Wissam Al Mana

Wissam Al Mana (Arabic: وسام صالح الحمد المانع; born January 1975) is a business magnate who owns Al Mana a Qatar-based conglomerate that achieves $1.5 billion in annual revenue operating 55 companies in 8 countries, primarily in the GCC region, employing over 3,500 personnel. Key holdings of Al Mana in the MENA region include Saks Fifth Avenue, Harvey Nichols, Hermès, Giorgio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, Sephora, Zara, Nissan, and Infiniti. Al Mana also owns 138 Park Lane in London, Doha Mall, Mirqab Mall, Al Waha Tower, Citywalk Residence and Al Mana Tower.

The group activities include automotive distribution and services, real estate and investments, retail, food & beverage, engineering, technology, media and entertainment. Operating over 300 outlets, Al Mana represents some of the largest and most successful brands in the world, covering most areas of retail including luxury goods, beauty, fashion, home interiors, watches and jewelry.

Al Mana married American pop singer Janet Jackson in 2012.

Early life and education

Wissam Al Mana was born in Qatar but moved with his family to London at age two where he spent his childhood and teenage years. Al Mana credits his early love of fashion and style to his upbringing in London. At age 14 he began applying to every fashion boutique on Kings Road and found a weekend job at a multi-brand store, which gave Al Mana insight into the world of retail that would prove crucial to his career. Upon completing his secondary education in London, Al Mana moved to the United States and obtained a Master's in Business Administration.

Career

Al Mana serves as Executive Director of his namesake conglomerate which he co-owns with his two brothers, Hisham Saleh Al Mana and Kamal Saleh Al Mana. The company was founded by his father, whom Al Mana often cites as a major influence due to his work ethic, management style and humble demeanor. In press interviews Al Mana has said he joined the family business to carry on his father's name and legacy as a merchant.

The Al Mana group achieves $1.5 billion in annual revenue and operates over 55 companies in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, the United Kingdom and Ireland, with over 300 outlets employing 3,500 personnel.

Al Mana exclusively operates Infiniti, Nissan, Renault and National Car Rental in Qatar's auto sector. Across the GCC, their retail holdings include Saks Fifth Avenue, Harvey Nichols, Hermès, Giorgio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Chloé, Giuseppe Zanotti, Agent Provocateur, Emporio Armani, Dior Homme, British Home Stores, Go Sport, with whom they have helped develop the sports outlet's biggest retail space in the world, Zara, Mango, Diesel, Sunglass Hut, Reebok, Crocs, Damas and Sephora. In 2015, Al Mana has signed an exclusive license agreement with HMV for the Middle East, to develop a number of retail stores and online services for the British music retailer.

Al Mana's food and beverage portfolio is composed partially of McDonalds, La Maison du Chocolat, Emporio Armani Caffe, illy, Haagen-Dazs, Grom, Gloria Jean's Coffees as well as the distribution of San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna products.

Al Mana group's real estate holdings including Doha Mall slated to open in 2016 (with a gross leasable area of over 1,000,000 square feet), Mirqab Mall to open in 2016, Al Waha Tower to open in 2017 (a 42 story development with a 5-star hotel), Citywalk Residence to open in 2017 (located on Citywalk Boulevard in the heart of Dubai, to contain ground floor retail units and 32 residential apartments) and Al Mana Tower (a 52 story group headquarters to house a 5-star hotel, residential apartments and a retail boulevard).