HSBC Insurance Brokers has established a branch office and received regulatory approval from the Qatar Financial Centre Authority to provide insurance broking services to corporate customers.

Steve Bonynge, Managing Director HSBC Insurance Brokers (Middle East), said: “We look to contribute to the development and growth of the Qatar insurance market by bringing over 30 years of international experience.” Stuart Pearce, CEO and General Director

QFC Authority, said: “The QFC has attracted a wide range of local, regional and international financial institutions.”

Doha, 6 March 2010 - The 2010 International Handball Federation (IHF) Super Globe in Qatar will see the participation of the top handball teams featuring the best players from around the world when the competition gets underway from May 17 to 21 at the Al Sadd Sports Club. With the continental Champions League winners of Europe, star-studded Spanish side BM Ciudad Real already qualified, together with Pan American winners Unopar Fel / Sercomtel, and Oceania representative AHF Southern Stars, the only remaining teams are the Asian and African representatives which will be discovered through a qualification process in the coming month. Host country team Al Sadd was the final team to enter the draw on the 6th of March in Doha.

Under the new deal with IHF, signed by the IHF President Dr Hassan Moustafa and Vice President of Al Sadd Club, HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Super Globe will be organised annually in Qatar from 2010 to 2013 at Al Sadd Sport Club.

“In making this magnificent event a yearly competition we are bringing together in Qatar all of the top teams in the world for a competition which further assists the development of handball around the world. I am sure that we will witness a fantastic tournament which will emphatically portray the region’s handball passion to the world once more,” said Mr. Jassim Al Romaihi, Secretary General of the Al Sadd Sport Club.   

“I believe this exciting competition has found a wonderful host city for the next four years. We have a fantastic track record of hosting top class sporting events in Qatar, and we are committed to developing handball in Qatar and across our region. I strongly believe this tournament of the best teams in the world will generate a great deal of excitement in our country and help to develop the next generation of handball players from the Middle East. We have excellent sporting facilities to offer and we are looking forward to providing spectators and players alike with an extraordinary sporting event.”

The teams were drawn into groups in the logo launch and draw ceremony in Doha on Saturday. In Group A, BM Ciudad Real will meet Unopar Fel / Sercomtel and the African team which will qualify later. Al Sadd Club will meet the Asian representative and AHF Southern Stars in Group B.

BM Ciudad Real are amongst the favorites for the competition after winning the European Champions League, the European Super Cup and the Spanish League in a spectacular season. The team from central Spain has continued this sparkling run of form in the new season and remains unbeaten in the current European Champions League campaign after winning a tough-looking away fixture at FC Croatia Osiguranje 27-24 in Group C recently.

Local side Al Sadd Club will be looking to add further silverware to their glistening collection when the competition comes to their home stadium in May, having already won the same tournament in 2002 to add to their 5 Asian Champions League trophies, the last of which came in 2005. The Qatari club also has nine Qatari league titles to its name and will be looking to get off to a good start in a competition which also features the continental champions of Asia, Oceania and Pan-America.

“We are expecting a fascinating and highly competitive tournament here in Doha, and we wish all the participating teams the best of luck in the competition. There is no doubt, though, that handball will be the real winner when these high quality teams come together in Qatar in front of passionate spectators in spectacular sports facilities,” added Mr. Al Romaihi.
 

Barcelona, 22 February 2010: The legendary FC Barcelona coach, Josep Guardiola, is to become an ambassador for the Qatar 2022 Bid, it was announced today.

Guardiola, whose team won the 2009 UEFA Champions League, spent two years playing for Qatar’s Al Ahli Club, and recently returned to the country after leading his team to the FIFA Club World Cup title in Abu Dhabi, the sixth trophy of an historic season.
 
“I am very pleased to be representing Qatar’s 2022 World Cup Bid,” Guardiola said upon his appointment. “I believe this is a truly unique bid, and a wonderful opportunity to spread the magic and the benefits of the world’s favourite game across the globe.”

“Having played in Qatar myself between 2003 and 2005, and having grown to love the country and greatly appreciate Qatar’s football development and infrastructure investment, I believe the time is ripe for the first World Cup to be held in the Middle East. My experience in Qatar, as well as the outstanding organisation and football passion we witnessed in the UAE during the Clubs World Cup, makes me confident that Qatar and the Middle East can host a spectacular, passionate and unforgettable World Cup that embraces all the FIFA ideals.”

As a Bid ambassador, Guardiola will be attending events to voice his support for Qatar’s World Cup ambitions, as well as giving the leadership technical advice on staging the world’s biggest tournament. He joins a high profile list of Bid ambassadors including the World Cup legends Gabriel Batistuta, Ronald De Boer, Roger Milla, Sami Al Jaber and Bora Milutinovic.

Guardiola, a graduate of FC Barcelona’s famed La Masia youth academy, captained Spain to the Gold medal at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. Two years later he was part of the Spanish squad that narrowly lost to eventual finalists Italy in the 1994 World Cup quarterfinals. At club level he won all major titles with FC Barcelona, including the Spanish League, Spanish Cup as well as the European Champions League in 1992. He captained Barcelona for his last four years at the club before moving on to Brescia, AS Roma and Al Ahli in Qatar. Upon his switch to coaching he won six trophies in his first season in charge at Barcelona.

Qatar’s Bid Committee CEO, Hassan Abdulla Al Thawadi, welcomed Guardiola onto the Qatar 2022 team and hailed his recent achievements with FC Barcelona as well as his commitment to youth development. “We are honoured to work together with Josep to bring the World Cup to Qatar in 2022. Both as a player and as a coach he has been the personification of dedication and passion on the football pitch,” Al Thawadi said.

“More than any of his astonishing successes, though, we are delighted to have him on our team because of his continued commitment to youth development in football. As the coach of FC Barcelona, he has won every title with a team based on Barcelona youth academy players, a philosophy we are most familiar with from his time helping youth development here in Qatar.

Everywhere he goes, Josep will bring across our message that a World Cup in Qatar in 2022 will give sporting hope to millions of children across the Middle East.”

Hanhart, the luxury watch maker renowned for German engineered time pieces with Swiss precision, has appointed Amiri Gems as its distributor in Qatar. The move is part of the company’s Middle East thrust which included their recent opening of a Middle East headquarters in Dubai and the appointment of Atamian as distributor in Lebanon.

“The Gulf, Middle East and the Levant are high growth areas and an emerging market for luxury goods and will be the first markets to rebound from the worldwide economic downturn. With the appointment of Amiri Gems,  a reputed distributor of a wide range of luxury time pieces we are well represented in this dynamic Gulf country with a large ratio of high net worth individuals,” said Patrick Tedde, In Charge of Middle East Sales of Hanhart. 

In 1994, the passion for precious stones and metals appealed to Sheikh Nawaf Nasser Bin Khaled Al-Thani CEO of Nasser Bin Khaled Group of Companies in Doha, Qatar and Amiri Gems was born.

Specializing in diamonds and color stones the two outlets of Amiri Gems never cease to surprise their high profile celebrity clientele with their sparkling array of unique and custom made pieces from the main 300sq.mt. outlet in Al Sadd and the branch in City Centre.

The 127-year old German watchmaker Hanhart has recently announced the Middle East launch of Primus, an exclusive collection of Swiss made mechanical wristwatches. The Primus is an exclusive sporting chronograph range in a small edition and in the most refined design, which combines historical elements with the latest technology. The Pilot, Racer and Diver models in this collection are produced in stainless steel and rose gold in beautifully styled cases and have fluted bezels with sapphire.

The Middle East Region is critical to Hanhart’s global growth strategy. Since its founding in 1882, Hanhart has mastered many challenges. The principles embodied in the legendary pilot’s chronograph from 1939 are still evident to this day: precision, robustness, the drive to excel and the desire to capture pure emotion.

Hanhart will be launching a new collection of mechanical wristwatches which are based on three historical themes targeting the courageous, sport enthusiasts and all who go their own way. The design is sporting and refined. The trademark is red. And the name of the collection is Primus.

Company aims to address demand for commercial waste management services amidst the country’s economic growth

Malek Sukkar, CEO, averda

Niall Mara, Managing Director, NWCS

averda, a leading regional environmental services company, Read the full story

U-20 Qatar National Team 1981 posing for a picture with Qatar 2022 Bid Committee CEO Hassan Abdulla Al Thawadi during press conference to launch the team as ambassador.

The Qatar 2022 Bid Committee announced today the appointment of an entire team of legendary Qatari footballers as its latest 2022 bid ambassadors.

Read the full story

Basil Daniells, Regional Director, Epicor, Middle East, Africa, Turkey and India

Epicor Software Corporation, a leading provider of enterprise business software solutions to the midmarket and Global 1000 companies, today announced that Khalid Cement Industries Complex (KCIC), Read the full story

The Gulf state of Qatar Saturday night hosted the classic encounter in world football between England and Brazil, with the international match in preparation for next summer´s World Cup in South Africa ending in a 1-0 victory to Brazil. Read the full story

From the left: Ibrahim Al Nasr, General Secretary of National Campaign. Muhannad Kamal, Deputy GM of IBQ

To promote road safety awareness among the youth of Qatar, a major campaign, “Schools without Accidents,” was inaugurated lately in Doha. This announcement was made by senior officials of the government’s Traffic Department, Read the full story

Award received at 2009 International Real Estate Financial Forum, London

Dr. Al Horr:

“The nomination of QSAS is a result of us meeting the required standards.”

“Our participation in this global forum and winning the Excellence prize enhances our commitment to Qatar Vision 2030 and the goals of sustainable development.” Read the full story