10 January 2022, Doha – Qatar: Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), a leading onshore financial and business centre in the region, has announced the official appointment of Sheikha Alanoud Bint Hamad Al-Thani as Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Business Officer, and Nasser Al-Taweel as Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Legal Officer.

Sheikha Alanoud started her journey at QFC as the Vice President of Strategic Alliances at the CEO Office, and soon after became the Associate Director of Economic Affairs for the MENA region, before becoming the Managing Director of Business Development in 2017, a designation she held until she took on her current position as the Chief Business Officer, where she heads both the Business Development and Client Affairs departments.

Sheikha Alanoud has played an integral role in driving QFC’s record growth over the past five years and expanding its reach to China, the USA, the UK, Germany, France, Singapore, Switzerland, and other key markets across the world. Her continued efforts to form and strengthen strategic partnerships within the local and international markets have helped attract businesses in key sectors, such as sports, digital and professional services, increasing the number of firms registered on the platform by 400 per cent since assuming the role of Managing Director of Business Development.

As Client Affairs head, Sheikha Alanoud led the delivery of a streamlined client management strategy through the implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and by launching a Client Dashboard to sustain best-in-class service delivery.

Before joining the QFC, Sheikha Alanoud served as the Qatar Country Representative and Director for Silatech, a Qatar-based social initiative that connects young people to employment opportunities across the Arab region, she also held the position of board member in various local and international organisations, initiatives, and programmes.

In addition to these achievements, Sheikha Alanoud is a recipient of numerous recognitions, including the Global Shaper accolade by the World Economic Forum, Young Arab Achiever, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani Education Excellence Award, the 2021 Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. She was also recognised by Forbes as one of the Middle East's "50 Most Powerful Businesswomen in MENA" in 2022.

Nasser was appointed Chief Legal Officer and Board Secretary of the QFC Authority in 2015. He leads the organisation’s multi-award-winning legal department and oversees the QFC’s Monitoring, Enforcement and Company Registration Offices.

Furthermore, Nasser ensures the QFC Authority’s adherence to global best practices in corporate governance and compliance, spearheading the adoption of cutting-edge technologies and models to drive efficiency and growth.

Prior to joining the QFC Authority, Nasser served as the Legal Counsel at the Royal Dutch Shell plc and The Hague, where he advised on a wide range of significant corporate and commercial matters. He was also Advisor to the Minister of Finance, involved in implementing key national-priority projects with primary importance to the Office of the Prime Minister of the State.
Nasser has been recognised as one of the industry’s most prominent leaders by The Legal 500 GC Powerlist Middle East in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022 for his expertise and leadership at the QFC.

Yousuf Mohamed Al-Jaida, Chief Executive Officer, QFC, said: “We are delighted to officially announce the appointment of Sheikha Alanoud and Nasser to the Deputy CEO positions. Both are valued members of the QFC executive team whose talent and leadership have been instrumental in the growth and development of the QFC. In their respective roles, Sheikha Alanoud and Nasser have proven their acumen in fulfilling the demands of the role and acquired a track record of ensuring that the QFC maintains its position as an ideal platform for expanding a business in the region.”

Al-Jaida added:” We recognise the importance of building a highly qualified and talented national leadership team. The two new high-level appointments come in light of the QFC’s continued employment strategy and demonstrate our commitment to implementing a successful corporate succession plan and fulfilling the Qatarization objectives.”

Sheikha Alanoud and Nasser have been supporting the Chief Executive Officer in the overall direction of the QFC and will continue to play a major role in leading and executing the 2030 QFC strategy.