Latifa Al-Darwish

Latifa Ali Al-Darwish is an entrepreneurship consultant, businesswoman, trainer and writer with twenty years of government-sector experience and ventures spanning technology, sustainable products, marketing, consultancy and oil and gas services.

She spent a peaceful childhood with her mother, Aisha Mohammed Al-Darwish, and her father, Ali Mubarak Al-Darwish. Her mother pursued academic distinction for her through courses, competitions and morning assembly activities, while her father’s enjoyment of life and trust in his children gave them room to develop independently.

As the eldest daughter in both her immediate and extended family, she received close attention and grew into a shy, polite but sociable child. Her father involved her in his work while she was still at preparatory school, asking her to review reports and correct errors. His confidence encouraged the planning habits and ability to assess circumstances and goals that later marked her career.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in computing from Qatar University, she began as a computer teacher across primary, preparatory and secondary education. She later moved into the petroleum sector as a data-entry employee and worked for several oil companies in Qatar.

Roles in training and then as Head of Qatarisation brought her into contact with employees of many nationalities. She left design and programming behind, concentrated on relationships, training and human resources and developed her knowledge through reading, research and workshops. The experience made her more open to cultural difference.

While working for Shell in Qatar’s petroleum sector during the 2008 global financial crisis, she asked how the company remained resilient. The Chief Executive explained that annual budgets and strategic plans always included alternatives and advance responses to economic shocks. Scenario planning became a principle she carried into later work.

She moved to Q Media, a semi-government company, seeking a better balance between professional responsibilities and family. Beginning as Director of Human Resources, she was promoted to Director of Administrative Affairs.

The company’s production improved under former Shura Council member Youssef Rashid Al-Khater, whose management valued and motivated employees when the business had been close to bankruptcy. His use of a shared strategic and implementation plan gave her another practical model of organisational leadership.

During that period, she entered commerce and tested the local market with evening dresses and abayas. The venture succeeded, but it did not match her interests. Recognising that difference helped her identify her strengths and build projects to which she could add knowledge rather than simply follow demand.

Between 2012 and 2014, she researched and wrote ‘A Guide to Women’s Work in Qatar’, drawing on marketing and public-relations material. The book appeared in 2017 during the blockade to help women establish ventures and support domestic sufficiency. Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani attended the launch, and the work was well received by readers and businesspeople.

Her commercial experience had begun in 2010 through a succession of ventures, some successful and others less well aligned with her aims. She converted those lessons into courses for entrepreneurs and opened a consultancy that helped people launch businesses, improve products and develop stronger marketing for the Qatari market.

A recommendation then took her to Qatar Primary Materials Company. Although the original agreement covered one year, she remained until applying for early retirement. During her final year, study at Qatar Leadership Centre opened new intellectual ground and supported work towards a second book.

The sector was overwhelmingly male: she was the only woman in a leadership position among 120 men. For several months, she covered responsibility for lorry maintenance, learnt the production lines and gained the trust of workers and employees who treated her as an elder sister and maternal figure.

Social responsibility accompanied most of her investments. She delivered free courses with Qatar Charity, particularly during the blockade and Covid-19, and supported projects run by families in financial difficulty so that they could enter the market.

A further initiative offered free consultations to new ventures, helping founders identify weaknesses, solve early problems and gain access to opportunities that might otherwise have remained closed.

Membership of the Qatari Businesswomen Association and the Qatari Women’s Association connected her with economic networks on one side and social relations and Qatari identity on the other. Through discussion with people of different cultures, religions and beliefs, she presented Qatari customs and the Islamic principle that faith is demonstrated through conduct.

She represented Qatar at international social, political and economic forums and made identity, heritage and culture visible in each setting. The 2022 FIFA World Cup gave her a further reference point through which to explain the country’s achievements and build mutual respect with international partners.

In 2019, a few months before Covid-19, she retired to concentrate on her own ventures. During lockdown, she wrote her first literary work in English, following a businesswoman and mother balancing work with responsibilities as wife, daughter and parent during the pandemic.

Resistance to her proposals and desire to change rules taught her to prepare evidence, alternatives and both expected and unexpected scenarios before approaching decision-makers. Reading, writing, accredited training and travel helped her recover from difficult periods and continue renewing her work.

Family support remained constant after marriage and motherhood. Her mother was the only person she trusted to care for the children, while her husband supported continued education, training and the launch of commercial projects in Qatar.