His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani has served as Special Advisor to the Emir since his appointment in April 2007, and was Prime Minister of Qatar from October 1996 to April 2007. His Highness has served as Chairman of the board of directors of Qatar Investment and Projects Development Holding Company, a Qatari investment group, since March 2011 and as Chairman of the board of directors of Specialized International Services (SIS) Qatar, a business investment company, since October 2011. His Highness graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.