Launched in 2005 as a company initially focused on real estate, Qatar–based Barwa Group has grown into a highly diversified conglomerate operating in real estate development, infrastructure, business and financial services in several countries, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, the United Kingdom, and Russia.
That geographic and sector diversification reflects Barwa Group’s commitment to support Qatar’s National Development Strategy and deliver solid returns to its shareholders.
“We aspire to be one of the most successful real estate development and investment holding companies in the world, with a home in Qatar but with business operating around the globe,” said Group CEO and Board Member Abdulla Abdulaziz Al Subaie.
Barwa’s portfolio includes seven major projects in Qatar, which include the $1.92 billion Barwa Commercial Avenue, an iconic development that runs along an 8.5 kilometer road; Barwa Al Sadd, a luxurious mixed-use development with three office towers and three residential buildings; and the award winning Qatar Petroleum District, originally known as Barwa Financial District, a grade “A” development designed to meet the needs of local and international businesses.
Barwa Group has also established synergistic businesses to support the real estate and infrastructure industry, a decision that strengthens its competitive advantage through its presence in the entire value chain.
Qatar Project Management provides clients across the Middle East and North Africa region with world class expertise in a full range of professional project management services.
Waseef is a real estate brokerage and asset, facility and property management arm, while Tanween provides real estate investors with a complete package of services – from concept development to completion for destination communities and landmark projects.
With all these entities expanding operations internationally, the group has been “exporting Qatar’s know-how globally.”
In line with its ambitions and rapid growth, Qatar has capitalized on its global expertise and cooperated with leading international companies to support its infrastructure activities.
The country has clearly consolidated its position as a global business and investment hub and become a model in forging strategic partnerships around the world, turning “any competitive disadvantage into collaborative advantage.”
Al Subaie describes the opportunities in fast growing Qatar as “immense,” and Barwa is well positioned as a local partner to international companies looking to participate in this growth story.
Barwa already enjoys the reputation of being a preferred partner, be it for strategic investors looking to participate in Qatar’s exciting development, or for global players looking to gain a foothold in other segments of the real estate value chain.
Guidance Hotels Investment Company, one of Barwa Group’s initiatives in the sharia-compliant hospitality sector, offers a luxury five-star experience through its Shaza-branded hotels. GHIC current portfolio includes five properties in Madinah, Marrakech, Fez, Manama, and Cairo.
Other investments include London–based Cavendish Capital, a financial services company with a focus on private equity and advisory services; Barwa Gazprombank Russia Real Estate Fund, a partnership with Gazprombank focused on real estate in Russia.
It also has Turkey–based Ottoman, a real estate development company and joint venture with some of the Turkey’s leading developers, as well as North Row, a property with office spaces located in the Mayfair Conservation Area of London’s West End.
Barwa’s corporate strategy seeks to capitalize on the local Qatari market opportunities and considers selective diversification internationally to leverage opportunities in the Middle East, Turkey, the United Kingdom, North America and Southeast Asia.
The strategy focuses on “building synergistic businesses that complement and are an appropriate strategic fit to its core business.
“The businesses also must demonstrate that they can deliver strong returns for the shareholders,” Al Subaie stressed.
Aside from shareholder value, Barwa’s investments strategy complements Qatar’s National Vision 2030 and National Development Strategy, which emphasizes human, social, economic and environmental development.
“We strive to ensure that every project plays a role in supporting the National Development Strategy. It is in this spirit that Barwa has not only taken on some of the country’s most ambitious projects, but also undertakes their development according to internationally award winning standards,” he said.
Achieving Barwa’s long term objectives will be integral to developing some of the most important projects in Qatar.
Its success will strengthen prospects for economic diversification in the country and will be viewed by many as a litmus test for the overall ambitions and capability of Qatar.
