Doha, Qatar, 2 May 2015: Msheireb Properties, a subsidiary of Qatar Foundation and Qatar's leading sustainable developer, has entered into a Partnership agreement with MEEZA, Qatar's leading IT solutions and services provider to provide Msheireb Properties' with a system integrator service.

The deal, signed between Eng. Abdulla Hassan Al-Mehshadi, Chief Executive Officer, Msheireb Properties and Mrs. Ghada P. El-Rassi, Chief Executive Officer of MEEZA, is a strategic step encompassing wide range agreements to create an Integrator environment with the best smart cities solutions at Msheireb Downtown Doha (MDD). Meeza will provide MDD with all information technology, and integrator systems for all design, operation and maintenance processes.

Commenting on the milestone, Eng. Abdulla Hassan Al-Mehshadi, CEO of Msheireb Properties said, "This partnership enables us to achieve all specifications of a smart city as information communication technology ("ICT")  will provides the competitive edge required to create a modern urban community here in Doha within the context of Arab culture and traditions. The MSI will enable Msheireb Properties to provide integrated services, information systems and applications that will connect consumers, retail, and the wider business community while monitoring an exhaustive range of information analytics to provide an intelligent, mobile and secure environment at MDD. This means citizens, residents and guests in Qatar will have the opportunity to experience technology second to none when visiting the world's first downtown urban regeneration project."

He added that, "The undertaking of a project of this magnitude requires a specialised skill set, considerable financial investment, industry experience, strong partnerships, talented individuals, and innovative ideas to bring it to life. We are delighted to have partnered with MEEZA for this critical component of MDD that will truly differentiate it, raising the bar of excellence for similar smart city regeneration projects across the region. We look forward to many more milestones such as this as we continue to be open to new partnerships that will add value to the wider community, delivering cultural, societal, environmental and knowledge wealth to the people of Qatar - for the future of Qatar."

Mrs. Ghada P. El-Rassi, Chief Executive Officer of MEEZA Stated, "This partnership between our esteemed organizations marks the start of a new era in the development of smart cities across the region and beyond. It brings about local domain technology knowledge coupled with leading multi-national partnerships under the umbrella of a Qatari governance framework. The level of sophistication and the vast number of services to be rendered at the residential, commercial and administrative levels form a matrix of interdependencies that will be served best by our unique position as an IT Services Provider and a Systems Integrator" Mrs. El-Rassi continued saying "We are truly delighted to partner with MDD on this landmark achievement which will leave a longstanding impression on the regional and global scale. "

Msheireb Properties' flagship project, Msheireb Downtown Doha, will regenerate and preserve the historical downtown of Doha. A QR20 billion development, it will revive the old commercial heart of the city through a new architectural language that is based on community living, across a 31 hectare (76 acre) site. The Msheireb project will blend traditional Qatari heritage and aesthetics with modern technology, and focus on sustainability and harmony with the environment.

-Ends- 

For further information:
Megan Ballantyne, Bell Pottinger                
Tel. +971 (0)55 559 7392
mballantyne@bell-pottinger.com                                  

About Msheireb Properties
Msheireb Properties is a real estate company and a subsidiary of Qatar Foundation. The company was established as a commercial venture to support the Foundation's aims as well as the realisation of Qatar's 2030 Vision.  

Msheireb Properties' mission is to change the way people think about urban living and improve their overall quality of life, through innovations that encourage social interaction, respect for culture, and greater care for the environment. 

Msheireb Properties spent three years researching Qatari architecture and numerous approaches to urban planning all over the world with the most respected experts in the industry - in order to realise an architectural language rooted in the best of the past that may be preserved for and by future generations. 

The company's name, Msheireb, means 'a place to drink water' and is the historical name of the downtown area of Doha. The company's corporate identity depicts the mouth of a stone well, a feature of traditional Gulf societies, and its distinct ink effect evokes classical Arabic calligraphy. 

Msheireb Properties recently achieved ISO certification from the British Standards Institution for quality (ISO 9001:2008), environmental performance (ISO 14001:2004), and occupational health and safety (BS OHSAS 18001:2007). The company has also earned widespread industry recognition, including at the MIPIM Architectural Review Future Projects Awards in Cannes, France.

About Msheireb Downtown Doha 
The "Msheireb Downtown Doha" (MDD) project aims to create a legacy for sustainable urban development in Qatar by reviving the old commercial district of Doha with a new architectural language that is modern, yet inspired by traditional Qatari heritage and design. The entire development is designed to consume fewer resources, generate less waste, lower costs and achieve a reduced carbon footprint. On completion, MDD will be the world's largest certified sustainable community with over 100 commercial buildings, 900 residential units accommodating more than 2,600 residents and over 10,255 car parking spaces. The 310,000 square meter development can host over 60,000 visitors. All the planned buildings meet the LEED Gold standard for environment performance and some buildings will aim for a Platinum rating. 

About MEEZA:
MEEZA, a Qatar Foundation joint venture, is an established end-to-end Managed IT Services & Solutions Provider based in Qatar with the mission of becoming the leading Managed IT Services & Solutions provider in the Middle East and North Africa. MEEZA is helping accelerate the growth of Qatar and the region through the provision of world-class Managed IT Services and Solutions. Additionally, MEEZA provides the Qatari people and others throughout the region with opportunities to undertake fulfilling careers in the IT industry.

MEEZA is certified for an Integrated Management System of ISO Certifications based on the three standards requirements ISO 9001: 2008 Quality Management System, ISO 27001: 2005 Information Security Management System and ISO 20000-1: 2011 Information technology - Service Management.

MEEZA's offerings include Managed IT services, Data Centre Services, Cloud Services and IT Security Service, MEEZA has three Tier III certified data centres, known as M-VAULTs offering a guaranteed uptime of 99.98% built to comply with the most exacting international standards enabling businesses to benefit from greater efficiencies and reduce risks. MEEZA's State-of-the-art Data Centre M-VAULT 2 is LEED Platinum certified where M-VAULT 3 is LEED Gold certified.

MEEZA has established a centralised Command & Control Centre (C3) that monitors and optimises MEEZA services for clients. Coupled with this facility, MEEZA prides itself with having the first commercial Security Operations Centre (SOC) in Qatar. The SOC enables MEEZA to help its clients mitigate digital and cyber security threats. With a network of interconnected, highly resilient and geographically diverse data centres, MEEZA is uniquely positioned to offer disaster recovery and business continuity services to clients in Qatar and across the gulf region. Aside from these, MEEZA is also becoming a recognised systems integrator and is rapidly establishing its expertise in the area of Smart Cities and internet of Things.

MEEZA offers cost-effective IT solutions and services to help clients focus on their core business and scale rapidly. Delivering best in class IT security levels, MEEZA helps clients minimise business risk, reduce IT capital expenditure and speed up time-to-market for new initiatives.

To find out more, visit: www.meeza.net  

For further information please contact:
MEEZA Marketing Team
T +974 4405 1135
F +974 4405 2000
E: marketing@meeza.net   

© Press Release 2015