Nasser Al Haidar

His Excellency Nasser bin Sulaiman Haidar Al-Haidar is the founder and owner of Al Sulaiman Holding and a former member of Qatar’s Shura Council. He graduated from Aquinas College in Michigan in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations, served as Head of Research and Studies at the former Ministry of Finance and Petroleum, and later held a range of positions while building a prominent career in business and investment.

He was born in 1959 in Freej Al Jasra, in a mud-brick house among closely packed homes and narrow lanes. Neighbours lived as though they were one family, and children could sleep in one another’s homes without fear or hesitation. The freej’s alleys became places for adventures, races and challenges, where the children played with freedom and simplicity.

He spent long periods in his father’s shop in Souq Waqif during school holidays. There he acquired broad commercial knowledge and experience, particularly in dealing with people and listening carefully to every conversation and discussion that took place in the shop.

His father and elder brothers taught him perseverance, patience and determination. From his mother, he inherited an exceptional capacity for endurance. She carried heavy responsibilities, kept her children close and met every household duty despite the absence of many basic necessities. She did everything possible to provide for them with the means available and to make them happy. Education was a particular priority, and she encouraged him to complete his studies.

He entered kindergarten at the age of four and found an environment that helped develop his skills and abilities, leaving an enduring impression. He completed primary education at Salah Al-Din School for Boys, then moved to Qatar Preparatory School for Boys and Al-Istiqlal Secondary School for Boys.

Like others of his generation, he encountered difficult conditions and many challenges during primary school. Schools lacked amenities, but his enthusiasm for learning kept him committed to his studies and attentive to his teachers, who held considerable social standing and authority.

His childhood coincided with the economic transformation of Qatari society, as resources improved and everyday comforts became more widely available. The installation of fans at Salah Al-Din School was an important event for pupils and teachers alike. Window air-conditioning units followed, before facilities gradually developed towards modern systems.

He spent school holidays in Britain, living with host families to learn English and develop self-reliance from an early age. The experience made him more independent, adaptable and accepting of difference.

After secondary school, he continued his university studies in the United States. In 1981, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and International Relations from Aquinas College in Michigan. The state attracted students from around the world through its many universities and colleges, but became noticeably quieter during holidays, when most students travelled to visit their families elsewhere in the United States.

After graduating in 1981 and returning to Doha, he spent five years at the former Ministry of Finance and Petroleum. In 1986, he made the decisive choice to establish a commercial office, initially limited to collecting rent on properties he owned. He subsequently founded a contracting company and expanded into other sectors in response to market needs.

His father, Sulaiman Haidar Al Haidar, was born in 1899 and became one of the pillars of Qatar’s economy and commercial life. He began trading as a child alongside his own father in Al Khor and continued until his father’s death.

His father later moved to Al Jasra in Doha and, in 1915, opened a shop in Souq Waqif that imported and sold food from around the world. Supplies came from India, Britain and Australia; grain and flour from the United States; and oils from the Netherlands. He also financed pearl-diving vessels during the season. Commitment, honesty and product quality earned him the confidence of Qatar’s rulers and families. Before banks were available, people from every social group entrusted him with their money and gold.

As Qatar began exporting oil, trade prospered and the population grew. His father expanded his commercial activity and entered partnerships created by the state for Qatari merchants. He became one of the founders of Qatar Navigation, Qatar National Cement Company and Qatar National Bank.

His shop in Souq Waqif became a meeting place for Qatar’s rulers, community leaders and citizens. He lived through both world wars, drought, food scarcity and other periods of hardship. Accounts of his life emphasise that he refused to exploit shortages or manipulate prices and instead maintained an honourable reputation.

Sulaiman—may God have mercy on him—had five sons: Haidar, Ahmed, Abdul Hadi, Mohammed and he. All followed his example and worked to preserve his legacy and good reputation.

He died in 1966 at the age of seventy-six, leaving a clear mark and a historical legacy that endures.

While building Sulaiman Holding, he sought to establish a strong position in business and preserve his father’s legacy in Qatar and the region. His priorities changed in 2004, when he was informed that His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani had appointed him to Qatar’s Shura Council.

At first, he could scarcely believe the news. He hurried to tell his mother so that she would be the first to congratulate him. Her response came not in words, but in tears of joy, pride and deep emotion.

She had always been a beacon of hope on his path and a source of tenderness in difficult times. Her support was fundamental to his academic and professional journey and, in his view, had helped bring him to that historic moment.

He was not the first member of his family to enter the Shura Council. His brother, Haidar Al-Haidar, had been appointed when the Council was established and served for twenty-two years. That experience helped him understand the weight of the responsibility and the character of public and political work.

During seventeen years in the Shura Council, he broadened his experience and built an extensive network of relationships, strengthening the academic foundation he had gained in political science and international relations. Public service was not merely an assignment or honour; he approached it as a responsibility with genuine interest. He valued committee discussions on proposed laws, particularly in the Legal and Legislative Committee and the Financial Committee. Their active, often wide-ranging debates taught him to accept disagreement and understand opposing perspectives, lessons he later applied in public life, business and personal relationships.

During this period, he worked with leading figures from across society, including military officers, administrators, legal professionals, civil servants and businesspeople with experience in many fields. These relationships broadened his knowledge of international law and the legal systems of other countries. One of the richest experiences of his Council service was Qatar’s hosting of the 140th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, together with the discussions and strengthening of international relations that accompanied it.

Despite his strong attachment to diplomatic and public work, he decided to make room for others to contribute to Qatar’s development. When nominations reopened, he did not seek another term, satisfied with what he had given his country. He regarded his Shura Council service as one of the richest and most important periods of his life. It transformed his perspective, making him more receptive to other views, more flexible in solving problems and better able to find compromise without unnecessary conflict. He learned to separate an idea from its proponent and judge it on realism and merit rather than personal relationships.

His Council service included the difficult years of the blockade. Some Shura Council members also sat in the Arab Parliament, whose meetings were held in Egypt, making visas and attendance difficult. The same obstacles affected important meetings held in other blockading countries.

Qatar’s hosting of the international parliamentary assembly also encountered strong opposition and repeated attempts by some countries to obstruct it. Qatar nevertheless continued to find solutions and achieve its aims through determination, persistence and hard work.

Al Sulaiman Holding was established on January 29, 1986, and began its activity in building contracting. Since its establishment, it has adopted a clear policy and a well-studied strategy aimed at continuous growth, diversity and expansion, relying on qualified workers with expertise across different fields.

That mature vision enabled the holding company to expand and diversify its activities in Qatar and abroad, including in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan, Malaysia, Italy and the United States.

Al Sulaiman Holding operates across a diverse range of sectors, including industry, trade and services; contracting, engineering and information technology through several specialist companies; gold and jewellery; tourism and hotels; healthcare; and education.

For him, investment and entrepreneurship are only one part of serving the nation and contributing to its development. An investor’s social responsibility completes that role by extending practical help to others. His record offered an example of a Qatari citizen serving his country through every available avenue.

Al Sulaiman Holding sought to fulfil its social responsibility through its founder’s belief that a company should be an active part of society. It therefore supported institutions pursuing goals intended to serve the community and help a new generation build a successful future.

He has consistently supported charitable initiatives and helped them pursue their goals. The holding company’s strategy combines expansion and diversification with strong relationships across local and international markets. It places particular emphasis on the administrative and operational staff on whom institutional success depends, seeking to educate and guide employees, protect their rights, resolve their problems, explain their responsibilities and provide an environment in which they can perform productively at the highest level.

Anyone entering finance, business and investment must recognise the scale of the risks created by market volatility and intense competition. The sector is influenced by external factors and demands adaptability, flexibility and resilience. Profit and loss are both unavoidable possibilities. Like most businesspeople, he experienced ventures that fell short of his expectations and encountered failure in some projects, but each experience taught him a new lesson.

Like his competitors, he was affected by the blockade, which narrowed available options and interrupted communications needed to complete international transactions. The pressures on business did not end with the blockade; they intensified during the Covid-19 pandemic, which disrupted or postponed many activities.

With every crisis, he draws on the knowledge accumulated over many years, together with his judgement and perseverance, to maintain his position in the market and overcome obstacles.

His work in finance and business brought recognition and appointment to several economic bodies, committees and institutions. He has chaired Al Sulaiman Holding since 1986. He served on the board of the Technical Inspection Company from 2004 to 2009 and, according to the source edition, had served on the board of Al Salam International since 2006.

The source edition records that he had been a member of the Qatari Businessmen Association since 2007, a member of the Board of Qatar Chamber since 2017 and a member of the Tax Grievance Committee from 2020 to 2023.

The source edition also records that he had been a founding member of the Qatar Hotels Association since 2020, a member of the board of Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance Company since 2021, Chair of Qatar Chamber’s Banking and Investment Committee since 2021 and Chair of its Gold and Jewellery Committee.