HEC Paris has awarded Hamad Mubarak Al Hajri, the Founder and CEO of Snoonu, the prestigious 2024 Mercure HEC Award for the Middle East, marking him as the first Gulf entrepreneur to win this honour since 1999. 

This award recognizes Al Hajri's innovative approach to simplifying lives in Qatar through Snoonu, a leading platform that combines all shopping and services into one Super App. 

"This award not only honors my journey but also underscores the innovative potential within the Gulf region to lead at an international level," said Al Hajri. 

"The idea for Snoonu began as a project at HEC Paris, aimed at simplifying and accelerating the lives of people in Qatar by consolidating all shopping and services onto a single platform," explained Al Hajri. “This recognition echoes the ambition and capability of the region's entrepreneurs to make a global impact." 

His time at HEC Paris provided him with deep knowledge of executive leadership and a vast global network, with the alumni program boasting over 65,000 graduates worldwide. 

Despite initial challenges and failures, Al Hajri's resilience paid off. 

"It was a venture started with minimal capital and knowledge, assuming a technical project might need only 100,000 Qatari Riyal and up to five engineers," he recalled. The third iteration of his business idea succeeded beyond expectations, securing over $20 million in investment and growing to a team of 450, including 200 engineers and various specialists in AI and machine learning. 

By 2023, Snoonu achieved a significant milestone, generating one billion Qatari Riyal in revenue, demonstrating the successful transformation of a university capstone project into a major enterprise. This award from HEC Paris celebrates Al Hajri’s entrepreneurial spirit and his substantial contributions to the business landscape in the country and beyond. 

Snoonu’s Founder and CEO is joined by other notable winners from around the world, including Marc Peyrat from France for his innovative medical technology, Renato Giacobbo-Scavo from Italy for advancements in optical engineering, and Naoaki Sakata from Japan for his entrepreneurial achievements in the health sector.

Al Hajri will be honoured at a forthcoming ceremony hosted by the HEC Paris Alumni Middle East chapter, where he will receive the historic Mercure HEC trophy.

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