Wissam Al Mana is a Qatari business mogul best known as the chief executive of the Al Mana Group. It is a Qatar-based conglomerate that primarily operates in the GCC, but is also rapidly expanding into the UK and Ireland. The company is engaged in economic services, real estate, retail, food and beverage, engineering, technology, media, investment, marketing, entertainment; represents leading brands in luxury, fashion, beauty, watches, home furnishings and jewelry.
Career
After receiving an MBA from the London School of Economics, the future tycoon joined the family business. Currently, Al Mana Group in the Gulf region is managed bythree brothers: Hisham Saleh Al Mana, Kamal Saleh Al Mana and Wissam Al Mana.
Biography and personal life
He was born in Doha, Qatar on January 1, 1975, to Sarah Al Mana and Saleh Al Hamad Al Mana. His family moved to London when he was 2 years old. He spent most of his childhood years there along with his two brothers. Wissam Al Mana attended high schools in London and later moved to the US for further education. He enrolled at George Washington University and returned to London to earn an MBA from the London School of Economics.
In 2012, Al Mana married American pop queen Janet Damita Jo Jackson. A few years after the wedding, they had a child, the son of Issa. A few months after his birth, Janet Jackson and Wissam Al Mana broke up.
Company Activities
Al Mana is a Qatari conglomerate with over 55 companies in 8 countries and over 3,500 employees. Business sectors include automotive, services, real estate and investment, retail, food and beverage, engineering, technology, media and entertainment.
The group covers most retail areas, including luxury goods, cosmetics, fashion, home furnishings, watches and jewelry. With over 300 outlets, Al Mana represents some of the largest and most successful brands in the world.
Group owned and operated by Hisham SalehAl Mana, Kamal Saleh Al Mana and Wissam Saleh Al Mana, sons of the late Saleh Al Hamad Al Mana. They are all Executive Directors.
Al Mana operates various car rental companies throughout the region. In the automotive sector of Qatar, they represent Infiniti, Nissan, Renault and National Car Rental.
Al Mana Retail Department manages major chains such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Harvey Nichols, Hermès, Giorgio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Stella McCartney, Chloe, Giuseppe Zanotti, Emporio Armani, Dior Homme and Alexander McQueen. The company has helped Go Sport to become one of the largest shopping malls in the sports retail industry. The retail section also features popular fashion and clothing brands such as Zara, Mango and Sephora.
To enter the entertainment business in the Middle East, in 2015 Al Mana Group signed an agreement with HMV Retail Ltd., a company that operates in the UK. The idea was to help HMV expand its business in the Middle East and contribute to the entertainment business.
Al Mana's food and beverage department operates McDonald's, La Maison du Chocolat, Emporio Armani Caffe, illy, Haagen-Dazs, Grom, Gloria Jean's Coffees, and distributes San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna.
The real estate section has already done a great job in the region, opening several structures such as DohaMall, Mirkab Mall, Al Waha Tower and Citywalk Residence. They are also investing in various other architectural projects.
Jobs, salary and net worth
Qatari entrepreneur Wissam Al Mana is currently the CEO of the family conglomerate. He himself does not disclose his current earnings. However, he is currently worth an estimated $1 billion.
Family History
The Al Mana family, part of the Bani Tamim tribe (Tamim tribe), comes from the village of Ushager, located 200 km north of Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Born in 1912, the late Saleh Al Hamad Al Mana began his life as a merchant in the Kingdom before settling in Qatar, where he was one of the first to introduce and gain a we alth of experience in importing and trading in the prosperous peninsula.
Saleh Al Hamad Al Mana prided himself on a work ethic based on a philosophy that strong management and personal involvement in the day-to-day operations of the company are fundamental. His practical approach and humble principles have contributed to the development and improvement of the business.
Charity activities
One of Wissam Al Man's life principles is to help those who are less fortunate than him, which the businessman himself considers a manifestation of humanity, compassion and generosity.
He himself supports a number ofCharities:
- UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund.
- Women Voices Now (WVN) is a non-profit advocating for women's global rights through an annual online film festival, a free archive of international women's rights films, educational programs, demonstrations and multimedia workshops.
- The HOPING Foundation, which provides grants to community organizations working with young Palestinians in refugee camps in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the West Bank and Gaza, and supports a number of scholarship programs.
- Education Above All Foundation (EAA), Reach Asia (ROTA) program. The ROTA program aims to provide high quality and relevant primary and secondary education, encourage community relations, create a safe learning environment, and rebuild education in crisis-affected areas across Asia and around the world.
- SOS children's villages is a worldwide federation dedicated to protecting and caring for children who have lost or are at risk of losing parental care.
