Salem Al-Athba

Salem Khujaim Al-Athba Al-Marri is a Qatari investor and public-relations professional whose earlier experience included service in the Amiri Guard. He built a varied professional career while maintaining a strong commitment to family and community life.

A rebellious and sociable pupil, Salem was frequently disciplined, and those early conflicts helped shape his later character. During adolescence, His Highness the Father Amir requested that he receive an opportunity to study English in Britain. In 1995, he entered Victoria boarding school in London, but struggled with its strict rules and returned to Qatar after only a month. A second educational opportunity arose two years later, but his father—still disappointed by the earlier behaviour—refused permission for another journey to Britain.

He attended Al Muthanna bin Haritha Primary School, Khalid bin Al-Walid Preparatory School and Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Thani Secondary School. Following his father into service, he entered Ahmed bin Mohammed Military College in 1999 and graduated as a lieutenant with a bachelor’s degree in military science and a diploma from Qatar University, an institution he remains proud to have attended.

Many people crossed his path at important moments, helping him remove obstacles and offering support without conditions.

After graduation and promotion through the military ranks, he returned to the educational path interrupted in youth. From 2010 to 2013, he studied for a master’s degree in Britain, strengthened the English he loved and explored cultures and ideas different from his own. Around the time of his dissertation, he also gained practical experience in Britain, first with Vodafone and then at one of the world’s largest law firms.

On returning to Qatar, he spent thirteen months at Al Jazeera Media Network. Recruitment manager Muslim Al Rashidi introduced him to marketing, revealing an ability Salem had not previously recognised. He achieved record advertising sales, contributed to the launch of Al Jazeera America and worked closely with the sports division that later became beIN SPORTS. The experience redirected a career he had originally imagined very differently.

While at Al Jazeera, he was invited to help Qatar Charity present a contemporary and inclusive image of volunteering. He joined the organisation in 2013–2014 as public debate sought to associate charitable work with particular groups, whereas he regarded it as open to everyone. Through the “Competitors” project, he selected approximately twenty-eight volunteers from different sectors and introduced them to humanitarian work during Ramadan. Their initial objective was to raise QAR4 million for Zaatari camp. A visit allowed the group to witness conditions directly, and the resulting commitment brought donations above QAR12 million—three times the target. The project continued and later supported other camps.

The effort to involve wider society developed into two television programmes, “One Heart” and “Safayer Al Khair”. Both challenged narrow perceptions of volunteering and opened cooperation between charities and other parts of society. Partnerships eventually connected Qatar Charity with the United Nations, the refugee agency and the European Union.

The earlier turning point had come in 2013, when he retired after fifteen years of service, returned to study and deliberately left a familiar profession for an unexplored field.

A business idea began on a British street in 2012. He noticed a restaurant serving food through a window on a road many pedestrians avoided because of frequent accidents. When the owner prevented him from entering to try the desserts, an argument followed—and Salem resolved to bring the concept to Qatar. From 2012 to 2016, he repeatedly approached the owner. Persistence eventually secured a visit to Qatar, an agreement and the opening of a local branch.

Acquiring L’ETO Caffè deepened his interest in hospitality and raised both his ambitions and customers’ expectations. He next sought cooperation with a prominent London restaurant brand associated with a Russian owner who operated 103 establishments. Convincing him to enter Qatar was difficult, but sustained negotiation and the country’s successful World Cup preparations helped complete the agreement. Thereafter, Salem limited his choices to international brands capable of making a distinctive contribution to the Qatari market.

Travel and the discovery of other cultures also attracted an audience on social media, where he shared experiences and observations. The Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 produced a major increase in attention because people were unable to travel and wanted access to unfamiliar places. Beginning in Istanbul, whose history and civilisation fascinated him, he presented information simply and produced YouTube episodes on restaurants and food.

His arrival on social media was accidental, but he found a genuine interest in the medium. Business experience supported that transition: consistently high standards for products and service had already created public trust, which carried into his recommendations and online content.

Both the Gulf crisis and the pandemic affected his businesses. The Gulf crisis began only a week after he had invested heavily in opening L’ETO, disrupting resources and threatening quality. He made standards and customer satisfaction non-negotiable and travelled to identify alternative suppliers. Japan, Portugal, Poland, Azerbaijan, Spain and Morocco became important new sources. The crisis was damaging, yet diversification substantially improved product quality and reinforced his commitment to food, service and marketing.

A forceful personality and natural influence sometimes brought criticism because friends often followed his choices. Some entered military service after him and later left when he did; others followed him back into education. Not every transition succeeded immediately, and he was blamed when friends appeared to have endangered their futures. He continued supporting them as they rebuilt their paths, completed their education and eventually assumed important state positions.