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.

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.

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 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. 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

“Dr. Maher is a highly accomplished professional and visionary leader with over two decades of dedicated experience in the fields of engineering, academics, management, and sustainability.

Currently serving as the Vice President and Head of Khatib & Alami's Riyadh office, Dr. Maher oversees the operations of Khatib & Alami in Riyadh-KSA, managing a team of around 2,000 employees. In addition, Dr. Maher is the General Manager and Executive Board Member of Khatib & Alami Regional Headquarters in Riyadh. His leadership has been instrumental in successfully delivering several prestigious projects’ awards, establishing Khatib & Alami as a trusted partner for esteemed Clients.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Dr. Maher holds a Ph.D. in Environmental & Water Resources, exemplifying his dedication to advancing knowledge in his field. He serves as a lecturer at Beirut Arab University and the Lebanese University, and also holds a position in the advisory board of the Civil Engineering Department at Beirut Arab University. His expertise spans a unique combination of managerial acumen, technical prowess, and academic distinction, evident through his numerous research contributions and publications in respected international journals.

Dr. Maher has several publications and is actively engaged in seminars and conferences, where he generously shares valuable insights on engineering and sustainability.”

Dr. Sameh Monir El-Sayegh is a Professor of Civil Engineering at the American University of Sharjah (AUS), UAE. He is the Head of the Department of Civil Engineering and the Academic Program Coordinator of the Master of Science in Construction Management (MSCM) program at AUS. Prior to his academic career, he worked as a Project Controls Manager with Consolidated Contractors International Company (CCIC) and the Morganti Group.

Dr. El-Sayegh holds a PhD in Civil Engineering (Construction Engineering and Project Management) and MS in Construction Management degrees from Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA, and a BS degree in Construction Engineering from the American University in Cairo, Egypt. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute (PMI). His research and industrial interests are in Construction and Project Management, Project Delivery, Scheduling and Risk Management.

Dr. El-Sayegh received a number of prestigious awards including the Fulbright Scholarship Award and the AUS Excellence in Teaching Award. He has 75+ research publications in top international reputed project and construction management journals and conferences. He delivered project/construction management training courses to several entities in the UAE.

Elan Habib is the Middle East Regional Director for ICIS, a commodities intelligence firm for the global energy and petrochemical industries.

Prior to ICIS, Elan was the Head of Thought Leadership & Strategic Research at the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA), the industry body that represents the downstream hydrocarbon industry in the GCC. In this capacity, Elan led and defined the strategic direction of GPCA’s thought leadership platform, influencing regional agendas. Elan worked closely with CEOs in the chemical industry and senior government officials on several initiatives, including bilateral trade relations for key chemical exports, the development of the downstream industry, as well as increasing chemical industry competitiveness in the Middle East.

Prior to GPCA, Elan led the Middle East business intelligence for Royal Vopak, a Dutch oil, gas, and chemical terminal company, with headquarters in the Netherlands.

Elan has spent more than a decade working with senior government and industry leaders in the region. Elan worked as a senior strategy consultant at Monitor Group (later Monitor Deloitte), where she advised government leaders in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, and the UAE. Her work focused on defining and implementing national strategic plans, and on issues related to economic development and competitiveness.

Elan is also an author with a track record of publishing articles in leading industry trade press. She is a sought-after expert for media interviews and has been featured on platforms such as Al Arabiya TV, Bloomberg, Oil & Gas Middle East, and MEED Business Review. Her discussions revolve around critical topics such as decarbonization, the energy transition, hydrogen, and downstream petrochemical integration. Her insights and analyses contribute to shaping industry discourse and strategies in these vital areas.

Elan is a Canadian national. She graduated from The University of Western Ontario with a B.A. in Political Science.

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.

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.

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 first recipient of the George Winter Award from Cornell University, and the and the 2023 ASCE Region 10 Distinguished Service Medal award.

Prof. Carlos Montaña PhD is the first foundation faculty in the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation DIDI (in collaboration with MIT and Parsons), and a full professor (adjunct) at Queensland University of Technology QUT. He is an academic, design and innovation strategist, advisor for government and industry, jury of international design awards, speaker, and an entrepreneur currently based 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 Industrial Design in the University of Canberra, Assistant Professor of Industrial Design 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.

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.

Slava Kiryushin is a highly recognised construction dispute specialist in the MENA region having represented clients in multi-billion disputes related to energy, construction and infrastructure projects. His clients include national and international oil & gas companies, refining and petrochemical companies, EPC contractors, and oil & gas service companies.

More about Slava

Slava advises on all complex aspects of construction and oil & gas projects from inception through to completion and on all aspects of dispute avoidance and resolution. He is a solicitor-advocate and frequently advocates on behalf of clients in international arbitration. His recent work includes oil and gas processing facilities, drilling contracts (onshore and offshore), power plants, LNG facilities, refineries, water desalination plants and major railroads.

He has Part II appearance rights (restricted) to appear before the DIFC courts, is a member of most international arbitration bodies, is a founding member of the DMCC Energy Club and is regularly invited to speak at international conferences. Slava is also a certified PRINCE2 and PRINCE2 Agile project manager.

What the market says about Slava

Slava is widely recognised by the industry, as reflected in rankings and awards received:

• Up and Coming Partner in Construction Dispute Resolution (Chambers Global UAE 2024)
• Leading Individual in Oil, Gas & Natural Resources (Legal 500 EMEA UAE 2024).
• Next Generation Partner in Construction (Legal 500 EMEA UAE 2024).
• Expert in both Oil & Gas and Power/Electricity (Who's Who Legal).
• Winner of the "Client Choice 2021" award in Energy and Natural Resources (UAE).
• Asian Legal Business MENA Super 50 lawyer (2022).
• Thomson Reuters Global "Standout Lawyer" (2022).

He is held in high esteem by the industry, as is reflected in client testimonials from recent Legal 500 and Chambers rankings:
"Slava Kiryushin is one of perhaps 3-4 people in the entire Middle East that understands the industry. He has been in the industry for quite some time and speaks the same language." Legal 500 EMEA UAE 2024

"In my 20 years of experience, I’ve not come across a better lawyer than Slava. If there is a technical, commercial issue or dispute in the O&G sector, Slava is the right person. Best person in the industry that we have worked with." Legal 500 EMEA UAE 2024

"Slava Kiryushin is excellent with clients and very knowledgeable of construction projects and disputes throughout MENA, especially in the energy sector. He is very personable." Legal 500 EMEA UAE 2024

"Slava Kiryushin is commercial and pragmatic, he breaks down complex issues into simple decisions." Legal 500 EMEA UAE 2024

"Slava is an outstanding energy lawyer. He has an outstanding commercial awareness of the energy industry and of the motivators driving both sides in complex disputes." Chambers Global UAE 2024

"We enjoy working with Slava. He works in a collaborative manner to bring together inputs from a variety of experts to address complex issues on large-scale infrastructure projects." Chambers Global UAE 2024

"Slava is hands-down the best lawyer we have worked with. Extremely intelligent and user-friendly, with a perfect balance of technical advice and commercial expertise." Chambers Global UAE 2024

"Slava Kiryushin is not just a legal expert, but a true oil and gas powerhouse. He is involved in the most technical aspects of operations and can dissect the drilling reports with ease, as well as understanding the workflow of the most complex production facilities in the oil and gas process." Legal 500

"Slava Kiryushin is the person to go to if you have a complex oil and gas issue. When dealing with drilling programmes, complex EPCs or any form of commercial arrangements, we have not met anyone better suited than him." Legal 500

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).

David is a partner at Clyde & Co and is based in Dubai. He heads the firm’s Energy and Marine practice in the Middle East and Africa and sits on the Clyde & Co Global Board.

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. 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.

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.

Glenn specialises in construction, property and real estate development law. He is a member of the Construction, Engineering and Projects team and head of the Real Estate team in the Dubai office.

Glenn is an Australian lawyer and has been with CRS in the Gulf region since 2014.

His broad experience includes acting for clients in both contentious and non-contentious construction matters.

Over his career, Glenn has been advising employers, developers, contractors, subcontractors and consultants on various projects throughout the GCC, northern Africa, London, Malta and Australia.

Glenn’s practical knowledge of the real estate and construction industry, along with regional experience and expertise in the law, gives him the unique ability to focus on finding practical outcomes and commercial solutions for his clients.

Experience

• Glenn has advised on various construction projects in the Gulf, including large-scale infrastructure projects, rail projects, residential, commercial and mixed-use developments.
• Glenn has been involved in very substantial real estate development transactions, including multiple PPP agreements, drafting and negotiating various development management agreements, acting on the purchase and sale of sports grounds and facilities, advising on various hotel management agreements and large commercial leasing matters – particularly with a development focus.
• Glenn has also advised on community structuring aspects in relation to several large master-planned developments in the region.
• Glenn has in-house experience having worked for a rail operator in Australia and has been on secondment with a Qatari State entity that is undertaking several large developments in the region.
• Glenn’s expertise in construction law includes having undertaken various construction management subjects at a Master’s level, including Project Management, Project Evaluation, Time Scope & Cost and Risk Evaluation & Assessment as well obtaining substantial ‘hands-on’ experience through various senior level secondment appointments.

Memberships

Admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of Victoria and High Court of Australia.

DIFC Part 1 Practitioner.

Registered with the Dubai Legal Affairs Department.

Background & education

Bachelor of Laws (Hons), Victoria University, 2006
Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, College of Law, 2007
Qualified 2006, joined the firm 2014

Leisure

Travelling and cycling

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.

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 at TECOM Group Dubai

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”.

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.

Simon's main areas of expertise are large scale mixed-use development and redevelopment projects, real estate investment (both commercial and residential property) as well as real estate management and finance (conventional and Islamic). Simon also has a significant hotels & hospitality practice.

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 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.

Experience

• Advising Bahrain Marina Development Company, the master developer of a 300,000 sqm mixed-use master planned development known as the Bahrain Marina Development (Project) with a GDV of circa USD 1 billion and comprising retail, residential and hospitality components. We have advised on all real estate and construction related aspects in relation to the Project including the appointment of the Shangri-La as the hotel operator for the iconic anchor hotel component. Our work on the Project was recognized by the Middle East Legal Awards where we were awarded Real Estate Team Of The Year 2019.
• Advising Gulf Hotels Group (a hotel owner and operator listed on the Bahrain stock exchange) with all legal aspects their acquisition of a 270 key hotel in Business Bay, Dubai. This was a key acquisition for Gulf Hotels Group given the size of the property and the fact that this was their first hotel in the UAE.
• Advising a multitude of internationally based private clients in relation to UK property investment. Work has included acting on the sale of two commercial properties in London (2 Lucan Place and 154 Bayswater) as well as UK residential transactions with an estimated cumulative value of over GBP 75m.

Background & education

University of Keele degree in Economics and Politics 1997, College of Law Guildford, England 1998.

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.

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.

With over twenty years industry experience, Andy has worked in various engineering and management roles for both consultants and contractors with a more recent specialization in Building Information Modeling (BIM). Known as a vocal proponent for digital transformation across the construction industry, Andy's latest role as Head of Digital Construction has meant a broader focus on ALEC's digitization with an emphasis on increasing workflow communication and vertical efficiencies.

As the former Head of BIM - Construction Division, Kier Group, Andy's experience enabled him to take a leading role in driving positive industry change, while co-authoring several strategies including "Digital by Default", the Kier Group's Digital Vision and Strategy and Kier's Information Management Function Assignment Matrix, Exchange Information Requirements (EIR) Template and Master Information Delivery Plan (MIDP).

During the same period, Andy also served as the Programme Lead for Kier's ISO 19650 migration as well as being responsible for scoping and maintaining a consistent reporting mechanism for BIM implementation and performance across all construction business units. Under his supervision, Kier Group achieved its Kitemark certification in July 2019, covering construction, infrastructure, highways and design + business services.

Running in parallel to his duties with Kier Group, Andy also served as the Engagement Co-Lead and Executive Team - UK BIM Alliance, where he helped to provide independent leadership and support to the UK's built environment for the adoption of BIM across the industry. As part of his role he engages with professional institutions and trade associations across the UK as part of its Affiliate Programme, which aims to promote the use of BIM as industry standard.

Outside of work, Andy is a keen athlete who enjoys running, strength training, networking and socializing.

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.

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.

Education: M.Sc.Eng. in Building Engineering/Architecture (University of L’Aquila); Ph.D. in Building Engineering/Architecture (University of Pavia).

Pierluigi is part of the Swiss BIPV Research team of SUPSI since ~ 10 years, where is currently senior researcher and responsible for the BIPV Advanced Building Skin Team. He is active in R&D projects, industry developments, pilot constructions and sensitization activities on solar architecture at swiss and international scale. He’s a construction & energy specialist, passionate about the relation between technological innovation, energy and architectural quality. He developed and implemented innovation actions in several multidisciplinary projects focused on BIPV (Building Integrated Photovoltaics) in collaboration with international consortia and partnerships. Prior to that, as architect, project manager and site supervisor he conducted real projects such as "Energy Box", a nearly-zero energy building awarded in the post-earthquake reconstruction in L'Aquila. Pierluigi is member of the expert group of Task 15 IEA-PVPS at the International Energy Agency, and of other scientific and technical committees such as review expert for EUPVSEC and team member of IEC TC82.

Pierluigi is senior researcher and head of BIPV Research team at SUPSI. He’s active in R&D projects, industry developments, pilot constructions and working groups at swiss and international scale. Pierluigi main mission is to enable market implementation, competitiveness and quality of solar architecture, using photovoltaics as a building material. He’s also member of the Task 15 at international Energy Agency.

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 24 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 700+ 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 and life science practice , clients relationship management, business development and overseeing the delivery of client assignments across healthcare and life science 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

Tatiana Antonelli Abella is the Founder and Managing Director of Goumbook, a Social Enterprise established in 2009 dedicated to accelerating Sustainability and Climate Action in the UAE and beyond.

Today Goumbook manages different projects such as Trees Matter, regional and global tree planting programs, to encourage reforestation and rehabilitation of ecosystems; Drop It - Rethink Plastic, to help businesses and individuals reduce single use plastics; Eat It or Save it, to drive awareness about food waste in partnership with UAE Food Bank, and Take a Breath, highlighting the need to monitor and improve indoor air quality, proposing solutions focused on human health, circular economy thinking and nature based approaches.

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.

In November 2023, at COP28, Goumbook launched the MENA Oceans Network in partnership with the UN to accelerate collaboration, partnerships and action for the oceans in the Middle East and North Africa region.

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 18 years in the UAE, Tatiana has garnered a strong reputation: 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. In 2022 she was awarded the Mother Teresa Award for Environmental Stewardship and Excellence.

A highly motivated, result-driven Fire & Life Safety Consultant with over 17 years of experience in all aspects of Fire Protection Engineering, Fire Protection Strategies and Life Safety Code consultancy ensuring compliance with the GCC Fire Code as well as International Codes & Standards such as NFPA, FM, API. Currently leading the team of the best Fire Protection Engineers at Advanced Safety
Solutions (ASSo) Fire Protection Engineering Consultancy.

Responsible for delivering various modules at International College of Engineering & Management Oman. Modules delivered included Fire Inspector I & II, Fire Safety Design in Buildings, Health & Safety Managements, Fire Risk Management.

• Managing & leading team engineers (Fire Protection, Electrical & Mechanical) by providing technical guidance & mentoring to ensure high-quality work & adherence to project schedules & Budgets.
• developing a culture of continual improvement in terms of project delivery to clients and training supporting staff on key actions to implement
• peer reviewing the deliverables to be issues including but not limited to fire protection system design drawings and specifications involving concept development, retrofit, construction-level, and/or new system installations.
• Determining design criteria for fire protection systems for various design/build projects.
• Attending meetings with contractors, owners, and AHJ to review design strategies and documentation.
• Being a technical resource to engineering team in areas of focus with most technical involvement in a peer review capacity.

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.

Basel Tachwali, a seasoned architect, is driven by a passion for design and innovation in construction technology. With extensive expertise in Industry 4.0, Design for Manufacturing & Assembly, Concrete 3D Printing, and Sustainability, he has instrumentally contributed to projects totaling over 300,000 sqm, such as the award-winning The Coastal Village Residence by The Red Sea Global named sustainable project of the year 2020 at Big Projects Middle East and Technology Champion of The Year by Big Project Awards 2021.

Tachwali was awarded and nominated for several prominent prizes throughout his career, and he was named Young Talent of the Year by Design Middle East in 2021, Featured on the Middle East’s Most Influential Architects Powerlist in 2022.

Today, Basel takes up an advisory role as a Construction Technology Specialist at Dubai Municipality, working on paving the way and regulating the use of innovations in the construction industry, and also serves as a member in Architecture School and Center for Research, Innovation, and Design Advisory Boards at the American University in Dubai.

• KAPSARC 2015-present, IHS CERA 2010-2015, Fluor 2006-2010
• MBA, BS Electrical Engineering, BA Philosophy
• Mr. Ward has worked in most aspects of the energy industry from seismic rigs, to refinery design, commercial field development, consulting and strategy work, and now high-impact analysis of issues facing the energy system.
• KAPSARC Oil Market Outlook co-founder
• Carbon/CCUS/Hydrogen projects, including Net-Zero Producers Forum
• Worked in several cross-ecosystem projects including PSI, IES, etc.

“I believe Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) will drive the BIG SHIFT in this century towards a global, cohesive action plan for the climate and biodiversity emergency. For me, reimagining ESG through our Sustainable Legacies framework is key in advising our clients towards climate-smart cities.”

Farah Naz is the director of ESG and innovation for the AECOM Middle East. She is a chartered engineer, a fellow of CIBSE, an award-winning climate strategist, Zayed Inspirer and honored with most influential woman of the year award in 2024.

She authored Middle East region’s first book, on decarbonization, titled “net zero city: 10 year transformational plan for our cities” in 2021 and published a Children’s book on Climate Change titled “ Mission zero”. Her third book titled Intelligent Buildings will be launched in London in November 2024.

Farah has over 20 years’ experience in the built environment, working across four continents and in the UAE, and lead the sustainability for projects like the Museum of the Future, in Dubai, Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi, Bee’ah HQ in Sharjah, Masdar Eco Villa, and the Expo 2020 Terra Sustainability Pavilion, Very recently she lead the Sustainability strategy and Carbon Management for COP28, UAE and ADIPEC Energy event, Abu Dhabi.

Louise Collins leads JLL’s Project & Development Services in the United Arab Emirates, supporting clients on a wide range of projects through development advisory, design solutions, project management, cost management, sustainability services and net zero implementation. This includes projects within the hospitality, residential mixed-use developments, corporate real estate, education and leisure sectors.

She has a wealth of experience that spans more than 22 years’ delivering and leading projects across Europe and the Middle East, as Design Consultant, Client Reviewer, Principal Engineer and Project Manager. Passionate about sustainable projects, she has dedicated most of her career to designing and developing buildings with low energy and water usage and is at the forefront of JLL’s sustainability agenda.

Louise is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer, LEED AP certified and holds an Executive MBA.

Majd is senior strategy expert and award-winning engineer with a track record in assisting NGOs and government organizations in developing innovative and transformational strategies and programs which aimed at advancing decarbonization, energy efficiency, and green building principles in the region.

Currently, Majd leads strategy and policy development related to demand side management, water management, green mobility, and circular economy at the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy. Majd is also director and board member at the newly launched platform, Advancing Net Zero Volunteering Team which aims at accelerating net zero cities in the UAE.

Prior to that, Majd has held several positions including senior energy advisor to the Royal Danish Consulate General in Dubai, technical lead at Emirates Green Building Council and project manager of the National CDM Program for Solar Energy in Lebanon.

Majd was a speaker at 100+ flagship sustainability events in the UAE and region, a jury member of several regional awards programs and lead author of 10 technical publications and industry reports. He was selected to be part of the first cohort of Emerging Board Leaders Fellowship, powered by HSBC which recognizes exceptional Arab and North African men and women under the age of 45 and accelerates their pathway to boardrooms. Majd holds a master’s degree in renewable energy, bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, CEM, LEED AP, and TRUE Advisor credentials.

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 practise 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.

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.

Professional charted engineer with over 20 years’ experience in managing multiple projects, strategic and front end, with a background in facilities management, Oil and Gas industry and Real Estate.

Mechanical Engineer by qualification with MSc in Engineering from Heriot-Watt University (UK) and registered in UK Engineering Council. His is a subject matter expert in corporate real estate and have managed the integrated facilities management contract (IFM) for Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) as key enabler for the company strategy to outsource its non-core business and- at present working to support PDO transitioning strategy to become an energy company.

He is an active member of professional engineering bodies such as Charted Institution of Building Services (UK), Arab Engineering Federation (Egypt) and Gulf Engineering Council (Bahrain). He is key speaker in local and regional conference such as Royal Institution of Charted Surveyors (RICS)

Sandra is a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Royal Society of Arts and the Academy of Urbanism who has lived and worked in the UAE for 30 years. She leads tangramMENA’s design studio who are recognised for the delivery of regional, award-winning social and critical infrastructure projects, and recognised as pioneers in Sustainability and Climate Tech.

Sandra's design approach utilises traditional desert urbanism and building materials used in a contemporary manner, creating contextually climatic responsive designs which incorporate nature based solutions to promote an improved health and wellbeing for the benefit people and planet.

Outside of her professional practice, Sandra engages in writing, publishing, teaching, presenting, and advocating for sustainable design and urbanism across the Middle East region, whilst, working to mentor, sponsor, support and promote women in the industry globally.

With a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and an MBA in Construction and Real Estate, Stephen Board is a distinguished professional in the construction industry. He is a Chartered Quantity Surveyor with the RICS and the CICES, and a Chartered Construction Manager with the CIOB.

Currently, he serves as the Vice Chairman of the CIOB's Abu Dhabi Hub and is the Chairman of the Lighthouse Club Abu Dhabi, a premier construction industry networking organization.

Stephen's international upbringing has greatly influenced his professional and personal outlook. Having lived in Uganda, Kenya, Pakistan, Abu Dhabi, the Philippines, and Cambodia, he developed a broad and inclusive perspective on different cultures and business practices. This diverse background has enriched his ability to navigate complex, multinational projects with ease and cultural sensitivity.

Over his 20-year career in the UAE, Stephen has garnered extensive experience working as a consultant, contractor, subcontractor, and claims consultant. This diverse background has equipped him with a profound understanding of the technical challenges and the contractual and commercial intricacies of large infrastructure projects. His leadership roles and deep industry knowledge make him a respected figure in the field.

Vinod Raghothamarao is currently Director Middle East, Africa and India for GaffneyCline and based out of Dubai. He has 21+ years of work experience across Consulting and C-level Advisory, Research, Knowledge Monetization, Strategy, Technology and Management Consulting, P & L Management, Sales and New Business Development across energy (upstream oil and gas, LNG, midstream,downstream,),energy transition (Hydrogen, CCUS), industrial, EPC and mining sector. I have strong business development, analytical, project management, leadership skills as well as advanced communications skills. I have extensive experience working with a diverse set of executive clients across Asia (including Southeast Asia), USA, Latin America (Brazil), Europe (Spain, France) and the Middle East (GCC, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan) & Africa.

Vinod Raghothamarao is a regular contributor to Middle East and Global Media on energy and energy transition thought leadership articles apart from moderating and chairing panels on energy transition. Hydrogen and jury member of Middle East energy awards for the last few years.

Vinod Raghothamarao has an MBA (Finance & Strategy) from ESADE Business School in Barcelona Spain and an undergraduate degree in Computer Science Engineering from NIT Surathkal,India.

Dr. Georges Kachaamy is the Director of the Center for Research, Innovation, and Design (CRID) at the School of Architecture, Art, and Design, the American University in Dubai. He has served as the chairperson of the Department of Architecture under which the program has received the NAAB Accreditation. He is a professor of architecture, a registered architect, a certified VR Sketch trainer, a GRAVITY SKETCH Certified Trainer, a VictoryXR Certified VR Educator, an associate member of the American Institute of Architects, an affiliated member of the UAE Society of Engineers, and a former member of the Order of Engineers & Architects in Beirut. He was the recipient of the Japanese Government Monbukagakusho Scholarship and received his doctorate from the University of Tokyo in Japan.

As an academician, Dr. Kachaamy’s research interest relates to future and virtual environments, space planning, well-being designs, phenomenological theory in architecture, and evidence-based spatial experiments. He is mostly known for his vision towards futurist architecture that deals with Gravity Defiant Architecture (GDA) a.k.a. Airborne Architecture. He has more than 14+ years of academic experience where he received the American University in Dubai President’s award for teaching excellence, the President's Award for Institutional Effectiveness, the Provost's Award for Creativity in Design and the Visual Arts. In addition, he served on the board of the AIA Middle East Chapter as the Director of Continuing Education.

As a practicing architect, he has over 15 years of experience between Dubai, Tokyo, and Beirut. He worked on different national and international urban and architectural designs. His work spans from universal spaces for meditation to the urban conservation and design studies for cultural heritages and urban developments. His latest contribution was the design of the Executive MBA educational facility on AUD campus.

As an Artist, he has evolved a specific technique that combines automatic art and meditation practices. His artwork is an ongoing and ever-growing compilation of works known by “Unconscious.” The 100+ art pieces have been exhibited internationally in Venice, Dubai, Munich, and London.

Moreover, Dr. Kachaamy has won international prizes from renowned organizations such as the International Union of Architects, UIA (Union Internationale des Architects) and for the past 15 years he has published many articles and has been involved in architectural/artistic talks, and exhibitions. In 2018, 2019, and 2021 he was invited by the European Cultural Center to exhibit his architecture project “Rising Oases” and artwork "Unconscious" at the Palazzo Bembo and Mora in the context of the Venice Biennale. In addition, his works and contributions have featured on major multiple media outlets such as CNN, TIME Magazine, MBC1, Skynews Arabia, Dubai TV, SAMA Dubai, Dezeen Magazine, ArchDaily, ASCE Magazine, Middle East Architect, MTV, and Future TV.

Dr Mustafa Batikha has a PhD in Structural Engineering from Edinburgh University, UK. Dr Batikha was a full-time academic staff member at Damascus University from 1994 until 2015. At Heriot-Watt University (Dubai), Dr Batikha has been an Assistant Professor of Structural Engineering in the Civil Engineering programme since 2015. He has also been the Associate Director of Research for the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure, and Society from 2016 until 2024. Moreover, he is the Founding Editor of the Centre of Excellence in Smart and Sustainable Construction (CES2C) Research Bulletin from 2019 until 2023. Dr Batikha is also a consultant engineer at the Syrian Engineer’s Syndicate of Damascus, a chartered member of the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE), a member of the International Institute for FRP in Construction (IIFC), a member of the national training team at the Syrian Engineers Syndicate and the Teachers’ Syndicate of Damascus. In research, Dr Batikha has guided innovative work individually and through the supervision of research students in different structural engineering fields. Today, he has over 40 research publications in structural engineering, tall buildings, sustainable concrete and 3D concrete printing. Besides, he is a reviewer in highly impact journals.

Award-winning Chartered Project Manager (MCIOB) and accomplished business leader with extensive experience in the UK and Middle East, specializing in project life-cycle management within global consultancy firms. Currently, Kamel leads the pre-contract and post-contract Project Management team for GHD in the UAE. With a strong commercial acumen and in-depth knowledge of project control systems and management tools, Kamel consistently delivers projects on their stated KPI’s.

Kamel has a proven track record in managing diverse projects, from feasibility studies and design to construction and completion, while effectively engaging multiple stakeholders and managing various subcontracts.

As the head of GHD's Project Management Business in the UAE, Kamel oversees a team of 55 employees and is a key member of GHD's Leadership Team in the UAE, representing the Program and Project Management group. He also leads project management training and the development of project managers across the GCC.

In addition, Kamel serves as the Chair of the Abu Dhabi Hub for the Chartered Institution of Building (CIOB), where he mentors fellow professionals towards chartership and leads the committee in providing continuous development opportunities for built environment professionals across the GCC.

Lina Saeed is a distinguished lecturer in quantity surveying and a chartered construction manager with over 9 years of experience in academia and industry. Holding a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in commercial management and quantity surveying, she brings a wealth of expertise to her field.

With years of industry experience in major industrial and oil and gas projects, Lina Saeed has a deep insight of the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities that the construction sector currently faces. Her experience is complemented by her current role as the Vice Chair of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) Hub in Bahrain, where she contributes to enhancing the industry standards and practices within the region by collaborating with major regional policy influencers.

Her academic career aims at equipping and inspiring the next generation of construction professionals to influence positive change in areas of sustainability, construction law and financial management. She is fully committed to enhancing innovation and promoting excellence in the industry.

Throughout my career, I have developed a passion for helping people understand the importance of cultural heritage and architectural conservation. I have also developed a strong understanding of project management, change management, strategy, leadership, and more. My mission in life and career is to help people find their purpose and unlock their full potential. I am a maximizer, and my prime motivation is to see the inner greatness in people and help them maximize all the purpose and significance in life that is already within them.

In Briefing:

• Experienced in cultural heritage and architectural conservation, having worked with the Ministry of Antiquities in Egypt
• Developed a passion for helping people understand the importance of cultural heritage and architectural conservation.
• Proven track record of project management, change management, strategy, leadership, and more.
• My mission in life and career is to help people find their purpose and unlock their full potential.
• Maximizer, motivated to see the inner greatness in people and help them maximize all the purpose and significance in life that is already within them.
• With more than 30 years of experience in architectural preservation and world heritage site management with 250+ Projects
• Collaborated with a team of 1200 in the development of Qatar National Museum Project
• Managed a 25-member cross-functional (product, engineering, sales, support) team and coordinated with six business partners towards the successful launch of an international conference.
• Candidate of several global awards in leadership and professional development.

Prof. Dr. Gisela Löhlein is a renowned academic executive administrator and a professor in architecture and design. Having held senior positions in academia in the USA, China, and the Middle East, where she taught, researched, and supervised students and faculty in the fields of architecture, engineering, and sustainability. Professor Gisela is an active board member of ICCC, where she advocates for sustainability, coordinates scholarship awards, and organizes student design competitions. She is driven by the mission of creating innovative and sustainable solutions for the built environment and the society. Professor Gisela has an extensive international portfolio where she has steered policy alignment, internal quality assurance initiatives, recruitment, retention, and business development serving as advisor to senior leaders, organisations, governments, and universities around the world on capacity building and internalisation bringing innovative and meaningful change to the future of higher education architecture and design.

Roger Wahl, Chief Technology Officer at Innovo Group, excels in transforming companies through people, automation, data, security, and advanced technologies like AI. With 30 years of global tech leadership, he has established high-performing digital and technology teams across diverse regions and sectors. Roger's extensive experience includes key roles in the US Air Force, GE, Genpact, and global E&C firms. Passionate about technology's role in productivity, safety, and sustainability, he actively engages in venture capital and startups, pioneering technologies in the real estate lifecycle. He holds an MBA from Nova Southeastern University.

Reservoir engineer gained her bachelor’s degree from TAMUQ and a Master degree on Women, Society, and Development from College of Humanities & Social Sciences- HBKU. Founder and Vice Chairperson of Qatar Women Engineers Association (QWEA). Advisory Board member for College of Humanities & Social Sciences. Advisory Board for the International Journal of Contemporary Management & Information Technology. Inventor of Carbo-EcoGen System which made the 3rd place on The Omani Innovation Festival 2024. Named by Entrepreneurs Herald as one of the Top 30 Inspiring Women to Look for in 2023. Co-author technical paper ‘Petroleum Engineering and Geoscience Integration’ on International Petroleum Technology Conference, 2014. Presented and published Master thesis paper ‘Qatari Women's Leadership in Oil and Gas Industry ’ on The World Conference for Women Studies, 2020. Presented technical topics globally in University of Boumerdes, Algeria, and University Pertamina, Indonesia. Active community engagement person where she presents to school, arrange for students Engineering camps, and science advocate. Received Engineer of the Year Award-TAMUQ, 2020. Awarded twice for Al-Hasba (second level) and once for Al-Badla (third level) awards. Awarded volunteer from His Highness Shaikh Tamim Bin Hamad for volunteering on 2022 FIFA World Cup. Awarded from Her Highness Shikha Hind Bint Hamad for being active volunteer.

Cheryl is a C-Suite leader with multi-sector experience and more than 25 years working in the education, not-for-profit, retail, real estate, banking, investment and aviation sectors. She has worked across several jurisdictions including UK, Asia, Oceania, Middle East and Africa.

Presently Cheryl is working in the banking sector as the Head of Transformation leading people strategies for growth, change management, culture and technology transformations.

Cheryl has an MBA and Bachelor of Adult Education from the University of New England, Australia. Her professional qualifications include Fellows with the Chartered Management Institute; CIPD UK; Australian Human Resource Institute; Institute of Management & Leaders UK; and Learning and Performance Institute UK.

Cheryl is active in the international and local communities. She is a reputed Adjunct Lecturer and Assessor with the PwC Academy Middle East, an Assessor with the Dubai Quality Group and a Mentor with the Cherie Blair Foundation and Al Ghurair Foundation for Education.

Cheryl is a Panel Judge for the prestigious Emirates Women’s Awards; MEED Gulf SME Awards; CIPD People Awards and Future Workplace Awards.
Cheryl is also an experienced international Board member past and present with several not-for-profit organizations in the sectors of education; people of determination; technology and social impact initiatives.

Cheryl comes from Australia, is married and has one son. She has lived in the UAE since 2005 and is a passionate advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion.

Dr Fawaz is an expert in construction and data transformation, with an architecture background and more than 14 years of professional experience. He holds a PhD in Architecture using BIM for Sustainable Design from University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland. He involved in BIM strategic planning, standardization work process, mapping exchange requirements and defining the role of BIM actors. He also provides support and management to deliver parametric digital collaborative design solutions in a number of mega projects (6 billion US $( such as public and private sectors.

He also has extensive knowledge and experience work with all BIM level of integration from 3D up to 7D. Dr. Fawaz is BIM certified from a BSI and Autodesk and IFC BIM management and OpenBIM. He also participated in a number of conference and symposium over the world as key speaker’s as the following example:

• EC3 European Conference on Computing in Construction, Greece, 2019
• CitA Construction IT l Dublin, 2017 (awarded the best BIM digital design.

BIM based project Sustainability Analysis

When collaborative design revolves around Building Information Models (BIMs), much of data required for project sustainability analysis is already defined by other project stakeholders. Furthermore, and during operation, mechanical equipment such as HVAC and lighting fixtures plays a major role in functional performance, resultant thermal comfort and energy consumption. Monitoring building performance and thermal comfort requires additional representative data about indoor environmental conditions and energy consumption.

The core objective of this innovation presents the data and information needed for integration of BIM with thermal comfort modelling for commercial office spaces. Thermal comfort analysis requires detailed specification of the analysis processes and the data and information that needs to be exchanged to support these processes. To date this work has identified 22 objects with over 800 properties relevant for thermal comfort analysis, for example: Actor, Air Terminal, Space Building Material, Opening Element and Zone etc.

These exchange requirements are essential for realizing data exchange between BIM and BEPS tools for advanced energy performance analysis. These data must first be categorised in a standardised manner. The outputs of this work will contribute to a Model View Definition (MVD) for thermal comfort using the IFC standard.

Dr Harpreet Seth, Associate Professor, is the Head of Architecture and Director of Studies in the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society (EGIS) at Heriot-Watt University Dubai (HWUD). She played an instrumental role in establishing the Architecture programme at HWUD, a RIBA Part 1 candidate course. Her current role is characterized by a strong commitment to a distinctive pedagogy which addresses current and future challenges through design and critical thinking in architectural education internationally and within the MENA region.

Prior to joining HWUD, Harpreet has held several senior academic positions in reputed institutions across the UAE. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK) She steered her own practice in Architecture, Landscape, and Interior Design in Dubai for over a decade before entering the world of academia to fulfill her ambition to meaningfully contribute to teaching and research.

Her research interests continue to be the microcosm of built structures within the macro urban setting that is focused on people and creating more ‘liveable’ environments including:

• New iconism in young cities: A perspective from nascent cities like Dubai
• Cognitive spaces in educational landscape: Understanding potential of un-built spaces
• Innovative learning and teaching approaches in architecture and design
• Creativity as a culture in project-based learning in design
• Sustainability and symbolism in the urban matrix
• Future of the new healthy smart cities
• Soul of Architecture and the unmeasurable in Architecture

Harpreet has won many accolades in recognition for her innovative studio project-based teaching and learning approaches such as the ‘EGIS Graduate Award’ and ‘Learning and Teaching Oscars’ from Heriot-Watt University. She is a senior member of the Council of Architecture (CoA) in India and a founder member of the Association of Professional Interior Designers (APID), UAE.

Harpreet completed her PhD at Wolverhampton University, UK with a specialization in Urban Design and Architecture, and her Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) degree at the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), India. She is an avid sketcher and a founder member of Urban Sketchers Dubai (USD), the Dubai chapter of the International Urban Sketchers. In her free time, she also practices and teaches yoga as a certified instructor of Himalayan Kriya Yoga.

Mohammed S. Al Surf, holder of PhD. in Sustainable and Green Construction. Director of Carbon Department at Tilad Environment. Founder of the Sustainability Professionals in Saudi Arabia Network (SPSA) reaching more than 9000 members. First Saudi to become a USGBC® Faculty, an ISSP® Sustainability Associate and a TRUE® Advisor. LEED® Accredited Professional in BD+C, ENV SP credential and a Green Classroom Professional. Author of the books titled “Sustainable Housing in Saudi Arabia: Opportunities & Challenges” and “10 Steps to Become a Sustainability Professional”.

Member of several local and international professional entities such as the U.S. Green Building Council, the Saudi Council of Engineers (SCE), the Pacific Rim Real-Estate Society (PRRES), Asian Real-Estate Society (AsRES) and Project Management Institute (PMI). Dedicated to applying a systematic approach to Green Construction and Sustainable methods applied on projects in Saudi Arabia to induce quality of life while preserving the depleting supply of natural resources.

Dr. Raida Al-Alawi's career exemplifies a unique blend of academic excellence, industry experience, and dedication to engineering program quality. She holds a Ph.D. in Computational Intelligence, an MSc in Computer Engineering, and a BSc in Electrical Engineering.

Dr. Al-Alawi's academic achievements are complemented by her leadership roles. Currently, she serves as the President of the Bahrain Society of Engineers, shattering a glass ceiling as the first woman to lead the organization in its 50+ year history. Prior to this, she held the prestigious position of Dean of Student Affairs at Ahlia University. Her extensive academic career includes serving as an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at the University of Bahrain (UOB), where she also chaired the Department of Computer Engineering. Notably, Dr. Al-Alawi is the first Bahraini woman to earn a Ph.D. in Engineering.

Beyond academia, Dr. Al-Alawi brings valuable industry experience. She previously served as the Director of Technology Development at BFG International, demonstrating her ability to translate academic knowledge into practical applications.

Dr. Al-Alawi's commitment extends to ensuring high engineering standards. She is actively involved in program accreditation and review, holding positions like Program Evaluator for ABET and Academic Accreditor for the IET. She also serves as a Program Reviewer for various accreditation bodies, including Bahrain Education and Training Quality Authority (BQA) and Oman Academic Accreditation Authority (OAAA). Her membership in the IEEE Committee on Engineering Accreditation Activities further underscores her dedication to quality assurance.

Dr. Al-Alawi actively contributes to knowledge advancement through consultancy projects in Information Technology and by refereeing prestigious international journals in Electronics and Computer Engineering. Her research and teaching interests encompass a broad spectrum of engineering disciplines, including machine learning, embedded systems, and computational intelligence.

Dr. Al-Alawi's impressive trajectory through academia, industry, and program accreditation positions her as a leading figure in engineering, paving the way for future generations.

With 27-years’ experience in architectural and engineering practices – out of which 16 years have been spent in the Middle East – Rick has helped shape some of the region’s leading projects. These include the Bahrain National Theatre, Diriyah Gate Development Authority’s Diriyah Square and the revisioning of King Abdullah Financial District. His involvement spans from business leadership and strategy planning to P&L management and operations. He is known within the industry for building strong teams who deliver results.

Rick is currently leading the Mott MacDonald business in KSA on all aspects of operations, strategy and growth. Rick is also appointed as Chair of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) Saudi Arabia Hub and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building (FCIOB) and an associate member of the American Institute of Architects (Assoc. AIA).

Wael Debs is the Former Vice President of the Order of Engineers and Architects - Tripoli (2022) as well Former President of Architects Branch (2019-2022).

He is an Architect Graduated from Alba University With extensive design Experience. His practice involves mainly in Design and management.

Debs holds many design awards and recognitions in Lebanon & gulf. He is Teaching Architecture Studio for Graduate Students in Lebanese University & Balamand University since 2012.

Abdallah is a qualified project management professional with over 8 years of in-depth industry experience on iconic developments, including the Bee’ah Headquarters designed by Zaha Hadid. He is responsible for a diverse and flexible set of roles, including management, planning, productivity, supervision, and the commercial aspects of projects. He is currently working as a Project Manager with Alpago Properties, a high-end luxury developer known for creating exceptional villas on Palm Jumeirah.

Ahmad Awada serves as the Divisional General Manager of Digital Health Transformation & Innovation at Mediclinic Group, leading digital innovation in Mediclinic Middle East. A passionate digital health enthusiast and entrepreneur, Ahmad has launched pivotal initiatives such as MyMediclinic 24x7, Chronic Disease Management, Virtual Clinic, and Care Collaboration Center. He also scaled telemedicine services to 153,000 teleconsultations in 2022. With two decades of experience in digital transformation projects, including ten years in digital health and agile software development, he co-founded Mobile Doctors 24-7 and TruDoc 24x7, and established multiple R&D units to develop telemedicine, telemonitoring, and other digital health systems.

Ahmad has a robust educational background, having studied Innovation in Healthcare at Harvard X, Foundations of Telehealth at Johns Hopkins, and Telehealth Best Practices at UC Davis Health. He also completed Product Management and Analysis at Product School New York and is currently pursuing a Master of eHealth Management at Rome Business School, expected to graduate in April 2024.

Recognized as a Subject Matter Expert for the Joint Commission International's telehealth certification program, Ahmad is an active member of several prestigious organizations, including the International Society for Telemedicine & eHealth, HIMSS Telemedicine and Middle East Communities, and the UAE chapter of PMI.

Dr. Hawileh is Professor of Civil Engineering at the American University of Sharjah. Since joining AUS in 2007, he was able to build a strong and active research focus that has resulted in around 145 journal papers published in well reputed international journals and around 75 papers in conference proceedings. His research interests are primarily focused on strengthening of reinforced concrete structures, computational and analytical modeling, fire resistance, AI and machine learning applications in Civil Engineering, and in the analysis and design of sustainable concrete structures.

Dr. Hawileh received the College of Engineering “Research Excellence Award” for the year 2013-14 and was awarded a scholarship by the Arab Fund Fellowships Program in 2015. He has also been ranked, since 2020, among the top 2% Scientists worldwide in their field based on their career-long citation impact, according to a study published and led by Stanford University researchers.

Ehsan Khoman joined MUFG in 2016 and is the Head of Commodities, ESG and Emerging Markets Research (EMEA), based in DIFC Branch – Dubai, UAE.

Ehsan leads MUFG’s commodities, ESG and emerging markets research. He is known for applying global perspectives to provide easy-to-grasp, research-backed investment outlooks to institutional, corporate and retail clients, policymakers as well as across the bank. He also regularly delivers the bank’s commodities, ESG and emerging markets perspectives to external audiences through a multitude of media platforms.

Ehsan has over fifteen years’ experience in the banking industry and began his career in London for Societe Generale Corporate and Investment Banking (SGCIB) within the Research and Strategy Division.

Ehsan is a British National and has graduated with First Class Honours in BSc Economics in 2004 from the University College London (UK) as well as acquiring a Distinction in MSc Economics from the University of Warwick (UK) in 2005.

Ehsan is a member of the UK Royal Statistical Society (RSS) and has published with the RSS journal, with a notable co-authored contribution with previous Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) member, Dr Martin Weale CBE.

Ehsan is a skilled horologist, a member of the British Antiquarian Horological Society and has a collection of antique clocks.

Eng. Faisal Al Atel earned his degree in Electrical Engineering from California State University,
Fresno, USA, and a Master of Science in Engineering Management from Sunderland University,
UK. He currently serves as a faculty member at the Public Authority for Applied Education and
Training.

In addition to his government role, Eng. Faisal is actively involved with the Kuwait Society of
Engineers, a non-governmental organization, where he has served in various capacities,
including President since 2017. His commitment to volunteer work extends internationally; he
served as President of the Federation of Arab Engineers in 2020 and is an active National
Member of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations under the auspices of UNESCO.

Locally, Eng. Faisal has made significant contributions to renewable energy technology and has
fostered a culture of teamwork and leadership. With over a decade of teaching experience, he is
dedicated to motivating others and enhancing the quality of life through engineering initiatives
within his community.

BSc Civil Engineering & Master degree in Civil Engineering completed by University of Bahrain.

Working Experience:

1. About 4 years in the Central informatic organization.
2. 30 years in Ministry of Housing, as:
• Engineer
• Head of Estate Management Section
• Chief of Estate Management section
• Chief Quality Management Section.
3. part time lecturer in the University of Bahrain
4. Member in Manama Municipal Council in the kingdom of Bahrain.

Proffisional @Personal Skills:

• Wide experience in the engineering field as a civil engineer, construction works, project manager, maintenance engineer.
• Estate management works
• Material Quality regulations & control
• Volunteer works in Bahrain Society of Engineering, in the training field, treasurer, media etc.

Achievements:

• Awarded the king efficiency honor medal, one of the highest medals in the kingdom of Bahrain.
• Appreciation certificates form Ministry and Bahrain Society of Engineering.

Nicola began her career in Scotland as a Designer before moving into the project management field, relocating to the Middle East 12 years ago.

Nicola joined Summertown as Projects Director with over 20 years’ experience in the construction industry, she has a proven track record of successfully managing multiple projects from design through to delivery, Nicola transitioned over to Commercial Director in June 2021 managing Summertown’s pre-contract team including sales, estimation, and design and now currently heads up the full team as Summertown’s General Manager, her passion still lies in client satisfaction and seeing the finished product on site and thrives on being part of the whole Summertown Team.

As a Mum of 4 day the day to day can be a busy and challenging balancing act, having the right team in place helps to manage the load, prioritising the critical tasks and delegating in the right areas is key to being successful, teamwork is key, both at work and at home, whilst we embrace Diversity at Summertown it can sometimes present it’s own challenges, taking into account the needs of the full team and continually striving to get the best and ensure that everyone feels valued and understands their roles and responsibilities keeps her busy, keeping the team motivated daily is a priority given the general stressful conditions of the Desing, Fit out and Construction Industry, but we get there.

As a women in a predominantly male environment it is important to be confident in her experience and take each day at a time, facing obstacles and dealing with them on a real time basis, Nicola is a big supporter of the next generation, male and female and believes that we as leaders need to lead the way to allow an easier path, she believes that we can really achieve great things by supporting and inspiring others to achieve their full potential.

Samantha’s experiences stems in the corporate realm, spanning various industries and strategic roles. Her expertise encompasses Advertising & Communication, Business Strategy, E-commerce, Startups, Automotive, FMCG, and Food Retail, among others.

Samantha is currently the Strategy & Sustainability Impact Director and also heads the Regenerative Agriculture Venture Programme at Goumbook; aimed at supporting and promoting research, science and nature based solutions in regenerative agriculture practices, a MENAT regionwide initiative.

She has lead a global initiative aimed at fostering startup innovation solutions to address the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and global social and environmental challenges. This initiative, conducted in collaboration with multiple United Nations entities, underscored her commitment to driving positive change on a global scale.

Samantha holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the American University of Beirut. She furthered her academic pursuits with an Executive Masters in Marketing & Sales from ESADE & Bocconi Universities. Additionally, she holds certifications from the “Prince of Wales Business Sustainability Programme” and "Business Sustainability Management" both from Cambridge University and "Leading Sustainable Corporations" from Oxford University's Saïd Business School programme. Samantha is also trained in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) principles, recognizing the importance of integrating sustainability into corporate strategies.

Balancing her corporate experience with a strong passion for sustainability and social enterprise, Samantha firmly believes in the symbiotic relationship between purpose and profit. She advocates for a business approach that enables all stakeholders to thrive, fostering positive outcomes for the economy, society, and the environment.

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.

Abdallah is a qualified project management professional with over 8 years of in-depth industry experience on iconic developments, including the Bee’ah Headquarters designed by Zaha Hadid. He is responsible for a diverse and flexible set of roles, including management, planning, productivity, supervision, and the commercial aspects of projects. He is currently working as a Project Manager with Alpago Properties, a high-end luxury developer known for creating exceptional villas on Palm Jumeirah.

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 first recipient of the George Winter Award from Cornell University, and the and the 2023 ASCE Region 10 Distinguished Service Medal award.

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.

Prof. Carlos Montaña PhD is the first foundation faculty in the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation DIDI (in collaboration with MIT and Parsons), and a full professor (adjunct) at Queensland University of Technology QUT. He is an academic, design and innovation strategist, advisor for government and industry, jury of international design awards, speaker, and an entrepreneur currently based 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 Industrial Design in the University of Canberra, Assistant Professor of Industrial Design 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 partner at Clyde & Co and is based in Dubai. He heads the firm’s Energy and Marine practice in the Middle East and Africa and sits on the Clyde & Co Global Board.

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.

Simon's main areas of expertise are large scale mixed-use development and redevelopment projects, real estate investment (both commercial and residential property) as well as real estate management and finance (conventional and Islamic). Simon also has a significant hotels & hospitality practice.

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 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.

Experience

• Advising Bahrain Marina Development Company, the master developer of a 300,000 sqm mixed-use master planned development known as the Bahrain Marina Development (Project) with a GDV of circa USD 1 billion and comprising retail, residential and hospitality components. We have advised on all real estate and construction related aspects in relation to the Project including the appointment of the Shangri-La as the hotel operator for the iconic anchor hotel component. Our work on the Project was recognized by the Middle East Legal Awards where we were awarded Real Estate Team Of The Year 2019.
• Advising Gulf Hotels Group (a hotel owner and operator listed on the Bahrain stock exchange) with all legal aspects their acquisition of a 270 key hotel in Business Bay, Dubai. This was a key acquisition for Gulf Hotels Group given the size of the property and the fact that this was their first hotel in the UAE.
• Advising a multitude of internationally based private clients in relation to UK property investment. Work has included acting on the sale of two commercial properties in London (2 Lucan Place and 154 Bayswater) as well as UK residential transactions with an estimated cumulative value of over GBP 75m.

Background & education

University of Keele degree in Economics and Politics 1997, College of Law Guildford, England 1998.

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).

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.

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.

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 at TECOM Group Dubai

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 24 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 700+ 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 and life science practice , clients relationship management, business development and overseeing the delivery of client assignments across healthcare and life science 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 dedicated to accelerating Sustainability and Climate Action in the UAE and beyond.

Today Goumbook manages different projects such as Trees Matter, regional and global tree planting programs, to encourage reforestation and rehabilitation of ecosystems; Drop It - Rethink Plastic, to help businesses and individuals reduce single use plastics; Eat It or Save it, to drive awareness about food waste in partnership with UAE Food Bank, and Take a Breath, highlighting the need to monitor and improve indoor air quality, proposing solutions focused on human health, circular economy thinking and nature based approaches.

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.

In November 2023, at COP28, Goumbook launched the MENA Oceans Network in partnership with the UN to accelerate collaboration, partnerships and action for the oceans in the Middle East and North Africa region.

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 18 years in the UAE, Tatiana has garnered a strong reputation: 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. In 2022 she was awarded the Mother Teresa Award for Environmental Stewardship and Excellence.

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.

"Winning these prestigious accolades is a testament to the dedication, expertise, and commitment of The Arab Contractors team in delivering impactful projects that contribute to the region’s development. Upon receiving the news, we felt immense pride and joy. Each project represents months—if not years—of hard work, overcoming challenges, and striving for excellence. These awards validate our efforts and inspire us to continue pushing boundaries in the construction industry.

Winning at the MENA level reinforces our position as a leader in the field, motivating us to maintain the highest standards of quality, innovation, and sustainability. We sincerely appreciate MEED’s recognition and your efforts in organizing these prestigious awards."

“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."

Parsons is honored to be recognized as the MENA Winner for the Development Project of the Year recognizing our contributions in delivering the Seef Lusail Project in Qatar.

We would like to express our thanks to MEED for acknowledging our team's commitment to excellence and innovation in design, as well as our dedication to sustainable and forward-thinking urban development.

This achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our exceptional team who continue to push boundaries, set new standards, and make a positive impact on critical infrastructure in the region.

We are honoured to have received the 2023 MEED Projects Awards as National and MENA region winners under the ‘Water Transmission Project of the Year’ category for the Sohar to Al Dhahirah Water Transmission project for the Sultanate of Oman.

Winning the prestigious awards is a huge achievement for the entire team. It has been an opportunity to celebrate the value of teamwork and to recognise the benefits delivered to the community by this project.  

The success of the project is also testimony to the unwavering efforts of the project stakeholders and partners. Congratulations to NAMA Water Services Oman and well done to the whole team.

“We are glad to be the National and MENA winners of the Road Project of the year for “Shura Bridge & Causeways”. This accomplishment signifies not just success but a testament to our unwavering dedication, expertise, and collaborative spirit. Becoming a winner in this prestigious competition is a validation of our commitment to excellence and innovation, marking a milestone that amplifies our reputation in the construction field. It’s a source of pride and motivation, fueling our passion for delivering exceptional projects and setting new standards in engineering and construction. Congratulations to the Archirodon team for this well-deserved recognition.”

Khatib & Alami was honoured to receive the 2024 MENA Best Development Project of the Year award for the Bulgari Ocean Mansions project.

This amazing project is special and unique—not only for the refinement and elegance of its design but also for the sensitivity of its location, both from an environmental perspective and in terms of its strategic importance to the development. Khatib & Alami felt privileged to be involved as the lead consultant for engineering design and project delivery, bringing continuity of vision and quality throughout the entire process.

I believe the success of this project personifies the partnership approach that Khatib & Alami brings to every delivery, working in close collaboration with a supportive client and contractor. It is the behaviour of our teams, both as individuals and as a group, that is the main differentiator in achieving success. I know that throughout the design, operational delivery, and all the interactions in between, the Khatib & Alami team exemplified this culture.

For that reason, this award celebrates the commitment and excellence demonstrated by this team and all the Khatib & Alami teams who work tirelessly every day to deliver for Dubai and our clients.

Thank you to MEED, the judges, and the organizers.