Executive Director and Acting CEO
Edward Dolman
Executive Director and Acting CEO
In September 2011 Mr. Edward Dolman was appointed Executive Director of the office of Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Chairperson of the Qatar Museums Authority. In November 2012 he was also appointed Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Qatar Museums Authority.
Edward Dolman joined the Qatar Museums Authority from Christie’s International plc where he had served as Chairman from September 2010. He previously served as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, a position he held since December 1999. Edward Dolman had 27 years of experience with Christie’s. During his tenure as CEO, he directed Christie’s new business development and strategy and enhanced Christie’s operations on a global basis. Leading Christie’s through a decade of great change, he shaped many groundbreaking initiatives for the company - including the technology and business strategy areas - to seize trends in the market and facilitate a shift to modernism and a rapidly expanding global client base.
Chief Commercial Officer
Phil Lawrie
Chief Commercial Officer
Mr. Phil Lawrie joined QMA in August 2010, initially appointed as Director of Strategic Management responsible for the strategic and corporate development of the organisation, and later as the organisation’s Chief Commercial Officer. Prior to this Phil worked at Al Jazeera Network for three years as Director of Global Distribution, where he oversaw the aggressive roll-out of the broadcaster's channels and licensed content – in particular the Al Jazeera English channel which climbed from a global reach of 90 million homes to 200 million households during Phil's tenure.
Before moving to Qatar Phil was employed for seven years at Turner Broadcasting (CNN) in London, serving as Vice-President of Commercial Distribution & Digital Media, and before that he spent six years at American Express working in various management roles in Amex's card and travel divisions.
Chief Strategy Officer and Chief of Staff
Chief Strategy Officer and Chief of Staff
Dr Tarek Cherkaoui
Dr Tarek Cherkaoui is QMA’s Chief Strategy Officer and Chief of Staff, he is responsible for managing QMA’s overall strategy. Dr Cherkaoui brings more than 15 years of experience as a strategy and communication professional, as well as management experience within a wide range of governmental organisations and private companies.
Most recently, Dr. Cherkaoui served as QMA’s Director of Strategic Management, where he was responsible for revamping the strategic planning process in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the Qatar National Development Strategy (2011-2016). He holds a PhD in Media and Communication Studies from the Auckland University of Technology (New Zealand), for which he obtained the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Postgraduate Research, and a Master’s Degree in Strategic Studies from the National University of Malaysia.
Chief Information Officer
Dr. Dana Al Malki
Chief Information Officer
Dr. Dana Mohammed Al-Malki is a UK graduate with a Bachelor degree in Computer Systems Engineering with ‘first class honours’ and a PhD degree in Information Engineering from London City University. Throughout her career at Qatar Museums Authority, Dr Dana Al Malki has provided leadership in creating department strategy, structure, policies and team building, and leading organization-wide IT strategic initiatives.
Dr. Al-Malki recently received her second Master certificate in Project Management from George Washington University and attended Gartner CIO Academy at Saaid Business School, University of Oxford. She is a Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), British Computer Society (BCS), Project Management Institute (PMI), the institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), and Qatar CIO group.
Chief Marketing Officer
Kimberly French
Chief Marketing Officer
Ms. Kimberly French is QMA Chief Marketing Officer, and is responsible for building local, regional, and international awareness of the organization. Kimberly is responsible for marketing, public relations, digital content, protocol and international relations at QMA. Kimberly has extensive corporate and museum experience in marketing, communications and public relations, having held senior executive positions at American Express, Fidelity Investments, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She holds a Masters of Business degree in marketing from the Carlson School of Business at the University of Minnesota, USA, and an undergraduate degree in International Relations from Macalester College, USA.
Chief New Projects Officer
Tariq Alhefny
Chief New Projects Officer
Mr. Tariq Alhefny joins QMA with 25 years experience in the MENA region and GCC, where he has held several executive positions. Most recently, he was Director of Development for a multi-billion-dollar state-owned investment holding company, where he was responsible for a large portfolio of diversified subsidiaries. Tariq has a BSc in Architecture and qualified as a Certified Project Finance Specialist (CPFS) in the UAE.
Chief Archeology Officer
Professor Thomas Leisten
Chief Archeology Officer
Professor Thomas Leisten holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Studies and Islamic Art History and Archaeology from Eberhard Karls Universität in Tübingen, Germany. He has taught at Tübingen University, Harvard, and Princeton - where he has been a faculty member with the Department of Art and Archaeology since 1995, and chairman for the past four years.
Professor Thomas Leisten has been involved in QMA since 2004, responsible for developing archaeological research, site management, and cultural awareness, as well as serving on the Board of Trustees. His current role focuses on the organization of a modern and efficient excavation and protection service for Qatar’s cultural heritage, coordination of the work of foreign archaeological missions in Qatar, and spearheading large-scale restoration and rehabilitation efforts for the historical buildings and settlements in Doha and northern Qatar.
