His Excellency Sheikh Bandar bin Mohammed bin Saoud Al-Thani is the present Governor of Qatar Central Bank. He assumed this responsibility in November 2021.
Born in Qatar in 1977, he completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the prestigious American University in the USA, with a major in Finance. Thereafter, he completed his Executive Masters of Business Administration from HEC Paris, at their centre in Doha.
His Excellency spent the major part of his career in the financial sector and held various key positions. H.E. started his career in Qatar Central Bank in 2002 when he joined the Banking Supervision Department, and joined the Investment Department as the head for the dealing room. In addition to these responsibilities, he was a member of Qatar Executive Committee for SMEs representing Qatar Central Bank.
In 2008, His Excellency was assigned the responsibility to establish Qatar Credit Bureau, and shortly thereafter, he was appointed as the Executive Director of Qatar Credit Bureau in 2009. The vision behind establishing the Bureau was to develop a resilient banking system that is capable of detecting financial risks and vulnerabilities through the provision of accurate and comprehensive credit information, leveraging on state-of-the-art technology.
In addition to his role as Executive Director, His Excellency was assigned as Acting Director for the Risk Management of Qatar Central Bank on July 1st, 2014.
In 2015, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Emir of the State of Qatar, appointed His Excellency as the President of the State Audit Bureau. As part of the larger responsibilities, HE was elected as the President of the Arab Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (ARABOSAI) and the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the ARABOSAI.
At the State level, HE is a member of the Higher Council of Economic and Investment Affairs. In 2022, His Excellency was appointed as the Chairman of the Board of Qatar’s Financial Centre Regulatory Authority (QFCRA) and in addition, he is also the Chairman of Qatar Financial Markets Authority (QFMA). Besides, he is the Vice Chairman of the State Projects Funding Policies Committee, the Vice Chairman of the Investment Committee in the General Retirement and Social Insurance Authority and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Social and Sport Contribution Fund (Daam). In March 2023, HE was appointed as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Qatar Investment Authority.
At the regional and international levels, HE is a member of the Board of Directors of the Gulf Monetary Council since 2021, and Alternate Governor for the State of Qatar at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG).