Qatar’s Snoonu Founder Al-Hajri to Lead International Markets at Jahez

Editorial Team

Last updated 25-01-2026

3 min

Hamad Al‑Hajri becomes CEO of International Markets at Jahez, a milestone for Qatar’s tech scene.

The role follows Snoonu’s partnership with Saudi‑listed Jahez, among the region’s biggest tech deals.

Al‑Hajri will drive expansion abroad while Snoonu stays “vital and cherished” within the group.

Leadership changes at Snoonu include an interim CEO and several senior promotions.

The move signals Gulf tech firms “jumping borders” without losing local roots.

Hamad Al‑Hajri, the founder behind Qatar‑born tech platform Snoonu, has taken on a new role as CEO of International Markets at Jahez, a move that underlines how fast the region’s homegrown tech champions are scaling beyond their original borders. It also makes him one of the first Qataris to lead international operations at a global company, which feels like a proper milestone, not just for him but for the wider ecosystem.

The appointment follows the partnership between Snoonu and Saudi‑listed Jahez Group, a deal that was widely seen as one of the country’s biggest tech investments to date. Under the arrangement, Al‑Hajri will steer Jahez’s expansion outside its core markets, while staying closely tied to Snoonu, the brand he founded back in 2019. In comments shared following the announcement, Al‑Hajri said he was proud of what Snoonu had become and stressed that the company remains “a vital and cherished part” of the broader group as it looks outward.

Al‑Hajri is no stranger to building things from scratch. With more than two decades in technology and engineering, he has co‑founded 12 startups and worked across areas like AI, super apps and e‑commerce ecosystems. His academic CV is equally stacked, including an Executive MBA from HEC Paris and leadership programmes at Stanford and Harvard. That mix of local grit and international polish is, I reckon, exactly what Jahez is banking on as it pushes into new markets… expansion is never a walk in the park, after all.

Back at Snoonu, leadership changes are also rolling out to keep the engine humming. Jaime Boy Ispizua, previously chief commercial officer, has stepped in as interim CEO. Several senior promotions followed, with Gabriela Tom named Chief People and Purpose Officer and Rahma Abid taking on the Chief Marketing Officer role. New vice‑presidential appointments span product, cybersecurity, driver platforms and engineering, while two general managers have been brought in to lead fresh ventures that are yet to be announced.

From the Arageek side of things, this kind of moment always hits a nerve. I still remember early conversations with founders in Doha who worried their ideas might never travel far beyond the Corniche. Deals like this prove those doubts wrong. On the flip side, I’m not a fan of hype for hype’s sake — execution will matter far more than titles — but the direction of travel looks spot on.

Snoonu says it will continue building its super‑app model in line with Qatar National Vision 2030, focusing on delivery, commerce and smart services at home while supporting international growth through the Jahez tie‑up. Believe it or not, this could mark the start of more Gulf tech firms jumping borders without losing their local soul. It’s a big step, no doubt, and the region will be watching closely, even if the road ahead gets a bit bumpy and unpredicatble.

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