The conglomerate is made up of 55 companies — including one that owns all the McDonald’s outlets in Qatar — and has interests in an array of non-related businesses, including fashion, media and entertainment. It was started by his late father, merchant Saleh Al Hamad Al Mana, who was instrumental in first luring top designer labels out to the Middle East.
Wissam, 41, once said: “My father passed away when I was quite young, and I felt that it was my duty to pick up the flag and to continue the business — and try to continue the legacy and the family name.”
That’s why it was so important for him, after finding his bride, to have an heir to carry on the family business just as he did.