Business & Investment in Qatar Forum

The forum was announced by the Permanent Committee of Organizing Conferences  in collaboration with the Qatari Businessmen Association during a press conference held on Thursday, February 28, 2013 in Sheraton Hotel, in the presence of H.E. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohamed Bin Jabr Al Thani, Minister's Assistant for International Cooperation Affairs and Chairman of the Permanent Committee for Organizing Conferences, along with H.E. Ambassador. Abdullah Fakhro, Executive Director of the Permanent Committee for Organizing Conferences, HE Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani, Chairman of the Qatari Businessmen Association, HE Ms. Angelika Renate Storz-Chakarji, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the State of Qatar, Mr. Saad Sherida Al Kaabi Director Oil & Gas Ventures in Qatar Petroleum, HE Sheikh Thani bin Thamer Al Thani, Deputy Director General in Shell, Mr. Saleh Al Mana, Vice President of Government & Public Affairs in ExxonMobil Qatar as representatives of the main corporate sponsors, as well as representatives from the other sponsoring and organizing companies.

HE Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Jabr Al Thani, welcomed the esteemed attendees and discussed the importance of the Forum, which is held for the seventh year in a row, and its role in the promotion of business opportunities and investment in the State of Qatar, through shedding light on the successes of Qatar on all economic, social, political and cultural levels, in addition to uniting the Qatari businessmen and their German counterparts. H.E. Sheikh Ahmed also talked about the successes achieved by the Forum during the previous years.

In his speech, HE Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Jabor Al Thani also announced the forum’s 2-day program,  which will run with the broad participation of senior government officials and decision-makers, businessmen and representatives of public and private sector who will explore investment opportunities and economic trends through breakout sessions led by ministers and senior officials and specialists from the State of Qatar and the Republic of Germany who will discuss each vital economic and common sector between the two countries. The sessions revolve around the following topics:
“Investing in the Future: Qatar’s National Vision 2030”, “Industry: Qatar’s Infrastructure Development Projects & Manufacturing Growth” , “Energy Sector: A Foundation for Future Diversification & Growth”, “Qatari – German Investments: A Foundation of Solid Partnership”, “Financial and Banking Sector: Lending Capacity Growth a Springboard for Development”, ”Growth of SME’s supporting the Diversification of the Economy”, “Culture, Tourism and Sports: Qatar a Major Hub for Sporting Events”

Chairman of Qatari Businessmen Association, Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani, addressed the crowd speaking of the importance of the conference since it acts as a platform reflects the achievements of Qatar on all levels in light of the wise ambitions guidance of His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, The Emir. Additionally this forum sheds light on the most important sectors that contribute to the building of the local economy of the state, and provides an opportunity for business in the private sector to discover investment opportunities in foreign markets, and build bridges with the business in the host country. HE Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani also stated that the choice of Berlin as the host of this year's forum crowned the strong economic ties between the State of Qatar and the Federal Republic of Germany and contributes to open new horizons for investments country.

Representing QP, Mr. Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi spoke of the company’s participation and sponsorship of the forum as it is viewed as an important yearly event.  

On the other hand, HE Sheikh Thani bin Thamer Al Thani, from Shell said, “This sponsorship demonstrates the profound relationship between the State of Qatar and Shell which has rapidly grown to be the largest foreign investor in Qatar in less than a decade. Our participation also exemplifies the company’s aspiration to share its successful experience in the State of Qatar with the global business and investment communities so they witness what the state of Qatar has achieved to cement its place at the forefront of attracting foreign investments.”

Additionally, “ExxonMobil is honored to once again be a host sponsor of the ‘Business and Investment in Qatar Forum,” said Bart Cahir, President and General Manager of ExxonMobil Qatar Inc. “Under the guidance of His Highness the Emir, Qatar aims to develop a competitive and open economy that provides a high standard of living for its people. As a proud long-term partner of the State of Qatar, we are pleased to have the opportunity to support the prestigious forum in Berlin and to promote Qatar as a center for investment.” 

It is worth mentioning that Germany is among the highest attractive countries which has attracted Qatari investments, since the manufacturing sector reaches about 27% of the country’s GDP, in addition to the Technology and Services sectors that are 71% of GDP, which makes Germany one of the best investment places in the world, where Qatar was able to acquire 9.1 % stake in Hochteif, 10% stake in Porsche, and the share of 17% in Volkswagen. In return Germany has been present actively in the implementation of several mega projects in Qatar that include primarily the Qatar Railway project with a total cost of 17 Billion Euros, designing the stadiums in preparation for the World Cup 2022 which will be held in Qatar, in addition of signing of several bilateral agreements and joint ventures. There are 21 German companies that are currently working in different sectors in Qatar; moreover, the bilateral trade between Qatar and Germany has reached 1.1 Billion Euro during the year 2011.

This important forum is sponsored by Host Sponsors: Qatar Petroleum, Shell and Exxon Mobil, in addition to Qatar National Bank, and Maersk Oil as the Diamond sponsors, and Deutsche Bank as the Gala Dinner sponsor, Commercial Bank, Qatari Diar the platinum sponsors, Al-Fardan Group, Al-Khaliji Bank, Qatar Tourism Authority, Consolidated Contracting Company, and Qatar Islamic Bank the gold sponsors, and finally Qatar Airways the Luncheon sponsors.

The forum is organized by the Permanent Committee for Organizing Conference and the Qatari Businessmen Association in cooperation with Ministry of Business and Trade, the German industry and commerce Office in Qatar (AHK) and the Arab German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Ghorfa).