This veteran of Qatar’s oil and gas sector was minister of energy and industry between 1993 and 2011, the key years that saw the Gulf state transform itself into the world’s leading exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Al-Attiyah was the main architect of that transformation, overseeing the colossal investment drive that made Qatar one of the world’s richest per capita states. He achieved this by convincing the government to borrow heavily to tap the rich seams of natural gas in its offshore North Field. By 2010, Qatar was producing 77 million tonnes a year of gas, setting the foundation for the country’s emergence onto the global stage.