Aura Lifestyle, a leading player in hospitality, entertainment and retail sectors in Qatar, has appointed Charbel Mhanna as its new chief executive officer (CEO) for the internal divisions Aura Hospitality Food & Services and Aura Entertainment.

Mhanna previously served as the company’s general manager and his promotion to the role of CEO is seen as a move aimed at further accelerating Aura Group’s rapid expansion and growth in the region.

A senior executive with over 25 years of experience across diverse industries including hospitality, leisure and entertainment, Mhanna has been instrumental in conceptualising and creating multiple fine dining brands, leisure and entertainment destinations and hospitality ventures for Aura Hospitality’s divisions.

As CEO, Mhanna will oversee all operational aspects of the business and will be responsible for the formulation and execution of the corporate strategic plan.
A driving force behind Aura Group’s remarkable success and growth over the five years since its inception, Mhanna’s leadership and strategic vision, coupled with his deep understanding of the hospitality and entertainment market, have proved invaluable in helping Aura Group identify and capitalize on emerging trends and expand our portfolio and market presence.

Mhanna said: “Aura Lifestyle is going through an exciting period of growth and development and my immediate priority going forward will be to consolidate the company’s presence in the domestic market by further expanding our hospitality and entertainment portfolio.”

Established in 2012 with the aim of bringing top regional and international food and beverage and entertainment brands to Doha, these two crucial divisions within Aura Lifestyle currently manage some of Qatar’s most popular and highly regarded dining and entertainment concepts such as the award-winning Orient Pearl, Doha’s largest standalone dining venue; the popular coffee bar Mokarabia, which counts three outlets in Doha so far; Debs W Remman, a Lebanese concept currently boasting two branches in Doha and Megapolis, the biggest indoor entertainment center in Qatar, which opened its doors in March 2016.

Following an aggressive expansion path, the company opened 42 new outlets in 2016 alone, bringing an array of exciting new dining concepts to Qatar, located at Mall of Qatar, The Pearl and Ezdan Towers, West Bay. The list includes La Casa Twenty Eight, a casual dining Mediterranean restaurant, Build It Burger, a new burger concept in Megapolis and the Mall of Qatar food court, that offers guests a unique build your own burger experience; Diner Station, a retro diner with a futuristic twist that offers the best of American fusion food; Crepe & More, a new all-day creperie, as well as a new Arabic restaurant – Basta 23, alongside Gelarto Rosa, an artisan ice cream parlour, located in Porto Arabia,  The Pearl. Opened recently at Katara is also the new Al Bisana restaurant, serving authentic Palestinian cuisine.

The group also expanded its entertainment portfolio with the opening of KidzMondo, an international edutainment concept designed to provide a complete solution for children in a unique indoor theme park in Mall of Qatar.

Continuing their expansion momentum in 2017, AURA’s Hospitality and Entertainment divisions are set to open five new outlets in Qatar in the coming two months. The new openings include Jwala, an authentic Indian street food concept; Life with Cacao, a gourmet dessert shop designed as the ultimate haven for chocolate lovers and Ghawetna, an exclusive Qatari coffee shop. - TradeArabia News Service