Mannai Corporation (B): Back from the brink?
Mannai Corporation, one of the oldest and largest private enterprises in Qatar was facing ruin by the end of 2000. A combination of events had led to the company reaching its substantial bank borrowing limits and with interest obligations approaching $1 million a month, Mannai was close to collapse. A consortium of the company’s creditor banks stepped in to assess the situation and attempt to avert a crisis in the Qatar economy. One of their initial priorities was the appointment of a strong CEO and after some persuasion, Keith Higley, an experienced banker who had spent a significant part of his career in the Middle East, accepted the challenge. Higley’s initial mandate when he took over as CEO of Mannai Corporation on 12 March 2001 was two-fold: to keep the company afloat to allow fair values to be obtained for the numerous intended asset disposals and to make an informed decision as to whether a workout was feasible or not. A PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report to the consortium of banks had outlined the options available. Liquidation was the first option, which would prevent any further spiralling of losses but would limit the prices obtained for the assets to be sold. An alternative would be to sell the business as a going concern, but any potential buyer would require a substantial write-off of the Mannai debt. The third option, probably the riskiest, was a workout involving a restructuring of the business. Whatever the banks’ decided regarding the longer-term future of Mannai, Higley needed to tackle some issues immediately.
1999 - 2004
Cranfield University
Wharley End Beds MK43 0JR, UK
Tel +44 (0)1234 750903
Email [email protected]
Harvard Business School Publishing
60 Harvard Way, Boston MA 02163, USA
Tel (800) 545-7685 Tel (617)-783-7600
Fax (617) 783-7666
Email [email protected]
NUCB Business School
1-3-1 Nishiki Naka
Nagoya Aichi, Japan 460-0003
Tel +81 52 20 38 111
Email [email protected]
IMD retains all proprietary interests in its case studies and notes. Without prior written permission, IMD cases and notes may not be reproduced, used, translated, included in books or other publications, distributed in any form or by any means, stored in a database or in other retrieval systems. For additional copyright information related to case studies, please contact Case Services.
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
The shadow banking system is back in the spotlight. Hedge funds and private credit vehicles are huge in size and their ties to banks have deepened to the point that trouble in that market could jolt the wider financial system, regulators are warni...
Family-run companies have unique challenges—balancing family interests with the goals of investors and the company itself. Yet there is not enough clarity on how this affects performance in different countries. We wanted to fill that gap. Our work...
Michel Galeazzi and Felix Ackermann, founding partners of the private equity firm Evoco, sat with the rest of the team pondering the latest strategic issues. Evoco had evolved significantly as a fund manager since its creation in 2012, taking adv...
We examine the predictive power of the net asset value (NAV)/price ratio for the LPX50 index, a key benchmark in the field of listed private equity, using monthly data from 2002 to 2024. A risk factor model reveals the index’s significant exposure...
As the rapid decline in biodiversity exacerbates climate risks and threatens human wellbeing, biodiversity credits are emerging as a promising yet challenging mechanism for mobilizing conservation finance. Some scepticism stems from disappointment...
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
in FamilyBusiness.org 6 October 2025
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
in I by IMD
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
in I by IMD
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
in I by IMD
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
in Journal of Portfolio Management August 2025, vol. 51, no. 9, https://doi.org/10.3905/jpm.2025.1.736
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
in Proceedings of the Royal Society B August 2025, vol. 292, no. 2053, 20250990, https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2025.0990
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications