Who is Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, the buyer of Villa Certosa?
A member of the Al Thani family, which has ruled Qatar for over a century and a half, HBJ is extremely wealthy and a leading figure in his country’s politics
Forbes estimates his net worth to be around 5 billion dollars. He was head of the Qatar Investment Authority, one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds, which controls Paris Saint-Germain, the Hotel Gallia in Milan and countless commercial and tourist complexes in Rome, Paris, London and New York. These are just some of the assets owned by Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani (known as HBJ), who purchased Villa Certosa in Porto Rotondo, property formerly owned by Silvio Berlusconi of worth 350 million.
A member of the royal family of Doha, where he was born in 1959, HBJ served as Prime Minister of Qatar from 2007 to 2013, as well as Minister for Foreign Affairs and the driving force behind Qatar’s international outreach. He is the great-grandson of Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, regarded as the founding father of modern Qatar, and second cousin of the current emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, alongside whom he has been pulling the strings of state affairs for more than ten years. He has positioned Qatar as a mediator in international conflicts, in matters concerning Gaza and also in relations with the United States.
Founder of Qatar Airways and the driving force behind acquisitions including Harrods, Volkswagen, penthouses at One Hyde Park and the luxury hotel Connaught. He is married to Sheikha Jawaher bint Fahad Al Thani and Noor bint Abdulaziz Al Subaie, with whom he has 15 children.
