Abdallah is a qualified project management professional that hold over 6 years of in-depth industry experience in iconic project developments such as Bee’ah Headquarters designed by Zaha Hadid. He is responsible for a diverse and flexible set of roles that include management, planning, productivity, supervision, and commercial aspects of projects.

Dr. Sabouni is the CEO of Span Management Consulting, a Structural Engineering Professor and Professional Civil Engineer with more than 35 years of academic and professional experience. He holds a PhD degree from Cornell University and a Master’s degree from the George Washington University in Civil engineering. Solution-oriented, with exceptional communication, and organizational development skills and academic leadership roles including twice past university president.

On the professional engineering side, Dr. Sabouni is a seasoned certified Professional Engineer with diverse management background and proven achievements encompassing all facets of engineering project management, design, construction, contracts, claims, and quality assurance. He had assumed the posts of the Building Design Expert, and Technical and Projects Adviser in Abu Dhabi Municipality.

Dr. Sabouni is a registered Professional Engineer in Ontario, Fellow of the American Concrete Institute and the founding president of the ACI-UAE Chapter, Fellow and Life Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and ex-President of the ASCE-UAE Section, and Fellow and chartered construction manager of CIOB, UK. He is the ex-editor of a refereed scientific engineering Journal, the first recipient of the George Winter Award from Cornell University, and the recipient the 10-year Golden Visa for talented persons in the UAE.

Adrian Cole is an Independent Arbitrator, Mediator and Dispute Board member. He is a construction dispute specialist with expertise in energy, real estate and infrastructure development and formerly led King & Spalding's highly rated Middle East Dispute Resolution Practice.

Mr Cole is listed by Who’s Who Legal as one of the top 25 construction dispute resolution lawyers in the World and ranked tier one by Chambers Global and Legal 500. Part of the “Global Elite” in thought leadership, "He's the kind of guy you want with you rather than against you." and is ranked for “his knowledge in arbitration” (Chambers Global). He "stands out as a strong expert in construction-related dispute resolution" (Legal 500).

As arbitrator, Mr Cole has decided over 90 significant and complex construction cases sitting with some of the world’s leading construction arbitrators and is listed by Chambers Global as one of the most in demand arbitrators.

Mr Cole is a member of the Commission on Arbitration and ADR at the ICC and is a task force leader on a project to widen awareness and use of ADR.

Mr Cole has recently been appointed as a Judge in the Court of Cassation, in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Bandar is the General Manager (GM) and a Researcher at the Advanced Manufacturing Technologies Institute (AMTI) at the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST). KACST is both the Saudi Arabian national science agency and its national laboratories. Before being named GM in December 2022, Bandar was the director and a researcher at the National Center for Advanced Materials Technologies (NCAMT) and at the National Center for Building and Construction Technology (NCBCT), contributing leadership skills in the scientific and technical elements of major projects.

Bandar earned a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and Building Technology from King Saud University (KSU) in Riyadh and a Master of Architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) in Los Angeles. His master’s thesis project “New Flexibility and the Architecture of Time” researched the possibility of designing adaptable buildings that evolve over time in response to their users’ needs and requirements. Bandar received his Ph.D. from Virginia Tech in which his research focus and interest is in the area of Automation in Construction.

Prof. Carlos Montaña PhD is a founding faculty and chair of research in the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation DIDI (in collaboration with MIT and Parsons), and an honorary adjunct professor at Queensland University of Technology QUT. He serves as academic, design and innovation strategist and advisor for government and industry, and an entrepreneur in the Middle East. An award-winning design and academic leader, he has 30+ years’ experience in Colombia, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates.

His transdisciplinary research in design, innovation and entrepreneurship focuses on sustainable development, with expertise in biomimicry and design for health. He was program director of ID in the University of Canberra, Assistant Professor of ID in the National University of Singapore, and Adjunct Assistant Professor in Product Design Engineering in EAFIT University in Colombia. Many of his projects, as well as projects by his students, received international design awards, including Braun Prize, Dupont Imagineering and Red Dot, among others.

Cathal is an Director within the Valuation team of CBRE MENA. He specializes in the areas of real estate appraisal and development advisory services where advises Banks, Investment Institutions, Property Development Companies as well as Corporate and Government Entities. Cathal’s remit primarily covers the UAE but he does cover the wider GCC region when required. Since relocating to the UAE he has been involved in a number of significant valuation mandates across the region. The purpose of valuations range from Capital Raising, Securitization, Acquisition, Disposal, Financial Reporting and Expropriation .He also advises clients on how to maximize value and minimize risk within their real estate portfolios.

Prior to moving to the middle east Cathal previously worked in both Dublin and New York. He possesses a number of years professional valuation experience along with several years of financial investment experience gained within State Street Bank. He is a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS) since 2017 and is also a member of the Institute of Bankers.

Education
MEconSc in International Finance, National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG)
BSc (Hons) in Property Studies, Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT)
Diploma in Financial Advice, University College Dublin (UCD)

Dr. Christopher Abraham is a PhD in Business Administration (Design Thinking & Innovation) and has three Post Graduate qualifications in HRM, Business Administration (Marketing), Labor & Administrative Law.

He is a Certified Design Thinker from IDEO/Stanford and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (FCIM), UK. He has thirty-five years’ experience in management consulting, marketing, and management education in India, Singapore and the UAE.

Currently he is the CEO & Head - Dubai campus and Sr. Vice President (Institutional Development)at the S P Jain School of Global Management, a Forbes Top 10, Economist & FT Top 100 ranked Business School, with campuses in Dubai, Singapore, Mumbai and Sydney
Dr. Abraham has been a visiting Professor at many leading universities in Australia, USA, Canada, Singapore and UK. Earlier in Dubai, he headed the Executive MBA Program of XLRI, Jamshedpur, one of Asia’s top business schools.

His areas of competence are Innovation, Design Thinking, Behavioural Design,Neuroscience of Decision Making, Future of Education, Science of Happiness, Leadership, Human Potential, Entrepreneurship, Marketing & Strategy.

A much sought after 3 x TEDx and international keynote speaker, he has successfully presented in numerous global forums and has also conducted many consulting and executive development assignments for global organizations, including The World Bank, The Executive Council (Govt. of Dubai), Emirates Airlines, SEWA (Government of Sharjah), Aramex, DHL, P & G, LG, Reckitt & Benkiser, AW Rostamani (Nissan Auto) etc.

Awards & Recognitions

Twice Awarded “Best CEO in the World” in 2018 & 2019, by Indo – UAE Business & Social Forum

Twice winner of the Education Leadership Award – World Leadership Congress 2015 & 2017

Regularly Interviewed in leading TV & Media Channels like CNBC, Dubai Eye, Dubai TV etc.

Regular News Columns and quotes in leading newspapers like Gulf News, Khaleej Times, The National, Times of India, Economic Times, The Hindu, Mumbai Mirror etc.

Positions & Memberships

Honorary Fellow – Leaders Excellence at Harvard Square, US

Advisor – RTA Innovation Lab, Government of Dubai

Global Advisory Board Member - World CMO Council, US

Member of the Board – The Abrahamic Business Circle

Advisory Board Member – CEO Clubs Worldwide

Senior Advisory Board Member –WASME World Association of SMEs (An UNESCO Initiative)

Senior Advisory Board Member – World Sustainable Business Forum, UK

Director – S P Jain Centre of Excellence for the Science of Happiness

Member of the Governing Board – Gulf Marketing Association

Executive Board Member – CIVITAS DEI Institute of History and Archaeology of Jerusalem, Israel

Member of the Board of Directors – Talents of Endearment

Member of the Board – Joblio, An AI enabled ethical recruitment solutions company, US

Member of the Academic Board – World Masters Academy, Italy

Member of the Advisory Board – Economic Times HR World (ETHRWorld)

Member of the CII-Elite Group (SCM) – Confederation of Indian Industry

Conferred as the Knight of Parte Guelfa, Italy representing India for Ecology & Environment

Following graduation with a Master of Engineering (MEng) in Chemical Engineering, I began my career with Atkins' Nuclear and Power business, providing technical advisory services and managing a wide variety of projects, including new build thermal power generation front end development studies, technical due diligence and nuclear and oil and gas safety cases.

In 2011, I pursued my interest in bioenergy with another consultancy, where I soon led the company's bioenergy team, with responsibility for project delivery, business development and P&L. Projects included feasibility and conceptual design studies for biomass boiler and combined heat and power developments.

In 2013, I returned to Atkins with increased responsibilities, including delivering and managing larger, more complex projects and bids.

In 2018, I joined Atkins' Nuclear and Power business in the Middle East to deliver power and water projects and grow our presence in the region. I am responsible for technical delivery, project management, business management and business development.

I am a chartered chemical engineer and a member of the Institution of Chemical Engineers. I am also a qualified Energy Saving Opportunities Scheme lead assessor.

Atkins' Nuclear and Power business in the Middle East provides high value technical advisory services in relation to nuclear, hydrogen, waste to energy, renewables and conventional power projects, to a wide range of clients, including public sector clients such as Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA), Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar), Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC), Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC), Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects (KAPP), Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP), as well as private developers such as ACWA Power, Marubeni, Engie and others.

David is a dispute resolution specialist in the energy, renewables, marine and construction sectors. He has over 30 years’ of international experience, representing a wide range of clients in these sectors in international arbitration, litigation and mediation. He has practised as an in-house counsel in the energy sector and as a Barrister in London.

David also has extensive experience of regulatory law, including fraud, bribery and corruption, health, safety, and environmental law. He has conducted internal investigations, appeared at Inquests and defended companies and individuals in a wide range of criminal prosecutions, many involving an international element.

Dr. Fadi Aloul is the Dean of the College of Engineering and a Professor of Computer Science & Engineering at the American University of Sharjah (AUS), UAE. He leads a college consisting of an outstanding 85 faculty, 25 lab instructors, 15 administrators, and 2400+ students. The college has seven undergraduate programs, nine master’s programs, and one doctoral program. He previously served as the Computer Science & Engineering Department Head from 2016-2021.

Dr. Aloul holds a PhD and MS degrees in Computer Science & Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA, respectively, and a BS degree in Electrical Engineering summa cum laude from Lawrence Technological University, Michigan, USA. His research and industrial interests are in Cyber Security, Mobile Applications, Teaching Innovation, and Design Optimization. He is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and a Certified Reviewer for the UAE Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA).

Dr. Aloul received a number of prestigious awards including the Global Engineering Deans Council (GEDC) Airbus Engineering Diversity Award, the H.H. Sheikh Khalifa, UAE’s President, Award for Higher Education, the Sheikh Rashid's Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement, the Abdul Hameed Shoman Award for Young Arab Researchers, and the AUS Excellence in Teaching Award. He has 145+ publications and 1 US patent. He is a regular invited speaker and panelist across a number of international conferences related to Cyber Security, AI, Technology, Innovation and Education.

Dr. Jauad El Kharraz is the Executive Director of the Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE), an intergovernmental organization with diplomatic status based in Cairo with 17 Arab countries onboard. Dr. El Kharraz took his office on October 2021 bringing over 20 years of experience in various sustainable energy fields including energy policies, wind and solar technologies, and green hydrogen in addition to water management, desalination, water-energy-food-climate nexus, climate change, and environment.

As the Executive Director, Dr. El Kharraz undertakes the strategic management of RCREEE. He leads RCREEE Secretariat in implementing its strategy aiming to enable and increase the adoption of renewable energies and energy efficiency practices in RCREEE 17 member states. With the region’s great potential, rapid sustainable energy market changes, Dr. El Kharraz is entrusted with tailoring innovative initiatives to deepen Arab-Arab cooperation in sustainable energy fields & to boost our member states’ efforts towards energy transition.

Prior to joining RCREEE, Dr. El Kharraz held the position of Director of Research at the Middle East Desalination Research Center in Oman (2015-2020). Previously, he served as a senior expert, advisor, and evaluator for several international institutions (e.g., European Commission, UN-ESCWA, PRIMA Foundation, EU-GCC Clean Energy Technology Network, KAS-REMENA, Ocean Oasis, COMSTECH Scientific Advisory Council, ENSUS/UM6P University, EMME-CCI Task Force/Cyprus Institute, “French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation”) and member of board of the European Desalination Society, AgreeMed and WEFE4Med Nexus projects and Jovesolides Association (Spain). He is also member of the International Desalination Association, the Mediterranean Water Institute, and Oman Energy Majlis.

He brings over 20 years of experience in various sustainability fields including energy and water policies, desalination, water-energy-food nexus, green hydrogen, climate change. Dr. El Kharraz sustainability career officially started in 1998 as a researcher at the Global Change Unit -University of Valencia. Through his journey, he coordinated, prepared, and contributed to an important portfolio of international programs/projects of millions of euros such as FP5-FP7, H2020, ENPI CBC Med, INCO MED, INCO NGOs, SMAP, LIFE, PRIMA. He carried out projects for national and international donors such as GIZ, SIDA, IsDB, TRC/Oman and USAID apart from private sector companies.

Dr. El Kharraz is a founding member of Nice hub (France) – Global Shapers Community (World Economic Forum), aiming to push young talents from Nice city to develop projects of development for their local community.

He chaired and contributed to the development of an important number of scientific papers, policy briefs, policies, training & mentorship activities, lectures, awards ceremonies, and events (e.g., World Economic Forum, World Water Forum, World Science Forum, World Urban Forum, Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, MENA Europe Future Energy Dialogue, World Hydrogen Summit, Planetary Security Initiative, Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue Conference, International Higher Education Conference, COP26, COP27, etc.) in more than 55 countries.

Dr. El Kharraz is a national of Morocco and France, and a graduate of the University of Abdelmalek Essaadi. Dr. El Kharraz obtained his MSc and PhD degrees in Physics from the Department of Earth Physics and Thermodynamics, University of Valencia, Spain, and a diploma in enterprises management and strategies from SKEMA Business School, France. He is a fluent French, Arabic, Spanish and English speaker.

Manosh is a creative designer and urban futurist. He has an in-depth understanding of the intersection between wellbeing and technology in the cities of tomorrow.

He has worked across the Middle East and North Africa, Asia, Europe and the Caribbean on a range of city changing design projects involving large multi-disciplinary teams that have included designers, economists, engineers, sustainability consultants, and smart city specialists.

He is currently helping implement Dubai’s 2040 spatial plan.

Manosh is a frequent contributor to magazines, radio shows and conferences in the region.

He is an alumnus of the US Department of State International Visitors programme, a UK Chevening scholar and a member of Beta Gamma Sigma.

Mazin’s primary area of practice is construction, covering both contentious and non-contentious work for clients based in the GCC.

Mazin is a Partner in the firm’s Dubai offices where he is a member of the Construction, Engineering and Projects team. Mazin acts for a range of clients primarily based in the GCC in relation to various business sectors including amongst others construction and engineering, industrial manufacturing, general trading, insurance and hospitality. Such clients range from multinational construction companies, manufacturing and technology companies, hotel operators to reputable family business owners as well as high net worth individuals.

Since 2015, Mazin has focused his practice in construction disputes under arbitration. Mazin has acted for clients in high value disputes conducted by the ICC, LCIA, DIFC-LCIA, DIAC and ADCCAC providing all-inclusive legal services. Mazin also works closely with local advocates and litigators on contentious matters before the national courts of the UAE and Bahrain.

Mazin is qualified to appear before Bahrain Courts and is fluent in both English and Arabic.

Paula is Head of Construction Engineering & Projects for the Middle East Region. Based in Bahrain since 2006, she specialises in construction projects throughout the region, in particular Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar
Her extensive experience includes real estate and development, regeneration, infrastructure and utilities, hotels, leisure and tourism, residential, industrial and commercial, education and healthcare, both in the private and public sectors. Paula acts on behalf of government and regulatory clients including Ministry of Works, project employers and developers, lenders and investors, contractors, subcontractors and consultants.

Projects Paula has worked on include Shangri-La Oman, Bahrain National Assembly, Durrat Al Bahrain, Doha Convention Center, Bahrain Bay to include Four Seasons Hotel, Riffa Views, Diyar Al Muharraq, Bahrain Airport, King Abdullah Medical City, Education City Doha, Lusail Doha, Investment Gateway Bahrain and Reef Island. Paula also assisted the Bahrain Ministry of Works in the drafting and publication to market of its first ever Standard Suite of Construction Contracts (2009 Edition) based on FIDIC forms.

Paula is admitted to practise in England and Wales.

Dr. Peiman Kianmehr is the Chair of the Department of Civil Engineering and Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at American University in Dubai (AUD). He accomplished his PhD program at University of Waterloo-Canada in water resources group. His expertise is in environmental engineering and sustainable built environment. Prior to joining AUD, he worked with Environment Canada and he also worked as the director of several dam construction and water transmission projects. During his work at AUD, he has published about 40 journal and conference papers in prestigious journals and conference proceedings. He received several awards including School of Engineering Excellence in Teaching Award and best paper awards from international conferences held in Montreal, Dubai, Zurich and Ottawa.

Dr. Haggar’s 30 years’ experience in Energy and sustainable development Consulting and University teaching. Dr Haggar has been a visiting professor at Washington State University and at University of Idaho, U.S.A. He is presently the professor of Energy and Sustainable Development - Mechanical Engineering Department at the American University in Cairo, Dr. El-Haggar is the president of Egypt Green Building Council since 2012. Egypt GBC is an NGO under the umbrella of Ministry of social solidarity and a member of the world Green Building Council.

Dr. Haggar’s has 28 Academic Honors, grants and awards. Dr. El-Haggar received the outstanding teaching award from AUC in 1995 as well as an Excellence in research and creative endeavours awards in 2009. In 2012, Dr. El-Haggar received Provost Award in recognition of the innovations in Environmental science and engineering as well as distinguished service award of 25 years of services at AUC. In addition, Dr. El-Haggar has 230 Scientific Publications in Environmental, Sustainable Development and Energy Fields, 53 invited presentations, 57 technical report, 17 books, 15 Book chapter.

Client Network
Tier I clients across MENA and APAC Clients include SAUDI ARAMCO, SABIC, S OIL, MOTIVA, SINOPEC, PETRONAS, JXTG Nippon Oil Energy, PERTAMINA, CNPC, Chevron Canada, BASF, DuPont, DEWA, ENOC, Dubai Supreme Council of Energy.

Background
He is the leader of the Firm’s OG&C practice and the Global Lead Partner for Saudi Aramco His extensive international experience includes advising most of the leading NOCs and Supermajors on large scale transformation, PMI and Business Turnaround for energy and infrastructure clients across EMEA, Canada and APAC He serves as an advisory partner to the World Green Economy Organization ( and sits, as advising expert on the World Bank’s Benchmarking Group A citizen of Canada and holder of Golden Visa in UAE.

Previous Career
Consulting Partner, CEO, Board Advisor and Senior Executive with a number of multinational companies including Altus origin, PwC, Harris Telecom, Bank of Jordan Group of Companies, Halliburton, Larsen Toubro, Sapura, SAIC and Citigroup spearheading strategy transformation and growth.

Functional Expertise
His 20 years of functional experience in strategy and business operations, digital transformatio n JV operating models and separation structuring, corporate and performance transformation programs He is recognized for his expertise in designing and delivering multi year cost reduction, capital efficiency and operational excellence programs for IOCS and NOCs in Downstream segments Successfully led four of the largest M&A and IPO readiness support programs, and recently, led an industry game changer Petchem acquisition in MENA.

Recent Project Highlights
Supporting a Major Transformation through Downstream carve out: Helping a major OG&C client company through a comprehensive global carve out of their Downstream business ( global asset base, commercial separation, contract redesign between Upstream and Downstream, IT, etc Transformation spread over a period of 2 years, resulting in a major tax savings ( and performance improvement of more than 340 million.

Refining Capacity revamp OG Downstream: Worked with both JV partners to increase asset refining capacity through multi lot contracting strategy focused on integrating their trading platform and expanded sourcing improving production continuity and competitiveness The project delivered 115 M in savings from procurement initiatives and over 425 million of spending base and 78 M capex savings on a related facilities project.

Developing Business Strategy and SBU Operating Models: Led the comprehensive strategy design and rollout for building a major lubricant business, covering benchmarking against peer group, production configuration and supply chain integration, sales and marketing restructuring Generated a client impact of over 132 M between synergy of integrated adjacent operations and direct margin enhancement.

Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) strategy Upstream O&G: Designed reliability centered asset management approach, asset life cycle, and led the integrated asset management strategy roll out aiming at minimal equipment idling, breakdowns and recycling Operational efficiency for the first year alone surpassed 76% from 52% the year before.

Target Operating Model Transformation for a petrochemical company: Led integrated program management over large scale, multi site, phased delivery implementations, integration, outsourcing under onshore, near shore and offshore delivery models for 37 MM budget, transitions of 900 staff and 13 cross functional teams.

Corporate Transformation for an Integrated Oil Gas Company: Spearheaded four corporate renewal, growth, value enhancement and turnaround strategy development and execution engagements across all phases of the project life cycle (i e Conception through Inception Implementation Operations, to Steady Sate for the 5 SBU client The clients have gained better cash management and ROIC, Cash conversion cycle and “nil dry out”.

Infrastructure and Project Finance. Developing Public Private Partnership Strategy. Leading multicultural and multi-disciplinary teams.

PPP, PSP Transaction Advisory. Structuring complex infrastructure and PPP Deals. Working with PwC in the Middle East, JPMorgan and HSBC in India and KPMG in Ireland. Advised on project finance deals and projects worth more than USD 10bn across power, transport, industrials and advised clients on Project Finance, PPPs, Mergers and Acquisitions, Acquisition financing.

Simon is an International Partner and leads our focus in Asia from our Hong Kong office. Simon is also the Head of Real Estate and Hotels & Hospitality across Asia and the Middle East.
Having spent nearly 15 years in the Middle East, Simon has lived and worked in all three jurisdictions where we have offices; Bahrain, Qatar and Dubai. Simon is now based in Hong Kong but continues to be involved in our Middle East practice.

Simon specialises in real estate. His main areas of expertise are master planned development projects as well as city centre redevelopment, real estate investment, management and finance. Simon is also recognised as an expert in relation to Hotel & Hospitality work – particularly in relation to development, investment and management of hotels – having advised on nearly 50 transactions in the last decade. In addition, Simon regularly advises our Asia and Middle East clients with their outbound investments into the UK in relation to both commercial as well as residential property.

Simon acts for a variety of developers, financial institutions, government and quasi-government entities, sovereign wealth funds and private clients (including Royal Family members) across Asia and the Middle East.

Simon Has been recognised as a leading lawyer by Chambers Global and Legal 500 EMEA consecutively.

Simon is admitted to practise in England and Wales. Simon is also a Registered Foreign Lawyer with the Hong Kong Law Society and is licensed to practice in Dubai with the Legal Affairs Directorate.

Suzannah Newboult is a Partner and Board member of one of the world's largest global law firms, DLA Piper. As a Partner she focuses on resolving international construction and engineering disputes through negotiation, mediation, adjudication and arbitration. She has been based in the Middle East for more than 10 years, working across the GCC. Her disputes span hard infrastructure, construction in the oil and gas sector, social infrastructure and complex engineering world first- type developments.

Suzannah is well known as a thought leader and industry commentator for the construction industry. She is appointed to the Market Advisory Panel Board of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and contributes to the UAE Construction Think Tank. Suzannah is ranked in Chambers & Partners directory, mentioned in Legal 500 and listed in Who's Who Construction and Expert Guides Women in Business Law (Construction).

Ayman Ayad is an experienced Water and Utilities Sector Manager at the European Union Delegation to Egypt, with 17 years of experience in business planning and international development. Thanks to his expertise, the EU Portfolio of Cooperation in Water and Utilities has secured funds from European Financial Institutions worth almost EUR 3.0 Billion under his management. With a PhD in Engineering and degrees in Civil Engineering, Transboundary water resources Management, and strategic planning, Ayman has worked with prestigious institutions, including the European Union Delegation to Egypt, the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, Holding Company for Water and Wastewater, and Mott Macdonald. In addition, his strong relationships with donor agencies make him an invaluable asset in his field.

Dr Bhakti More is a Chairperson & Associate Professor at the School of Design & Architecture, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) Dubai Campus with over 25 years of experience in academia and the design industry. She has pursued her doctoral studies at the School of Built Environment, University of Salford, Manchester, UK and worked as Project Architect in design consultancies. She is currently the coordinator for Manipal Environment and Conservation Students Club which has received consecutive awards for Best Sustainable Green Campus Audit and Best Sustainability Action Project from Environment Agency Abu Dhabi. In her role, she is guiding the MAHE Dubai team for Climate Action Plan for MAHE Dubai for UNFCC, Race to Zero and has led ‘Team Tawazun’ for Solar Decathlon Middle East 2021 for designing net zero homes. The Environment Agency Abu Dhabi awarded Dr Bhakti ‘Best Coordinator’ for commitment in 2015. Dr Bhakti is an ambassador for 'Woman in Construction' Big 5, Dubai, mentor for the Link program for Women Mentorship, Advisory Group for Women in Built Environment (WiBE) and is passionate about encouraging the role of youth towards building a sustainable future. She is currently part of the Advancing Net Zero Volunteering team for Communities and Infrastructure.

Dr Stephen Wilkinson is the Director of Research at the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD. Dr Wilkinson holds a PhD from Imperial College London based on his research on the analysis of the microstructure of complex nanomaterials (UK mudrocks). He has a broad research interests in the fields of sustainability and environmental awareness in practice. He is focused on using research to support industry sustainability objectives.

Based on these interests he has worked on a wide range of projects encompassing contaminated land, micro-biology, tunneling, foundation design, gas flow in porous media, particle analysis and electron microscope analysis.

Professional Summary:
With a career spanning over 2 decades, Dr. Waleed Al Nuaimi is an accomplished multi-industry senior management executive with expertise ranging across strategic planning, project development, management consultation, collaborations and strategic partnerships.

Dr. Waleed is someone who takes a vision and makes it reality through sound strategy development and translate ideas into profitable businesses. His strong presence and adept problem-solving abilities always leave an impact.

Currently, as CEO at Etihad Energy Services, Dubai’s Super ESCO, being a key advocate of green economy and sustainability, he oversees entire company’s operations and plays a pivotal role in organizational development. Accustomed to driving operational efficiency, under his leadership, Etihad has witnessed significant growth and emerged as the market leader in sustainability and energy efficiency industry in the MENA region.

Previously, Dr. Waleed held senior management positions with both public and private sectors and served prestigious entities such as Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Emirates Airlines and ADNOC Distribution. During his time at Ministry of Foreign Affairs, leveraging his strong background in Project Management and Commercial Negotiations, he was instrumental in strategic development and close-out of several landmark deals with various foreign governments.

Dr. Waleed holds a PhD in Project Management from British University in Dubai which goes hand-in-hand with his MBA from Higher College of Technology. Amongst others, he also received certification from PSB Academy Singapore on Productivity Management for Government Officials.

Elie is the Head of Electricity at the Regulatory and Supervisory Bureau, the regulator of Dubai’s electricity, water, and district cooling sectors. He has been with the RSB for 10 years supporting the development and implementation of policies, legislation, strategies, regulations, and programmes.

Elie holds a master’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s in electrical engineering. He has over 22 years of experience in the energy and utilities sector, predominantly through regulatory and consulting work. He has been involved in transformational projects in the region, mainly dealing with independent power producers, renewables, sustainability, demand side management, energy services and energy efficiency, power sector restructuring, and utility digital transformation.

Dr. Ali Ismail works since 2019 as a BIM & Digital Construction expert in Dubai Municipality. He is currently helping implement Dubai BIM Roadmap, developing Dubai BIM standard and managing UAE buildingSMART chapter. He holds a PhD degree in civil engineering from TU Dresden-Germany (TUD). His expertise is in Open BIM and advanced construction project planning using simulation. During his work in TUD- Institute of Construction Informatics (2009-2019), he published about twenty scientific papers in prestigious journals and conference proceedings and received several awards . He joined the judging panels of many regional and international awards in the field of BIM and digital construction.

Peter is a Chartered Surveyor (MRICS) with over 10 years’ experience across the Middle East, Africa, UK and Eastern European real estate markets.

Currently, he is a senior manager in the strategy & product development team at TECOM Group

Prof. Alraouf is an architect, urban designer and planner focusing on research within the domain of theory, criticism and creativity in architecture and urbanism. Alraouf has held permanent and visiting teaching and research positions at regional and international universities. He provides consultancy in numerous projects regionally and internationally and acts as a consultant for international organizations including UN-Habitat, UNESCO, ESCOWA, ICOMOS among others. He published more than 150 journal refereed papers, critical reviews, essays, in addition to books and book chapters. Alraouf serves in editorial boards and acts as a reviewer for international journals and conferences. He has been invited to present his research work at international institutions in over 30 countries. Alraouf is the recipient of several research and teaching awards. In addition to teaching at HBK University in Qatar, Alraouf currently acts as senior advisor for research and development at the Ministry of Municipality in Qatar. He is a board member of the international society for city planners (ISOCARP) and director of Awards and Publication program.

Sandeep has over 23 years of experience in the healthcare industry with rich experience in strategic business consulting, hospital projects, operations & management, and HCIT solutions.

He has managed over 650+ research and consulting projects across MEA and South Asia region in the areas of ; healthcare delivery, medical technology, healthcare IT, biotech & pharma, diagnostics, wellness, extended care, business & financial Sector (Private Equity & IBs)

Sandeep ‘s core strength lies in growth strategies, market entry strategies, geographical expansion, new product launch, detailed business plan & feasibility studies, , business facilitation and partner search, competitive benchmarking, technical , commercial & operational due diligence & M&A support, healthcare IPOs. Sandeep has worked with most of the leading healthcare clients in the region:

Sandeep is responsible for growing the JLL’s healthcare practice , clients relationship management, business development and overseeing the delivery of client assignments across healthcare space.

In his previous assignments Sandeep has worked with Frost & Sullivan, Dubai as Head and Associate Partner of Healthcare practice for MEA and SA region, Televital India, Narayanan Health Bangalore, NU Hospitals Bangalore

Mr. Simon Townsend is a Chartered Surveyor with over 30 years of experience of which 22 years within the GCC and is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (“RICS”). Mr. Townsend brings experience in the implementation of regulation and transparency in real estate activities across the region and has been active in leading and advising multi-sector real estate acquisition and disposals Internationally with transactions of more than US$2bn and advisory assignments across the region on many of the most prominent developments and masterplans.

Through his experience in both advisory and client side, Mr. Townsend has been involved in establishing businesses in new geographies, growing and diversifying existing businesses while managing and leading cross border multi-sector and multi-region teams.

Mr. Townsend notably held directorship and senior leadership positions including as Chief Executive Officer of Ellington Capital (DIFC) Ltd and as a Senior Director at CBRE Middle East within the region. He is currently the Managing Director for a confidential regulated private equity business with a focus on structuring and managing real estate private equity projects globally.

Mr. Townsend holds a bachelors degree in Urban Land Economics from Sheffied Hallam University, UK.

MENA Energy Partners – that she founded in 2011 - specialises in strategic advisory and M&A focused on the energy sector. She is based in the Middle East since 17 years.
Prior to establishing MENA Energy Partners, Ms. Tajer worked in Europe and in the GCC for selected international financial institutions (including Société Générale, ABN AMRO Bank and HSBC), advising and supporting leading companies – notably National Oil Companies (NOCs) and Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) - in their acquisitions, equity and financing transactions in the energy sector.
As Head of Energy and Resources at ABN AMRO Dubai, she was part of the ABN team involved in the innovative US$2bn asset securitization for DEWA (Dubai Electricity and Water Authority), which received the Emerging Market Deal of the Year 2007 Award from International Securitization Review (ISR).
Previously, as Vice President covering the GCC Energy Sector at Société Générale, she worked on various landmark corporate and project financing transactions including the Qatari petrochemicals projects Qatofin and Q-Chem II; Qatari LNG Trains RasGas II/III; the Dolphin project in Abu Dhabi, UAE and the Ijarah facility for the ENOC refinery upgrade in the UAE.
Ms. Tajer holds a double Masters of Science (MS) in Petroleum Economics and Management from the Colorado School of Mines and the French Institute of Petroleum. She also has MS degrees in both International Projects Management from the leading Paris business school ESCP and in Economics and Finance from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques, Paris. Ms Tajer also benefited from Harvard Business School Leadership Program as part of ABN AMRO Middle East senior management.
MENA Energy Partners was awarded the “Best Energy Sector Consultancy Firm” by MEA Markets UAE Business Awards 2021 and “Best Sustainable Energy Advisory 2020 – MENA” by Acquisition International. Ms. Tajer was recognised as the "Most Inspiring Female Leader in Oil & Gas - MENA" in 2017 and the "Most Influential Businesswoman: Oil & Gas - Middle East" in 2016 by Acquisition International.
She is a member of selected organisations such as the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (AIPN), the Dubai Energies Club and the Dubai Business Women Group (DBWG) of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce. She was a Board Member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) for UAE, Northern Emirates, from 2015 to 2017. Ms. Tajer participates as a Speaker or Chairperson in several international conferences such as the Gulf Intelligence 2019 ADIPEC, 2016 UAE Energy Forum, the Tunisian Oil & Gas Summits (2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016) and the LNG Global Congress Asia Pacific in Singapore (2013). She also contributes to publications such as the Arabian Oil & Gas Magazine and MEED (Middle East Economic Digest). Ms. Tajer has been acting as Judge for the MEED Project Awards since 2020.

Stephan Degenhart is an experienced Managing Director at Drees & Sommer, an international real estate consulting firm that specializes in sustainability and digitalization within the built environment globally, Stephan leads the initiatives in the Middle East and Asia Pacific regions.

He has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the field and has been involved in some of the most innovative projects in the industry, such as the first-ever smart building in Berlin, Germany, and the sustainable Cradle project. Stephan is a highly sought-after professional speaker who has delivered captivating and impactful talks at prestigious events, educating and inspiring industry professionals and the general public alike. He applies the principles of sustainability, innovation, and digitalization with unwavering enthusiasm and expert skill in his practice.

Tatiana Antonelli Abella is the Founder and Managing Director of Goumbook, a Social Enterprise established in 2009 and dedicated to raising awareness among the local community on Sustainability and Green Living.

Goumbook is one of the oldest Social Enterprises in the UAE and today it manages different projects such as Give a Ghaf and Trees Matter, regional and global tree planting programs to encourage reforestation and rehabilitation of ecosystems; Drop It - Rethink Plastic campaign to help businesses and individuals reduce single use plastics, and SustainableMena, a business directory dedicated to promoting sustainable products and services in the region.

Most recently Goumbook was proud to conceptualise and project manage Dubai Can, a campaign by HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai.

Tatiana sits on the Engage Committee, under Dubai Chamber of Commerce’s umbrella and has been nominated Environmental Ambassador for the Middle East Youth Expo. She also acts as an advisor to events such as Art Dubai or the Emirates Literature Festival to help them be more sustainable. Since 2012 she has been proud to be a judge of the Gulf Capital SME Awards for the ‘Most Sustainable Business of the Year’. In 2020 Tatiana also joined the Advisory Board of the Gulf Sustainability Awards.

In April 2019 Tatiana started Forward Talks, a weekly podcast highlighting leaders and professionals who, through their work, entrepreneurship and commitment, promote positive impact and sustainability in the UAE and beyond.

During her 16 years in the UAE, Tatiana has garnered a strong reputation and she is actively involved in the green arena: in 2021 she was nominated by LinkedIn as a UAE Top Voice in Sustainability.

Considered one of UAE's top environmental influencers, she contributes regularly to media and at conferences in her role as a green business leader in the country.

Abdullatif is the director of Emirates Green Building Council.

Abdullatif is a Chemical Engineer and has an MSC in Energy Studies and has 22+ years of experience in Jordan, UAE and KSA.

Abdullatif also serves as the honorary vice chair and secretary general of the Energy Institute Middle East Branch and judges in number of international and national awards in sustainability, energy, risk and health and safety. Abdullatif is a member in the Industrial Advisory Board of the Engineering and Physics School of Heriot Watt University – Dubai.

Dr. Reem Sabouni is a highly accomplished civil engineer with over 20 years of experience, currently serving as an Associate Professor at Abu Dhabi University (ADU). She has authored several publications in the areas of geotechnical and structural engineering. Additionally, Dr. Sabouni played a pivotal role in establishing the Abu Dhabi University College of Engineering 3D Concrete Printing Research Lab. Dr. Sabouni's influence extends beyond the academic realm, as she actively engages with the professional engineering community. She serves as the President of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) UAE Section and is a founding member and Chair of Women Engineers for the International Federation of Structural Concrete (fib) UAE Chapter. Moreover, she has organized and chaired the highly successful Women in Engineering Forum, now in its fifth round.

Dr. Reem earned her doctorate and master's degree in civil engineering from Western University in Canada. She was the first researcher in North America to conduct extensive testing on circular concrete shafts in a controlled laboratory environment. These tests were conducted at Western University's Large Scale Geotechnical Testing Facility, collaborating with the Ontario Concrete Pipe Association. Dr. Reem is the recipient of several Canadian awards and research scholarships, including the Industrial NSERC Scholarship, the Ontario Graduate Scholarship, the University President Scholarship, and the prestigious Milos Novak Memorial. She also received the Excellence Award from H.H. Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak for first place in the Class of 2002 at the United Arab Emirates University.

Dr. Shetha Al-Zubaidi is the CEO and partner of one of Alfahim Avenue Investment Group companies called Brookson Project Management. She has international experience in UK and the Middle East for full range of development management extending over twenty-nine years. Leading and managing a team that coordinating all issues relating to the design, development & construction activities of major projects.

Dr Shetha successfully delivered several mega structure projects on an international scale, totalling to the value of USD $184bn. Dr. Shetha worked for leading consultancies in UK participating in different projects such as Capita Business Centre in Blackburn. Dr. Shetha worked for UAE leading real estate master developer, Nakheel, participating in different mega structure project such as Palm Jumeirah, Arabian Canal and Palm Deira. Also, she worked with Al-Rajhi Group in two real estate companies in UAE, Tatweer UAQ & Tameer Holding Investment.
Dr. Shetha is a visiting Professor in many international and national institutes. Also, she is a Chief Ambassadors for Women in Construction Forum and Awards. She is holding BSc (Hons) in Civil Engineering, MSc in Environmental Geo-technology and PhD in Civil Engineering from UK.

Dr. Zaid Alyami has extensive industry experience with key focus on business transformation, operations management, asset management and strategy development and execution. Dr. Alyami has progressive experience in public and private agencies in Saudi Arabia and Canada. Dr. Alyami currently is an Advisor at the Ministry of Transportation and Logistics Services, Saudi Arabia where he holds several leadership roles under road affairs key strategic programs including Asset Management transformation program, Operation and Maintenance Excellence & Transformation Programs, and Public Private Partnerships initiatives.

Huda is an experienced urban planning and sustainability professional and is a thought-leader on the topic of sustainable development in Arab cities. Her multidisciplinary academic background and consulting and public sector experience, combining urban planning, environmental science, public health, sustainability and city resilience, and her first-hand experience living and working in the fast-developing cities of the Arab world help her to bring a unique perspective to projects in the region.

Huda holds Bachelor of Science (High Distinction) in Chemistry and Public Health from the American University of Beirut, a Masters of Science in Chemistry from the University of California, Irvine, and a Masters of Science in International Planning from the Bartlett, University College London. She is a Chartered Town Planner, a Chartered Environmentalist and a member of the International Society for City and Regional Planners (ISoCaRP).

Eng. Nawal Alhanaee is currently working as Director of Future energy dept. in Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure - Dubai. She is the deputy head of the happiness and wellbeing team and member innovation team in the ministry.

She was involved in the Municipality affairs and projects since 2003, and she was as the Head of building section in 2006. In addition, she was as the head of building section and building material laboratory in 2008. After that, she was as the Director of project dept. in 2011 and she worked as Director of Engineering & Land dept. & head of building section from 2012 until 2017 and her work experience is 15 years in FM.

She is certified ICF coach and she holds a Public Sector Innovation Diploma from Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation. In addition to that I’m Certified Innovation Strategist (CInS) from GINI and I hold training course for Future Foresight from the Saïd Business School (Oxford Saïd).

She is a PhD candidate in British University of Dubai in the Architecture and Sustainable Built Environment (ASBE) program. She holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from the UAE University and she holds a master’s degree of urban planning from American University of Sharjah. Her area of specialty is Transportation, and she has experience and contributions in making strategic plans and studies for the improvement of public and customer services, managing big projects and environmental protection, as she is one of the core team in Fujairah 2040 master plan.

Paul Pring is Executive Director, Infrastructure at the Diriyah Company, leading the organization’s infrastructure delivery team for its Phase One masterplan development.

Paul has 42 years’ experience managing major international business changes across transportation, power, civil engineering, and construction sectors and successfully delivering major strategic programmes to tight timescales. His work has led him to Africa, Australasia, Canada, East Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Russia, and the US.

Prior to joining Diriyah Company in 2020, Paul was Managing Director of Bittaford Consulting in the UK and Canada, where he led on change and innovation on multiple high profile infrastructure projects. Before that, Paul was Director of Infrastructure, Rail at Babcock International where he was responsible for delivering engineering and telecommunications electrification across railway lines in the UK, including the Southern Region New Trains Program, where construction was completed in 15 months on a live operating railway. He also held various roles over 15 years at Mott McDonald Group, spearheading business growth throughout a variety of sectors.

Paul holds a BSc in Quantity Surveying from Thames Polytechnic and an MA in Building Rehabilitation from the University of Greenwich. He is additionally a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, a Fellow of the Association for Project Management and was one of the first 500 individuals globally to be an accredited Chartered Project Professional.

Rusty Russell is the Senior Director of Mobility for The Red Sea Global, the developer behind the world’s most ambitious regenerative tourism projects, THE RED SEA and AMAALA, both of which aim to offer emission-free electric and hydrogen transport across the entire destinations.

He is an experienced professional with a diverse background in transportation and mobility
event and project management, including almost 25 years of experience in major international mega-event design, planning, multi-million-dollar budget management and full operations delivery.

As an international events leader in transportation and mobility, who has managed challenging environments including three Olympic Games, two World Cups, two Club World Cups, two Special Olympic World Games, the Asian Games, the Asian Cup, multiple Formula One races and numerous other high profile international megaevents, Rusty has successfully trained and managed multicultural teams to ensure superior performance and successful delivery of operations.

After obtaining his degree in Sports Management, Rusty immediately began working in the field of international mega events. Over the course of his career Rusty has traveled to many locations across the globe to strategically plan, lead, consult and operate transportation and mobility for events of various scopes and scales. He was previously the Head of Transport, Traffic and Parking for Expo 2020
Dubai.

With an 18-year experience in the Energy Industry across APAC, Germany, and the UAE, Atique Chaudhry has worked on a multitude of projects ranging from management of complex sales projects, disciplinary leadership programs as well as Market and Competitive Intelligence. Currently, Chaudhry is the Vice President Head of Project Excellence at Siemens Energy leading the enablement of project business within divisions in a coordinated and systematic way to implement best practices for project management, people development projects, and fostering cross-division collaborations and knowledge exchange.

Daniel is a Senior Director and Regional Head of Valuation for CBRE. He has extensive experience within the Middle East region, having been permanently based in Dubai since 2012. He specialises in valuation and development advisory and has undertaken transactional due diligence roles for major corporate transactions in the region.

Daniel brings with him a wealth of experience and business insight gained while working for CBRE and Deloitte in the UK, Middle East and Hong Kong. His Middle East valuation expertise covers the vast majority of asset classes and ranges from single assets to city-scale master-planned schemes.

Relevant previous engagements include:

• Expert Witness for Middle-East REIT arbitration held in the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA). This included:

1. Initial Expert Witness report preparation
2. Rebuttal and Rejoinder production
3. LCIA attendance.

• Valuation and valuation assurance engagements for various Doha-based entities, including Qatari Diar, Mshreib, Qatar Foundation.

Experience

Daniel joined CBRE in March 2018 following ten years at Deloitte where he most recently led their Middle East valuation assurance function, involving annual impairment reviews and speaking at IFRS events, with a particular focus on IFRS 13. Daniel’s wider role included real estate and business valuation engagements, market and financial feasibility studies and project feasibility review and challenge. His previous involvement with wider financial advisory and audit functions provides insight into regional operational businesses, particularly in the tourism hospitality and leisure sectors.

Professional Affiliations / Accreditations

• Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS)
• RICS Registered Valuer
• Registered as a Certified Valuer with the Dubai Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA)

Education

• MSc Real Estate Development and Investment – University of Greenwich, UK
• BSc (hons) Biomedical Science – University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK

David is a chartered Mechanical Engineer, with over 20 years of nuclear and power experience within Atkins, now part of the SNC-Lavalin group.

He has been based in the Middle East since 2012 and has grown the nuclear business to become the largest and most trusted power nuclear advisors across the region.

David’s remit also covers net zero energy, and has been instrumental in some of the regions more complex and first of a kind renewable and hydrogen projects.

Professor Ammar Kaka graduated with an Honours degree in Civil Engineering and a PhD in Construction Management. On completion of his PhD, he joined the University of Liverpool as a faculty member and in 2000, joined Heriot-Watt University as a Professor of Construction Economics and Management. During the years he spent at the Edinburgh campus, he assumed a number of roles including leader of the Construction Management research group and Director of Learning & Teaching.

In 2010 he joined the Heriot-Watt University Dubai campus as the Provost and Vice Principal. Professor Kaka’s contribution to transnational education in general and to Dubai’s education landscape in particular has been immense. With a student population of 4000 and a growing research culture, the Dubai campus is recognised as one of the UK’s leading providers of transnational education.

Professor Kaka has an international reputation for research on the assessment, planning and control of construction projects. Author of more than a hundred research papers, he has held numerous funded research grants with impact demonstrated by the extent of citation and direct industrial application. He is a fellow of RICS, the Conseil International du Bâtimen Lead for the Middle East and North Africa and a member of the editorial boards of a number of international academic journals. He has supervised more than 30 PhD students to completion, many of whom have developed into senior roles in governments, industry, and academia.

With a career spanning over 3 decades, Faisal Al Raisi is an accomplished multi-industry senior management executive with expertise ranging across strategic planning, concept creation, project development, management consultation, collaborations and strategic partnerships .

Faisal is someone who takes a vision, makes it reality through sound strategy development and translate ideas into profitable businesses. His strong presence and adept problem-solving abilities always leave an impact.

Currently, as COO & ACEO at Etihad Energy Services, Dubai’s Super ESCO, being a key advocate of green economy and sustainability, he oversees entire company’s operations and plays a pivotal role in organizational development. Accustomed to driving operational efficiency, under his leadership, Etihad has witnessed significant growth and emerged as the market leader in sustainability and energy efficiency industry in the MENA region.

Previously, Faisal held senior management positions with both public and private sectors and served prestigious entities such as Dubai Holding, Dubai Development Authority and Abu Dhabi Capital Group. During his time at Dubai Holding, leveraging his strong background in Project Management, he was instrumental in strategic development of several landmark projects in Emirate of Dubai.

Faisal holds a Master’s Degree in Project Management from Regis University in Washington D.C. USA. He also received executive leadership certification from Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

When he isn’t working, Faisal is committed to giving back to the community and often directly gets involved in CSR activities which means working closely with young college graduates and nurturing local talent.

Gary is the International and Special Projects Director of Binnies having recently joined the business from Atkins in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where he held the role of Infrastructure Business Unit Director.

He is a Civil Engineer with over 30 years of industry experience covering general business management, project and programme management and operational business leadership and delivery.

His experience has been gained from working as client, consultant and contractor at various career stages both in the UK and overseas markets, starting out in Scotland with MJ Gleeson and spending time working for Scottish Water before gaining significant overseas experience in senior roles for Hyder Consulting and Mott McDonald.

Gary is a champion of collaborative working who has a track record of building teams and expanding business growth in multi sector consultancy businesses.

Lee joined NES Fircroft in 2018 and has worked and lived in the region for 10+ years including Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and most recently Dubai. Lee has dedicated his career for the last 20 years to providing tailored solutions for many global and regional clients involved in CAPEX projects with a focus on the Middle East securing a number client contracts that have led to substantial opportunity and growth.

His day job is working with a growing PMC organisation, PMKConsult in the region and previously Mark was an Executive at 2 major PMC / Engineering companies.

A Civil Engineer with over 30 years’ global experience in construction and engineering, Mark has delivered major construction projects from nuclear to rail and infrastructure to building mega projects. Mark’s current ICE roles involve looking after the interests of the 1000 members registered here in the UAE and the many ICE members resident or seconded into the MEA region.

Mark is Chairman of Darjeeling Cricket Club, the oldest such club in Dubai and a Corporate Representative of the British Business Group, Abu Dhabi. He recently was appointed to the Engineering and Technology Advisory Board of the University of Birmingham. He is a regular contributor to white papers and conferences in the region and for ICE.

The CIOB are the largest and most influential professional body for construction management and leadership. At the CIOB we stand for the science, ethics, and practice of the built environment across the world. Everything we do is to improve the quality of life for those using and creating the built environment.

Matt heads up the Dubai branch of The CIOB and leads the strategy for the MENA region. Matt has been an inspirational influence in the construction industry over the last two and a half years, creating over 100 events for members and partners capturing a global audience of over 20,000 covering approx. 50 countries.

Matt posted the largest membership growth of any region throughout the pandemic and has successfully supported over 200 individuals through to chartered manager status in his time with CIOB. The CIOBs Chartered Manager and Fellow status’ are equivalent to a honours degree and masters in UK. Matt is also responsible for revitalising the CIOBs hub communities across countries and now has over 50 active construction professionals supporting the strategy. This is one of the many ways that the CIOB can influence change in the industry.

Matt is a keen collaborator and has travelled across the region in order to develop strong relationships for CIOB and the industry.

Michael is a projects and construction partner and has been based in the Middle East with Clyde & Co LLP since 1998. During his time in the Gulf Michael has been involved in many of the region's highest profile construction projects and disputes.

Michael is well known for conducting complex construction arbitrations pursuant to the DIAC, LCIA and ICC Rules of Arbitration. He has represented parties in numerous disputes involving variations, extensions of time, early termination and related issues. He has been appointed as a sole arbitrator by the Dubai International Arbitration Centre and is a judge of the Bahrain Court of Cassation assigned to the Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution Court.

In addition to conducting disputes, Michael reviews and drafts conditions of contract and the associated suite of documents for infrastructure and building projects and has extensive experience of the FIDIC Conditions.

Michael is the author of "Construction Law in the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf" (Wiley-Blackwell, 2016), which includes a commentary on the application of the FIDIC Conditions (1999) in the GCC. He has presented papers at various conferences including the Commercial Law Conference in Bahrain for members of the region's judiciary at the invitation of the United States Department of Commerce, the first international conference of the Society of Construction Law as well as the first conference of the Gulf branch of the Society of Construction Law in Dubai.

He is recommended in the top tier of all the leading independent legal directories including Who's Who Legal, Chambers Global and Legal 500.

Pedram is a RIBA Chartered Architect with master’s degree in architecture. He is co-founder of U+A who has set goals and visions for the company to become one of the world’s finest design studios.

Pedram has over 23 years of architectural design experience in hotel & hospitality design, residential housing, high-rise and commercial mixed-use development. He provides an expertise in initiating Project Briefing and Development Strategy, Space Planning, Program Management, Technical Detailing & Project Strategic Management from inception to completion on multitude projects. He has worked in many projects in MENA region including Dubai Towers, Emirates Towers Expansion, Maritime City, Dubai Hills, Creek Harbour Towers, Floating Homes etc.

Being in Dubai, UAE over 20 years gave him a vast knowledge on the region’s culture as well as understanding of developers/clients which resulted to numerous project awards in Dubai and MENA region.

Dr. Peiman Kianmehr is the Chair of the Department of Civil Engineering and Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at American University in Dubai (AUD). He accomplished his PhD program at University of Waterloo-Canada in water resources group. His expertise is in environmental engineering and sustainable built environment. Prior to joining AUD, he worked with Environment Canada and he also worked as the director of several dam construction and water transmission projects.

During his work at AUD, he has published about 40 journal and conference papers in prestigious journals and conference proceedings. He received several awards including School of Engineering Excellence in Teaching Award and best paper awards from international conferences held in Montreal, Dubai, Zurich and Ottawa.

Professor Ammar Kaka graduated with an Honours degree in Civil Engineering and a PhD in Construction Management. On completion of his PhD, he joined the University of Liverpool as a faculty member and in 2000, joined Heriot-Watt University as a Professor of Construction Economics and Management. During the years he spent at the Edinburgh campus, he assumed a number of roles including leader of the Construction Management research group and Director of Learning & Teaching.

In 2010 he joined the Heriot-Watt University Dubai campus as the Provost and Vice Principal. Professor Kaka’s contribution to transnational education in general and to Dubai’s education landscape in particular has been immense. With a student population of 4000 and a growing research culture, the Dubai campus is recognised as one of the UK’s leading providers of transnational education.

Professor Kaka has an international reputation for research on the assessment, planning and control of construction projects. Author of more than a hundred research papers, he has held numerous funded research grants with impact demonstrated by the extent of citation and direct industrial application. He is a fellow of RICS, the Conseil International du Bâtimen Lead for the Middle East and North Africa and a member of the editorial boards of a number of international academic journals. He has supervised more than 30 PhD students to completion, many of whom have developed into senior roles in governments, industry, and academia.

Rob is a business advisor and trusted industry expert with over 30 years’ experience in multiple markets and industrial sectors. Rob has sat on the senior leadership teams and boards of several multinational businesses and had non-executive director roles covering a diverse range of sectors. He has led major growth initiatives and helped businesses transform under PLC, private, and PE ownership environments. He led the RICS’ activities in the AEMEA region and has an intimate grasp of the end-to-end challenges that the built environment sector faces. In his last corporate role as global Chief Growth Officer, Rob was determined to help drive the digital transformation and unpick the technology and data challenges that the built environment sector faces.

He lives in Dubai, UAE, a graduate of Oxford University, still considers himself a competitive sportsman (in mind if not in body!!) and loves drawing parallels between sporting team performance and business team performance.

Rose Armour serves as Head of AUS Sustainability at American University of Sharjah. Rose has led AUS Sustainability in addressing all aspects of sustainability on campus, including community engagement, operational efficiencies, sustainability focused research, and promoting sustainability within the classroom.

Prior to joining AUS, Rose worked in Washington D.C., with the Social Innovation Fund (SIF), an Obama initiative providing grant funding to enable social innovation across America. SIF and its private-sector partners invested over a billion dollars in community programs. Additionally, Rose has worked with the Peace Corps as the Director of Programming and Training in Fiji and as a Program Officer for Small Enterprise Development in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Rose began her career working with rural women’s associations in Morocco. Rose holds a Master of Community and Regional Planning from the University of Oregon and a Bachelor of Arts in Natural Resource Management from the University of Texas at Austin.

Responsible for the EMENA-wide Project business of Grohe/Lixil product solutions to all large-scale construction projects Stefan drives with his team the specification and execution of new-build and renovation projects. The Business Unit Projects is organized in 5 segments - Hospitality, Residential, Healthcare, Commercial and Marine – to deliver a customer focused support and service to the segment specific decision makers and influencers. With Grohe as the leading global brand in the sanitary industry he and his team support hospitality groups like Accor, Hilton or Marriott, Residential developers such as Bonovia, Heimstaden or EMAAR, Marine clients such as MSC and Disney Cruises as well as governmental and educational institutions and healthcare establishment.

Designers and architects are a core clientele that are supported by his team providing across EMENA and globally a support network for the A&D community in design hubs in London, Dubai, Moscow, Milan, NYC, Shanghai and Singapore just to name a view. When designing the bathroom his team, consisting of experienced professionals, help A&D`s to create the desired shower and bathroom experience for each project and every budget, be it for governmental housing or the luxury boutique hotel.

Prior joining Grohe, Stefan was CEO of the KWC Group a faucet manufacturer based in Switzerland with plants in Europe and Asia and previously he was President of the Tiles and Sanitary Ware Division at RAK Ceramics, a global manufacturer of premium ceramic products based in the United Arab Emirates, with $1 billion in annual revenue. Stefan spent nine years at Geberit an international manufacturer of sanitary technology with more than $3 billion in annual revenue. For Geberit he was the Managing Director for South and North East Asia in Singapore, where he led the firm’s expansion in the region. Prior to that he was Managing Director of the Gulf Region based on Dubai, before that spent a year as the Head of Geberit OEM Business, and two years as the Head of Strategic Planning. Before joining Geberit in 2006, Stefan was a Senior Manager at Helbing Management Consulting, and previously held a similar role at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants.

Stefan is a Swiss national with a degree in Business Administration from the University of Bern, Switzerland.

“We are honored and proud of this award as it’s our first MENA Winner even though we have won many National Awards over the last 10 years with MEED. As EPC Contractors this is truly inspirational and motivational to be recognized as Leaders in Quality and not just in delivery.

We live by our moto of “We Deliver” but our core values extend from our CEO and Founder Mr. Hassan Ibrahim who always says “You are leaving behind your footprint for generations to come and we don’t want anyone to speak poorly of our work so do it right or don’t do it at all”

Looking forward to continue doing what we do best and thank you so much MEED for taking the initiative with such awards.”

“This award is a great recognition of the efforts that entire ILF desalination team has undertaken.

We are honored to be awarded for the MEED Mega Project of the year 2022.

This is an inspiration for keep doing our job at best and serve our clients with the same high standards.”

"We're honored winning the 2022 MEED Projects Awards as MENA and National winner in Oil & Gas Project of the Year category and additional winning National Winner in the Mega Project of the Year category. The pride and excitement should be shared with all project stakeholders and partners who are involved in our project's success. Samsung Engineering will keep priortising in providing innovative and quality solutions to our clients, that will benefit them as well as their countries, in order to cherish their local developments."

"We are delighted at Gulf Consult (Kuwait), to have received the New Mercedes-Benz 2S Customer Services Facility; Small Project of the Year National award and for the Social Infrastructure Project of the Year; National and Regional (GCC) awards for the College of Science. MEED in association with Mashreq is a unique platform for firms like ours which have a regional scope, providing solutions to urban requirements and environmental constraints in the Middle East. Our collaborative based practice involves clients, stakeholders, and experts from a wide range of fields from early on in the creative process. The results have been exemplary. The outspoken MEED award winning projects enable the region to strive towards a better future."

“I was delighted to receive the MEED 2022 Project Award for Engineer of the Year. It is a wonderful recognition of the ambition, commitment and effort put in by all those in Robert Bird Group who have contributed to our digital transformation journey over the last few years. It was great to see that the judges recognised the broader role of engineers in encouraging change in the industry; in particular working with clients to find innovative and value-adding solutions using appropriate new technologies, investing in internal processes and training, and communicating to stakeholders and the wider industry about the challenges and opportunities.

The award bolsters my belief that a true engineer does much more than design, and should be a champion for wider professional, societal and moral issues, be a promotor and catalyst for change, an investor in technology, and a believer in people. Thank you MEED Project Awards!”

We are happy to be the national and regional winners of “Hotel Project of the Year” at MEED Projects Award. Masterplanning Habitas Alula Resort (a hidden canyon in-between the mountains), was an exciting project to work on alongside Habitas & AECOM. This award highlights our dedication and showcases the creative solutions we offer. We’re happy to see this project come to life. Looking forward to continue doing what we do best, thank you MEED Projects Awards!

“ We are working with MEED with almost 6 years now and would like to say that The Level of Precise Project information that you get from MEED researcher that hardly any platform offer. MEED is working on Ground intelligence that generate realistic data while we make analysis. We wish Good Luck MEED team to be with future Generation of Data Analysist”

"We are proud and honored to have our project " Rabigh 3 IWP been selected as the overall MENA Winner in the Mega Projects category of this year’s 2022 MEED Projects Awards, in association with Mashreq. It is a great recognition, and we will continue our best effort to operate the project sustainably and deliver more new projects serving the humanity within and outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."