At this conference, Al Thawadi, who will be introduced by the General Director of Casa Árabe, Pedro Martínez-Avial, will be dealing with the importance held by soccer’s World Cup event in 2022, taking place for the first time ever in the Middle East, in an Arab country. This milestone has turned the major event into something truly special this time around, and it will be a great opportunity to achieve understanding between peoples of different cultures, beliefs and past histories. Hassan Al Thawadi will highlight soccer’s potential as a tool to achieve unity, with historical and contemporary references, as well as discussing how Qatar is working to make the 2022 World Cup memorable as a historical event for the region.
 
Hassan Al Thawadi has been, since March of 2011, the Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy of Qatar, the organization responsible for coordinating the public and private entities that will be completing the infrastructures and development projects for hosting the World Cup in Qatar in 2022. Prior to this, he was a senior executive on Qatar’s 2022 Bid Committee, where he worked alongside the Committee’s Chairman, Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani, in the end achieving Qatar’s selection as the World Cup host.
 
Educated as a lawyer, he has also been a general advisor of the Qatar Invest Authority (QIA) and Qatar Holding, entities founded by the State of Qatar in 2005 to strengthen the national economy through diversification and making strategic long-term investments.

He is also a member of several significant boards of trustees and committees in Qatar, including Qatar University (College of Business and Economics), Qatar Chamber for Commerce and Industry, Qatar International Islamic Bank, Msheireb Properties and Hassad Foods.