Qatar Investment Authority CEO said to leave $320b sovereign wealth fund

Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Thani. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

By Dinesh Nair, Archana Narayanan, Ruth David, Zainab Fattah

September 19, 2018

The chief executive officer of the Qatar Investment Authority is leaving after almost four years at the helm of one of the world’s largest sovereign funds, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The reasons behind the surprise departure of Qatari royal Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al Thani, weren’t immediately clear and a replacement is yet to be officially named, the people said on condition of anonymity. A spokesman for the QIA wasn’t immediately able to comment.

Sheikh Abdullah was appointed as CEO in December 2014, replacing Ahmed Al-Sayed. Before joining the fund, he had served as the chairman of Ooredoo QSC, the country’s largest telecommunications company, since 2000. Sheikh Abdullah led the company’s expansion into Kuwait, Indonesia and more than a dozen other countries in Africa and Asia.

Under Sheikh Abdullah, the fund moved away from its strategy of investments in trophy assets, instead focusing on diversifying its portfolio in the U.S. and Asia and deploying more resources at home. The QIA, which was created in 2005 to handle the windfall from Qatar’s liquefied natural gas and oil exports, stepped in to help local banks and companies last year after Saudi Arabia and three other Arab countries severed diplomatic and transport ties with the country.

The QIA has about $320 billion in assets, ranking as the 10th-largest wealth fund globally, according to the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute. The fund owns stakes in international companies ranging from commodities giant Glencore Plc to British lender Barclays Plc. The fund and other Qatari investors have also amassed holdings in Hollywood, New York office space, London residential property, luxury Italian fashion and even a soccer team.

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In Singapore, we are looking to double our reporting team by this year-end to comprehensively cover the fast-moving world of funded startups and VC, PE & M&A deals. We want reporters who can tell our readers what is really happening in these sectors and why it matters to markets, companies and consumers. The ability to write precisely and urgently is crucial for these roles. Ideal candidates must have to ability to work in a collaborative, dynamic, and fast-changing environment. We want our new hires to be digitally savvy and ready to experiment with new forms of storytelling. Most importantly, we are looking for hard-hitting reporters who work well in a team. Collaboration and collegiality are a must.

Following vacancies can be applied for (only in Singapore).

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  • A reporter to track companies/startups that have raised private capital, and have the potential to become unicorns. SEA currently has over 40 companies with a valuation of over $100 million and under $1 billion.
  • A reporter who can get behind the scenes and reveal how funding rounds are put together, or why they’ve failed to materialise. She/he in this role will largely focus on long-format stories. 
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