Group ONE Holdings to guide Qatar youth in charting career paths, says official

Singapore-based global sports media platform Group ONE Holdings (ONE) is not only keen to support the diversification of Qatar’s economy and labour force but also to help chart the career paths of the country’s youth, an official has said.ONE is expanding its reach in the Middle East via Qatar with the goal of establishing a world-class media industry in the LNG-rich Gulf country, according to ONE chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.Backed by a highly professional and creative team, Sityodtong said ONE is bringing martial arts, esports, and general entertainment to Qatar following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Media City Qatar during the ‘Qatar Economic Forum, Powered by Bloomberg’ held recently in Doha.Sityodtong pointed out that ONE is working “very closely” with Media City Qatar, describing the relationship as “a very profound, deep, and long-term partnership.” This collaboration, however, also extends beyond building a world-class media industry in the country, he explained.ONE’s presence in the country could play role in helping Qatar’s youth chart their career paths, noted Sityodtong, who has been training in martial arts daily and teaching Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai. “I’ve been doing Muay Thai for the past 38 years and Jiu-Jitsu for the past 11 to 12 years,” he told Gulf Times in an exclusive interview.As a teacher who knows the value of passing on skills and knowledge, Sityodtong said: “Because of our martial arts and gaming properties, and because of our approach to media, I think there’s going to be a lot of opportunities for the youth to think of their career path – whether in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) or otherwise – it could be media-related or creative-related, but again it is a diversification of Qatar’s economy and labour force.”He said: “And hopefully, I think ONE is going to make a significant impact on the future of these industries and these job functions, so yes, we will create more career paths for the youth. We’ve done that in Singapore, so we’re going to do that in Qatar, as well.”Sityodtong also lauded the ICT infrastructure of Qatar, saying this would play a key role, especially in ONE’s esports and gaming content, which has a strong demand among the country’s next generation.He stressed that ONE’s formula of values, heroes, and stories is “perfect” for the Middle East. “Not only do we want to bring values of integrity, humility, honour, respect, courage, discipline, and compassion, but also heroes who will genuinely inspire the world, as well as stories of overcoming tragedy, adversity, or poverty, to unleash their potential,” he added.