be accessed via an elevated walkway and a funicular cableway and will also include hospitality and recreation facilities. A US-based engineering and construction company, Fluor, was recently awarded programme management and construction supervision services contract amouting to QR673 million ($185 million), and work on the project is expected to commence in 2015 so that it can be ready in time for the World Cup.

52 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

BUSY UNDERGROUND In the first quarter of 2015, over 21 Tunnel Boring Machines (TMB) are expected to be put to work, carving out tunnels deep undersground for the metro project. While the largest TMB can measure upto 19.25 m in diameter, the project here will use 7.2 m diameter TBM, producing tunnel measuring 6.17 meter in diameter. Working 20 m under the surface of the city, the TBMs will have small environmental footprint and very little impact on the high water levels beneath the capital.

Qatar Rail Of all the infrastructure projects mentioned here, probably none is more highly anticipated or will have more impact on the city than the Qatar Rail project. It is no surprise that 25% of the Qatari government’s sizeable investments in the country’s infrastructure over the coming few years will be poured solely into Qatar Rail, according to Eng. Hamad Al Bishri, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Programme Officer at Qatar Rail. The transportation company is developing three railway projects: the Doha Metro, the Long-Distance Passenger and Freight Railway, and the Lusail Light Rail Transit system. Doha Metro With its four lines, serving 93 stations within the city, Doha Metro will extend 354 kilometres across the Greater Doha area, spanning a big web across the capital and linking the farthest edges of Doha to the city centres, from Lusail City to the new Hamad International Airport and Education City to the West Bay area. The Metro will operate underground in

MOBILITY ON THE MIND

busy areas and onor above ground level in the suburbs. The Red Line (Coastal line), Gold Line (History Line), Green Line (Education Line) and Blue Line (City Line) will be interlinked and implemented in two phases, with the first stage scheduled to be completed in 2019 with 37 stations. The final phase will be ready by 2026. Lusail Light Rail Transit Composed of four lines extending 30.5 kilometres in total and serving 37 stations with a fleet of 34 trains, this will be

the first of the three Qatar Rail projects to be delivered, slated for commencement of operations in 2017. Qatar Rail says 50-60% of the tunnelling and bridge work related to the project is complete. Long-Distance Passenger and Freight Railway This system, expected to link Qatar's local network to those of other GCC countries over a 350-kilometre network, is still under technical and commercial evaluation by expert consultants, according to Qatar Rail.

MOBILITY ON THE MIND

National Expressway Programme Ashghal is also in the process of rejuvenating and expanding Qatar’s road network. Consisting of 30 major projects worth QR16 billion ($4.4 billion) in total, the National Expressway Programme will provide 900 km of new roads, an array of underpasses and flyovers and approximately 240 major interchanges ranging from conventional traffic lights to four-level interchanges to enable free-flowing traffc and improved journey times. There will be road safety improvements and enhanced facilities for cyclists and pedestrians, according to Ashghal. At the end of the seven-year programme, which will come to a close in 2017, the expressways will provide a strategic freight route around Doha that connects ports, the new Hamad International Airport, and allows for future integration with other transport networks.

QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 53

coverstory > the best is yet to come

SOLAR TESTING FACILITY

MOBILITY ON THE MIND

New Port Project Considered one of the world’s largest greenfield developments, the New Port will serve as a key facilitator for all current and upcoming infrastructure projects in the country. It was given the go-ahead back in 2007, and work began in earnest the very next year with the first design and programme management contracts being awarded. Located in Economic Zone 3 at Al Wakrah, the 17 m-deep port, covering an area of 20 square km, will be linked to the mainland by an 8.5 km-long trestle bridge. Developed in multiple phases, the port will comprise three container terminals with an eventual combined annual capacity in excess of six million containers. The New Port will also be a centre for Qatar’s maritime security and a new Qatar Emiri Naval Forces Base (QENFB) will be built offshore from the New Port, providing berthing for Qatar’s navy and visiting naval vessels from around the world. The port will also potentially be linked by rail as part of the proposed Gulf Cooperation Council railway. The QR27 billion ($7.4 billion) construction will be ready for operation in 2016 as planned, Nabeel Al Buenain, Project Executive Director of the New Port Project, was quoted as saying last September. He also said QR11 billion worth of projects have already been awarded, with 60% of the contracts being bagged by Qatari companies. The remaining tenders are most likely to concern QENFB equipment procurement and installation, the base’s security facilities, port administration offices and coast guard terminals.

The large solar test facility in Qatar Science and Technology Park, covering over 7 acres and with a capacity to produce nearly 400 kilowatts of power, was launched towards the end of 2012 and is doing groundbreaking work in testing over 30 different solar technologies and customising their efficiency to suit Qatar’s climate. Several of Qatar’s green projects and long-term energy initiatives have pegged their hopes on the research work coming out of this facility. Greengulf, which is a major collaborator in this project, is also studying various other technologies that will see application in green transport (like electric buses), energy-efficient district cooling technologies and energy optimisation, in partnership with international players like Siemens. It is very likely that the project will impact several aspects of Qatar’s future development in the years to come, considering how the nation has set its heart on sustainable and renewable sources of energy, with a special focus on solar.

MOBILITY ON THE MIND

Qatar-Bahrain Causeway Ideally this project shouldn’t feature in this list. Twelve years after the “friendship bridge” was conceptualised, there is still no announcement from either government regarding the commencement of the project. But we can’t even write it off because it’s not like the project is dead; a Bahraini daily reported as recently as last April that a third design (incorporating high-speed freight and passenger rail) was almost complete, compelling us to keep it on our list. The 40-km structure, featuring 25 bridges and viaducts, would link Qatar with the King Fahd Causeway between Bahrain and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and could cut the travel time from Qatar to Bahrain from five hours to 30 minutes. However the cost has continued to be a bone of contention, with the last design reportedly being scrapped on account of it being too expensive.

54 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

MOBILITY ON THE MIND

Hamad International Airport Way too much has been said about the new international airport, and not enough seen. Almost two years since it was supposed to open, and with five deadlines come and gone, while the old airport creaks under the burden of increased passenger traffic, 2014 simply has to be the year that flights start taking off from Hamad International Airport. The new airport will reportedly have 138 check-in counters; 34 passport control counters for economy passengers and 16 for Business and First Class; 41 gates with direct access to the aircraft; the

BEHIND THE SCENES

Inner Doha Re-sewerage Implementation Strategy If you haven’t seen any signs of the multi billion-riyal project getting under way, it is because the work is being carried out deep underground, with barely any disruption on the surface. For example, a deep terminal pump station is being constructed approximately 70 metres below the ground. Ashghal will build and upgrade 40 km of a main sewage trunk and more than 70 km of lateral interceptor tunnels, extending up to Mesaieed, where an advanced sewage

ability to handle 19,500 bags per hour; and three times more parking than the current airport, it has been reported. Even more exciting is what is to come after the opening of the first phase of HIA, the Airport City planned by Rem Koolhaas’ firm, the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA). The Airport City Master Plan consists of four circular or semi-circular districts – the Business District, Aviation Campus, Logistics District and the Residential District – linked together by a central spine running parallel to the runways of the new airport. The first 10 years (Phase 1) of the development will see

completion of the Civil Aviation Authority and Qatar Airways headquarters and support functions in the Aviation Campus, which also forms the gateway to Airport City; a transport hub and supportive commercial and hotel facilities in the Business District; cargo, warehousing and logistics facilities in the Logistics District; and cultural event and leisure opportunities to be provided by the landscaping scheme in its variety of interpretations across the expanse of the site. Completion of the development of the first phase of the project is scheduled to coincide with the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

treatment works with an initial capacity of 500,000 litres per day is being built to meet the potential demand of an additional one million residents in South Doha. The plant will feature high-level wastewater treatment technology (with the treated water being channelled for irrigation purposes), as well as sludge biogas generation facilities that will be used to generate electrical power and heat. The work, which is likely to cost in the excess of QR10 billion, is expected to be complete in seven to eight years, with the earliest commissioning dates set for mid-2019. QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 55

coverstory > the best is yet to come

WORLD CUP FEVER

Al Wakrah Stadium Jokes about the apparent shape of the stadium aside, Al Wakrah was the first of the World Cup stadiums to have its detailed plans announced in 2013 and it will no doubt retain a special place in our minds. Designed using “sustainably-sourced structural timber”, and with 15% of the permanent structures made from reused or recycled materials, the stadium design, by London-based Zaha Hadid Architects, was inspired bY the traditional Qatari dhow. It is scheduled to be delivered in 2018, Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary-General of the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee, announced. The whole 72,000 square metres of it can be temperature-controlled in the range of 30-32 degrees C. To keep Qatar’s carbon-neutral promise, Al Wakrah Stadium “will produce 15% of the energy it needs for the tournament using renewable sources on-site, reduce water by 60%, and will minimise waste by 90% through design efficiency and construction waste management”, it was reported. With seating capacity for 40,000 people (of which 20,000 are modular seats, enabling them to be shipped to lesser developed countries after the World Cup), the stadium will be connected to the city through the new Metro station in Al Wakrah on the Red Line, which will be located four kilometres away, in addition to water taxis at the port of Al Wakrah . There are still plenty of eye-popping stadiums to look forward to: The spectacular Doha Port Stadium, the refurbished Al Rayyan Stadium with its “media membrane” façade, the diamond-like Education City Stadium, the sleek Al Shamal Stadium and the Al Khor Stadium.

FUELLING THE FUTURE

Barzan Gas Project With agreements first signed in 2011, RasGas announced in November that the offshore and onshore construction of QR37.5 billion ($10.3 billion) gas project was more than 80% complete, with the installment of the plant’s four offshore platform topside modules, collectively weighing a total of 9,500 tonnes. Commissioned to meet growing domestic demand, the plant’s drilling platform is located 80 km north-east of 56 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

Ras Laffan Industrial City, and the project itself will be developed in two phases: Train 1 will come on stream in 2014, with Train 2 following in 2015, RasGas has announced. Together they will supply around 2 billion standard cubic feet per day of sales gas, much of which will be directed to the power and water sector, also making RasGas the largest gas producer in the country at 11 billion standard cubic feet per day. The final offshore hook-up phase of the project will entail the connection of 30 development

Qatar Power Transmission System Expansion This ongoing project, Phase XI of which was recently awarded to the Indian firm Larsen & Toubro, is a massive overhaul of the country’s high-voltage grid, substantially increasing the capacity of Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa)'s power distribution network. The current QR1.7 billion ($473 million) engineering, procurement and construction contract for supply and commissioning of transmission lines and substations will involve 18 extra high voltage (EHV) substations and 151 km of EHV cabling in Qatar and is projected to be completed over 22 months, according to a local press report. Once this is complete (12 phases have been planned so far), work on the high-voltage underground cable and transmission lines will continue.

wells to subsea pipelines that will take gas to shore in Ras Laffan, according to Nafez Bseiso, RasGas Chief Venture Officer. With 25,000 staff working across a three square kilometre area at a rate of over 1.5 million work-hours per week, there is no reason for the project to not be on schedule.

CITIES WITHIN A CITY

Doha Festival City The second phase of the QR6 billion ($1.6 billion) development project was officially

CITIES WITHIN A CITY

Msheireb Downtown Doha The QR20 billion regeneration project in Msheireb is aimed at giving the heart of Doha a modern facelift while conserving its historic and architectural identity. The 31-hectare mixed-use development will feature premier office space, retail, leisure facilities, townhouses, upscale apartments, hotels, museums, civic services, and exciting cultural and entertainment venues divided over five districts â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Amiri Diwan Quarter, Mixed-use and Residential Quarter, Heritage Quarter, Retail Quarter and Business Gateway. The Galleria, announced last year, will be the largest retail establishment in Msheireb, comprising about 100 stores set across four levels of shopping and entertainment space and spanning approximately 48,000 square metres of gross leasable space. With Phase 1 of the development on the verge of completion and Phases 2 and 3 under way, we will see more mixed-use buildings rising up this year, in addition to a crosswalk to Souq Waqif, and a service tunnel.

Lusail City This QR165 billion ($45 billion) city, which is being created from scratch, will stretch across 39 square kilometres and 2,763 plots over four exclusive islands and 19 multipurpose residential, mixed-use, entertainment and commercial districts, accommodating 200,000 residents. The Central Zone, also known as the Heart of Lusail, comprising three districts, will see completion within the next two to three years, it was announced. It will contain the Commercial Waterfront District that forms the silhouette of Lusail Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s marina design, the Lusail Towers District, and Plaza, forming the financial and commercial backbone of the city. Perhaps the most exciting feature of Lusail is the adoption of various Smart City technologies, making it a model community and laying a blueprint for similar services to be rolled out elsewhere in Doha. Another thing to note is the push towards public transport, with the Lusail Light Rail Transit, a park and ride system, and safe pedestrian and bike paths. Underground car parks that can accommodate thousands of cars are being built to relieve congestion on the roads. CITIES WITHIN A CITY

QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 57

creating demand for innovative products and project solutions.

of economic excellence regionally and internationally, based on an

coverstory > the best is yet to come VALUE OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN QATAR Construction Projects in Qatar

$180

$173.82

$160 $140 $120 $100 $80

$56.30

$49.96

$60

$42.19

$40

$20.10

$20

On Hold

Design

Concept Planning

Announced

Under Construction

$4.01

Tender

Values in US$ Billions

$200

Source: Project Qatar

FUN UNDER THE SUN

Kahramaa Park The giant educational and recreational park under construction by Kahramaa in Al Thumama, which was supposed to be completed last year, will most likely be opened to the public in mid-2014. The QR180 million ($49.4 million) Kahramaa Awareness Park will feature a design that minimises obstruction of daylight, and a landscape that encourages greenery and fights desertification and will teach residents about electricity and water conservation in addition to demonstrating the processes of electricity generation and water desalination.

58 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

announced last year, a few months after the opening of the first IKEA store in Doha. It was revealed that this would make it the country’s largest mall. It will include hotels and a convention centre and is expected to be complete in 2016. It was also announced that Festival City will house the “most advanced snow play area in the region” and an outdoor rapid river ride covering an area of two and a half football fields, which will form the biggest attractions in the complex, Kareem M Shamma, CEO Basrec said,

FUN UNDER THE SUN

Theme park to come? A foreign daily has reported that Gebal Group, the local agents for Lappset, the developers of Angry Birds theme parks, was approached by Doha and other Middle East countries keen to build what is touted to be the world’s biggest such attraction.“We are speaking to private investors in Doha and the UAE; all are interested to install the first Angry Birds theme park in the region, but Doha is in the more advanced stages of negotiation,” said Nigel Cann, Director of Operations and Development at Gebal Group. “The presentations have been made; now investors are looking for a space and deciding whether to have an outdoor or indoor park.” The project is expected to cost QR60 million ($16.34 million)

FUN UNDER THE SUN

CITIES WITHIN A CITY

Barwa Oryx Island One of the most awe-inspiring real estate developments announced last year at industry showcase Cityscape was Barwa Oryx Island, whose proposed site lies close to Hamad International Airport. The 250-hectare project, expected to cost QR20 billion ($5.5 billion), features an aqua park, five floating hotels to be introduced temporarily to the west of the development during the World Cup to provide extra hotel capacity, three five-star hotels, a natural harbour, private homes, a shopping and recreation centre and a maritime college to teach about marine life and traditional pearl hunting methods. Another attractive prospect is that Oryx Island is designed to be a pedestrian-only resort; there will be no traditional means of transportation, but electric vehicles, water taxis, ferries and private boats will be available to shuttle visitors and residents around. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The project, once implemented, will be completed in seven to eight years,â&#x20AC;? Group CEO Abdulla Abdulaziz Al Subaie said.

Mall of Qatar Retail space per capita in Doha has already surpassed that in Europe and new malls like the one being constructed at Al Rayyan are contributing to this. The QR3 billion Mall of Qatar project has been under way since 2012 and the opening is planned for the third quarter of 2015, with an estimated 20 million customers anticipated annually. A dedicated Metro station integrated into the mall will give all of Doha and surrounding regions access to the mall and its 162,000 square metres of retail space spread across three levels. One of the major distinguishing architectural features of the Mall of Qatar is a three-storey-high central amphitheatre with a massive domed roof, called the Oasis, which will feature themed restaurants, fine dining and family fun food experiences on all sides. Spread over a building area equivalent in size to 50 FIFA football pitches, the mall will have a major hypermarket, five department stores, 20 international restaurants and an indoor streetscape with double-height flagship stores from across the globe. Drake & Scull International won a mechanical, electrical and plumbing contract worth over QR400 million recently.

QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 59

business > bottomline

TEN WAYS TO IMPROVE

YOUR TEAMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S WORK-LIFE BALANCE

For 2014, professionals in the Middle East region are quite clear about their priorities: they want a better work-life balance.

60 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

hether it is to spend more time with family and friends or on sports and learning pursuits, a good work-life balance was identified by a Bayt. com "Employee Motivation in the MENA Workplace" survey last year as the top motivating factor for professionals in the region. As professionals in today’s workplace spend the best part of their average day at work, employers should recognise the need to invest in perks and schemes that promote a good work-life balance among their team. Also, as more and more professionals seek a better work-life balance, companies are required to adopt more flexible policies to accommodate these shifting priorities. Here are 10 practices from the HR experts at Middle East job site Bayt.com, to encourage a better work-life balance for your team:

I Realise the importance of work-life bal-

ance in today’s workplace. Managers should be the ones who set examples of a good work-life balance and realise the importance of achieving this balance and its effect on overall employee morale. According to the Bayt.com "Work-Life Balance in the MENA" poll (September 2012), 89.3% of professionals in the region believe that balancing work and life is possible, while 88.3% would consider changing their job for a better work-life balance. Conduct employee surveys. Surveys of employees’ work-life issues can help a company better understand their team’s needs and design appropriate policies to meet them. Set priorities for all work. When priorities are unclear, employees tend to overwork because they think that everything must get done at once. Setting priorities allows employees to schedule tasks over a reasonable period of time. Results of the Bayt.com "Work-Life Balance in the MENA" poll indicate that 35.4% of professionals very often end up working outside work hours by choice, while 27.8% of professionals admit that they work outside work hours due to necessity. If the overtime is chronic, talk to your team and suggest an alternative solution they would be happy with. If it’s a seasonal or temporary issue, you may want to ensure that their efforts are not going to be in the least bit unnoticed, unappreciated or unrewarded. Train line managers to recognise signs of overwork. Supervisors can spot in-

creasing error rates, absenteeism and signs of stress-related burnout more easily than anyone else in the organisation. Employees who show these signs of a poor work-life balance can be referred to employee-assistance programmes. Organise workshops on work-life balance. Such workshops teach employees how to better manage their workloads, eliminate unproductive work habits, get sufficient exercise, and negotiate more flexible work conditions that meet their needs. Use flexible work arrangements. Achieving a good work-life balance for your employees could be as simple as altering their work arrangements by enabling more flexibility. These arrangements could include a work-from-home arrangement, a flextime arrangement with same hours, a flextime arrangement with fewer hours, a year-long sabbatical, a few weeks of unpaid leave, or a part-time work arrangement. Promote telecommuting. Telecommuting is a way for employees to work from home, which cuts down on stress and unproductive time due to a commute. Telecommuting can be a good option in some cases and was favoured by 10.4% of respondents in the Bayt.com "Work-Life Balance in the MENA Region" poll. Encourage the use of vacation and sickleave time. Supervisors should advise employees to use their vacation and sickleave benefits when signs of burnout or illness arise. Adopt formal leave policies for special cases. A formal leave policy for employees with dependents recognises and encourages the need to care for sick children or elderly parents. Limit how often employees take work home. The line between work and home lives tends to blur when employees regularly take work home. This practice should be monitored by managers, who should also develop plans for making sure that work gets done at the office instead of at home.

Companies can’t ignore the fact that maintaining a good work-life balance has become increasingly important in today’s workplace. In fact, it has been proved that companies that encourage a healthy lifestyle and accommodate different priorities are more likely to see improved motivation and loyalty levels among their employees than those that do not

BAYT.COM Bayt.com is the #1 job site in the Middle East, with more than 40,000 employers and over 14,000,000 registered job seekers from across the Middle East, North Africa and the globe, representing all industries, nationalities and career levels.

QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 61

coverstory > the development > green best scene yet to come

THE MIDDLE EASTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S

NUCLEAR DREAM:

FAR FROM REALITY?

Booming economies and a desire to diversify from traditional hydrocarbons to generate more electricity have fuelled the interest of the region in exploring the prospects for nuclear energy. By reducing dependence on finite fossil fuels, countries in the Middle East will not only be able to lower economic and environmental costs for power generation, but also reserve a greater proportion of hydrocarbons for exports. However, none of the regional countries has a commercial-scale nuclear power plant connected to the grid so far, though some do have plans to do so. BY MUHAMMAD WAQAS

62 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

WORLD SUPPLY OF PRIMARY ENERGY IN MILLIONS OF BARRELS OF OIL EQUIVALENT PER DAY (MBOE/D)

SOURCE: WORLD OIL OUTLOOK, 2013

he UAE and Saudi Arabia are continuing to rapidly develop nuclear technology to cut down their reliance on fossil fuels for energy. The UAE became the first regional country to launch a civil nuclear programme in 2008. Since then, the UAE has entered into nuclear cooperation deals with the US, UK and Russia to enhance its expertise in nuclear energy. Over the next 20 years, Saudi Arabia plans to construct 16 nuclear power reactors worth an estimated $80 billion. With the first reactor expected to be on line in 2022, the Kingdom is striving to develop about 17 gigawatt-electric (GWe) of nuclear capacity by 2032. This would account for about 15% of the total energy requirements of the oil-rich nation. Saudi Arabia has also concluded nuclear treaties with France and China for electricity generation, water desalination and applications in other sectors of the economy. Other countries like Jordan and Egypt are negotiating with potential nuclear vendors, while Turkey is all set for the construction of up to four nuclear reactors. When Qatar signed a memorandum of cooperation with Russia in 2010 on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, it was expected that it would push ahead for greater adoption of atomic technology. Back in 2006, Qatar and the other five Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states declared that they were looking to explore the potential of nuclear energy for power and desalination projects. By 2008, Kahramaa (the Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation) had entered into discussions

QATAR’S DECISION WAS PRIMARILY INFLUENCED BY THE FINDINGS OF A STUDY TO DETERMINE THE VIABILITY OF AN INDEPENDENT NUCLEAR PROGRAMME.

with Russia to utilise new Russian floating nuclear power plants. The initiative was part of Qatar’s ambitions to add up to 5,400 MW of nuclear capacity between 2011 and 2036. The floating nuclear plants could be used not only to generate electricity but also to desalinate water. However, Qatar decided to overlook nuclear energy and explore other renewable energy sources based on an in-depth assessment of its needs and policy stance on safe use of nuclear energy. Qatar’s decision was primarily influenced by the findings of a study to determine the viability of an independent nuclear programme. The report favoured Qatar’s participation in any possible regional nuclear generation project rather than developing an intensive indigenous programme. Interestingly, two new, recently-conducted studies have declared Qatar’s proposed nuclear power programme economically feasible. Carried out for Kahramaa, the studies concluded that the nuclear programme was QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 63

development > green scene

ASPIRING NUCLEAR POWERS IN THE MIDDLE EAST, SUCH AS JORDAN AND TURKEY, HAVE ALSO BEEN TROUBLED BY AN INCREASE IN PUBLIC PROTESTS AND MISTRUST OF THE OFFICIAL WORD. cost-effective based on the assumption that oil prices do not drop lower than $55 per barrel. In the current global scenario, such a drastic fall in oil prices is unlikely to occur. However, Qatar has yet to undertake a technical viability study on the proposed nuclear programme. On the back of strong economic performance, the demand for electricity in Qatar has grown by around 17% in the past two years. Electricity demand is likely to create considerable pressure in the next five years. Qatar will need an additional capacity of 1,269 MW of power by 2016. By 2015, electricity demand is expected to jump to over 9,180 MW. At the same time, a Kahramaa survey reveals that total water demand will exceed 300 million gallons a day by 2015. Desalination of water remains a highly energy-intensive process in Qatar, accounting for up to 20% of the nation’s electricity requirements. According to Abdulla Majid Al Khulaifi, Head of Conservation Technology in the Conservation and Energy Efficiency Department at Kahramaa, “the demand for water, which is supplied at a subsidised rate across Qatar, is rising. A number of recent studies on water consumption have found that Qatar’s per capita water consumption is the highest in world. As a result, the conservation of electricity 64 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

and water is the need of the hour.” Enjoying one of the highest solar irradiation rates in the world, Qatar has preferred the use of solar energy over any other renewable energy source to power its desalination plants. Another area of concern regarding atomic technology is the need for improving controls and strengthening nuclear security in the Middle East. While most countries approve peaceful use of nuclear technology, they are also wary of the potent threat of nuclear terrorism in the region. Further, adoption of nuclear technology requires the implementation of strict safety standards that may be difficult to adhere to in the Middle East’s infant nuclear industry. According to Samuel Ciszuk, senior energy analyst for the Middle East and North Africa at IHS Global Insight, “Europe and America go a step too far by adding an unnecessary amount of safety levels. All these safety mechanisms added on top reduce the cost efficiency.” It may also be inconvenient to locate land-based nuclear plants in special safety zones in geographically small countries like Qatar. The recent pact between Iran and Western nations has once again sparked concerns about the peaceful use of nuclear technology in the Arab region. Salman Shaikh, head of the Brookings Doha Center,

believes that “there is genuine desire in this region for making the Middle East a nuclear-free zone. What happens with the Iranians is actually very crucial, and if we’re not careful, we will start to have a proliferation of nuclear activities.” Therefore international agencies need to play a greater role in the implementation of effective nuclear security and safety systems in the region. Aspiring nuclear powers in the Middle East, such as Jordan and Turkey, have also been troubled by an increase in public protests and mistrust of the official word. The negative public opinion about nuclear energy highlights the failure of Middle Eastern countries to engage all relevant stakeholders in developing an understanding of its benefits. Policymakers have not done enough to allay the fears of the general public, especially in the aftermath of Japan’s Fukushima disaster in 2011. John Banks, an analyst at the Brookings Institution, asserts that countries pursuing nuclear technology in the region need to “develop a legal and regulatory framework, put in place the human resources capabilities, and allocate sufficient funding to ensure that this sector is operating according to the highest standards”. Although Middle Eastern governments may fully recognise these challenges, great effort is needed to overcome them. They need to articulate long-term development strategies related to some of the most sensitive aspects of their nuclear programmes. In conclusion, the pursuit of civil nuclear technology by Middle Eastern countries is limited not only by their institutional and human capacity, but also by concerns surrounding the safe use of such technology. Although significant financial resources are at the disposal of these states, their governments face several technical, institutional and strategic issues to run these nuclear programmes in a competent and sustainable manner

development > tag this

WHEN THE HEALTH OF THE

WORLD

IS AT STAKE As we go to press, the largest-ever immunisation drive in the Middle East, to vaccinate more than 23 million children against polio in Syria and neighbouring countries, is under way. BY ABIGAIL MATHIAS

66 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

t is a crucial effort in response to an outbreak of the virus-borne disease in a country where 17 cases have been confirmed. The campaign aims to reach 2.2 million children in the wargripped nation, including those who live in contested areas and those who were earlier missed. This is where the work of international bodies like the World Health Organisation (WHO) comes in. Dr Thomas Cherian is the Coordinator of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation, WHO Department of Immunisation, Vaccines and Biologicals. Quite simply he carries the information of the world’s health at the top of his mind. Dr Cherian gave a thought-provoking address at the recent Excellence in Paediatrics (EIP) conference in Doha. The globally recognised-event was being conducted in this region for the first time – a decision the organisers say was a strategic decision given the turmoil in the surrounding region. “Sadly, the world is yet to realise the potential of immunisation,” says Dr Cherian. He predicts that 26 million deaths could be averted in the next decade through vaccination, but only if national governments act now. Endorsed by the 194 Member States of the World Health Assembly in May 2012, the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) is a framework to prevent millions of deaths by 2020 through more equitable access to existing vaccines for people in all communities. As Qatar Today has previously reported, immunisation is recognised as one of the most efficient, successful and cost-effective health investments in history. Of course, there are those who contradict the efficacy of vaccines, but that number is no match for the staggering numbers of people facing life-threatening diseases. Dr Cherian says: “New vaccines do not control epidemics, they merely curtail the virus from spreading further. The sad part is that those who require them the most aren’t receiving

the vaccines. It is a vicious cycle. Some of the vaccines need to be stored in a heated and stable environment, and oftentimes storage is a vital problem in strife-ridden countries. As a result certain sections do not receive care.” To cite one more recent international case, the Philippine Department of Health and the WHO have launched a vaccination campaign to prevent outbreaks of measles and polio among survivors of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda). Despite all the efforts, we have to mention that in the international arena, the WHO has often faced strong criticism for its lack of transparency. According to researcher Nancy Lewis, “while WHO’s detractors support its focus on disease prevention and eradication, many argue that success has often been elusive because the organisation is too bureaucratic and centralised to effectively and efficiently target funds and efforts.” Dr Cherian makes it clear that the progress of all vaccines is not being monitored by the WHO alone but by an independent committee. “Two members of this committee are attending the EiP in Doha,” he says. Dr Cherian comes armed with the facts, “In the past two years, the number of measles outbreaks in Europe, China, Pakistan and the Congo has increased. Of these, 25,000 cases were discovered in China alone.” “In the 1980s measles killed so many more people. It is now down 86% from 1985-2011,” says Dr Cherian. “As far as polio eradication is concerned, in 1988 there

“New vaccines do not control epidemics, they merely curtail the virus from spreading further. The sad part is that those who require them the most aren’t receiving the vaccines.” DR THOMAS CHERIAN Coordinator of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation, Department of Immunisation, Vaccines and Biologicals, WHO

QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 67

development > tag this KEY FACTS

Over the coming months, UNICEF is planning to deliver 10 million doses of polio vaccine to Syria. The total cost to UNICEF and the WHO of supporting the sevencountry polio response from November 2012 to April 2014 is QR141.96 million ($39 million), based on a strategic plan developed for the Middle East.

Prior to this outbreak, no polio cases had been recorded in Syria since 1999. The risk of a spread to countries in the region and beyond is considered high, and health authorities from 21 countries have declared a public health emergency. Further polio immunisation campaigns will be repeated across the region. In Syria they will be carried out at monthly intervals until April 2014.

In 2011, there were 158,000 measles deaths globally – about 430 deaths every day or 18 deaths every hour.

THE STATISTICS FOR MEASLES IN CHINA

6,I83 CASES IN 2012

“In Qatar, childhood immunisation coverage rates for polio, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus and measles are over 90%, and have been so for the past 15 years.” DR WILLIAM OWEN Chief Executive Officer, Sidra

68 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

were 350,000 cases in the world. When we look at figures in 2012, only 223 cases globally come up.” Discussing the latest and most pertinent issues in healthcare, Sidra Chief Executive Officer Dr William Owen said: “In Qatar, childhood immunisation coverage rates for polio, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus and measles are over 90%, and have been so for the past 15 years.” Evaluating the risk More than just statistics on the world’s health, Dr Cherian highlights the important role played by medical professionals in curbing the spread of disease. “There are medical workers who have laid down their lives to eradicate polio," he says, "especially in war-torn countries. Our aim to achieve a world free of polio is a closer reality only thanks to them.” Despite the data, Dr Cherian seems optimistic. “Globally, the world’s health is improving. For instance there have been no cases of meningitis after the vaccines have been administered.” Addressing other pertinent issues, he points out: “There is also a problem of vaccine refusals and vaccine hesitancy in certain areas. It is for this reason that we have to promote greater awareness and increased participation. That is

22,950 CASES IN 2013

where the paediatrics play an important role. We have to break the myths that surround certain vaccines.” Acknowledging the role of others in curtailing the spread of disease, Dr Cherian states: “It has been two years since the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the GAVI Alliance have developed strategies to spread vaccines to those in vital need of immunisation.” Speaking to the international gathering of paediatricians, he says: “We need to generate evidence to inform national policies. We also need to allay fears that are sometimes formed on the internet.” Of course medical breakthroughs are a huge boost for medical science. “There are new and crucial vaccines being developed against tuberculosis, but we have yet to reach a stage where we are confident enough to encourage their usage,” Dr Cherian says. “There are people who want a TB vaccine but it may be too early for that. It is the same with malaria.” When quizzed about the efficacy of the influenza vaccine, Dr Cherian mentions that there is a WHO policy paper on the subject that targets high-risk groups. “It also stresses that pregnant women should get immunised, with newer viruses plaguing the public. But again our reach isn’t as high as we want it to be.”

development > tag this

HBKU

PLUGS IN Matthew Boice, regional Vice-President of Ellucian, speaks to us about building the software that will form the backbone of Hamad Bin Khalifa University. BY AYSWARYA MURTHY

70 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

atthew Boice is no stranger to Qatar, and neither is Ellucian. They have been working with Qatar University since 2006 on the Al Serdal project to replace QU's legacy student management system and to automate and digitise many of the processes. Now the software company has been roped in to provide similar services for the newly-formed HBKU. With its regional headquarters in Dubai Knowledge Village, Ellucian is a leading technology solutions provider for post-16 educational institutions (those that cater for students above the age of 16) that serves over 2,400 universities worldwide and 60 of the region’s biggest and most prestigious private and government institutions including the American University of Beirut, Khalifa University, King Faisal University, King Abdulaziz University and the like. What with Ellucian’s “pedigree going back to the time when institutions first started using computer systems and processes to manage their operations”, Boice has the perfect vantage point to tell us about what has changed over the years. “Though helping institutions to automate is still the foundation of what we do, the emphasis has shifted somewhat to a place where universities are much more concerned about student experience. It’s an evolution from saying ‘I am doing this paperwork for the government and I don’t really care if the students don’t like the registration process...’ In fact, when QU was installing the new system, current students were incorporated in the development process for their feedback. They then came back to work on the system from the ad-

ministration side after graduation,” he says. The software has to assist the institution in managing its many activities in addition to delivering on the learning promise to its students. “It’s like running a mini-city,” Boice says, “The whole student lifecycle has become very complex, and along with it expectations have also risen.” The millennial generation have got used to high-quality services in their daily lives and they expect their universities to provide the same kind of quality, flexibility and conveniences. “They want to get all the information they need through an app and they don’t want to have to read an instruction manual to use it,” Boice says. Within a month of the launch of its mobile services, the company has entered into agreements with more than eight institutions in the region that want to extend their connectivity to mobile phones. Mobility is so integral to solution packages that it is almost assumed. Another exciting opportunity this software can provide is the convergence of normally isolated communities like students, employers and administrators. “Through the Talent Community Portal, which is mediated and regulated by the university, potential employers can actively engage with the students, talking to them about the kinds of opportunities that await them and taking part in the development of the kind of graduates that they wish to hire. From a student perspective, this portal allows them to showcase their attributes, academic and otherwise, to the employer, in a readable and attractive way. Students can from very early follow their dream employer and the kind of skills they are looking for, helping them mould themselves to be fit

for that job three years down the line. The university can in turn analyse the success of these kinds of interactions and formulate the data needed to see if they are having a positive impact on the development of the workforce,” Boice explains. Universities are obligated to ensure that they add value. That is what the government is providing them big funds for. “By providing a common platform for these stakeholders to come together, gaps in learning and employment needs are highlighted back to the institution about where it might need to evolve a programme or add additional components. Traditionally this cycle would take decades,” he points out. Ellucian has tied up with Meeza, Qatar Foundation’s IT arm, to do the behind-thescenes work in providing these services and interfaces. The company’s software is already in use at Georgetown University, Texas A&M University and Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Education City, and the team is now tasked with coming up with a viable concept of how these different institutions will collaborate within the Education City ecosystem and under the umbrella of HBKU. “Traditionally there has been poor interaction between universities in the GCC. Even between next-door neighbours. Everyone talks about it and people love the idea of collaboration, but when it comes down to the mechanics of the operation, a lot more needs to be done,” Boice says, adding that they are trying to break this norm with their partnership with HBKU. “We are currently involved in working with the government and the individual institutions about how information is shared, using open and recognised standards. This can be reflected in something as simple as how a course is described. We also allow our clients to share our intellectual property as a community, which is quite unusual. So although we are the manufacturers we let the community evolve the code (for those who have the desire and aspiration) using the same techniques as open source. From our early discussions with the institutions we are serving in Qatar, we gather that they might like to use this to collaborate within the country.” Speaking about the customisations needed for different institutions, Boice says: “From macro aspects like language preferences (the whole system is fully supported

“Though helping institutions to automate is still the foundation of what we do, the emphasis has shifted somewhat to a place where universities are much more concerned about student experience." MATTHEW BOICE Regional Vice-President of Ellucian

in Arabic) to specifics like grants for Qataris (sometimes specific to a programme or even one student), [many things] need to be catered for. Local customs, cultures, practices and government regulations can’t be ignored, and all need to be factored in. Travel grants, use of the Hijri calendar and unique cases like different courses/ campuses for men and women. We need to

draw that important characteristic out so that guys don’t register for the girls’ classes even though they want to,” he laughs. “Our regional solution centres take care of these additions to software and help localise the services. “Often it’s a challenge to replace an outdated or a broken system that’s already in place. But HBKU has decided to put the right systems in place from the start. So it’s a relief to not have to worry about old ways of doing things and people who are used to that kind of system. In fact, now that the project has formally kicked off, we’ll start installing all the technology, configuring it and training the staff. This should be done as early as within a year because we don’t have to work over any older system already in place. “The new software will be uploaded onto the fantastic, world-class Meeza data centres and will be both secure and scalable. The last part is important as we are sure there will be many more projects that QF and Qatar would want to do that can benefit from these existing systems,” Boice says QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 71

development > tag this

Qatar Airways’ decision to join oneworld will enhance traveller comfort and give them more choice BY V L SRINIVASAN

72 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

hen global airline alliance oneworld invited Qatar Airways to join, it was not without a reason. Global alliances had been absent in the Middle East, one of the fastest-growing regions for air travel demand, and with an increasingly important role in the industry. Though the GCC region has three major carriers, including Qatar Airways, strangely none of the three alliances on the world’s aviation map – oneworld, SkyTeam and Star – had included them in their respective group till 2007. It was oneworld that took the initiative to include Royal Jordanian Airlines in 2007. Qatar Airways became the second airline in the Middle East to join the premier alliance, in October 2013. “The airlines in the Middle East have

grown rapidly in recent years. Oneworld sees no reason why customers who choose to fly with these airlines should be denied the services and benefits of global alliances. Oneworld was the first global alliance to add a carrier from the region, with the addition of Royal Jordanian in 2007,” oneworld Chief Executive Officer Bruce Ashby says. “The Gulf carriers have grown into big airlines, used by many millions of customers the world over. They have been embraced by consumers – just as consumers have embraced global alliances. We do not see why consumers who fly with Gulf carriers should be refused the benefits and services that we provide,” he says. According to Ashby, oneworld carefully assessed all potential options in the region before inviting any airline to come on board. "This detailed analysis indicated clearly that Qatar Airways is the best overall fit for

oneworld and can deliver the biggest benefits to the alliance, our airlines and customers overall. It was a meeting of minds. Becoming part of oneworld strengthens Qatar Airways’ competitiveness, enabling it to offer customers an unrivalled alliance global network served by partners that include leading airlines from every region,” he says. It has been a “win-win” situation for both Qatar Airways and oneworld since joining hands. By joining the alliance, Qatar Airways, which serves over 130 destinations in 70 countries across the Middle East, Europe, Africa, North and South America, Asia and Australasia, makes oneworld the leading alliance in one of the world’s fastest-growing regions for air travel demand. More than 20 of its destinations and five countries – Ethiopia, Iran, Rwanda, Serbia and Tanzania – will be added to the oneworld map. More significantly, Qatar Airways will substantially strengthen the alliance’s customer offering by providing superior routing alternatives across many hundreds of city pairs. “For instance, passengers flying between Asia and Southern Europe or between Asia and Africa will now have convenient one-stop connections not previously available within the oneworld network,” Ashby points out. Admitting that no single carrier from Africa is a member of oneworld, Ashby however says it offers easy access to all major African destinations through member airlines, particularly Qatar Airways, British Airways and Iberia. “In South Asia, in addition to being strongly represented by Qatar Airways and current member Malaysia Airlines, we will be the first global alliance to add an airline from the South Asian region, with the addition of SriLankan Airlines early next year,” Ashby says. When asked how oneworld can claim to be the best with only 13 airlines as members, Ashby says: “We believe that being

the best is not meaningfully measured by counting the number of members, but instead by the qualities that matter most to customers – easy access to top destinations and quality of service.” With Qatar Airways in its bag, will oneworld look at other major carriers in the region like Emirates and Etihad from the UAE, to add as members? “We have no plans to add any more carriers from this region. With Qatar Airways and Royal Jordanian Airlines on board, oneworld is the leading alliance in this part of the world,” Ashby says. Probably, oneworld has carriers from other parts of the world to take care of. “We are currently undergoing an unprecedented membership expansion programme, dramatically expanding our size and scope. “We will be adding early in 2014 TAM, the leading airline in Latin America’s biggest economy, Brazil, and US Airways, through its merger with American Airlines, creating the world’s biggest airline on most scores,” Ashby says. As far as revenues are concerned, Ashby says total industry revenue per annum is QR2.184 trillion ($600 billion) and oneworld’s share is around QR728 trillion ($200 billion), which constitutes over 27% of the total. He also justifies oneworld’s decision not to have low-cost carriers as members. “Most low-cost carriers cannot offer oneworld’s full range of services and benefits – our frequent flyer offering, lounge access, connectivity and so on,” he explains

“The Gulf carriers have grown into big airlines, used by many millions of customers the world over. They have been embraced by consumers – just as consumers have embraced global alliances. We do not see why consumers who fly with Gulf carriers should be refused the benefits and services that we provide.” BRUCE ASHBY CEO, oneworld

QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 73

development > tag this

LESSONS THAT DUBAI AND

RIYADH HAVE FOR US

Selected insights have been revealed from the World Transport Mobility Report commissioned by Siemens IC MOL, which compared and contrasted mobility across 35 cities around the globe.

he World Transport Mobility Report, which is currently being put together by consultants Credo, will be published in its entirety at the World Cities Summit in Singapore in 2014, focusing firstly on mobility and transport networks and secondly on what current and future transport plans mean for economic development, key opportunities, and risks in not closing transport gap. Meanwhile, journalists were given a sneak peek into the emerging conclusions concerning the two Middle Eastern cities selected for the report, Dubai and Riyadh. The cities were selected based on size and also on some of the interesting challenges that they have overcome, helping to identify best practices and share ideas. The report recognises that key challenges for cities right now stimulating economic growth and accommodating rapid urbanisation and population growth. Credo’s Director Matt Lovering says: “Every city has strong and less strong ele-

74 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

ments of its transport system. Through this report we want to encourage city authorities and leaders to talk to each other about what they do well, be more open about their strengths and the challenges they face, and recognise that they don’t have to always reinvent the wheel. There are other cities with similar problems who have come up with effective solutions.” Speaking about the report in detail, he says, “We used 10,000 different data points across 50 metrics structured around three key themes – transport provision (infrastructure, capacity, utilisation), quality (accessibility, affordability, integration), and how the system is positioned to accommodate growth (past development, potential capacity vis-a-vis population growth forecast).” Lovering says Dubai came out with flying colours and is “among the top third of the cities globally”. “Dubai has interesting lessons for other cities in the world. It has transformed its transport network over the past decade and

QATAR’S RAIL MECHANICS Unveiling the technical progress of Qatar’s integrated railway network, Qatar Rail executives took the media of the region on a tour of the work completed till to date. A light rail transit (LRT) underground station in Energy City, Lusail where 100% of the civil work has been completed, the excavations for the tunneling at The Pearl, and a site within Lusail City where labourers are inducted were all revealed. With deals worth QR32 billion already awarded, Qatar Rail is on track, said Eng. Saad Al Muhannadi, Chief Executive Officer, adding that the bulk of activities of Phase 1 of the project are already being executed. Eng. Hamad Al Bishri, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Programme Officer of Qatar Rail, also stressed the importance of safety conditions for all workers, with a mandatory safety education programme before they started work at Qatar Rail. The officials also emphasised on the role Qatar Rail’s railway network projects will play in reshaping Qatar’s infrastructure, ranking among the most ambitious and modern railway projects in the region. “Whether through construction, design or other complementary and accompanying works and projects, Qatar Rail has provided the private sector with a great deal of business and labour opportunities through its developments,” Managing Director Eng. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Turki Al Subaie said, adding that “among the company’s most ambitious objectives is the significant participation of Qatar's private

there has been a lot of investment especially in the Metro, to improve traffic flow and increase mobility. The trade-off between quantity and quality has also been managed well. There will continue to be a requirement because of its massive growth, and investment should be continually supported to maintain its rank among the leading cities in the world,” he says. Moving on to the next city in the study, Lovering says for a heavily car-dependent city of its size Riyadh has “relatively low levels of congestion and has managed to identify medium- and long-term challenges to develop its public transport system". He quotes the example of the $22 billion investment that is going into the 175-km metro network which will be integrated into other public transport. Lovering was happy to discuss specifics about Doha on the sidelines. He assures us that Doha, with its major infrastructure overhaul, hadn’t missed their gaze: “We had a number of discussions about including Doha in the study and I am sure it would feature in future studies”, presumably after the effects of these infrastructure changes can be better understood. “Taking the time to develop the right kind of transport system is not a failing in my opinion,” he says, “because the worst thing to do would be to build a metro too quickly without having it connecting the right places. Also, it not

sector in the railway network projects”. PROGRESS ON SCHEDULE Commenting on the progress of the company’s current developments, CEO Al Muhannadi announced that “work for the Doha Metro project is moving along as scheduled, and that for the Lusail LRT has reached advanced stages. The Long Distance Passenger and Freight Rail transportation system, which will cover 350 kilometres in distance at a speed ranging between 220 and 350 kilometres/hour for passenger trains, and nearing 120 kilometres/ hours for freight trains, is currently under technical and commercial evaluation by expert consultants,” he added. With regard to the Lusail LRT, Al Muhannadi revealed that Qatar Rail has finalised the tunnelling works for the project’s tunnels and completed over 60% of the structure for drilling works for its stations. Additionally, 50% of the structure of the Al Khor viaduct and the Lusail LRT, which is slated to be officially delivered by 2017, has been set up. The Lusail Light Rail Transit is composed of four lines extending 30.5 kilometres in total, of which 19 kilometers are at ground level, 10 kilometres underground and 1 kilometre above the ground, in addition to a 0.5 kilometre stretch of track between two highrises. The overall project consists of a fleet of 34 trains and 37 stations, 24 of which are at ground level, 10 are underground, one is located on the bridge level, and two connect two high-rises.

only has to build but also encourage usage of the metro with the right ticketing, access, marketing, culture and interchange.” Dubai can serve as an inspiration; 33 million trips were made this year alone on the Dubai Metro. “And the metro has the potential to transform other public transport systems once they are integrated.” Doha’s buses come to mind. “Buses can be a quality part of the transport network if they are made an attractive mode of transport. Investment in bus priority measures (to make the journey faster), air-conditioned buses and real-time systems will persuade people to leave behind their cars.” Doha also has the advantage that it can plan ahead, keeping future growth in mind. You don’t know what technology will be invented around the corner. “All the city authorities can do is look at what’s available, what people are talking about, and implement a flexible system that reflects their best understanding of it,” he says. “For example, the London network was built 150 years ago when nobody could have even imagined the amount of people it would be serving in the future. So it’s not just the technology that needs to be continually upgraded, but also infrastructure and utility. This work becomes easier when the network has been built with future demand in mind.”

“Every city has strong and less strong elements of its transport system. Through this report we want to encourage city authorities and leaders to talk to each other about what they do well, be more open about their strengths and the challenges they face, and recognise that they don’t have to always reinvent the wheel. There are other cities with similar problems who have come up with effective solutions.” MATT LOVERING Director Credo

QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 75

development > tag this

WE ARE ON THE

CLOUD BY DAMIAN RADCLIFFE

76 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

IF YOU HAVE EVEN A PASSING INTEREST IN TECHNOLOGY MATTERS, THEN THE CHANCES ARE THAT YOU WILL HAVE HEARD REFERENCE TO “THE CLOUD” OR “CLOUD COMPUTING”.

ut what is this mysterious cloud? Definitions vary, but broadly speaking this refers to content or services that are stored “in the ether” on remote devices often dotted around the globe rather than on your PC or a local server. The chances are that you are already using cloud services and have been for some time. With services like Apple’s iCloud, then the clue is in the name. But long-standing webmail clients – like Hotmail or Gmail – are exactly that, e-mail stored on the Web, a service that enables you to access your messages wherever you are, rather than from a specific device (like your home PC) or location (such as the office). In recent years domestic usage of the cloud has increased too, with services like Spotify and Netflix allowing you to access content that lives in the cloud and that you physically don’t own. As we continue to generate huge amounts of digital material, the cloud can be beneficial for domestic users, offering a means to store this material in a safe, and potentially retrievable, place. Dropbox, for example, allows you to store a large amount of data online, ideal for photographs and other important documents. People often used to say that in the event of their house burning down the two things they’d rescue were their photograph albums and their loved ones. If you use the cloud effectively, then hopefully you only now need to focus on saving your nearest and dearest! Increasingly, much cloud-related activi-

ty is automatic. This removes the need, and the hassle, to copy across your files onto USB sticks or external memory drives (all of which can easily get lost or damaged anyway). By way of an example, as soon as I’m connected – be that to 3G or WiFi – then my smartphone automatically uploads any new pictures I’ve taken to my Google Plus account. As a result, if my phone got stolen, or my memory card corrupted, then the photos on it would no longer be lost. Phew! Meanwhile, tools like HiSuite from Huawei – now world’s third-largest smartphone vendor – take this sort of behind-the-scenes activity a stage further, by automatically backing up contacts, messages, calendar, media files and other information, which is all very handy for the time you drop your phone in the bath. (I haven’t, but I have a “friend” who did.) On a domestic level, these sorts of services and applications are inherently useful, but the major market for the cloud lies in the business and enterprise sectors. Forbes recently reported that the worldwide cloud computing market will grow at a 36% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between now and 2016, when it will have become a $19.5 billion industry. This industry, which combines both public and private clouds (a public cloud like Amazon web services is open to anyone, whilst proprietary closed networks tend to be described as private clouds), offers the potential to change the way we do business. This is particularly the case for SMEs and start-ups, many of whom can now access services and applications that they previously could not afford. However, as the research company

ictQATAR's "Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Business" report shows that “almost nine out of 10 businesses in Qatar reported that they had never even heard of the cloud and even among those establishments that are cognisant of the cloud, only 3% are actually using cloud services".

QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 77

development > tag this GARTNER'S ANNUAL HYPE CYCLE

E X P E C TAT I O N S

Consumer 3D Printing Gamification Big Data Natural-Language Question Answering Internet of Things Speech-to-Speech Translation Mobile Robots 3D Scanners

Wearable User Interfaces Complex-Event Processing Content Analytics In-Memory Database Management Systems Virtual Assistants

Neurobusiness Biochips Autonomous Vehicles Prescriptive Analytics Affective Computing Electrovibration

Augmented Reality Machine-to-Machine Communication Services Mobile Health Monitoring NFC

Volumetric and Holographic Desplays Human Augmentation 3D Bio Printing

Local Intelligence Consumer Telematics

Mesh Networks: Sensor

Brain-Computer Interface

Predictive Analytics Speech Recognition

Biometric Authentication Methods Enterprise 3D Printing Activity Streams Gesture Control In-Memory Analytics

Cloud Computing

Quantified Self

Quantum Computing Virtual Reality Smart Dust Bioacoustic Sensing

As of July 2013 INNOVATION TRIGGER

PEAK OF INFLATED EXPECTATIONS

TROUGH OF DISILLUSIONMENT

SLOPE OF ENLIGHTENMENT

PLATEAU OF PRODUCTIVITY

PLATEAU WILL BE REACHED IN

LESS THAN 2 YEARS

2 TO 5 YEARS

MORE THAN 10 YEARS

OBSOLETE BEFORE PLATEAU

5 TO 10 YEARS

TIME

RESOURCES To help you understand if the cloud is for you, ictQATAR has produced an eBook that explains in more detail the basics of cloud computing, alongside tips on determining if it is right for you. You can find it online at:

Scan this code, to generate link

78 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

Gartner has noted, “market dynamics vary substantially when considering the cloud services market size and market growth across the different regions of the world”. This is particularly true in parts of our region and across different sectors, with ictQATAR recently noting that in Qatar “almost nine out of 10 businesses reported that they had never even heard of the cloud”. Their report, "Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2013: Business", detailed findings from a survey of 1,003 business establishments across the country and also commented that even “among those establishments that are cognisant of the cloud, only 3% are actually using cloud services”. However, they also reported that the picture was different for larger businesses and those who were aware of the technology, suggesting that awareness was a key reason why cloud computing had “yet to catch on in Qatar”. Other reasons for this variance include IT maturity, market needs, security concerns and hype.

Gartner’s “annual hype cycle”, which provides a graphical representation of how the expectations of emerging technologies map against their usage and maturity, currently places cloud computing in its wonderfully-named “trough of disillusionment”. This label does not mean that this technology is failing, but rather that perhaps it has yet to live up to earlier (perhaps overhyped) expectations. The same can also be said of the other technologies sitting in the same “trough”, with Near Field Communication (NFC), Augmented Reality and Machine-to-Machine Communication all taking longer than originally anticipated to become mass-market. Moving forward, awareness and attitudes towards the cloud will no doubt change, as cloud technology becomes more ingrained in our home and working lives. Whether this will drive an increase in adoption will depend on your situation. But in a competitive market, anything that can potentially help you to gain a competitive advantage merits exploration

development > sports

WANTED

EXPERTS IN SPORTS LAW With Qatar inching its way to becoming a sports hub in the region, there is a need for experts specialised in sponsorship contracts to avoid “unwarranted” controversies. BY SINDHU NAIR 80 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

ecently in the news was Zahir Belounis, a 33-year-old French soccer player of Algerian descent who moved to Qatar in 2010 and was “trapped” here for more than 18 months because of a protracted legal dispute with his club, Al Jaish Sports Club. Al Jaish is a member club of the Qatar Football Association based in Duhail and is currently playing in the Qatar Stars League. Belounis said that his pay was stopped two years ago in a dispute due to his transfer to a new club. Another, not so controversial but equally scintillating, titbit of news in the football fraternity and in litigation quarters was the case of Australian player Mark Bresciano after he was banned for four months due to a compensation dispute relating to the terms of his transfer from UAE club Al Nasr to Al Gharafa in August 2012. These are but two examples of the need for experts in the field of sponsorship contracts that specialise in sports for a country that is going to see much more of sponsorships and contract validation happening in the near future. According to a report by management consultants PriceWaterCoopers, the EMEA (Europe Middle East and Africa region) is currently ranked as the second-largest sports market in the world, and is worth an estimated QR163.07 billion ($44.8 billion), which represents nearly a third of the global market. And it is this market that is waiting to be tapped. Sport is considered a key growth market for many businesses as governments across the Gulf look to further diversify their economies and build on the success of major global sporting events. Qatar could potentially become the third Gulf country to host a Formula One race, and it will host the FIFA World Cup in 2022, which is expected to cost as much as QR800.8 billion ($220 billion). Steve Bainbridge, Regional Head, Sports Law and Events Management at Al Tamimi & Company, is optimistic about developments in the region. “We are regional-based and are here with a long-term vision,” says Bainbridge of the firm that has recently opened offices in Oman and has its head office in the UAE, with intention of leveraging the opportunities that the region presents. Riding on this new need, Al Tamimi & Company the first Middle East firm to have a dedicated sports law practice providing a range of legal services covering all areas relevant to the sports industry. Established in 1989, the firm now boasts 13 offices in 7 countries.

“Sports lawyers per se are not trained to meet the demands of their work, but are commercial lawyers who over the years have completed many years of practice pertaining to the sports industry." STEVE BAINBRIDGE Regional Head, Sports Law and Events Management, Al Tamimi & Company

Why sports law? So what exactly does a sports lawyer do differently from a conventional lawyer? “Sports lawyers per se are not trained to meet the demands of their work, but are commercial lawyers who over the years have completed many years of practice pertaining to the sports industry. There is a large overlap,” says Bainbridge. He cites the example of the construction of a large stadium and the various contracts it involves – financing, management agreements – some of which touch on the sports aspect and some of which don’t. “What you then require is a network of contacts and relationships to make it work, an expertise to deal with sports federations, teams, athletes and sponsorships which makes the whole process of the job much simpler,” says Bainbridge. Much of what is happening in the sports industry can benefit from the advice of lawyers who have a history of working on sports projects and have a very detailed and intrinsic approach to all the fundamentals of sports practices, according to Bainbridge. Drawing on the example of medicine and its super-specialisations, Bainbridge speaks to convince us of the need for sports lawyers who, like doctors, specialise due to the need in the market. Citing reasons why sports law is gaining momentum, especially in this region, Bainbridge says: “Sponsorship deals are no longer seen as a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative but more as an investment with a broader intent. Sports sponsorships become more a corporate deal than a casual handshake agreement.” When the stakes are high, experts are roped in to look at the agreements. Highlevel sponsorships that involve more money and more complexities in the deals

make it pertinent that the client demands someone with expertise in the matter. It is simple, says Bainbridge, to grow in a market that is growing. Qatar also has a much broader intent, and a long-term vision, feels Bainbridge. “It is not just about the one major event, the FIFA World Cup 2022; there is legacy of sports that is being built on the ground,” he says. “From the increase in the number of gyms within office buildings and more cutting-edge facilities for it, from the three-to-four-year-olds actively involved in football training to senior citizens walking with a pedometer being offered as part of a company’s initiative to increase awareness on the benefits of walking and healthy lifestyle, there is long-term vision here.” Bainbridge talks about the expertise that is now seen as a norm. “A few years ago, sponsorship agreements/contracts would be two to three pages of document, but it has now become much more complicated and involves pages of sophisticated data,” he says. This is one of the driving forces for the firm, according to Bainbridge, and also perhaps the fact that “because we are a Middle Eastern firm, we have seen an increase in the client’s demands for such a practice and hence the decision to have the first specialised practice.” This is the first time the firm has had a specialised practice in a regional office. The reason for this is evident. Europe has already established itself with numerous sports law experts, though after the London 2012 Olympics there have been fewer such event to make this seem sustainable. In Vancouver in Canada, where Bainbridge started his practice with the Winter Olympics, many of his friends had the opportunity to contribute to many sports-related litigations, but once the event was over, there weren’t any more to keep the legacy going. “The growth seen in the GCC is larger than that seen anywhere, any time. Here it is sustainable,” he says. “With tennis federations, football federations, the motor racing season and so many sporting events happening around the clock, sports law will certainly sustain through and beyond the World Cup 2022.” There is a lifecycle that sustains sports legal work "and allows us to train the youth too in the field of sports law,” he adds. About the recent speculation on the success of conducting a World Cup in Qatar and on the timing of the event, Bainbridge has just one firm belief, and that is: “Not only will the World Cup 2022 be held here as decided but it will also be one of the best World Cup sever seen.” QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 81

development > sports

THE NERDS HAVE

COME TO PLAY QCRI and MIT are teaming up to do some cutting -edge research on how sports analytics can help make football better for players, coaches and fans. BY AYSWARYA MURTHY

S “Data-driven medicine is still our primary job – to help people have better cardiac health, avoiding infections, reducing brain damage...” JOHN GUTTAG

Head of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department Massachusetts Institute of Technology

82 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

port is in the throes of a radical shift. Raw strength and technique can get you far enough, but a powerful computer and a brilliant analytical mind can do so much more. How do you pick the right players, how do you win more games, how do you get fans more involved? These have in the past been answered by gut and experience. Now, increasingly, coaches and managers are turning to machine learning and advanced computing on big data.

Talking further on sports analytics, Guttag said there are two aspects to it – business analytics around sports, like pricing of tickets, and performance analytics. “When it comes to performance analytics, we are concerned about how to win more matches and also what techniques to use to make the viewing experience more interesting for fans watching it on their TVs. There is a strong overlap between the two. The same kind of information that’s valuable to managers in preparing a team is of great interest to people watching the game.”

Big data, big applications John Guttag, previously the head of MIT’s Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department, who currently co-heads the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory’s Networks and Mobile Systems Group, has been doing extensive research along with his team on the application of advanced computational techniques in medicine, finance and, more recently, the use of big data and analytics in sports. “Data-driven medicine is still our primary job – to help people have better cardiac health, avoiding infections, reducing brain damage...” Guttag said in a talk entitled "Tracking the Action" that he delivered recently in Doha. “But about two years ago we decided to work on more important problems like making more money (we did a lot of work on financial analytics) and sports,” he joked. “The interesting thing is that it’s the same underlying mathematics for all three. We build predictive models using machine learning, data mining, algorithms, signal processing, computer vision and graphics. Even though it looks like we are working on different things, deep down we are doing the same thing in different domains.”

The writing on the wall His team has already been doing extensive work to apply these techniques in baseball and basketball, and Guttag said that while the evidence for their success in basketball is accumulating, it is “crystal-clear in baseball that analytical techniques for player selection have radically revised the way teams bring on players”. Football players are some of the very best paid athletes in the world, baseball players even more so. Statisticians, however, cost much less to hire. “So investing in a statistician gives clubs and teams much more benefit for their money. In fact, that seems to be the trend in a lot of sports,” Guttag said. “The two teams competing for the baseball championship this year, Boston and St Louis, both have invested heavily in analytics and it has paid off for them.” In fact, Major League Baseball will be incorporating analytics in its broadcasting from next season onwards, he said. While groundbreaking and proven research has been done on player selection, there hasn’t been much work done with regard to game preparation and in-game decision-making. But Guttag assures that analytics will come to play a pivotal role in game strategies very soon.

A fruitful partnership “The area is becoming so big and important, and we are very excited to extend this idea to soccer, or football as you call it.” While it is surprising that Europe, which is the epicentre of all things football, is not yet convinced of the advantages of incorporating analytics in game strategy and planning, player selection and viewer experience, Qatar is taking the first steps in this direction. A dedicated team at Qatar Computing Research Institute, headed by Dr Mohamed Hafeeda, will be conducting collaborative research with Guttag’s team at MIT to develop this technology for football and introduce it to the world. “We are aspiring to create a dedicated research lab, probably the first in the world for football. Other sports will be considered in the longer term. We will develop efficient and distributed machine learning algorithms that can process the vast amount of data generated during sports matches,” Dr Hafeeda said. Guttag also mentioned that MIT would benefit enormously from this cooperation given the growing importance of and intellectual excitement in this region. “The agreement is a milestone for us too. This is our first real, successful attempt to collaborate with people in this part of world.” Guttag believes that with the help of QCRI, much of what has been done in other areas can be successfully applied to football. “We have done a lot of advanced analytics in basketball and there is a strong relation between these two sports. They have similar objectives: they are both very free-flowing in the way the players move in relation to the other players. A lot of the work can be ported successfully,” he said. But in many ways, it’s also more challenging. “Football is more complex to analyse: more players, larger fields, fewer goals, and fewer games between the same teams,” said Dr Hafeeda. “QCRI has researchers with expertise in data mining, cloud computing and video processing. MIT researchers will complement the QCRI team, especially in the area of image processing and computer vision. MIT's vast experience in the domain will help in jump-starting the project and accelerating its progress. The collaboration with MIT will also help QCRI in recruiting top researchers.” Sports analytics 101 So how would sports analytics work? “The important step is finding interesting questions,” Guttag says. “Like, for example, what

“MIT researchers will complement the QCRI team, especially in the area of image processing and computer vision. MIT's vast experience will help in jump-starting the project and accelerating its progress" DR MOHAMED HAFEEDA

Principal Scientist, QCRI

THE FUTURE OF SPORTS ANALYTICS A video picks up more information than you’d realise. The visualisation analytics work done at MIT has proved that information about the human body (like heart rate) can be measured, with accuracy comparable to hospital-grade monitors, through motion magnification. The change in colour of your skin with every burst of blood pumped through the veins. The small but sure bobbing of your head with the force of the highspeed injection of blood. These are already finding applications in medicine. The technology is still nascent and doesn’t work with fast-moving objects. But Guttag believes these tools, when developed, can enhance the vision of television viewers and coaches.

is the relationship between ball control and winning? Does a team win because they control the ball or is that just incidental? “The next step is to formalise that question,” he continues. “The hardest part is to control for other variables like the players, which is the biggest and most important variable – how good are the players and what are they good at? To use machine learning, you have to work very hard to understand all the variables and control for those that are not pertinent to the actual question you are answering. That’s probably what we spend more time on than anything else. “Another thing to worry about is finding a proxy for the outcome of interest. The outcome here is winning but the problem is that there aren’t many games or goals. So to get enough examples to arrive at statistically valid conclusions, you need to find ways to look at proxies. Maybe corner kick differentials or energy budget (are players expending energy efficiently?). And then we have to track down data that sheds light on the question, choosing (or inventing) appropriate analytics techniques to work on them.” Acquiring data is probably the easier part of the job. “Appropriate cameras installed in the arena film games and give you the (x,y) coordinates of players and officials and (x,y,z) coordinates of the ball at the rate of 25 times per second. Such data exists for about 2,000 football matches. This is better, more high-resolution than we’ll ever need.” The real challenge is sifting through this noise to recognise meaningful signals, watching out for patterns and causalities and testing them out. “The project is in its very early stages,” Dr Hafeeda says. “It has been approved only a few months ago. QCRI will be hiring several researchers for this project in different research areas. In the first year, I am expecting three to five researchers to join the project, with the number set to grow as the project progresses. There are at least three main research areas that serve the sports analytics project: (i) image and video analysis, (ii) machine learning and data mining, and (iii) large-scale system design. This is, of course, in addition to the domain knowledge about various sports, which we will get from collaboration with professionals and experts (coaches, players, and managers) at different sports organisations and teams such as the Qatar Football Association, and Qatar Olympics Committee.” QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 83

development > tech talk

BIG DATA, SECURITY CHALLENGES AND

SOCIAL MEDIA

Microsoft talks about the latest trends in the IT Industry. BY V L SRINIVASAN

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ichael Kogeler, General Manager (Marketing and Operations) of Microsoft, Middle East and Africa, who was in Qatar recently to officially launch the Microsoft Surface tablet PC, , says Big Data is a trend that has recently emerged due to the proliferation of devices and social media. To put things into perspective, today only 3% of the digital universe is tagged, but that number is expected to reach 33% by 2020. This trend is still developing, and recent data suggests that spending on Big Data will increase from QR36.4 billion ($10 billion) in 2013 to QR72.8 billion ($20 billion) in 2016. Given the fairly nascent stage that Big Data is in, like any other business/IT trend there is an

industry and business growth opportunity to stay ahead of this new curve. “Data security and privacy is top-of-mind for most CIOs (Chief Information Officers) today, and at Microsoft we are committed to ensuring this is respected. There are several advantages conveyed by cloud computing that most IT professionals don’t often consider. One such advantage is automated provisioning. The prime advantage of automated provisioning in the cloud is quite simply the automation, predictability and speed of preparing a resource for an internal or external customer,” says Kogeler. He says that the resources you can provision this way run the gamut, and include a virtual data centre (Infrastructure as a Service), a virtual machine (VM) with or without a

“We see tremendous potential for technology in the Arab world to transform the lives of people, increase business aptitude, and bring positive change across society.” MICHAEL KOGELER General Manager (Marketing and Operations), Microsoft, Middle East and Africa

software stack (Platform as a Service), or hosted application software (Software as a Service). “There are other advantages to provisioning this way, such as enhancing availability by provisioning multiple instances of a service or provisioning a service across multiple data centres,” he points out. Provisioning represents a delivery stage, so whatever is delivered must have integrity before it’s delivered and deployed. Provisioning security depends on the ability to protect master images and deploy them intact and in a secure manner. Regarding the performance of Microsoft, he says that the Middle East and North Africa is an important region for the company, which has been operating for more than 20 years. “We see tremendous potential for technology in the Arab world to transform the lives of people, increase business aptitude, and bring positive change across society,” he says. Microsoft has been actively working to bring the benefits of technology to the region. Cloud and mobility solutions such as Windows 8.1 are fuelling business and economic transformation across many MENA countries, delivering cost-effective, flexible access to enterprise-class ICT and bringing new ways of working. With Windows 8.1 there is a wave of new, innovative devices coming for consumers and businesses, from the convenience and mobility of tablets to the productive experience expected from laptops and specialised industry devices. Many of these new devices are touch-

enabled and will deliver advancements in processing power, battery life and design, across a range of price points. Surface 2 Referring to Surface 2, the most productive tablet for personal use launched by Microsoft recently, he says it offers all the entertainment and gaming capabilities that one can expect from a tablet, along with the ability to get work done. It is perfect for someone who wants the entertainment and gaming offered by a great tablet experience with a laptop’s ability to help you be more creative and productive. “We have seen customers and individuals around the world utilise Surface in various ways, Delta Airways, for example, equipped 11,000 pilots worldwide with Microsoft Surface 2 devices for their electronic flight bags (EFBs). “The new devices will replace the current paper versions of the EFBs, and provide electronic access to key charts, reference documents and checklists. The move is expected to save the airline $13 million per year in fuel and associated costs. To take

another example, the Supreme Education Council in Qatar is currently the largest Surface customer in the world. The institution has introduced Surface tablets in schools across Qatar, creating a unique learning environment for students and teachers,” he says. Microsoft Surface tablet sales are currently in the excess of QR1.456 billion ($400 million) with positive uptake in both the consumer and the commercial space. Surface is available for commercial customers in Qatar at present. Enterprise social networks Social networking has seen rapid growth in the past two years, in both the consumer and the enterprise space, mainly due to the proliferation of smartphone devices. “We expect that in the future Social networks will connect not just people in the enterprise but also appliances, devices and products. It is estimated that 57% of enterprises will be invested in enterprise social by 2014. The power of social networks to enhance business collaboration is something that Microsoft believes in heavily, which is why we acquired Yammer,” he adds QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 85

development > tech talk

“IF IT KEEPS UP, MAN WILL ATROPHY ALL HIS LIMBS BUT THE PUSH-BUTTON FINGER.” FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT, architect, designer and writer who passed away more than 50 years ago

NEVER LOSE YOUR KEYS EVER AGAIN OOREDOO ON CLOUD NINE

oredoo won the Best Mobile Operator award at the 15th annual World Communication Awards held in London, the only operator from the MENA region to be recognised at the event. Almost immediately it also picked up the Best Marketing Campaign of the Year and Best CSR Initiative at the CommsMEA Awards in Dubai.

This rounded and colourful sensor can pair with your smartphone so that you don’t have to remember where you put your keys.

hipolo is a Bluetooth virtual leash connected to your smartphone that can show you the distance to your lost item and even help you locate it by sound. Just attach the Chipolo device to the stuff you are constantly misplacing – keys, wallets, even pets – and the app will tell you where it is within 60 metres. Once the item is out of range, the app will send you a notification with the last known location of the item. It also works in reverse. Can't find your phone? Give the Chipolo a shake and your phone will start sounding an alarm. It comes in nine bright colours, can be engraved and is expected to come on sale in January this year. The product’s kick-starter campaign has received an enthusiastic response and the start-up in Slovenia that’s developing this product has promised new features incorporating the social element.

BEING SOCIAL ON THE ROAD

Bummed that you can’t (safely) poke and tweet your friends when you are in your car? Here’s the solution.

ini Connected, the BMW's infotainment system across its seven Mini cars, now comes with a host of social media features that’ll ensure you are not alone, not even in the tiny solitary bubble that is your car. Keeping you connected on the move by taking in-car smartphone integration to new levels, the device means Mini drivers can now tuck their in iPhones

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and get instantly connected to their social media accounts via the cockpit display. It also allows you to update your status using a list of pre-written posts, vehicle data, information on the driver’s destination and the outside temperature. To ensure that you keep your eyes on the road, posts and tweets can be read out loud using the optional Mini Connected voice output function.

AMAZON AIMS FOR ANOTHER MILESTONE IN E-COMMERCE QATAR TOPS IN ADOPTION OF TECH IN HEALTHCARE "New Global Diffusion of Healthcare Innovation", a report unveiled at the World Innovation Summit for Healthcare held in Doha, compared eight countries, weighing the factors that promote adoption of healthcare innovation in Qatar, Australia, Brazil, Britain, India, South Africa, Spain and the US. Qatar topped the list, beating the big developing and OECD countries. And burgeoning economy of Qatar meant that reality could keep pace with cutting-edge technology and innovation.

The online shopping giant has announced plans for delivery drones that would fly in orders to certain zones within 30 minutes of the purchase being made.

eff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, recently announced Amazon Prime – delivery of small parcels (weighing up to 2.3 kg) in certain zones within 30 minutes, using aerial drones. The technology, which has been in the works for a while according to Bezos, is all but ready to be commercialised once the the Federal Aviation

AGRESSIVE VIRUS

HOLDING YOUR COMPUTER TO RANSOM A scary new virus has been targeting millions of computers in the UK and US. It encrypts files in the computer, threatening to destroy them unless a certain sum is paid. Called CryptoLocker, the virus travels through e-mail attachments. Ransom demands that have been made range from $100 to $300, and sometimes payment is even demanded in bitcoins (because they are harder to trace).

Administration, which is currently actively working on rules for unmanned aerial vehicles, puts the necessary regulations in place. He hopes it will be ready by as early as 2015 and the service will begin two to three years after that. “One day, Prime Air vehicles will be as normal as seeing mail trucks on the road today,” he said.

A DIGITAL VIEW INTO QATAR’S FLORA AND FAUNA This new app aims to better acquaint residents and students in Qatar with the wide variety of plants, insects and birds indigenous to the country.

ptly named "Qatar-e-Nature", this digital database of all things that grow, move and fly in Qatar has been launched jointly by Sasol and Friends of the Environment Centre. The South African energy and chemical company Sasol has been spearheading a similar project back home, and wanted to do the same in this region. The bilingual, interactive electronic application, aimed at increasing environmental public awareness, contains detailed information and pictures of hundreds of plants, insects and birds, as well as sounds of native and migratory birds, accessible to anyone with a smartphone, tablet or PC. A "favourites" section allows users to add a bird, insect or plant for later review. Users can even submit images they’ve taken for the app moderators to consider as additions to the existing gallery. The app is available for download on the Apple Store, Google Play, Windows Phone Store and BlackBerry App World along with a web version for desktop access. QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 87

business > auto news

A BEAMER FOR THE MIDDLE EAST

owerful to its core, the vehicle is the first 7 Series model to wear the famed M badge. Powered by a 6.0-litre V12 twin-turbocharged engine that produces 544 hp and 750 Nm of torque, and with an eight-speed automatic transmission that catapults the sedan from 0 to 100km/h in 4.6 seconds, the BMW 760Li V12 M Bi-Turbo is set to be a delight for auto aficionados. “This flagship model is the most dynamic and innovative luxury sedan in the premium automotive segment,” said Mohamed Kandeel, General Manager of Alfardan Automobiles. “Owners will be able to enjoy the sheer power the BMW 760Li V12 M Bi-Turbo offers in addition to the comfort and luxury expected from a premium BMW driving experience.”

Finally, a car that is made exclusively for the region! The BMW 760Li V12 M Bi-Turbo, conceptualised and produced exclusively for the Middle East market, has gone on sale at Alfardan Automobiles' showrooms.

Infiniti will reveal a Formula One-inspired concept car based on the Q50 premium sports sedan at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

A CONCEPTUAL SPORTS SEDAN

he concept car represents Infiniti’s design vision of a high-performance variant of Q50. Called "Q50 Eau Rouge", the car is named after the world-famous corner at the Formula One track in Spa-Francorchamps, a corner which requires extraordinary strength, courage and commitment; it has seen some of the most incredible driving feats in Formula One history. For Infiniti, the Q50 Eau Rouge concept blends road car technology and a thoroughbred motorsport vision. The Q50 Eau Rouge features aerodynamic styling treatments and design elements influenced by Infiniti’s partnership with Formula One world championship-winning team Infiniti Red Bull Racing.

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NISSAN TIIDA IS THE BEST HATCHBACK Nissan Tiida has won the Car & Driver Magazine Best Budget Hatchback of the Year Award for 2013. The award was presented at the Dubai International Motor Show.

amir Cherfan, Managing Director of Nissan Middle East, described the award as the result of another highly innovative approach in a very competitive sector. “In a segment that has so many excellent products, it is even more gratifying to be recognised as the leading model. With Tiida we have proved that the best budget vehicles are often the best value as well. “The all-new Nissan Tiida is designed and built to satisfy the huge diversity of Middle East drivers. With improved levels of comfort and technology, the Tiida will

not only appeal to existing customers but also attract a new range of Middle East buyers looking for a stylish and premium hatchback.” The new Nissan Tiida was introduced into the Middle East in 2005, and not only helped to establish the C-hatch segment but came to dominate it, with a commanding 54% of the market in the Gulf. The car’s new look and updated features are expected to cement its spot as the Middle East’s number-one-selling hatchback, helping Nissan to achieve its goal of doubling sales and extending market share beyond 60%.

A NEW NISSAN GT-R

NISMO IN JAPAN

N The Nismo Festival is eagerly awaited by motorsports enthusiasts, and widely acknowledged as the event that closes out the annual motorsports calendar in Japan. The day, in early December, was filled with on-track activity, keeping fans enthralled as iconic machines battled in exhibition races, some of them piloted by their original drivers. After the opening ceremony, this year celebrating 80 years of Nissan, the first of the on-track sessions got underway with the Nissan Historic Demo Car Run.

issan’s iconic sports car brings out the 2014 model offering a new level of sophistication, yet with no compromise in performance. Sales of the 2014 Nissan GT-R began in Japan on December 2, to be followed by sales at Nissan dealerships in other markets worldwide. The 2014 Nissan GT-R offers smoother ride comfort, more refinement, and benchmark fit and finish in the spirit of a great “GT”, while delivering breathtaking performance and road-holding. Its “multidimensional performance” means the driver can enjoy the full depth of the GT-R’s capabilities whether navigating corners on a winding mountain road, cruising on the highway or even in an urban environment. QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 89

business > auto news

HISTORIC ROLLS ROYCE Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Doha welcomed the Alpine Trial Centenary Ghost this month at The Pearl- Qatar.

olls-Royce Motor Cars celebrated the start of the Centenary Alpine Trial as the company’s homage to the original Alpine challenge, as the 1913 "Radley Car" – the only surviving Rolls-Royce "Works Team" entrant and one of 48 Silver Ghosts taking part in the Trial – prepared to waft through the Austrian Alps. The 2013 Alpine Trial Centenary Ghost Collection features exquisitely-crafted design cues that pay tribute to the 1913 Alpine Trial cars. The exterior paint hue, for example, takes close inspiration from Radley’s Silver

Ghost. The Radley car’s distinct black grille and wheels are also replicated across the collection – the first time a painted grille has adorned a contemporary Rolls-Royce motor car. The cabin plays host to bespoke details that elegantly tell the story of the Alpine Trial. The clock displays the stages of the rally and timings, while inlays to rear picnic tables and the front fascia express the topography and distances of the Alpine route. Each element is meticulously hand-crafted, epitomising hallmark RollsRoyce attention to detail.

AEROBOAT IS HERE Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Doha has announced that the elegant and exclusive limitedproduction Aeroboat will be exclusively displayed in its showroom in The PearlQatar, for a limited time only, as part of a regional road show.

t the heart of this boat is the supercharged Rolls-Royce Merlin V12. This engine was designed over 80 years ago and has been installed in many iconic aircraft, including the legendary Spitfire. The current engine has been detuned to deliver a reliable 1,500 hp that, together with a bespoke gearbox and final drive, allows the Aeroboat to achieve speeds in excess of 50 knots.

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The exterior design was inspired by the graceful lines of the Spitfire combined with modern automotive detailing. Subtle clues to this inspiration can be seen in the design of the stern, echoing the wing’s trailing edge, the sweeping tail, and the authentic air intake scoop. Despite the retro influences this is still a distinctly contemporary yacht using carbon fibre, Kevlar and lightweight wood veneers in its construction.

business>marketwatch Paul Wudy (right) receives the winner’s certificate from Lange CEO Wilhelm Schmid (middle) and company founder Walter Lange (left).

F A LANGE WATCHMAKING EXCELLENCE AWARD 2013

n December 5, the F.A. Lange Watchmaking Excellence Award was presented for the fourth time by A. Lange & Söhne. The prize emphasises the importance of supporting the younger generation for the future of fine watchmaking. Viennese Paul Wudy, 23), from the Technical School of Karlstein in Austria received 10,000 euros for his construction of a second time-zone display. Company founder Walter Lange and Lange CEO Wilhelm Schmid gave the award. The jury was particularly impressed by Wudy’s design of a four-hand indication that makes it possible to display 30- and even 15-minute differences between two time zones. Of the leading watchmaking schools around the world that had been invited to take part, eight budding watchmakers from Germany, Austria, Japan, Denmark, Finland, France and the Netherlands qualified for the competition. At a one-week workshop at the Lange manufactory last summer they familiarised themselves with the watchmaking culture of the traditional brand. The task was set on the final day: the candidates were given five months to construct and build a fully-functioning second time-zone display based on an ETA 6498 movement.

NEW COLLECTION FROM COUTURE PRECIEUSE Piaget highlights femininity and elegance with its Couture Précieuse collection, in which the Genevan watchmaker-jeweller reaffirms its inimitable style.

t's a ijourney to the world of dazzling chic, where haute joaillerie makes a stunning incursion into the world of haute couture to reveal a wealth of seductive secrets. The resolutely feminine Couture Précieuse collection calls for unique expertise and creativity. The articulated bracelets with diamond-set clasps are supremely discreet, while interlacing gem-studded necklaces gently caress the skin. These graphic, gossamer-light creations give pride of place to diamonds through models enhanced with colourful gems. Radiant laces inspiration–sensuality Piaget draws inspiration from haute couture in reinterpreting the corset theme. Subtly tied and untied diamond ribbons and laces light up wrists and necklines. Diamond embroidery inspiration–seduction Piaget clothes the skin in diamonds, as feather-light and diaphanous as a whisper. Evoking the splendour of Venetian lace gowns, these creations reveal the velvety skin texture glowing beneath the transparent gold and gemstone "fabric." Magnificent adornments inspiration–refinement Representing an ultimate touch of charm, some of these jewellery creations are even inspired by elements of men’s dress suits, conveying a unique aura of elegance and refinement.

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business > market watch Continental, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of premium and highperformance tyres, has announced a partnership that will see the newlyfounded Auto Future Tech become the official distributor of Continental products in Qatar.

CONTINENTAL PARTNERS WITH AUTO FUTURE TECH

he partnership was announced at the Al Gassar Resort at a ceremony attended by Continental’s Head of Marketing and Sales, Middle East and North Africa Martin Buday, and the Managing Director of Continental Middle East Andreas Bertram. They were joined for the official signing ceremony by the President and CEO of Alfardan Group, Omar Alfardan, and others. Bertram commented: “Qatar is a growing market for Continental, and one that we have highlighted as a priority going forward. We are therefore excited about the deal with Auto Future Tech, a

part of Alfardan Group’s automotive portfolio, so as to enable us to provide the country’s discerning customers with the highest quality in tyre technology.” Omar Alfardan said: “We are pleased to be the official distributor of Continental products as part of our growing automotive portfolio within Alfardan Group under Auto Future Tech. I am confident that our partnership with Continental will prove to be a very successful venture as we provide customers with the best service and product range to enhance their driving experience.”

HOME CENTRE ANNOUNCES

THE WINNING MAKEOVER

The Home Centre Room Makeover Contest received an overwhelming response in terms of both entries and the final voting for winners.

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udges faced the daunting challenge of whittling down the 37,000-plus submissions for the Home Centre Room Makeover Contest to a manageable 500 that factored in the personality traits of the contestants. The final 25 winning entries were chosen by a panel of in-house experts, of which 3 entries were picked by popular demand through voting that generated over 200,000 votes. The next phase of the contest will involve an aggregate spend of QR250,000 on reinventing the living spaces of eight contestants each in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and three winners each in Oman, Qatar and Kuwait. Each entry came with a unique story. A young fashion enthusiast, blogger and singer; a couple whose tastes are miles apart; and a homemaker who wanted her living room to reflect her vibrant

personality, after living with hand-medowns for the past 11 years, are examples of entries received this year. Expert stylists from Home Centre are set to redesign the rooms of the winners according to the tastes, attitudes and needs of the occupants. Each makeover will be completed in a single day. Home Centre General Manager Aarti Jagtiani said: “By changing the contest mechanics to include a simple, personality-based questionnaire the contestants had to fill in, we were able to engage more people and reach a larger cross-section of consumers. The response we received only reiterated the faith of our customers in our initiatives and products. Our vision has always been to transform houses into homes, and with this contest we show how we breathe life into personal living spaces.”

THE JOURNEY OF KULLUNA

t all started with a small meeting between Hamad International Training Centre (HITC) and ConocoPhillips Qatar. t that time, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) had an idea for a public education campaign through HITC. Not long after, it was agreed that ConocoPhillips and HMC would work together on a public awareness campaign that had the interest and well-being of the larger community. Owing to the growing number of accidental child injuries in Qatar, it was decided that child safety was to be the first focus of the campaign. Around this time ConocoPhillips Qatar initiated a dialogue with Safe Kids Worldwide to explore a potential

partnership. Data from HMC revealed that the majority of injuries among children happen at home and are preventable. In May 2013, the Kulluna team launched its largest campaign, “Kulluna for a Healthy Heart,” to shed light on cardiovascular health risks and prevention. More than 30,000 people underwent tests for their heart health during a month-long shopping mall campaign by Kulluna. Gary Sykes, President of ConocoPhillips Qatar, the founding sponsor of Kulluna, praised the campaign. “Being able to say that our social partnership with HITC helped save a life is the ultimate reward for all of the hard work and dedication of Kulluna’s team.”

“The partnership between HITC and ConocoPhillips to launch Kulluna is a great example of corporate social responsibility investment that is relevant to the community’s needs. We have a clear road map for future campaigns and the team is working full speed to realise it.” DR KHALID ABDULNOOR SAIFELDEEN Director, HITC

PLAYSTATION4 IS HERE The much-awaited PlayStation4 was launched by Sony in the Middle East on December 13. Features that users can enjoy for free, which are available in this region right from the launch, include a Share option where gamers can send gameplay video and screenshots to Facebook, screenshots to Twitter, or livestreaming gameplay via Ustream or Twitch. DARK OBSESSION Calvin Klein DARK OBSESSION for men is a bold, modern oriental fragrance with a powerful masculinity and intense sensuality. The sleek product packaging design modernises the classic obsession for men carton with contrasting matte and glossy finishes in all black. As a complement, the original, iconic, sculptural bottle is reintroduced in matte black with a bold silver logo. Calvin Klein DARK OBSESSION for men line will be available in select markets in January 2014.

emote play of the PS4 is also possible, through the use of the PS Vita system, and so is the possibility to purchase premium content through the Playstation Store access functionality. It will also have apps servicing it available on the App Store. Speaking on the occasion, Nadeem Khanzadah, Head of Retail, Jumbo Electronics, expressed confidence that PlayStation 4 would perform very well, through several indications. “We’ve received a record number of pre–bookings - 1,000 in two months to be precise–and we would have easily crossed 5,000 had we not

capped pre-bookings. We’ve also been fielding prospective calls and inquiries through various channels from locally–based gamers anticipating the launch of PS4.” PS4 is the most powerful games console ever, created by game creators for game creators to ensure the best games are on it. There will be 33 games available on PS4 in 2013, including blockbusters such as Call of Duty: Ghosts: FIFA' 14, Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag and Battlefield 4, as well as games from Sony’s own studios, including Killzone: Shadow Fall and Knack.

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focus > sports file

SPORTS FOR SOCIAL CHANGE

HE Nassir Abdulaziz Al Nasser, United Nations High Representative for The Alliance Of Civilisations, at the opening of the forum The three-day event brought together global visionaries and policymaker from the field of sports

Nadia Comaneci, Olympic gold winning Romanian gymnast, speaks at the forum (Below) Former World No.1 and tennis legend, Boris Becker

“Today’s meeting is an important step towards better and stronger collaboration between ministers of sport so that we can build a case for sport to be given higher priority at a policy level.” HE SALAH BIN GHANEM AL ALI Minister of Youth and Sports 94 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

Policymakers and government representatives from the sports bodies of 20-odd countries who participated in the Doha Goals Forum discussed the importance of sports in addressing some of the most important socioeconomic and political challenges faced by the contemporary world.

E Sheikh Faisal bin Mubarak Al Thani, Executive Director of Doha Goals, announced four initiatives to launch Doha Goals 2013: a sports fields initiative; a programme to give children around the world access to prosthetics; a fund “from the athletes to the athletes” to support them and their families when suffering sustained injuries and post-retirement; and an international U-15 football championship to take place in Qatar. Doha Goals, in partnership with local authorities, will build combined football and basketball fields in different cities around the world in order to provide free access to sports facilities for local communities, particularly underprivileged youth. The first locations for the sports fields will be Port-Gentil (Gabon), Nablus (Palestine) and Mazar-e-Sharif (Afghanistan). As quality prosthetics are expensive, and a lack of mobility impedes participation in sports and in the community and isolates amputees in these countries, Doha Goals will work with the Katarina Witt Foundation to provide an opportunity for children around the world to get access to prosthetics. Ambassadors supporting the programme will include current French and US Open wheelchair tennis champion Stephane Houdet and three-time Chinese Paralympic gold medallist Hou Bin. The third initiative is to set up a multimillion-dollar international Sport Solidarity Fund to provide counselling and consulting services for current professional athletes and their families to prepare them

for retirement, a post-career angel fund to finance business ideas and ventures for retiring athletes, private sector partnerships to create internships and training programmes for retired athletes, and a health fund for rehabilitation services for injured athletes, besides scholarships for educational programmes for retired athletes and opportunities for mentorship. The last initiative is to hold an International U-15 championship, to be organised by Aspire Academy and La Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional (LFP), from April 11-14 at the Aspire Zone. The event will feature 10 young football teams from the top clubs in Europe and two Qatari teams. The summit also discussed countries with less developed economies that are current beneficiaries of aid and development funding. It highlighted the fact that investment in sports infrastructure and sports activity should be seen as a legitimate use of development funds. Recipients of such development funding called for the rules of these grants to be amended to allow for wider support for sports facilities and endeavours in the context of development funding. Delegates highlighted the need to focus on the impact of sporting events beyond the best-known major competitions. While lower-profile events may not have the same weight with international audiences, there are still numerous benefits for smaller events to be held in smaller countries where investment can be more manageable but the impact in real terms just as big.

POOR SHOW Qatar’s riders were unable to overcome the confident performance of Kamal Bahamdan from Saudi Arabia who won the International Show Jumping Championship in the main arena of the Qatar Equestrian Federation (QEF) last month.

THE GAME IS ON

assem Hassan Mohammed, Khalid Al Emadi, Mohammad Ali Al Attiyah and Sheikh Ali bin Khalid bin Ali Al Thani – all from Qatar – occupied the places from second to fifth. The competitions was the Arab qualifying round for the World Cup in France. QEF President Hamad bin Abdulrahman Al Attiyah congratulated the winners and lauded the performance of the Qatari riders at the event.

The draw for the group stage of the 2014 AFC Champions League took place at AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last month.

T DRAW DETAILS WEST – GROUP A ESTEGHLAL (IRN) AL RAYYAN (QAT) AL JAZIRA (UAE) AL SHABAB (KSA)

WEST – GROUP D AL SADD (QAT) AL AHLI (UAE) AL HILAL (KSA) SEPAHAN (IRN)

he 32-club round robin stage is made up of eight groups of four, which are equally split between the East and West Asian zones. Twenty-four of the clubs are already known, with the final still to be decided with three qualifying rounds. Qatar’s two automatic qualifiers, Al Rayyan and Al Sadd, are in Groups A and C respectively. Al Rayyan, who won last season’s Emir Cup, were drawn with Esteghlal from Iran, the UAE’s Al Jazira and Al Shabab from Saudi Arabia. Al Jazira, the Pride of Abu Dhabi, finished third in last season’s Arabian Gulf League in the UAE and, after a poor start to the season, have been taken over by former Italian goalkeeper Walter Zenga. The reigning Qatar Stars League champions Al Sadd have been drawn with Al Ahli

from the UAE, Sepahan from Iran and Al Hilal from Saudi Arabia. Al Ahli, who won last year’s UAE President’s Cup, are currently leading the Arabian Gulf League, having acquired Romania manager Cosmin Olaroiu from rivals Al Ain last summer. Sepahan won the Cup in Iran, while Al Hilal finished runners-up in the Saudi league. Meanwhile, Qatar's Lekhwiya, who were runners-up in last season’s league, play the winners of Jordan’s Shabab Al Ordon and Al Hidd from Bahrain in the second round of qualifying on February 8. Al Jaish, who finished third in last season’s QSL, play Nasaf Qarshi from Uzbekistan on the same evening. Each group will play its six games between February 25 and April 23. QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 95

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LIVING WITH DIABETES BY ABIGAIL MATHIAS

oha resident Justine Davies discovered she had diabetes when she was 14 years old. Her daughter Rhianwen developed the condition at the age of seven. “My daughter and I both have type 1 diabetes. We are on insulin pump therapy and we continue to lead a normal life and do what most others

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do,” states Davies, born in South Wales, UK, who works for an international school in Qatar and moved to the country less than a year ago. Diabetes has somehow always been a part of the Davies family. “In 1988, when I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, no one in my family had the condition and they thought a ‘germ’ in the air had attacked my pancreas.

Ten years later my mother was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and a hereditary link was formed,” she explains. Living in a world where processed foods have become a part of life it is no wonder that diabetes is probably the second most dreaded disease after cancer. In an exclusive interview with Qatar Today, Herluf Thomsen, Project Manager of Action on Diabetes (AoD) puts it quite

clearly. “One in five people in Qatar may develop diabetes, and this statistic may increase to one in four persons by 2030 if we don’t act now. We are at a crucial juncture.” “According to data gathered by AoD the presence of diabetes among the local population is 16.7%,” states Thomsen. AoD is a programme designed to help deliver Qatar’s 2030 National Vision of a healthy and prosperous nation. It is a partnership between the Supreme Council of Health (SCH), Hamad Medical Corporation, the Primary Health Care Corporation, the Qatar Diabetes Association, Maersk Oil and pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk. AoD recently launched the National Diabetes Registry in Qatar, a comprehensive online tool that for the first time will gather data about all diabetes patients into one nationwide registry. Announced to coincide with World Diabetes Day on November 14, the registry will make it possible to monitor, compare and share best practices across different institutions in the healthcare sector in Qatar and to combat the diabetes epidemic. SCH Director of Public Health Dr Mohamed Al-Thani says: “For the first time, the comprehensive registry brings together healthcare professionals in the country and enables us to start making statistics about diabetes healthcare in Qatar. It is a real game changer in our fight against diabetes in Qatar, benefiting patients by improving healthcare outcomes.” Factors such as dietary habits, smoking or lack of exercise are largely responsible for bringing on type 2 diabetes. These, coupled with a sedentary lifestyle, make us more at risk. “Most people with type 2 diabetes don’t realise it is symptom-free,” says Thomsen. “Looking back, my mother believes I lived with diabetes for many years before it was discovered, claims Davies. "Since my pancreas didn’t totally give up until I was 14, I just kept on going,” claims Davies. Being diagnosed as a teenager wasn’t easy either, she explains. “I was quite naive and didn’t understand the implications of this life-threatening illness. I was strict with myself right from the start and only ate chocolate when my blood sugar level went really low.” Parenthood was not an easy decision either. “Pregnancy was very hard. It was a huge battle trying to maintain my blood count throughout the pregnancy,” says Davies. The hospital in the UK where her child was born “didn’t listen to the fact

ACTION ON DIABETES

A partnership between the Supreme Council of Health, Hamad Medical Corporation, the Primary Health Care Corporation, the Qatar Diabetes Association, Maersk Oil and Novo Nordisk, AoD will, among other things, monitor, compare and share best practices among institutions treating diabetics in Qatar.

that if you are a diabetic mother and you breastfeed, your baby has a better chance of not developing diabetes.” “So I struggled alone and both baby and I became very ill and were soon back in hospital,” she says. “When Rhianwen was diagnosed with diabetes at just seven years old it was as if my worst nightmare came true,” says Davies. “My second daughter was breastfed from day one and I fed her until she was two years old. To this day, my second daughter, who is eight years old, has not shown symptoms of diabetes.” Impact on children The signs are everywhere. As more children with diabetes attend school, it logically follows that schools must have the ability to deal with them both from a medical point of view with regard to psychosocial issues that may arise. The Qatar Diabetes Association (QDA) programme entitled "Rights of students with diabetes at school" aims to give diabetic students a safe and positive studying environment. “Unless there is a change in statistics we have a dire situation. The prognosis is that there is an increase of diabetes in most countries in the region,” states Thomsen. Healthy change There is a lot of fear and some amount of stigma attached to being a diabetic. While it is true that the genes you inherit can play a role in your state of health, it’s not an ironclad guarantee that the same fate will befall you. Thomsen attributes the increase in diabetes in this part of the world to a number of factors. “Nations in the Middle East have

STARTLING STATISTICS

I2. 5 366

of the population in Qatar have pre-diabetes or are showing symptoms of developing type 2 diabetes. (AoD)

million people worldwide live with diabetes and the total number will exceed 552 million by 2030. (International Diabetes Federation). Smoking increases the risk of diabetes by three times. (Novo Nordisk).

become very rich within a short period of time," he says. Fast food is in abundance here. The region has largely taken on an American food lifestyle. Where as the European and US societies have developed their eating habits over many generations, the Middle East countries have relatively rapidly lost some of their traditional eating habits. Another contributor is that health awareness is low. This is true for communicable diseases and diabetes in particular.” “Due to the heat in the summer in most Middle Eastern countries, people do not go out and exercise,” he states. On a more optimistic note he adds: “The good news is that the disease has been stable for a few years in Qatar. Even people at high risk can reduce their chance of getting diabetes by over 50% through lifestyle changes. And those who have diabetes can manage their health better with the same efforts QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 97

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THE FIRE WITHIN

fter serving for five years as a firefighter in Canada, Donna Strachan moved to the United Kingdom, where she trained fire investigators. Her work for the past thirteen years in the Middle East has focused on fire safety, which she says is not an easy area for females to work in here. After having to leave Libya hastily after war broke out there, she found herself in Qatar. Strachan elaborates on how her association with How Women Work began: "When I saw an advertisement in papers regarding the How Women Work conference, I thought: What better platform than that to get a feel for what might happen, what could happen. So I attended, and there were so many different seminars that it was difficult to pick which ones to attend. There was one that really stayed with me long after – the seminar by Emma Higham on (incorporation) law. It told me what I needed to know about the law on females working in Qatar, and I even contacted her twice later for her help and advice. From then on I

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attended quite a few of the conferences – the workshop on networking was particularly useful. I was uncertain about the culture here with regards to networking: who can I talk to, who can I not talk to. But it’s an excellent platform for females and I have heard about other ladies here in Qatar who have stepped out on their own." The biggest take-away "How to have the correct mindset and personal development. When you are an entrepreneur you come up against rejection a lot, and if you don’t have the right mindset it can stop you in your tracks. So it’s like you plan to fail. Anything you are doing, you have to be prepared to fail because you are not always going to win. In the last three years, just in the process of shaping my vision, I came up with so many things that I want to accomplish and try. Whether I was going to succeed at them or not, that is a different story. But perseverance is what counts. "Along with a positive attitude, you need to have a willingness to change your

"I wanted to help these people understand what they need. There is no reason why we cannot train women to deal with fire - making sure that everyone understands how to get out of the building and also knowing when they can stay and fight the fire." DONNA STRACHAN

thinking in certain ways which come from your understanding of the culture and the beliefs. One of the tasks that we were asked to do in a seminar on goals and beliefs was to share our beliefs with the person sitting next to us. The girl next to me was a Qatari and it was really interesting to hear her values and beliefs. Also, you learn what other women are thinking and sometimes there are instances where you realise: I’m not the only one who thinks like that. There are other people who share a similar vision. And you might find yourself helping move that idea forward, whether it’s through somebody you know, something you’ve done, or something that happened to you; there are always ways in which we can help each other." The birth of an idea "I was the first female in my hometown in Canada to join the fire department, so I’ve done a lot of firsts as a female and I thought I could be a first here as well. I couldn’t physically go out and fight fires, but firefighting is a huge, huge world. There are policies and procedures. And there’s training and education which I’m a big, big fan of. So I thought I could start off in training, but I was running into obstacles because, being a woman, I can’t go out and train the men. Out of this idea the NFPA seminar was born ("NFPA" is National Fire Protection Association, which is the standard the Civil Defence has just recently adopted). And since the

Villaggio fire, fire safety has become very important here. There are so many places here where men aren’t allowed – daycares, for example, and beauty salons which are all-female-run. I was thinking to myself: Well, what’s happening with fire safety in these buildings? because the owners do not necessarily know what’s required. For 18 months with the law having been changed, everything is sort of in limbo. "I wanted to help these people understand what they need. There is no reason why we cannot train women to deal with fire, making sure that everyone understands how to get out of the building and also knowing when they can stay and fight the fire. So I approached the Civil Defence to find out if we could train females to do the inspections. And that’s what I want to focus on – NFPA 101 Life Safety Code inspections through which we can find out whether these establishments are complying with these standards adopted by the Civil Defence. Civil Defence right now does it themselves and there are not enough people to do the inspections in Qatar. Look at the construction going on in Qatar; there just aren’t enough people to keep up. So we can take some of that workload off them and become authorised inspectors who submit inspection reports to the Civil Defence, who’ll then enforce the codes. My company has just been registered and we are waiting for our final paperwork. We even attended our first Civil Defence Expo where a lot of

people were interested in what we were doing. "Another thing I want to work on is fire safety houses on a mobile trailer, and I’m thinking of designing one for kids. It is a small house with fire alarms in which we can use cold smoke. So we put kids into this trailer and teach them how to escape a fire once they see the smoke and the alarm starts going off. We can do the same thing with a hotel room and train the hotel staff. "Women can learn learn a lot about HAZMAT, hazardous materials. When people think of hazardous materials they probably think of industrial sites. You don’t think about your own home. But look under your kitchen sink at all the household chemicals you’ve got. Those are all hazardous materials. So how do you handle them? Which ones are compatible? There are several courses that they can take on that."

The fifth annual How Women Work conference coming up on March 5-6, 2014 will revolve around how to “inspire fulfilling careers”. If you would like to join the community before that, the next event, on “How Women Thrive Amongst Men”, is on January 20. The series will focus specifically on women like Donna who work in male-dominated fields, to identify some of the challenges these women face and to come up with solutions on how the "old-boy" mind-set can be challenged across industries. Tickets for both events are on sale at Virgin Megastores and at http://tickets.virginmegastore.me QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 99

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IN BLACK AND WHITE

To celebrate the occasion of National Day, a rare collection of photographs of Qatar is on display at The Gate Mall.

alam International unveiled a unique photo exhibition, entitled "Qatar, My Country", on December 16 at The Gate Mall, following a two-year-long project of preparation and restoration. The collection is made up of previously unseen and rare glimpses of Qatar between the 1950s and 1990s. The exhibition is also in memory of the late AbdulSalam Mohammed Abu Issa, founder of Salam International. The exhibition will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. till January 12.

SHEIKH ABDULLAH’S PEOPLE In a first-of-its-kind exhibition, the Qatar Museums Authority sheds light on the reign of Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim, during whose time oil was first discovered in Qatar.

he Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) and ExxonMobil Qatar have partnered for the exhibition “Sheikh Abdullah Bin Jassim: A Leader’s Legacy”, which is now on at Katara Cultural till the end of January. Organised and curated by the QMA's National Museum of Qatar, the exhibition contains rare artefacts, historic photographs and original films that showcase the advent of Qatar’s oil industry, the development of public infrastructure – including educational institutions and hospitals – and the transformation of Doha. An associated educational programme will teach students about Qatar’s history and Sheikh Abdullah.

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FIFA TROPHY COMES TO DOHA Football frenzy kicked in with the arrival of the FIFA World Cup trophy, as part of its global tour.

UPPING DOHA’S CULTURE QUOTIENT Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani officially opened his new West Bay Museum at the Renaissance Hotel Complex for short-stay visitors to capture a flavour of Arab culture.

his was only the third time in football history that the iconic trophy was making its way around the world and the first time it had ever landed in Doha. Members of the Qatar Football Association and Qatar 2022 Committee along with other guests and members of the press were given a special preview of the cup before its public reveal at the Aspire Zone on December 14. Scott McCune, Vice-President, Integrated Marketing for Coca-Cola Middle East (which was taking the trophy on its worldwide tour), said: “Bringing the trophy to Qatar has been a truly humbling experience, to be able to witness the power football has to bring people together under a common passion. Which is why we are taking the trophy on its longest journey to date, visiting 90 countries over 9 months, travelling 92,000 miles, which is over 3.5 times around the world.” We are looking forward to the cup’s longer visit in another eight years.

ZUBARAH HOTELS READY FOR LAUNCH The Classical Palace Group announced the soft opening of Zubarah Hotels and Resorts in early January 2014.

naugurated under the patronage of HE Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage, the museum houses a wide range of unique carpets, ceramics, furniture and more, complementing Sheikh Faisal’s extensive collection at the museum in the Qatari fort at Al Samriya Farm. The West Bay collection includes more than 200 carpets from Iran, Turkey, India and Egypt dating from the 17th century, ceramic work from the Abbasid age, renowned for quality, and antique Egyptian and Syrian furniture. Sheikh Faisal is said to have personally designed and supervised the curation of the collection and everything related to the museum, recognising the exacting requirements for special care and the attention demanded for the proper maintenance and display of the museum’s collection of antique textiles and carpets in particular.

Zubarah Hotels and Resorts is named after Al Zubarah City, a historic site that was once the gateway for Qatar's international trade and cultural exchange. The restored Zubarah Fort and its detail in the tower battlements inspired the arch symbol for the Zubarah Hotel and the use of Arabic calligraphy, textures and colours that express Zubarah’s heritage and authenticity. The hotel combines “eye-catching Arabic design with seamless inclusion of technology that reflects Qatar’s passion for innovation”, featuring 45 rooms, an Arab fusion restaurant and an Argentinian fine dining restaurant, a holistic spa and fitness centre and private butler service for every customer. QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014 > 101

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NATIONAL DAY 2013 Under the theme "One Love", Qatar celebrated its National Day on December 18. Not only was the Corniche awash with crowds that had come to see Qatar's cultural richness and military might on glorious display (so much so that many had to be turned away), but around the city people marked this occasion in their own unique style â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with cakes and cars, food and football, stage shows and world records. The expat community was invited to share the joy, with special events planned at four locations around the city, complete with sports, food and entertainment, blanketing the venues in a carnivalesque atmosphere. On this day, all our differences were forgotten and we were one.

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Qatar Today looks at two expatriates from everyday life, one who has lived here for a significant amount of time and another who has just made Doha his home, for their take on life in this city.

MY HOME IN QATAR SAFAK GUVENC

Area General Manager, W Hotels Here since: April 2007 (seven years) A PATH-BREAKING PROPOSITION I was working in Boston when I was given the opportunity to set up and head the W Hotel in Doha, which at the time was the first W property in the whole of the Europe and Middle East region. It was a hard thing to say no to, and I am glad I didn’t. We have been steadily growing along with the country on the back of new, innovative ideas and have strong partnerships with the Qatar Tourism Authority and Qatar Airways, which I consider the country’s biggest success story. BEAUTIFUL CITY – THEN AND NOW Since I arrived, Qatar has been blazing new trails in the fields of art, culture, education, sports and more. I was here when the Qatar National Vision was announced, the World Cup bid

was won, and iconic museums like Mathaf and MIA opened... the progress has all been positive. Sure, people complain about the traffic, but it’s all a normal process of growth. I am sure the situation will be back to normal once all the new infrastructure is in place. A SEA OF CHANGE I remember starting out for a meeting 15 minutes before my appointment, and not the 45 minutes I take now. Also, seven years ago many companies would take afternoon breaks. I guess the pace of growth doesn’t allow for that nowadays when most people work through the day till 5. But at the same time, thanks to the mixing of many cultures, people have also learnt to relax more with two-day weekends, which were not as common back then.

NEW BEGINNINGS GEORGE GALICA

Head of Business Solutions, Vodafone Qatar Here since: October 2013 (three months) HELPING DOHA GO ‘SMART’ My background is in all things ‘smart’, so it was an easy decision to move here after seeing the large developments across Doha. I wanted to be part of the extraordinary journey Qatar is undertaking towards becoming one of the leading countries in the region, especially as part of a business leader like Vodafone. The urban developments in Qatar are the perfect places to put smart technology and bring ‘Smart Cities’ to life, and a big part of my job here with the team is to help enable these. My aspirations in Doha are to bring real innovation and change to Doha with Vodafone. I will realise my goals through developing or hiring a mix of talented people who share the vision to create an environment where such innovation flourishes. 104 > QATAR TODAY > JANUARY 2014

FIRST IMPRESSIONS When I first arrived in Doha I was struck by the amazing mix of cultures and of the old and new in Qatar. One of the first places I visited was Souq Waqif, where I was able to relax with a shisha, enjoy the food and watch local people go about their business. This experience showed me that Doha has a lot more on offer than the towers you see in West Bay. Since being here for a little longer I have ventured to Al Zubara Fort and World Heritage Site in the north, visited the Sealine resort and the desert towards the south, and even been jet skiing behind The Pearl. WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT HOME? Whilst I am British, I have called Munich, Germany home for the past three years, and I miss having

close access to the Alps for winter sports such a skiing and tobogganing, which were less than an hour away by train. I will also miss being able to drive through Austria to northern Italy to taste and experience all that that historically rich region has to offer. IF YOU COULD TAKE BACK HOME A PIECE OF DOHA Firstly, the secret to how people from so many cultures and different backgrounds work together so well. Sometimes in London you feel lost and people do not interact very well together, but I have not seen this in Doha. Secondly, I would like to take the Qatari winter back to the UK, where it is too cold and dark when I return home at the end of the month to see the family.