Qatar-France military exercise ends
QNA/Doha
Gulf Falcon Exercise 2013, conducted by the Qatari Armed Forces and the French Armed Forces from February 16 to March 7, concluded in Al Galayel Square yesterday.
HE the Chief of Staff Major-General Hamad bin Ali al-Attiyah and his French counterpart Admiral Edouard Guillaud attended the final day of the exercises in which 3,000 troops participated.
The Gulf Falcon Exercise is held every four years by the Qatari Armed Forces and its French counterpart. Some 1,700 Qatari troops participated in the exercise, along with 1,300 French soldiers. The exercise aims to highlight the joint defence strategy of Qatar and France.
In a statement to the press, HE the Chief of Staff Hamad bin Ali al-Attiyah thanked the French Armed Forces for participating in the exercise. He added that the Gulf Falcon 2013 was part of the bilateral co-operation between two countries.
Al-Attiyah said that the exercise has been planned for a long time, expressing his satisfaction of how the exercise was executed. The Chief of Staff said that the participation of all the branches of the Armed Forces distinguished Gulf Falcon 2013 from other exercises.
Meanwhile, the French Chief of Staff praised bilateral relations with Qatar and the outcome of the exercise as well as the strategic relationship with Qatar.
GCC customs authorities to meet in Doha today
The GCC Customs Authorities will begin their subregional training course in Doha today.
Fleet Major General Nasser Mohamed al-Ali, the Chairman of the National Committee on Arms Embargo (NCAE), is to open the event due to be held at La Cigale hotel in Doha under the patronage of HE the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Major General Hamad bin Ali al-Attiyah.
The course highlights the key role played by the GCC customs authorities as related to Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). The CWC aims to eliminate an entire category of weapons of mass destruction by prohibiting the development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, retention, transfer or use of chemical weapons.
Emir invites Lebanese president
Lebanese President Michel Suleiman has received a message from HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, inviting him to participate in the 24th regular session of the Council of the Arab League at the summit level, which will be held in Doha this month.
Training course for sports bodies
A five-day training course for 41 trainees from the local sport federations, clubs, Qatar Women Sport Committee (QWSC) and the Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence will begin today at the Lusail Hall in Qatar Olympic Committee building.
Forum for female
finance leaders
A new forum to enable women in senior roles within Qatar’s financial and accounting sector to meet and discuss key issues has been launched to mark the International Women’s Day that falls on March 8 every year.
The Qatar Women in Finance and Accounting forum (QWFA) is an initiative of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) in the Middle East with the intention of providing a platform for female finance leaders to talk about a wide range of topics.
A working committee of members who hold high-level finance jobs in leading organisations such as Qatar Petroleum, Ecovert Qatar, RasGas, Qatargas and global accounting firms Deloitte and Ernst and Young will meet in the next two weeks to discuss the QWFA’s objectives and look at potential future activities.
The forum is the brainchild of Deepa Chandrashekar, a senior finance professional at Qatar Petroleum.
Deepa Chandrashekar said: “As there are a growing number of women working in senior and influential roles in finance and accountancy in Qatar, I thought that a forum would provide a welcome opportunity for their voices to be heard on a range of critical issues.”
Ritu Nanda, head of ACCA for Oman and Qatar, said: “We are delighted to be helping to develop Deepa Chandrashekar’s idea and provide a forum where female finance professionals could discuss a range of issues, bringing different perspectives to a number of subjects.”
To ensure the debate continues across the Middle East, ACCA will also be hosting a networking event for women in finance and accounting in the United Arab Emirates in June.
Qatari woman is
HR head at HSBC
HSBC Qatar recently appointed Maha Jabor al-Mohannadi, a Qatari national, as the new head of human resources. She is the first female national to hold the senior position in the bank.
Maha started her career in human resources in HSBC and gained experience managing employee engagement, diversity and performance. “Maha is one of our many success stories of talent development and investment in local human capital. Her exceptional drive, positive spirit and insight into human resources made her a perfect candidate to fulfil the very important role of head of human resources in Qatar. She works closely with our global and regional teams to ensure that the best practice is followed in Qatar,” Abdul Hakeem Mostafawi, CEO of HSBC Qatar said.
“Human resource is at the heart of any business. I am looking forward to the challenge to support the business by developing talent and investing in the human capital of the bank. I will also invest a great deal of my time in the Qatarisation strategy, which is given top priority at HSBC Qatar,” said al-Mohannadi. HSBC will have a stand at the upcoming national Career Fair where prospective applicants can obtain more information about the opportunities the bank offers.
