Born in Qatar, Sheikha Hanadi Al Thani earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Qatar University, and went on to earn an executive MBA from London Business School and a master’s degree in economics at the University of London. She started her career as a lecturing assistant in the Economics Department of Qatar University before founding the Qatar Ladies Investment Company, the first regulated investment company granted a license from Qatar Central Bank, allowing the company to conduct investment banking and asset and wealth management. The company was later renamed Amwal.

In 2005, Sheikha Hanadi launched the Al Wa’ab City project, one of the largest privately held real estate projects in Qatar, founded on the idea that at the core of every vibrant community is a public gathering space. She is also CEO of trading and contracting group Nasser Bin Khaled Al Thani & Sons Group and founded Q-Auto, a Volkswagen and Audi auto dealer in Doha, Qatar.

Throughout her career, Sheikha Hanadi has received almost too many awards and accolades to list: She was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2005; voted Personality of the Year by Arraya, Qatar’s leading newspaper, for her vision and her vital contributions to Qatar’s economic growth; named CEO of the Year in 2006 by the Middle East CEO Awards Institute for her significant influence in developing Qatar’s robust economic and social presence in the Arab world; and selected as one of the World’s 100 Most Influential Arabs by Arabian Business magazine for several consecutive years. In 2007, the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Business Council named Sheikha Hanadi the Economic Personality of the Year. Financial Times voted Sheikha Hanadi among the Top 20 Female Role Models in Global Banking and Finance in 2008. In 2010, she was received the Businesswoman of the Year Award from ITP Publishing Group.

At every step in her career, Sheikha Hanadi’s has promoted opportunities for women. “Whatever I have aspired for or achieved in my career,” she said recently, “has always been fueled by a longing to break the stigma or what is perceived of the women in my region. As a business person, I’ve also wanted to emphasize the main priority and the importance of working towards the progress and wellbeing of society. Throughout my life, I have fought to pursue opportunities that did not exist for women. I was faced with challenges that stemmed from systematic misunderstandings, stagnant norms that were never challenged, and concrete ceilings that boxed me in. With each failure I have become stronger and with each step forward I was taught more about persistence. I only hope that the accumulation of my efforts has made it easier for the upcoming generations of young women and men.

Sheikha Hanadi is keenly aware that the Global Business Hall of Fame serves as a role model for young entrepreneurs. “Being referred to as a ‘role model’ can be scary sometimes,” she went on to say. “With it comes responsibilities that every person should strive for whether it is at home with our kids, in the work environment with our colleagues and with society as a whole. We should all go by our daily lives striving to be role models in every aspect.”

Over the span of a decade, Sheikha Hanadi expanded her advisory impact by serving as a board member for Dana Gas, an Executive Committee member for Silatech, a special advisor to Standard Chartered Bank, and a member of the Bank’s Gulf Advisory Council. She is also on the advisory board of the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and serves on the advisory board of the Harvard Business Review Arabia, representing Qatar.

The founding chairperson of INJAZ Qatar, Sheikha Hanadi has helped the organization reach over 51,000 students from 84 schools and universities across Qatar through programs focusing on work readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship. In addition to chairing the board of INJAZ Qatar and serving as a board member for INJAZ Al-Arab, Sheikha Hanadi is a fervent supporter of community activities. She serves as a trustee on the board of the Arab Women’s International Forum and the College of Business and Economics at Qatar University.