Alanoud bint Hamad Al Thani

Sheikha Alanoud bint Hamad Al Thani
Born	Qatar
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, business executive
Known for	Board member of Qatar Financial Centre; youngest and first female executive committee member at Qatar Financial Centre; Young Global Leader (World Economic Forum)

Sheikha Alanoud bint Hamad Al Thani is a prominent Qatari entrepreneur who holds a position on the board of directors at the Qatar Financial Centre. In 2023, she advanced to the roles of chief business officer and deputy chief executive officer within the centre. Before this promotion, she served as managing director of business development, where she introduced programs aimed at sustaining employment throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in Qatar. Sheikha Alanoud made history as both the youngest individual and first female to join the centre's executive committee. In March 2021, the World Economic Forum recognized her as a Young Global Leader. The following year, she was awarded the Arab Woman of the Year Award and was featured by Forbes among the 50 Most Influential Businesswomen across the Middle East and North Africa region.

Early life and education

A member of the House of Thani, Sheikha Alanoud is also a great-grandniece of Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, Qatar’s founder.

Her academic background includes studies at the London School of Economics, University of Oxford, and HEC Paris. She additionally completed executive training through the Qatar Leadership Centre’s Rising Leaders Program.

Career

Sheikha Alanoud began her tenure at the Qatar Financial Centre in 2016, initially appointed as Vice President of Strategic Alliances within the CEO's Office, before advancing to associate director of Economic Affairs for the Middle East and North Africa. In 2017, she took on the role of managing director of Business Development, maintaining this position during the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in Qatar, with a focus on strengthening employment opportunities and job stability in Qatar. By 2023, she had been elevated to Chief Business Officer and Deputy Chief Executive Officer, overseeing Business Development and Client Affairs. Her appointment marked her as both the youngest member and first woman on the centre’s executive committee.

Prior to her work at the QFC, Sheikha Alanoud was Qatar Country Director for Silatech, an organization dedicated to fostering youth employment throughout the Arab region. She has also contributed her expertise as a board member for Tomouh, How Women Work, i2Co School of Transformative Leadership, Qatar-UK Alumni Board – British Council, and Future Foreign Policy (UK). Her leadership roles extend to serving as Vice Chair of Bedaya Centre for Entrepreneurship and Career Guidance, Qatar Chair for Global Dignity, and acting as a Global Ambassador for Qatar on Women's Entrepreneurship Day.

In March 2021, Sheikha Alanoud was distinguished as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, becoming both its youngest honoree and sole Qatari recipient that year. She also holds recognition as a Global Shaper from the Forum.

Awards

Sheikha Alanoud has been honored twice with the His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani Education Excellence Award in 2008 and 2012. She received the Young Arab Achiever award in 2011. In 2022, Forbes listed her among MENA’s 50 Most Powerful Businesswomen, while she also earned the Arab Woman of the Year Award in acknowledgment of her impact within financial services.