H.E. Sheikh Ali bin Abdulla bin Khalifa Al-Thani

His Excellency Sheikh Ali bin Abdulla bin Khalifa Al-Thani is the Chief Executive Officer of Media City (Qatar) and plays a key role of managing the overall operations, planning and development of the strategic direction for Media City (Qatar).

Previously, Sheikh Ali served in The Amir’s Advisory Office for Economic Affairs, in the Amiri Diwan.  His extensive media experience includes serving as an Advisor and Deputy Director for Media Affairs at the Government Communications Office (GCO), where he earlier was Head of Media Relations & Communications.  In addition, Sheikh Ali was a commercial advisor with Qatar Shell Service Company and has worked in technical and financial areas with Qatar Energy, formerly Qatar Petroleum (QP).

Sheikh Ali's academic background includes a Master of Science in Finance from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from American University in Washington.

H E Sheikh Ali is an accomplished professional with a wealth of experience in the fields of finance, energy, and communications. He earned his Masters in Finance from The Johns Hopkins University, one of the world's most prestigious universities for finance and business education, in 2013.

His career began in QatarEnergy, where he held executive positions from 2002 to 2004. He then moved on to work for Shell, where he started as a Financial Analyst and later served as a Commercial Advisor.

In 2015, H E Sheikh Ali decided to pursue a career in the public sector and joined the Qatari government as the Head of Media Relations in the Communications Office and was later on promoted to the position of Deputy Director of Government Communications Office in 2018.

In 2020, he joined the Amiri Diwan as Advisor. The Amiri Diwan of the State of Qatar is the sovereign body and the administrative office of the Amir. It is the official workplace and office of the Amir of the State of Qatar. The Amiri Diwan represents the figurative and bureaucratic center of Qatar. The building also hosts the office of the Deputy Amir and the Prime Minister.

In 2021, H E Sheikh Ali was appointed as the CEO of Media City, a subsidiary of Qatar Media Corporation. Under his leadership, Media City has become one of the most successful and innovative media production and broadcasting hubs in the region.

He is now also the Chairperson of the Supreme Committee Organising the Qatar Economic Forum (QEF), a platform for global business leaders to exchange ideas and formulate actionable steps towards economic growth. The event attracts thousands of participants including CEOs, entrepreneurs, innovative business leaders, government officials and other global dignitaries and ministers.

Talking about the importance of the Qatar Economic Forum, he said in a recent interview:

“Qatar Economic Forum serves as a media platform with a diverse agenda that brings together global business leaders to formulate actionable steps towards achieving economic growth. The Forum has been able to achieve this goal in each edition, and has become today an oasis for dialogue and exchange of views,” he added.

“Qatar Economic Forum is held in Doha, which is a contact point between East, West and Africa. This enhances the Forum’s strategic role in the global business community, because Doha has become today a thriving financial and commercial centre that leads dialogues and provides the possibility of exchanging views with the aim of promoting synergies between the main players on the global economic scene,” Sheikh Ali indicated.

The Chairperson of the Supreme Committee organising Qatar Economic Forum pointed out that Qatar Economic Forum 2023 will focus on prominent global challenges that affect societies and economies around the world.

“However, the most important objective of all editions of the Forum has been strengthening interdependence as an international community. Therefore, the 2023 edition will revolve around global growth and establishing a new roadmap for global growth in this challenging economic environment. Any event or disturbance that occurs in one part of the world has successive consequences at the global level. Similarly, holding a dialogue here in the heart of the Middle East enables us to connect thought leaders and decisionmakers from different societies to reach globally applicable solutions for a secure and sustainable future for all,” H E Sheikh Ali said.