Qadran, the Franco-Qatari business circle held an extraordinary General Assembly on February 20th, 2023 in Paris in order to bring changes in its governance.
Bruno Courtine, Associate Lawyer at Vaughan Avocats, and Kamal Rhazali, Secretary General and Legal Director of the Accor Group's Luxury & Lifestyle division, will share the Presidency of the circle while Omer Acar will remain Honorary President and will hand over to Natalie Demol, Legal Director Europe and Americas of Katara Hospitality, to represent Katara Hospitality on the Qadran Founding Members Committee.
Following the appointment of Omer Acar as General Manager of Raffles and Orient Express and representative of Accor Group in the United States from March 1st, 2023, Qadran is changing its executive committee:
- Bruno Courtine remains Secretary General and is appointed Executive Vice- President
- Kamal Rhazali is appointed Executive Vice-President
- Natalie Demol joins the executive committee to represent Katara Hospitality, in replacement of Omer Acar
- Omer Acar is appointed Honorary President
Today, Omer Acar, a founding member and President of Qadran since 2020, and who had previously held this function from 2015 to 2018, is evolving from his executive role to become the Honorary President of the circle thus continuing to promote the strengthening of bilateral economic cooperation and proving once again his commitment and contribution to the development of the association.
"I am confidently handing over to Bruno and Kamal to co-Preside Qadran as well as to Natalie to represent Katara Hospitality. It has been an honor to be at the Presidency of Qadran for two mandates and to be a privileged witness of the evolution of the circle since 2015. Qadran has an ambitious roadmap for 2023 and it can count on my commitment as Honorary President." Omer Acar General Manager Raffles and Orient Express of the Accor Group - Honorary President of Qadran
Bruno Courtine, Associate Partner at Vaughan Avocats, is a founding member of Qadran and has been part of the association's executive committee since its launch in 2015, initially as Secretary General and then as Vice President since 2022. Today, his appointment as Co-Executive Chairman, allows him to continue to grow the bilateral relationship between the business communities of France and Qatar and to lead Qadran to new projects.
"I am very honored by the trust given to me by appointing me co-President of Qadran, which I saw being created in 2015. This appointment comes after a particularly dynamic year, during which Qadran has resumed its rhythm of pre-COVID events while expanding its circle of members," shares Bruno Courtine, co-President and Secretary General of Qadran.
By his side Kamal Rhazali, Secretary General and Legal Director of the Accor Group's Luxury & Lifestyle division, joins the circle in this new momentum, taking advantage of his nearly ten years of experience in Qatar, to pursue the objective of strengthening Franco-Qatari dialogue while diversifying the bilateral relationship with different sectors.
In this regard, it is worth noting the designation of Doha as the Arab Tourism Capital for the year 2023, by the Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism. This confirms Qatar's position as a leader in global tourism and reflects its ambitions in this sector and its prestige as a destination for people around the world. Alongside tourism, art and culture are also central to the country's development ambitions.
"I would like to thank Omer Acar and all the founding members of Qadran for their trust and the responsibilities entrusted to me. Today, at the end of the World Cup and in line with the national vision of Qatar 2030, I am delighted to bring my energy to bear on the country's major challenges in order to continue to develop Franco-Qatari synergies and, in particular, to position Qatar as a tourist destination based on key areas such as art and culture", says Kamal Rhazali, General Secretary and Legal Director of the Accor Group's Luxury & Lifestyle division - co-chairman of Qadran.
Natalie Demol, Legal Director Europe and Americas for Katara Hospitality, succeeds Omer Acar as Katara Hospitality's representative on the Executive Committee, as a founding member of the Economic Circle, and officially joins His Excellency the Qatari Ambassador to France Sheikh Ali Bin Jassim Al-Thani, Smail Boudjdennah, Regional Director Western Europe of Qatar Airways, Laurent De Camas, Managing Director of beIN SPORTS France, Alexandre Zibaut, General Manager France at Qatar National Bank (QNB).
Natalie has already established a strong link with Qadran, having represented Katara Hospitality at various events organized by the circle. With ten years of experience in the international hotel sector and a keen interest in Qatar's development issues in the tourism sector, Natalie will be an asset to help strengthen the synergies between the French and Qatari business communities.
"I am proud to join Qadran to represent Katara Hospitality and to contribute to a greater synergy between Qadran's work and the national vision of Qatar 2030, with an acceleration especially around the tourism sector. I thank Omer Acar for this opportunity and the founding members for their trust. Many events are on the agenda for 2023, which will be an exceptional year to develop the already strong economic relationship between Qatar and France," concludes Natalie Demol, Legal Director Europe and Americas for Katara Hospitality - a founding member of Qadran.