Mohamed Alhamad

Engineer Mohamed Saeedan Masoud Alhamad is a former cultural attaché and an entrepreneur. He spent many years abroad helping Qatari students graduate from leading international universities, acting as a mentor and adviser while supporting their return to national service. The father of Saad and Abdulrahman and grandfather of five, he later returned with the experience and determination to establish a new venture in Qatar.

He was born on 27 May 1959 in Al Rayyan into a middle-income family of two sons and five daughters. Their home was surrounded by those of relatives, and close relationships connected the extended family. Everyone knew and cared for one another and maintained the custom of frequent visits.

He grew up among people who believed deeply in science and education and showed a strong interest in study. His parents made their children’s education a priority and encouraged them to complete it. He became a diligent, high-achieving student and was among the relatively small group of his peers who continued their studies, while most of his classmates entered military service.

His mother taught him generosity and hospitality, while his father instilled discipline and firmness.

His character was also shaped by Qatar’s development under successive periods of leadership: that of the late Sheikh Ahmed bin Ali Al Thani; Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani—may God have mercy on him; and His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani—may God preserve him. He witnessed the political, economic, cultural, social and urban transformations that accompanied those periods. During his childhood, he witnessed the building of Al-Rayyan’s popularity in 1972 at the beginning of the rule of Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani.

He completed primary school at Tariq bin Ziad School in Al Sadd, where many of his classmates later held important positions in Qatar and became prominent public figures.

After primary school, he moved to Al Rayyan for preparatory education and then attended Al-Istiqlal Secondary School in Al Salata. On graduating in 1979, he received a scholarship to study in the United States. Before travelling, he visited a physician responsible for age assessment so that an official birth certificate could be issued. Information from his mother enabled him to establish his exact date of birth and have it recorded electronically as 27 May 1959. In the absence of precise birth registers, many applicants at the time were otherwise assigned 1 January of their year of birth.

After completing the required formalities, he travelled to Michigan to study electrical engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. On arrival, he met Qatari students who had already settled there and formed close friendships that eased the strain of living abroad.

He quickly joined university sporting life and became a regular member of the football team, competing in the university league. The sport was already familiar to him from secondary school, when he had played with Al Rayyan and Al Sadd and had shown considerable ability.

During this period, he was strongly influenced by Dr Samir Fakhro of Bahrain, who was preparing a doctorate in electronic engineering at the same university and was also working as a dean in electrical engineering. From him, he learned to preserve firm principles and values and resist temptation.

He did not complete the Michigan programme. Two years later, after an engineering college opened at Qatar University, he returned to Doha and went on to earn his electrical-engineering degree there in 1986.

In 1986, he began his career with Qatar National Telephone, later known as Qtel and now as Ooredoo. He remained with the company until 1990, progressing from a switchboard engineer to Chief Engineer in the Multiple Telephone Networks Department. He then received a scholarship to pursue a master’s degree in the United States.

After three years of study, he earned a master’s degree in engineering management and returned to Qtel. He was appointed Director of Quality Management within the Strategic Planning Department and remained in the post until his retirement in 2010.

Six months after retiring, Ghanem bin Saad Al Saad, Director of the Barwa Council Administration, invited him to supervise a group of Qatari students in the United States. After they reached an agreement and signed a contract, the Barwa Student Office opened in Washington, where he continued working for five years.

The Cultural Attaché’s Office in the United States reopened in 2015 after having been closed since 2006. When nominations were invited, his accumulated experience led to his selection. He continued in the Cultural Attaché’s Office until 2023.

Work at the Cultural Attaché’s Office gave him an opportunity to return to public service and to help, guide and advise many students. Gathering accurate student data was difficult, and the students themselves often required close monitoring and guidance. Dealing with some families also proved challenging when they blamed the Office for a child’s declining performance or lack of commitment. Over time, however, the work stabilised, most difficulties were resolved and all parties were ultimately satisfied.

After years of service and sustained effort, he believed that the foundations of the work had become firmly established and the situation was stable. He therefore felt that the time had come to pass responsibility to a younger colleague whose new ideas could develop the Office further.

His early years at Qtel brought demanding work and intense competition from experienced international professionals. With time and persistence, he adapted to those pressures and overcame the initial difficulties.