Ooredoo Top Management

Bio: Dr. Nasser Marafih is Member of the Ooredoo Group Board and Advisor to the Ooredoo Group Board‘s Chairman. He was Chief Executive Officer of the Ooredoo Group from 2006 until November 2015. He also served as Ooredoo Qatar CEO from 2002 until 2011.

Born in Doha, Qatar, Dr. Marafih holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, a Master of Science and a Ph.D in Communication Engineering, all from George Washington University, USA. Dr. Nasser started his career at Ooredoo in 1992 as expert advisor from the University of Qatar and was involved in the introduction of the first GSM service in the Middle East in February 1994. He joined Ooredoo Qatar in February 1994 as a Director for Strategic Planning & Development and led a number of strategic projects including the introduction of the Internet service in Qatar in 1996 and the privatization of Ooredoo Qatar from a government owned company to a publicly listed company in 1999.

In his role as CEO, Dr. Nasser has spearheaded Ooredoo's global growth in recent years to expand to 15 operations in Middle East, North Africa and South East Asia, including Ooredoo's acquisition of Wataniya Telecom, Ooredoo's strategic partnership with ST Telemedia in Singapore, as well as the company’s purchase of a controlling stake in Indosat of Indonesia.

In addition, Dr. Marafih serves as Chairman of the Board of the GSMA Mobile for Development Foundation and as a member of the Board of GSMA. He also serves as a commissioner to the ITU Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development and he is a member of the World Bank Group Advisory Council for Gender and Development.

Dr Nasser ranked #41 among the 100 powerful Arab leaders in 2015 and he has appeared in the ranking since the launch of the list in 2013.

Sheikh Saud joined the Board in 2021. He was Group Chief Executive Officer from 2015 to 2020. He was also Ooredoo Qatar's CEO from 2011 to 2015.

Sheikh Saud holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration from Western International University, in Phoenix, Arizona. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. He joined Ooredoo in 1990 (previously Qtel), where he has handled key projects like the restructuring of the organisation in 1998, the structure review in 2000 and the job evaluation and compensation review with Ooredoo’s auditors KPMG. As Ooredoo Qatar's CEO, he has led the expansion of the company's products and services portfolio, making Qatar one of most successful and consistent markets in the Group. During his tenure as Group CEO, he initiated and successfully led the company's digital transformation, leaving a lasting impact on customers across the Group's global footprint.

He has held key positions across the Ooredoo Group, including Chairman of the Board for Ooredoo Kuwait; Deputy Chairman of Ooredoo Oman; and Deputy Chairman of Asiacell. He is also a Board Member for Arabsat; Board Member for Hellas-Sat; and Board Member for INJAZ Qatar.

Bio: Mr. Al-Obaidly joined the Board in 2020. He is the CEO of beIN MEDIA GROUP (“beIN”). As one of the most respected executives in the world of sport and entertainment, Mr. Al-Obaidly manages the single largest portfolio of sports rights in the world as the head of beIN MENA, beIN SPORTS France, Americas and Asia-Pacific. He is also the CEO of Digiturk and responsible for MIRAMAX studios. Mr. Al-Obaidly is a board member of Paris Saint-Germain Football Club; Paris Saint-Germain Handball; Qatar Tennis Federation; Qatar Sports Investments and Qatar Satellite Company Es’hailSat. In January 2020, SportsPro Media named Mr. Al-Obaidly as one of only 10 “Influencers in the world of sport” whose work will be setting the global agenda in 2020, alongside the CEOs of Nike, Quibi and others. Mr. Al-Obaidly brings a wealth of experience in international business to the Board.

Bio: Eng. Essa Bin Hilal Al-Kuwari, is the President of Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation "KAHRAMAA". He is the Chairman of the Board of Qatar National Broadband Network (QNBN) and a Board member of NAKILAT. Beside his membership in various technical committees in the state, he represents Qatar as BoD member of Gulf Cooperation Council for Electricity Interconnection Authority (GCCIA), beside some other regional and international committees.

Eng. Al-Kuwari also has some academic contributions such as chair of the Steering Committee of Texas A&M University's Smart Grid Centre - Qatar, Vice Chairman of Hamad Bin Khalifa University Board of Trustees and member of Qatar University's Advisory Council for the faculties of Engineering and Economics. Eng. Essa Bin Hilal Al Kuwari brings substantial business and technical expertise to the Board.

H.E. Hajri, who joined the Board in 2021, is the Director of Studies and Research at the Emiri Diwan. He is also Minister Ranked at the Emiri Diwan since 2015.

H.E. Hajri is with the Emri  Diwan since 1995, where he has held several key positions, including Economic Researcher at the Office of H.H The Emir, Head of Development Studies - Studies and Research Department, Head of Studies and Research Affairs, Acting Director of Studies and Research Department and Undersecretary. Being a graduate in Administration and Economics from Qatar University and having followed a number of specialised programmes in economics and leadership at London School of Economics (LSE) and Harvard, he brings a wealth of experience to the Board.

H.E. Mr. Ahmed Ali Al-Hammadi, Director General of the General Retirement and Social Insurance Authority, joined the Board in 2024. He holds positions on the boards of several prominent companies, including Heathrow Airport, SoFi, Borsa Istanbul, Dream International, Masraf Al Rayan, and Qatar Industries. Additionally, he serves as the Chairman of UDC and Vice-Chairman of QEWC.

With a diverse background and extensive experience in business and finance, H.E. Mr. Al-Hammadi has held various high-ranking positions. He previously served as QIA’s Chief Investment Officer for Europe, Russia, and Türkiye. Before that, he managed regional equities at EFG-Hermes and worked at consulting firm Booz & Co.

H.E. Mr. Al-Hammadi's accomplishments include being named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2019. He is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Mr. Mohammed Saif Al-Sowaidi, QIA’s Chief Investment Officer - Americas since 2020, joined the Board in 2024.

He began his career at Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) in 2010, holding various leading positions including Head of Private Equity Funds, Director M&A, and Head of Industrials and TMT Portfolios. Notably, Mr. Al-Sowaidi established the QIA United States office and led operations in New York from 2015 to 2020. Prior to his tenure at QIA, he worked at Exxonmobil Treasury and Masraf AlRayan as Director in Corporate Banking. Mr. Al-Sowaidi holds a Trium MBA (joint program LSE, NYU, and HEC), is a CFA Charter holder, and completed a Double Major undergraduate in Statistics and Finance. His exceptional knowledge and experience make him a valuable addition to the Board.

Bio: Mr. Al-Humaidi, who joined the Board in 2011, is Executive Director – Operations & Support of Qatar Development Bank and IT Director of Qatari Diar. Prior to his current positions, he led various management and business technologies roles in multi-industry sectors including utilities, telecom, oil & gas, real estate and banking and contributed to national steering committees. This diverse background brings a wealth of experience that will contribute significantly to the Ooredoo Board.

Bio: Mr. Abdulla Mubarak Al-Khalifa, who joined the Board in 2018, is Group Chief Executive Officer of QNB. Prior to his current position, he was Executive General Manager – Chief Business Officer at Qatar National Bank. He brings over 23 years of strong experience in business, finance, risk management, M&A, sales and marketing, and strategic planning to the Board.