DOHA: H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani yesterday received the ‘StellaRe Prize,’ a prestigious international award that honours women making fundamental contributions to the improvement of society.
The award recognises her pioneering role and contribution to arts and culture, international development, philanthropy and education in Qatar and abroad.
Sheikha Al Mayassa received the award in Turin from Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo. A number of dignitaries and senior leaders from the world of arts, culture, philanthropy and charity attended the event.
Qatar’s Minister of Economy and Commerce H E Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim Al Thani and Qatar’s Ambassador to Italy Abdulaziz bin Ahmed Al Maliki Al Juhani were present.
The ceremony was introduced by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Co-Director, Exhibitions and Programmes and Director of International Projects at Serpentine Gallery in London, and Patrizia Sandretto re Rebaudengo, Chairman Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo.
The award is presented to an individual every year by the Italian contemporary art foundation, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, in celebration of women making a vital difference to the world around them.
The award reflects the multiple roles that Sheikha Al Mayassa fulfils.
These include her leadership and contribution to dialogue and progress through art as Chairperson of Qatar Museums, her commitment to international development as Chairperson for Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) which aims to improve the quality of primary and secondary education in Asia, and to empowering people through film and new media as Chairperson of the Doha Film Institute.
Sheikha Al Mayassa is also the Chairperson of Qatar Leadership Center, Vice Chairperson of Al Shaqab, a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Qatar Foundation and an Honorary President of Doha Golf Club.
The award celebrates the innovative work, dedication and ideas of leading public figures from a wide range of backgrounds and professions.
Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo established the award in 2006 to bring together a group of women leaders united by their unique identities and roles in public life.
Since it was launched, the StellaRe Prize has been awarded to a range of diverse and talented figures, including Nobel Prize winner Elizabeth Blackburn, for her contribution to medicine; museum director, curator, and author Lisa Phillips for her celebrated contribution to contemporary art and leadership as director of the New Museum in New York; Kazuyo Sejima for her leadership and contribution to architecture and Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi, the Minister of Economy of the United Arab
Emirates and the first woman to take up a governmental position in her country.
The prize itself is an exclusively designed ring, made by the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan which connects the winners of the Prize to the StellaRe Circle — a community of individuals from all walks of life whose connection and support for one another is designed to enhance their contributions to their respective fields.
The Peninsula
