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h eading a business empire that spans a range of interests from automotives to
real estate and retail to hospitality, Hisham Saleh Al Mana still maintains
that more important than the impressive brands his company represents is
the brand his company aspires to be.
And that single aim drives the company’s expansion plans, within
the country or beyond.
It is probably that determination that decided Infiniti’s choice in partnering
with the group to open its first dealership in UK for the Infiniti brand.
Speaking to Qatar Today Managing Editor Vani Saraswathi,, Chairman
of the Saleh Al Hamad Al Mana Group, Hisham Saleh Al Mana reveals
things closest to his heart – businesses, cars and education.

The wave of change

“The older generation had a good balance between social and business
life, which unfortunately we are not able to maintain now. The time for
socialising is limited. Young Qataris tend to be business-oriented, and
apart from time with family, time for social activity is not much,” he
says, as he begins to assess how local businesses are shaping up.
“Many people are content with their life, with their wealth and achieve--
ments. It’s not what appeals to entrepreneurs.”
It’s that element of discontent, a hunger for more, which helps people
move forward. But for the citizens here, there seems to be little to be dis-
contented about.
“Yes, you tend to take things for granted in a country like this. The infra-
structure is ready, opportunities are aplenty, and from the wealth point of view, we
really don’t challenge ourselves. We don’t go that extra mile. That’s true.
“But you see, it’s the society that has brought about this kind of thinking. The
mindset has to change. In the old days, before my generation, they didn’t have
it so good. There was a lot of work, physical exertion, diving to get the pearls.
Because then there was no wealth generating entity to make life better. They
struggled to make life better, and that struggle is lacking now.
“The influence on the youngsters has to come from the family structure it-
self. If the family is steeped in education, their knowledge contributes to the
transformation. If that’s not available for you within your family, then there
is this amazing opportunity being created by HH Sheikha Mozah in terms of

January 10 Qatar Today 89

QT-January.indd 89 12/31/09 5:09:04 PM

 out With Qt
education. You have to catch the boat.
You have to push your children to em-
brace education, which will help them
understand and prepare for the challeng-
es in future,” he says, reiterating: “Edu-
cation IS the tool you use. The ONLY
tool to better oneself.”
On the changes in the country, he says
“Thanks to the wise leadership and vi-
sion of HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin
Khalifa Al Thani, Qataris today are liv-
ing in this environment of plenty; I feel
the younger generation are very fortu-
nate. Qatar is undergoing a very impor-
tant transformation now, and the young-
sters need to ride that wave.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportu-
nity, not many generations will have the
privilege of living through something
like this. It is critical that youngsters
seize this opportunity and secure their
future.
Family business = Family
values
Hisham Al Mana recognises the chal-
lenges he faces as a family business, to
hold on to core values while being com-
petitive.
90 Qatar Today January 10
QT-January.indd 90
“In the quest for market domination,
or under the pretext of being competi-
tive, you should not tarnish your name,”
he stresses.
“People should associate your name
with only the best. Your name has to
be a stronger brand than the brands you
represent. Today people think ‘I collect
brands, therefore I become a good busi-
nessman’. That is not correct. Collect-
ing brands or representing international
brands will mean nothing, if you as a
family business, do not understand the
values of that distinction.”
As he succinctly puts, in today’s
world, it’s no longer about represent-
ing these brands and becoming business
people. It’s about bettering yourself and
the people with you.
On the network of local businesses in
the country, he definitely sees scope for
improvement.
“There are arenas where we see our-
selves enhancing the communication
process, and learning best practices from
others. We have to learn. Unfortunately,
when people say they do not want to
do what x or y is doing and want to do
something different, we forget that there
Ò y
É o u tend to take
things for granted
in a country like
this. The infra-
structure is ready,
opportunities are
aplenty, and from
the wealth point
of view, we really
donÕ t challenge
ourselves. We donÕ t
go that extra mile.Ó
are good examples out there that will
benefit us.
“There is nothing wrong in adapting
best practices. I still feel the UAE as a
whole, the way businesses interact there
is cohesive. How they communicate
with each other is good and efficient –
we can learn a lot from that.”
Eyeing uK
One of the most exciting business moves
for the Saleh Al Mana group is the UK
dealership for Inifiniti.
“When Nissan decided to enter Europe
with Infiniti, they were looking at the
right partners… Across continental Eu-
rope they found different partners. But in
the UK they realised that going with large
local dealerships, the brand may be lost.
“This is a very niche luxury brand, so
they wanted to enter with limited number
of dealerships across the country. They
wanted a business partner who has the
right exposure to the brand and were pas-
sionate about the Infiniti brand. Eventu-
ally, they found us to be the right fit.”
However, this recognition and move
will come with its own unique set of chal-
lenges. But Hisham Al Mana is geared for
12/31/09 5:09:06 PM

it. “Now, we have to learn from the best
practices from the European markets – it’s
very important that we detach ourselves
from how we run the operations here and
have a completely different mindset for
the UK market. We are currently looking
for the right calibre of people to run the
business there.”
Wheels unlimited
Not surprisingly, cars have always been a
fascination. Growing up with the Datsun
brand (first fleet of cars from the Nissan
company that was eventually phased out)
which his father represented here, it’s not
surprising that his first wheel memory is
the Datsun.
Prior to going to university, he brought
his first car – a Datsun 280ZX – a sports-
car, one of the first generation of Zs that
you see now.
Though passionate about wheels and
everything it brings with it, he says it
hurts to see the recklessness of some driv-
“The influence on the youngsters
has to come from the family structure
itself. You have to push your children
to embrace education… (education is)
the ONLY tool to better oneself.”
ers. “We need to embark on an education
drive definitely. There are ways of having
fun with the car, without risking lives. It
doesn’t have to be dangerous driving.
“There is very little we can do when
somebody is set on killing themselves –
rash driving on the dunes, without head-
lights. It again boils down to education
– the influence your loved ones have on
you. It hurts you when you see vehicles
bought from you involved in these casu-
alties. But it’s not the car, it’s the driver
– we need to focus on them.”
The cycle of learning
and development
Even as his business heads West, a lot of
Hisham Al Mana’s personal transforma-
tion also occurred there.
“My education in UK, starting with a
QT-January.indd 91
boarding school followed by my Bache-
lor’s and Master’s studies provided me an
opportunity to understand and appreciate
cultural diversities.”
On the developments in Qatar, he says
in the 90s when he came back to Qatar to
take over the family business, the busi-
ness climate was completely different.
“That’s when a lot of development was
beginning – the city was different from
what it is today. Suddenly we witnessed
exponential growth in Qatar and across
the entire region. At the moment, what
is happening, from the economy point
of view, is a correction, an adjustment.
Unfortunately the repercussions of Dubai
have had a negative impact here. He does
feel that a lot of the reaction in Qatar is
psychological. “People talk about real es-
tate collapsing – I disagree. Again, it’s a
correction period. Our portfolios of busi-
nesses include real estate. In the 80s and
90s the rents were fairly stable, it went
up a bit. Then in the last five years, rents
tripled. That was ridiculous. Rents can’t
triple in that short a snap. Now there is
an adjustment – and that has led to pan-
ic. I believe, going forward, for 2010, it
will probably flatten out a bit, there will
not be a major spurt in growth, but there
will be no drop either. We have to hang
in there.”
One day at a time
Speaking on how he manages a company
with such varied business interests, he
says, “I take it day by day.” And a bit of
time management. “I wouldn’t say we are
perfect, because we are still developing.
There are times, despite best of plan-
ning, things will crop up that will divert
attention. But I don’t believe in saying I
am planning for the next five years. For
what? And how?” n
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Quick Takes
When not working?
I spend time with my family and my
children – twin girls, Aida and Al
Anoud, my sons Saleh and Faisal.
What is more challenging?
Questions at home or at
work?
Equally challenging. With my 4-year-
old twin daughters, 2 ½ year old son
& new born baby boy, you can imag-
ine how demanding things can be.
Inspiration?
My father. Though I only had a
limited time with him. I was 24 when
he passed away. But I learnt so much
from him…
Apart from him I would say it’s Car-
los Ghosn, CEO of Nissan. I see him
as a good role model. His manage-
ment style is truly inspiring.
Legacy you want to leave
behind?
I want people to say I did something
different. An entrepreneur with a
unique outlook. That I took my
father’s vision and transformed it to
new dimensions. I would like to con-
tinue to contribute to the economic
development of the country, not just
the commercial.
If you had the power to
change one thing, what
would it be?
One of the worst things is the imbal-
ance in distribution of wealth, across
the planet. I would like to see this
rectified. It is frustrating to see all
the money available to provide basic
amenities in the poorest countries, but
it is not delivered due to the bureau-
cracy. Things can be improved in a
short time but for politics.
Favourite car:
The GT-R Skyline. It represents Nis-
san’s most cutting edge technologies.
Outside of my brands, I think the
Porsche and Ferrari are super cars.
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