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.
“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.”
Husam Gawish is HKA’s Partner & Head of Operations for Saudi Arabia. Husam is responsible for driving HKA’s strategic growth in the Kingdom and takes the lead in developing business opportunities and securing new appointments. He is also responsible for ensuring the technical, strategic, and quality standards and targets of all deliverables are consistently met. Husam is a Chartered Engineer and a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers in the UK.
Husam has 26 years of diverse engineering, claims, project management and business development & marketing experience gained through working on a wide range of global and regional projects across several industry sectors, including infrastructure, power generation, buildings and oil and gas. Husam has a strong technical background and extensive commercial and contractual experience.
Arsanios is a seasoned digital leader with extensive knowledge of all aspects of digital transformation, strategy, and tactical operations. He has special interest in automation research and development to modernize the industry. Arsanios is an expert in building and training digital teams on new methods and enjoys challenging current workflows. He is also a selected speaker for New York Build and other industry forums.
Arsanios founded Singularity AEC to help companies reach their full digital potential. Along with his team at Singularity, Arsanios is pushing technological boundaries by offering unique design technology services and customized tools to the Architecture, Engineering and Construction industry.
Dr Hossam Abdel Gawad is SETS’ VP of Technology and Innovation and an Associate Professor of Traffic and Highway Engineering at Cairo University. He has a PhD in Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) from the University of Toronto and over 20 years of experience in the Middle East, Africa, and North America. He has published over 50 publications in international journals and has focused his career on transport planning and optimization, Intelligent Transport Systems, Artificial Intelligent applications in transportation, smart cities and smart mobility, as well as data-driven innovation in transportation and spatial data management and warehousing.
Dr Hossam Abdel Gawad has worked on a variety of projects that leveraged his deep knowledge on mobility technology, integrated multi-modal mobility, shared mobility systems, smart transport systems, data driven transportation management, as well as micro-mobility & non-motorized Transport. He has worked on numerous projects for clients including the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, City of Toronto, City of Hamilton, Ministry of Transport of Ontario, as well as several in the MENA region and Saudi Arabia, including: RCMC, RCRC, MoTLS, Qiddiya Investment Company, NEOM, Riyadh Municipality.
Faisal leads and oversees our project governance and compliance, project controls, quality management, reporting, project risk management and project management information systems.
He has undertaken both strategic and operational roles over the last 13 years across several industries focusing on planning and development of large-scale projects in the Middle East and North America.
Prior to joining Red Sea Global, Faisal worked with Arcadis within their business advisory practice where he led business transformation projects in the UAE and Qatar. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a major in Finance and Economics from McGill University, Canada.
Varun Kharbanda, Managing Director, Protiviti Member Firm for the Middle East
Varun is Regional Middle East & India Leader for Real Estate, Infrastructure Industry & Capital Projects Advisory Vertical within Protiviti Member Firm. He leads a team of professionals responsible for providing end to end solutions for mega and complex Capital Projects and Programmes from concept to operational stabilization phase across varied range of project portfolios.
He has extensive international experience of 19 years across US, Europe, Middle East, Southeast Asia and India sub-continent in leading Project, Program & Portfolio level engagements with C-suite stakeholders.
Raymond has over 35 years of international experience in Construction and Project Management having worked on multiple Mega Development Projects internationally and within GCC.Most recently and prior to joining New Murabba, Raymond worked as the Executive Director responsible for the logistics, early works, and project side wide infrastructure in Red Sea Project from 2018 to 2023
Prior to that, Raymond successfully led large scale teams in executing the logistics, temporary works, and site infrastructure and external works in Zayed International Airport – Midfield Terminal Contract.
Raymond’s Experience also includes leading multiple Technical Support teams as Head of Construction Support Department in CCC from 2009 to 2012.
Steven Mifsud MBE is a global leader in the field of accessibility establishing accessibility consultancy Direct Access in 2004. Under his leadership, Direct Access has won several international awards including the MEED Editors Award in 2019. Steven has worked on some of the world’s most iconic projects including world expositions, Olympics and UNESCO World Heritage Sites. For Expo 2020 Dubai, Steven was appointed Director of Accessibility responsible for all aspects of access and inclusion during the construction and operation stages of the event. He has led teams working with a diverse range of Saudi projects including Qiddiya, Neom, Ilmi, Diriyah Gate and Seven. In 2021 he was awarded the MBE by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for creating a more accessible world.
Throughout his career Lewis has established a well-rounded understanding of design, construction, and operational requirements. Understanding the impacts across the business and supply-chain has enabled him to better define consistent, efficient, and cost-effective processes and technological solutions as the business or project requires. With experience spanning architectural design, project management, model coordination and BIM strategy, Lewis has developed a strong working knowledge of industry standards, guidance documentation and practical application, with a wealth of experience defining and implementing digital strategy, workflows, processes, standards, supporting documentation and templates within large infrastructure and aviation organisations.
Prior to joining Autodesk, Lewis led the BIM strategy and Asset Information Management team at London Gatwick Airport, and during his time there founded the ‘Connected Airport’ events which is now facilitated by Autodesk. This long-standing focus group now consists of 165+ international airports and was designed to support airport owners looking to advance their capital delivery and campus management with BIM-based workflows. The aim is to provide a greater understanding of how BIM processes and principles from capital projects can integrate and enhance the ongoing Airport facilities management whilst exploring how Airport Digital Twins have a critical role to play.
