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bq | SMB+ENTREPRENEURSHIP | TAG 98

TAG is an interview series in which entrepreneurs and professionals speak to bq magazine about working and run-ning a business in Qatar. Each inter-viewee tags a person they would like to be interviewed. Kick-starting the series is Maryam Al Subaiey, who wears many hats as a writer, media professional and entrepreneur. Q Talent - a local com-pany that focuses on finding, connecting and promoting Qatari talented youth - takes up much of her focus at present.

Are you now where you imagined youd be five years ago?Five years ago I never thought I would start something called Q Talent and that I would be a full time entrepreneur. In 2010 I had just finished my masters degree from the UK and I started working in mar-keting for Qatar Financial Centre. A year after I resigned and started working in TV and media. I thought my career would continue in this field but God had different plans for me. What went wrong eventually turned right. It took me a while to figure out what I want to do as I have many interests: media and commu-nication, writing, jewellery design, community outreach and art. Creat-ing Q Talent allowed me to combine all of those interests.

Entitlement holds back Qatari youth. Discuss. I agree and disagree. It's a relative matter and depends on each person's character. As a Qatari woman I am not obliged to work, as my family is obliged to provide for me under any circumstance. But I felt the need to create my own thing and challenge myself. Many young people do the same. However, not everyone is so privileged. The majority need to work and due to this need they can't afford to pursue their dreams and

take up an entrepreneurial chal-lenge. So it is not the entitlement that holds them back, rather life and responsibilities. Many Qataris take on both challenges, they have a day job and also run their own business. I see many young people who are incubated through Qatar Development Bank (QDB) and Qatar Business Incubation Center (QBIC) working hard to accomplish their entrepreneurial goals. So it is more than a full time job, they work 24/7.

As an entrepreneur in Qatar, is there one thing you wish had been different, easier or readily available that would have made a significant difference to you?Yes, many things. The rules and reg-ulations of establishing a business in Qatar are, to put simply, in reverse.

They need to be flexible. We are the only country in the world where you can't apply for license online. Not only that, getting a license is very expensive. For example I paid over QR 20,000 to finish some paperwork that I don't actually need. My busi-ness in online and I am incubated which means I don't rent an office. But to be legal in Qatar I have to rent an office and pay for an office license which I will never use. Also register-ing the name Q Talent has been a nightmare. For some reason we can't use letters or numbers and there are so many restrictions on the names.

This conflicts with the progress of our entrepreneurial work as our path is not the same as big corporations and billionaire businessmen. Another big problem we face is future rent, getting contracts and having a fair

A Qatar free zone and simpler licensing are on the young entrepreneurs wish listBy Ira Pavaki, Doha

QATAR

TAG MARYAM AL SUBAIEY

JUNE 2015

bq | SMB+ENTREPRENEURSHIP | IN CONTEXT 99

TOP ACHIEVERS ACCLAIMED AT OMANS BIGGEST SME GALA

THE IMPORTANCE OF SME SECTOR FOR BOOSTING YOUTH EMPLOYMENT AND COMPETITIVENESSGCC - Speaking at the inaugural Pearl Initiative and United Nations Global Compact Regional Forum, held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, H.E. Sheikha Hanadi Bint Nasser Al Thani, founder & chairperson of Amwal stressed the important role of the small to medium size (SME) sector in addressing the regions youth unemployment.

Job creation is not something that we have to prepare for the regions youth; if we open up the area of SMEs, then youth become the job creators, she said, during the open plenary session on Sustainable Leadership and Competitiveness. They create jobs for themselves, and they create jobs for others. But this isnt the only aspect of the SME industry. Were trying to determine how the market will react in the next 10-20 years, and who better to forecast this than the people who are really at the bottom of it, understanding how the market works, innovating new solutions, providing new services this is where SMEs are crucial. They represent job creation, innovation, and sometimes disruptive innovation.

United Nations Secretary-General,

Ban Ki-moon, addressed the Forum with opening keynote video address. This year is critical for people and the planet; we are aiming to adopt a new set of sustainable development goals and reach a meaningful, universal agreement on climate change. Business can drive progress but not just any business will do. Sustainable development requires principled business, it requires strong corporate accountability. Good governance is vital, I hope the collaboration between Pearl Initiative and the United Nations Global Compact will help even more companies from the Gulf region to advance and progress, he added.

The Pearl Initiative and United Nations Global Compact Regional Forum was attended by more than 500 regional and international business leaders and representatives from UN organisations, government and civil society. Speakers included H.E. Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State and Board Representative Higher Committee & Director General Bureau, Dubai Expo 2020 and Sir Mark Moody Stewart, president & chairperson, Foundation for the UN Global Compact.

Oman - Under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Ali Bin Masoud Al Sunaidi, Minister of Commerce and Industry, National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD), in collaboration SME Advisor Middle East CPI Media Groups flagship publication, organised the Stars of Business Awards, which celebrated and honoured top-notch performers of the Omani SME industry. The event was graced with the presence of VIP government dignitaries, senior representatives from the public and private sectors as well as C-suite executives.

SMEs were recognised for their exemplary performance across 11 key categories, with the following emerging as the merited winners Best SME Tourism: Khalid Al Suwaid Enterprises; Best Oman New Business: Etqan Design; Best SME Healthcare: Blessing Healthcare Center; Excellence in Trade: Sea Pride LLC; Oman Star of Transport and Distribution:

Allied Logistics LLC; Best Infrastructure provider/supplier: Energy Engineering and Investment LLC; Best Public/Private Sector SME partner: Abu Yasseen Trading and Marketing LLC; NBAD Star of Manufacturing Gold: Abu Yasseen Trading and Marketing LLC; NBAD Star of Manufacturing Silver: National Barka; Omani Entrepreneur of the Year: Mohammed Ambusaidi, Etqan Design; Admirable Woman Entrepreneur of the Year: Sharifa Al Barami, Al Jazeera Global Services and Investments. Two special awards were also granted for notable contributions towards the Omani SME sector. These were: Special Recognition Award: Ghada Al Yousef; CPI Lifetime Achievement Award: Dhofar Global. Stars of Business Awards Oman was supported by some of the leading players in the SME arena including Presenting Partner NBAD, Technology Partner SAP, Gold Partner Knowledge Oman and Knowledge Partner Protiviti Global.

share in the market. The government needs to push for businesses and insti-tutions to work with us. Having said that, we do get other kind of support such as incubation centres and differ-ent kinds of fund schemes.

What or who inspires you?What inspires me is wanting to export my culture abroad and letting young people here believe in their capabili-ties. Q Talent is only one idea and only the first step, once it is very well estab-lished I will move on to other ideas.

If the business environment here were to be exactly how you wish it to be, what would it look like?A free zone, a fair chance for everyone, no monopoly and no bureaucracy.

How do you define success?Achieved actions.

To be legal in Qatar I have to rent an office and pay for an office license which I will never useThe one law or regulation in Qatar you wish to change?Easier business regulations in general.

Where and what would Maryam be in 2022?I would like to have achieved some-thing related to writing and the arts. I would like to be all over the world living an international life with a Qatari attitude.

Who would you like to tag and what would you like to ask them?Hind Gharib, founder of the Cheese Market. She is a woman of various skills and successful in all of them a well-established architect; a well-known artist; a business woman with a unique concept, a "cheese market; an accomplished equestrian and she speaks fluent Spanish. She is an example of what Qatari women can achieve in various fields. I would like to ask her: Starting a business that is not relevant to your background could be challenging. What made you think of the "cheese market"?