Khalifa Al Haroon, Founder and CEO of ILoveQatar Network, first Qatari nominated for Global Entrepreneurial Award 2020

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Our very own Khalifa Al Haroon aka Mr. Q, your friendly neighbourhood Qatari and CEO of the I Love Qatar Network, has been nominated as a Global finalist for the prestigious Entrepreneurial Award 2020 which is one of the main categories of the Study UK Alumni Awards. The winner will be announced by the British Council on 2 September 2020.

Khalifa is the first Qatari to be nominated as a global finalist for this particular award category (Entrepreneurial Award) based on the judging criteria amongst the applications received for that Entrepreneurial Award 2020 category.

In 2018-12019, another Qatari Maryam Alsubaiey, an alumnus of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of Essex was also a global finalist, but in the category of the Global Professional Achievement Award. She won the award.

Why has Khalifa been nominated for the Entrepreneurial Award 2020?

Khalifa is a UK alumnus having studied at the Anglia Ruskin University and the University of Essex in the UK where he began as an entrepreneur and set up his first business as a student, gaining great experience which he has since applied in Qatar in many successful businesses.

Why did he choose the UK? He chose to study in the UK because of its multiculturalism and credits his experience there as being the catalyst for his community-focused entrepreneurial spirit.

Khalifa, listed as one of the most influential people in the Middle East under 40, is the Founder and CEO of ILoveQatar.net, which is Qatar’s first Qatari social website, and the I Love Qatar (ILQ) Network, a content-driven platform celebrating the diversity of Qatar’s community. The network is home to some of the most iconic online brands in Qatar including iLoveQatar, Qatar News, Qatar Events, Dine Out Doha and more.

Khalifa has a background in law, investment banking and social media management. Shifting his focus to YouTube, he has launched a number of shows such as QTips (Cultural), Weekend Roundup (Event Listing), and RaqamiTV (Arabic Tech Show), which has amassed over 4 million subscribers becoming the World’s biggest Arabic educational tech channel.

His passion for technology led him to open Qatar’s first gaming pc store – Store974, where the gaming community can not only check out and buy the coolest products in the market, it’s sure to become their no.1 hangout spot in Qatar.

Since studying at @AngliaRuskin & the @Uni_of_Essex, #UKAlumniAwards entrepreneurial global finalist for Qatar, @iloveqatar, has been listed as one of the most influential people in the Middle East under 40, founding @ILQLive & @RaqamiTV.

More: https://t.co/QZod2n5SXp @ukinqatar pic.twitter.com/5PA8NIHEfl
— British Council Qatar (@qaBritish) August 21, 2020

Khalifa won the Study UK Alumni Awards 2019-20 Entrepreneurial Award in Qatar last December

The British Council announced the recipients of the Study UK Alumni Awards 2019-2020 in Qatar at an award ceremony in Doha that took place on Saturday 7 December 2019 at Marsa Malaz Kempinski. For the second time in Qatar, the awards were hosted at a national level to celebrate the achievements of alumni in Qatar across three award categories: Professional Achievement, Entrepreneurial, and Social Impact, and Khalifa won the award in the Entrepreneur category for the leading role he has played in business innovation in Qatar.

In total, three UK alumni in Qatar were recognised for their outstanding achievements as business professionals, entrepreneurs and community leaders, and for their important contribution to strengthening collaborative ties between the UK and Qatar.

What are the Study UK Alumni Awards?

The Study UK Alumni Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of alumni and showcase the impact and value of a UK higher education. Award winners and finalists are leaders in their fields who have used their experience of studying at a UK university to make a positive contribution to their communities, professions and countries.

The Study UK Alumni Awards are held every year to recognise UK alumni who are active in initiating or contributing to innovative and creative new ideas and solutions, and/or business opportunities that have the potential for strong growth. Three global winners are selected for their outstanding achievements as professionals, entrepreneurs and community leaders.

How are candidates shortlisted?

Successful applications outline the personal story and their journey from studying in the UK to current achievements/business/innovation, and the significant and tangible impact of these. e.g. leading a project in an organisation that has resulted in an impact on the country in a specific area as a result of one’s work, being at the top of one’s field and a specialist in one’s industry or career area, leading change and innovation, making a large-scale impact, or having raised national or international awareness of a pertinent issue.

The top 30 applications in each region are shortlisted from all eligible applicants through several stages of judging, including internal and external judging panels involving British Council Regional Directors, Universities UK International, Chevening and Commonwealth, and UK universities, all of whom will review anonymised applications to select the 21 shortlisted global finalists. The global finalists are then shortlisted by a global judging panel to select the three global winners, one for each of the award categories (Professional Achievement, Entrepreneurial and Social Impact).

In addition, a small number of selected countries hosting national-level events will conduct their own shortlisting panels, including senior staff from the British Council and the British Embassy/High Commission, to select their national level finalists and winners. All national awards are independent to the global awards.