Sheikha Haya Abdulrahman Al Thani

Haya has served in senior government positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense of Qatar before assuming her current role at the Qatar Fund for Development.

She began her career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Office of the Deputy Foreign Minister for International Cooperation. She later transitioned to the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs as a young diplomat, where she managed high-level political portfolios and oversaw the implementation of key national and strategic initiatives.

In 2016, Haya joined the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense, where she supported the development and implementation of the ministry’s international cooperation strategy and managed several national initiatives. Among them was the establishment of the Qatari Armed Forces Academic Bridge Program, in partnership with Qatar Foundation, which she successfully led from inception to delivery.

Haya has built a strong portfolio in management and stakeholder engagement, contributing to the successful delivery of projects with long-term strategic impact. She has cultivated lasting relationships across government entities and the private sector and led large-scale projects at both national and international levels.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Qatar and a master’s degree in Security Studies from King’s College London. Haya also served at the Qatari Defense Attaché Office in the United Kingdom, where she supported the bilateral defense relationship between Qatar and the UK.