Management Team

Natra Abdulla is the Founder and Chairperson of the Board of Artan Holding. Natra has ~30 years of experience operating in the Education, Real Estate and Industrials sectors in Qatar. Natra established Qatar’s first Montessori nursery and school (formerly Doha Montessori) and now manages and operates Qatar’s first end-to-end private Education provider of K-12 schools, Higher Education, and Life long learning, as well as one of Qatar’s first private end-to-end real estate providers.

Natra is a Board Member of Qatar’s Business Women Association (QBWA) where she actively participates in the development of Qatar’s private sector through business opportunities, policy advocacy, and mentorship opportunities for young entrepreneurs and SMEs. Natra was ranked 76th in Forbes’ rankings of the Middle East’s most 100 powerful Arab women. In 2013, Natra won the “Businesswoman of the Year” award in Qatar.

Natra holds a BSc in Business Administration from the University of Sussex.

Nasser is the CEO and Board Member of Artan Holding, as well as the Chairman of Al Zubarah Investments, a Qatar-based Single Family Office.

Formerly, Nasser was the Chief of Investments and Research & Development of the Ministry of Defense (MoD) in Qatar where he focused on enabling the Qatar Armed Forces to acquire and develop innovative defense capabilities. Nasser was also the President and Executive Board Member of Barzan Holdings, the Investment and R&D arm of Qatar’s MoD, where he established joint-ventures with the likes of Beretta Holding, Rheinmetall, and Aspen Medical Australia, and led a portfolio of direct, indirect, and early-stage venture capital investments.

Previously, Nasser was a Board Member of Vodafone Qatar P.Q.S.C.

Nasser holds a MA in Strategic Management and a BSc in Business Management from the University of Plymouth.

Machaille Hassan Al-Naimi plays a pivotal role in shaping Qatar Foundation’s strategic direction and enhancing its impact on Qatar’s social and economic development.

Machaille began her career as an attorney at Squire Patton Boggs, a U.S.-based international law firm, advising a broad range of local and international clients. She later joined ExxonMobil Qatar as Legal Counsel, where she supported joint-venture projects between Qatar Energy and entities including RasGas, Laffan Refinery, and Al Khaleej Gas. Her legal and diplomatic expertise also led her to work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 18/CMP 8), where she served as Chief Legal Counsel and Advisor to the President. Following her legal career, Machaille transitioned into the business sector as Deputy CEO of Artan Holding. She spearheaded the group’s corporate restructuring, governance transformation, and business development strategy.

In addition to her executive roles, Machaille serves on the Board of the Qatar Olympic Academy and has previously been a board member of Amlak Holding, QST Holding, and Weill Cornell Medicine–Qatar’s Joint Advisory Board.

She is a qualified attorney certified by the New York Bar and holds a Master of Science (MSc) in International Business Management from the University of Surrey in the UK, a Master of Laws (LLM) in International Business Economic Law from Georgetown University in the United States, and an LLB in English and French law from the University of Surrey and Sorbonne University in France.

Bashayer is the Director of Real Estate at Artan Holding and Managing Director of House of Architecture and Interiors (HAI), a Grade-A interdisciplinary architectural and interior design firm serving individuals and businesses in the Education and Real Estate sector. She has designed, built, project-managed and delivered turn-key designs and solutions for Qatar’s top international schools as well as prime residential and commercial real estate in Qatar’s first smart city: Lusail City. Prior to this, Bashayer also founded an events management company whereby she served clients in the luxury weddings industry.

Bashayer holds a BFA in Interior Design from Virginia Commonwealth University and a MSc in Strategic Business Management from HEC Paris.

Shayma is the Managing Director of Al Zubarah Investments, a Qatar-based Single Family Office, where she is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Family Office as well as setting and executing its investment strategy. Previously, Shayma was the Head of Strategic Initiatives at the Qatar Research, Development, and Innovation (QRDI) Council, where she devised R&D and Innovation funding and policy-advocacy programs for startups, SMEs, and large enterprises in Qatar.

Prior to joining the national innovation council, Shayma was a Management Consultant at McKinsey & Company where she advised on Corporate Strategy and Economic Development for institutional investors and public sector organizations. Before McKinsey & Co., Shayma worked for Artan Holding’s Education Division, as well as in Investment Banking with the two largest local investment banks in Qatar: QInvest and QNB Capital.

Shayma holds a BSc in International Politics from Georgetown University and a MSc in Strategic Business Management from HEC Paris.

Saif works in Qatar Development Banks’ Business Finance Directorate where he advises and supports SMEs with Financial products such as seed funding, equity finance, green finance, export finance, and co-investments, as well as advisory services such as business consultancy and mentoring.

Saif holds a BSBA in Finance from the University of Colorado Denver.

Natra Abdulla is the Founder and Chairperson of the Board of Artan Holding. Natra has ~30 years of experience operating in the Education, Real Estate and Industrials sectors in Qatar. Natra established Qatar’s first Montessori nursery and school (formerly Doha Montessori) and now manages and operates Qatar’s first end-to-end private Education provider of K-12 schools, Higher Education, and Life long learning, as well as one of Qatar’s first private end-to-end real estate providers.

Natra is a Board Member of Qatar’s Business Women Association (QBWA) where she actively participates in the development of Qatar’s private sector through business opportunities, policy advocacy, and mentorship opportunities for young entrepreneurs and SMEs. Natra was ranked 76th in Forbes’ rankings of the Middle East’s most 100 powerful Arab women. In 2013, Natra won the “Businesswoman of the Year” award in Qatar.

Natra holds a BSc in Business Administration from the University of Sussex.

Nasser is the CEO and Board Member of Artan Holding. Formerly, Nasser was the Chief of Investments and Research & Development of the Ministry of Defense (MoD) in Qatar where he focused on enabling the Qatar Armed Forces to acquire and develop innovative defense capabilities. Nasser was also the President and Executive Board Member of Barzan Holdings, the Investment and R&D arm of Qatar’s MoD, where he established joint-ventures with the likes of Beretta Holding, Rheinmetall, and Aspen Medical Australia, and led a portfolio of direct, indirect, and early-stage venture capital investments.

Previously, Nasser was a Board Member of Vodafone Qatar P.Q.S.C.

Nasser holds a MA in Strategic Management and a BSc in Business Management from the University of Plymouth.

Bashayer is the Director of Real Estate at Artan Holding and Managing Director of House of Architecture and Interiors (HAI), a Grade-A interdisciplinary architectural and interior design firm serving individuals and businesses in the Education and Real Estate sector. She has designed, built, project-managed and delivered turn-key designs and solutions for Qatar’s top international schools as well as prime residential and commercial real estate in Qatar’s first smart city: Lusail City. Prior to this, Bashayer also founded an events management company whereby she served clients in the luxury weddings industry.

Bashayer holds a BFA in Interior Design from Virginia Commonwealth University and a MSc in Strategic Business Management from HEC Paris.

Hugh is a distinguished international education leader with more than three decades of experience spanning K–12, further education, and higher education across the United Kingdom, the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia. Throughout his career, he has led large scale educational transformation initiatives, established high performing institutions, and developed strategic partnerships that have enhanced educational outcomes for thousands of learners.

Prior to joining Artan Holding, Hugh served as the founding Chief Executive Officer of the one of the largest multi academy trusts in England, where he successfully led the growth and development of a network serving more than 14,000 students. Under his leadership, the Trust achieved significant school improvement outcomes and sustained excellence across primary and secondary education.
Hugh has also played a significant leadership role across the Middle East and North Africa through his work with SSAT Middle East, supporting ministries of education, school groups, and individual schools in delivering system wide improvement, leadership development, professional learning, and school transformation programmes. His work across the region has focused on building educational capacity, strengthening leadership pipelines, and fostering innovation to meet the evolving demands of 21st-century education.

As Interim Chief Executive Officer of De Montfort University Kazakhstan, Hugh led the continued growth and international positioning of the first British university campus in Kazakhstan, helping to establish a globally connected institution recognised for academic excellence, innovation, and graduate success.

As Director of Education at Artan Holding⁠, Hugh provides strategic leadership across the Group’s education portfolio, overseeing quality, innovation, governance, and growth. He is committed to creating world class learning environments that empower students, develop exceptional educators, and contribute to national and regional educational ambitions.

Hugh’s expertise encompasses educational leadership, school improvement, executive coaching, governance, organisational transformation, curriculum innovation, and international partnership development.