Conference Chairman -Senior Advisor, Energy, Sustainability, ESG and Climate Action
Dr. P.R. Jagannathan is well known in the industry as an expert on Energy, Sustainability and Climate Action and has more than 25 years of professional experience in this domain . He specializes in providing strategic advises on sustainability and climate action and further reinforces by designing and developing bespoke solutions to help stakeholders meet their goals and climate ambitions. As Sustainability Head at Trakhees a Regulatory Authority in Dubai, he designed, developed and administered major Policy tools and Regulations surrounding built environments and has further achieved new heights in driving Energy efficiency, Green building code and Certification within the jurisdiction. He was an active working group member in several strategic programs of Emirate including 2040 Master plan, Dubai Code unification, Building Energy labelling, DSM and Building energy intensity. He further spearheaded the design and development of a bespoke and unique green building rating system. He led Trakhees into winning the prestigious “Emirates Energy Award” of Dubai Supreme Council of Energy.
Director of Studies, Research and Development, Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure
Naseebah Almarzooqi is the director of studies Research and Development in the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure. She received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from UAE University and a Master's degree in Engineering system management from the American University of Sharjah.
With over 20 years of experience in the infrastructure sector, Nassebah's professional focuses are on achieving the UAE vision & National Agenda from a sustainability standpoint. She is leading the development of scientific studies, and research culture is a primary national target. Some of her successfully delivered projects include developing sustainability guidelines for roads and building projects throughout the UAE. Ongoing projects are developing sustainable guidelines for the operation and maintenance stages and developing a sustainable strategy for the inland transport sector. Nassebah is also leading the efforts in establishing the roadmap for Zero Carbon for All (ZCA) in the construction sector and sits as a member of the Global Infrastructure Hub.
Executive Director, Energy Efficiency and Renewables Office, RAK Municipality
Andrea Di Gregorio is the Executive Director at the Energy Efficiency and Renewables Office (Reem) of Ras Al Khaimah Municipality, UAE, with the mandate to support the development of the Emirate towards lower energy intensity and a higher share of renewables in the generation mix.
He has more than 20 years of experience in the energy sector in Europe and the Middle East, where he supported governments, oil & gas majors and leading utilities in the fields of strategy, operations improvement and energy efficiency.
Prior to joining Ras Al Khaimah Municipality, Andrea Di Gregorio supported the activation of the Dubai Demand Side Management strategy as a PMO Director at the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, UAE, and as a Director of Strategy and Continuous Improvement at TAQATI, UAE. Previously, he worked as a strategy consultant at Booz & Company and Oliver Wyman, and as a Business Unit Director at Bertelsmann.
He holds an MSc. summa cum laude in Mechanical Engineering from Politecnico di Milano and an MBA from SDA Bocconi, Milan.
Research Development Section Head, Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure - UAE
Senior Director, Demand Side Management Supreme Council of Energy
Faisal Ali Rashid, U.A.E national, a degree holder of Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Dayton, Ohio university-U.S.A. Also, a certified PMP (Project Management Professional). Earn LSE professional certificate in the area of energy public policy making. Has a wide and solid experience in energy management including supply and demand strategy. Has solid background in process industrial plant including oil & gas, power& water generation process, material handling process, glass manufacturing process. Mr. Rashid has been frequent speaker and active participant at various local and international energy related conferences.
He has published numerous articles and white papers on energy management and sustainability topics.
Current job is energy senior Demand side management director in Dubai Supreme Council of Energy looking after the whole energy demand management spectrum of emirate of Dubai. He has contributed to success of DSM programs and energy efficiency policy structure in Dubai. Served previously in oil and gas industry for 15 years as project division manager / Project Manager, handled mega feed and EPC projects and worked as general manager in glass manufacturing plant for 3 years.
Hon Chairman, Energy Institute - Middle East
Graduated with a Bachelor of Environmental Engineering from the UK Waddah is considered one of the authorities on Governance and Leadership and High Reliability Organisations (HROs). He is the Hon Chairman for the Energy Institute – Middle East and is also the Chairman of the Platform for Connected Leadership (PCL), Dubai, UAE. He also represents the UAE in the International Standards Organisation (ISO) Technical Committee 283 and is Chairman of the UAE National Committee for Occupational Health and Safety (ESMA) and President, Professional Engineering Chapter, UAE Society of Engineers. His publications include various research, practitioner journal and conference papers in addition to 8 internationally published books mainly is Safety Management, Operational Excellence, Reflective Learning, HSE Practitioner Executive Development, Governance and Leadership as well as theology. Two books are currently under development in Managing HSE in Major Projects and another on Sustainability and Directorships. He has also published jointly and edited in 2020 an article with the Harvard Business Review Arabia on the Connected Leadership Framework, and then more recently on Corporate Governance in November 2021.
Economist, United Nations of Office in Abu Dhabi
Dr Raidan AlSaqqaf is the Economist at the United Nations of Office in Abu Dhabi, he has over 18 years of work experience in various capacities, including with the UN-Secretariat, UNDP, International Labour Organization, and the U.S. Agency for International Development. He has life and work experience across the Middle East and North Africa as well as in Geneva and Southeast Asia. His areas of specialty include Human Capital Development, Crisis Management and Mitigation, and Sustainable Development.
Managing Director- MENA, Clean Energy Business Council (CEBC)
Ahmed Samir Elbermbali is the Managing Director of the MENA Clean Energy Business Council (CEBC), a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting clean energy and clean technologies and solutions MENA Region. CEBC provides a platform to further dialogue between the public and private sectors to develop much needed policy and regulation to help drive the implementation of clean energy across the MENA region. Ahmed joined CEBC in 2018 and the youngest Managing Director to hold this position in the history of CEBC.
Partner at Arthur D. Little
Adnan brings extensive experience in consulting, technology and operations and specializes in corporate strategy, growth strategy, diversification and innovation strategy and management. He focuses on new energy (clean technology, renewables, energy storage, hydrogen, etc.) and emerging technology trends including digital technology.
Adnan advises both public and private-sector clients in the Middle East, Europe and South East Asia over the last 11 years. He advises clients on strategy, technology and innovation related matters, navigating through the energy transition and setting up new businesses for sustainable growth. He covers client in the energy domain (Oil & Gas, Power and Water Utilities), aerospace and defense, ministries and large diversified family conglomerates
Prior to joining Arthur D. Little, Adnan worked as a Project Manager / Process Development Manager in the technology sector with Kyocera in Florida USA for more than 8 years. His responsibilities included leading and managing 2 key product lines in ultra high frequency hybrid microcircuits for defense and telecommunication sector,
Adnan holds a MBA from Indian School of Business and a M.S in Materials Science and Engineering from Ohio State University. He also completed his Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from BITS, Pilani
Chief Sustainability Officer Asia, Middle East and Africa Engie
With over 18 years of experience Daxita has established herself as a thought leader and an influencer in the sustainability sector. She is an advocate for environmental protection and climate change with a keen interest in developing real world strategies that balance the economy, society, and the environment. Daxita has leveraged the unique lessons she learned from Africa, Europe, and the Middle East to drive change and improve sustainable growth. Her role as Chief Sustainability Officer at ENGIE AMEA, is aligned to implementing and driving solutions that promotes ENGIE’s Carbon Neutral vision as well as ensuring ENGIE’s active engagement with its local stakeholders and lobbying for climate action.
Partner at Arthur D. Little
Carlo joined Arthur D. Little in September 2005. He is Partner in the Dubai office, heads the Global Waste&Water Competence Center for the Energy, Resources and Environment Practice of Arthur D. Little. Carlo joined Arthur D. Little straight out of University based out of Milan before transferring to Middle East in 2013. During his professional experience Carlo acquired an in-depth expertise in strategy, large scale transformations, governance as well as privatization and PPP topics supporting public and private sector players in the GCC, Europe and Asia. In particular, Carlo has been supporting public sector entities in transforming the waste management sector towards a sustainable/circular, self sustaining, private sector driven performance
Managing Director, The Umbrella Institute
Anne Marie Thodsen is the Managing Director of The Umbrella Institute, a UAE based ESG & Sustainability advisory. The Umbrella Institute is specialized in business behavior and triple bottom line transformation, ESG & Sustainability reporting, and program development. Thodsen’s passion lies in empowering leaders taking action their organizational triple bottom line impact - And advocating the effects of the change to other business leaders.
Thodsen is a serial entrepreneur who has worked in the area of sustainability and corporate responsibility for more than a decade. She has been involved in business transformation at the operational level, as the GM in a Middle Eastern construction company and owner of a green storage facility in Denmark.
Thodsen’s strategy centers around the firm knowledge that companies who share openly and act responsibly, drives greater engagement and ultimately have a more loyal customer base and sustainable income for the long-term.
She is a member of ARISE UAE the business network for the UN Disaster Risk Reduction Network (UNDRR) and Chair of judges at Gulf Sustainability Awards in 2020 and 2021.
Secretary General, Arab Renewable Energy Commission (AREC) and the Vice Chairman of Jordanian Renewable Energy Society (JRES)
Eng. Mohammed Al Ta'ani is the Secretary General of Arab Renewable Energy Commission (AREC)and the Vice Chairman of Jordanian Renewable Energy Society (JRES) & general manager. He is the founder of both JRES & AREC. He was working in the field of Renewable Energy since 1988 (Solar PV &Green Building) as Project manager and researcher and publish more than 25 papers. From 1999-2007 he was the project manager for the Renewable energy in King Abdullah the Second Design & Development Bureau (KADDB). In 2002 he was the Project manager for the Jordanian Solar Car & Zero fossil Fuel House (Eco House for KADDB) Project manager. He was the Vice Director of Energy Center in Jordan University from 2007 until 2008 where he was working as the founder of this center. He was the founder of the Global Net for Renewable Energy in the Desert regions (GNREADER). Also was the Chairman of Renewable energy committee in Jordan Institution for Standards & Metrology, Ambassador of the DONG energy solar challenge events in the middle-east countries (World Cup for Solar Powered Boats). Member in the board of directors of renewable energy center in Philadephia university.
Executive Director, RSB
Graeme Sims is the Executive Director of Dubai’s Electricity and Water Regulator, the RSB. An economist by background, he has over thirty years’ experience of the electricity and water industries gained in the UK and UAE. Graeme was Deputy Director General at the UK’s Office of Electricity Regulation where he was responsible for the electricity industry in Scotland. From there he moved to Abu Dhabi to establish the emirate’s water and electricity regulatory body, acting as its first Director General. On his return to the UK he joined United Utilities, a FTSE100 utility company, serving as its Regulation Director. Graeme is a graduate of Oxford University and began his career with the Boston Consulting Group.
Senior Advisor, Royal Danish Consulate General in Dubai
Majd has created and implemented several top-of-the-line non-governmental sustainability programs, which are aimed at advancing renewable energy, green building and energy efficiency principles in the region. He led several studies on energy efficiency of existing buildings and zero energy buildings which resulted in establishing the first publicly available industry benchmarks for energy and water performance of hotels, schools, and malls in the UAE. He also co-authored a publication which offered the first definition for Nearly Zero Energy Buildings in the MENA which has become the key driver towards driving decarbonisation policies in the UAE green building space.
Currently, Majd serves as a Senior Advisor at the Royal Danish Consulate General in Dubai facilitating collaboration on different areas including energy, sustainability, maritime and decarbonisation. His work covers establishing partnerships between Denmark and the UAE.
Majd holds a Master’s degree in Renewable Energy from Lebanese and Saint Joseph Universities and a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Lebanese University. He also holds a Certified Energy Manager, LEED Accredited Professional (Operations and Maintenance) and TRUE Advisor credentials.
Founder, Smart Cities Council India
A chartered accountant by qualification, Pratap Padode, has specialised in financial research when he set up Corporate & Economic Research Centre in 1986 and developed financial models to evaluate corporate performance. He pioneered equity research in India by launching India’s most successful specialised equity journal. He is the founder of ASAPP Info Global Group and his passion for infrastructure over last 17 years is reflected in the innovative thought leadership through ten specialised magazines, conferences & awards organised in the fields of construction, infrastructure & engineering. Further he is the President of FIRST (Foundation of Infrastructure Research Studies Training) which was set up in 2003, that brings out research reports and newsletters on various infrastructure segments. His research encompasses construction, infrastructure, real estate, economy and finance sectors. He has received the award for his research in the construction sector at CIDC Vishwakarma Awards 2010 at the hands of Dr C Rangarajan, Chairman of Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Committee. Since early 2014 he has been promoting the move to smart, sustainable cities and contributing to Smart Cities Council Partners’ business success through advocacy and action, as the Founder Director of the Smart Cities Council India website
General Manager, Enernouva
Hugo Domingues is the General Manager for EnerNouva/Energie GCC and regional sales representative for Energie® for the Middle East, holding a master’s degree in Business Management, from Catolica Porto Business School – Portugal. Prior coming to the UAE, Hugo Domingues was International Sales Manager in the world’s leading Thermodynamic Solar Products Company, increasing the brand’s presence in the global market. In 2016, he moved to the UAE to setup business and develop the thermodynamic solar system products in middle east markets. Since 2017, this technology started to be implemented in some of the best hotel chains, residential buildings and healthcare in UAE. Since then, the product has been installed successfully in several countries in the region. Passionate about energy efficiency and renewable energy, he is an active member of Clean Energy Business Council (CEBC) since 2016, part of CEBC Energy Efficiency Working Group since 2019, collaborating with municipalities and other government entities to develop green building guidelines, white papers and reports, participating in webinars, seminars and discussion panels on sustainability and climate change.
CEO & Chairman, Neutral Fuels Holdings Ltd
Neutral Fuels was founded by Karl W. Feilder in 2011 when few people in the Middle East believed that climate change was real and even fewer believed that
waste cooking oil could be recycled into biofuel at scale. Ten years later, Neutral Fuels Holdings is based in the Dubai International Finance Centre (DIFC) and is the largest manufacturer and distributor of net zero biofuel in the GCC, having produced more than 13.5 million litres of biofuel in the UAE since inception.
In addition to its UAE biorefineries, the company currently operates in Bahrain, India, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and South Africa
Professor, Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering Sultan Qaboos University
Prof. Al-Jabri obtained his BSc in Civil Engineering from Sultan Qaboos University in 1991 and MSc and PhD degrees from The University of Sheffield, UK in 1993 and 2000, respectively. After obtaining the PhD, he joined the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering as an Assistant Professor and in 2006, he was promoted to an Associate Professor and appointed as the Assistant Dean for Postgraduate Studies and Research in the College of Engineering. In 2011, he was promoted to a Professor and appointed as the Head of the department of Civil and Architectural Engineering until September 2017. He served as member in the State Council of Oman from 2011-2015. He was ranked among World’s top 2% scientists in the field of construction and building published by Stanford University in 2020.
Solaiman Al-Rifai, Programme Director, Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence
Solaiman Al-Rifai is the Programme Director of the Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence. He is an international sustainable development practitioner and senior investment advisor. He has over 18 years of experience, working across the private and public sector managing projects globally. Previously held senior management positions in the United Nations, Banks and the Government of Dubai.
He has an extensive experience in successfully guiding local, national and multi-national organizations with the development and implementation of sustainable business strategies, building and maintaining strong relationships with all stakeholders, and creating programmes that enable effective implementation of the strategies in a manner that is innovative, collaborative and economically viable. Thinking long term and externally in order to shape the organization.
He also provided policy advisory services to the UAE Government and facilitated knowledge building and project development by leveraging the United Nation’s global expertise and resources leading to "transformative" change in the country’s development and the creation of strategic partnerships.
He regularly conducts workshops and participates in thought leadership at conferences and he is an active member on many forums including the UAE Vision 2021 task force.
Founding Partner, Sustainable Mindz
A corporate sustainability strategy and performance specialist with over 18+ years of experience in developing and delivering corporate responsibility and sustainability strategies across a wide range of industries. Vineetha has specific expertise in delivering bespoke sustainability strategies, conducting risk/opportunity mapping, stakeholder engagement, policy development, social impact assessments and sustainability training.
Vineetha Co-founded Sustainable Mindz, which is a corporate sustainability and responsibility consultancy. Here she played a key role in conceptualising and developing the Happiness @ Work Award assessment framework to assess happiness practices in the workplace. Prior to this Vineetha led the Dubai Chamber Sustainability Network an advocacy network for businesses to address sustainability challenges and advocate collaborative solutions.
Vineetha is an experienced corporate responsibility and sustainability trainer and speaker and has authored several sector and issue specific sustainability guidebooks, reports and discussion papers.
Technical Expert, Government of Oman
M. Ramaswamy earned Ph.D. degree from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India in Mechanical Engineering. He got over 38 years of combined extensive experiences in various areas of Engineering in India and Oman. His last assignment was a Technical Expert to Government of Oman. He has designed few of largest utility plants in Southeast Asia. He has published more than 90 research papers in international journals and conferences and authored six books on engineering subjects. He is in the visiting faculty of various technical universities in India and Oman. He is in the Technical advisory board of many technical institutions in India and Oman. He is member of various international professional organizations holding charter engineer status and reviewer of many international technical journals. He has delivered more than 100 keynote lectures in various international conference and meeting. His name is listed in WHOSWHO directory of Renewables from MENAT region. Also, his name is listed in Montreal Protocol WHOSWHO site as an appreciation of his work on ODS.
Director of Sustainability Operations Expo 2020 Dubai
As Director Sustainability Operations at Expo 2020 Dubai, Dina Storey leads the development and implementation of the World Expo’s sustainable event management strategy. Dina’s current focuses include sustainable development and integration of sustainability into both the built environment and operations. Her mandate is to ensure that the Expo meets and exceeds its sustainability commitments both locally and globally. This includes planning for event and legacy, stakeholder and market engagement, and communications and awareness campaigns designed to extend Expo 2020’s sustainable impact beyond the boundaries of its physical site.
Dean, University of Sharjah
Dima Jamali is currently serving as Dean of the College of Business Administration at the University of Sharjah, UAE. She was elected in 2018 as Member of the Lebanese Parliament and assumed the role of the Chair of the Sustainability Parliamentary Committee. She suspended her parliamentary activities following the horrific Beirut Explosion on August 4, 2020.
Dr. Jamali recently made it to the Stanford list of the top 2% scientists and researchers globally being recognized as a unique and highly ranked talent in her field. She is the winner of the 2016 National Council for Scientific Research Excellence Award, and the 2015 Aspen Institute Faculty Pioneer Award, dubbed by the Financial Times as “the Oscars of the Business School World” for pioneering faculty who are at the cutting edge of teaching and scholarship in their field. She is also winner of the Shield of Excellence for the Arab Region and designated as Personality of the Year for CSR by the Arab Organization for Social Responsibility in 2015. She is also winner of the 2010 Shoman Prize for best young Arab researcher, which recognizes distinctive scientific works that contribute to addressing priority issues at the local, regional and international levels. In 2013, Dr. Jamali was selected for the Eisenhower Fellows Program, joining a global network of leading professionals committed to collaborate for a more prosperous, just and peaceful world; she was also selected in 2007 for the British Academy of Management Fellowship for South Asia and the Middle East which identifies and supports scholars with exceptional potential and trajectory from the Middle East. Dr. Jamali is also winner of the AUB Teaching Excellence Award in 2006, which recognizes outstanding educators from across the AUB campus.
Founder/GM, ECO-SQUARE(ECO2)
With more than 25 years of international experience across various continents, Riad has advocated his past years to Circular Economy in the industrial sector and has just joined the list of Environment experts while launching his advisory company ECO-SQUARE(ECO2) in 2021 in Dubai.
His focus is to provide roadmaps and industrial solutions to Sustainability and Waste challenges within industries and government bodies. During his late role as GM for a waste management division in the cement industry, he helped waste generators divert the waste from landfill. Since 2016, he has been actively promoting sustainable solutions with local UAE authorities, including MOCCAE, from which he was awarded recognitions for his actions along with other entities such as Tadweer and Dubai Municipality. With ECO2, he intends to create the bridge and make sure that “ECOnomy meets ECOlogy” challenges.
Prior to that, he took various positions as Product and Process Engineer, Project Manager, Sourcing and Supply Chain Director in Multinational companies. He is also a recognized sustainability expert at the Swiss Business Council as well as the Business Finland and regularly participate to Circular Economy panel discussions for which he acts as speaker or moderator.
Riad holds a M.Sc in Engineering and Manufacturing from Syracuse University, US and a M.Sc in Material Science and Mechanical Engineer from Ecole Centrale de Lyon, France. He Speaks 5 languages and is convinced that multicultural exchanges are a mind opener and ease collaboration between people. As a scuba diver, he knows how fragile are our Natural resources and hence strive to keep it safe for the next generations. He has been living in the GCC since 2009.
CEO, BioEnergy Consult
Salman Zafar is an international expert in waste management, renewable energy, environment protection and sustainable development. He is the Founder of EcoMENA, a Qatar-based environmental advocacy organization, and the CEO of BioEnergy Consult, a reputed India-based consulting, advisory, training and awareness-raising organization. He holds Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Aligarh Muslim University (Aligarh, India). He is proactively engaged in creating environmental mass awareness on through his popular web portals, blogs and social media channels. Salman has participated in numerous conferences as chair, keynote speaker, trainer and panelist. He is a prolific writer and has authored more than 2000 articles in books, journals, magazines, newsletters and websites on environmental sustainability, waste management, renewable energy and sustainable development.
Managing Director, Zest Associates
Jeffrey is an international climate change specialist who works with governments and the private sector to accelerate the transition to a low carbon economy. He is the Managing Director of Zest Associates, a UAE-based sustainability consultancy focused on climate policy, cleantech innovation and green finance. Jeffrey has worked in over 20 countries to develop effective climate policies, identify cleantech product-market fit and unlock finance for renewables and energy efficiency. He is a dual citizen of Canada and the UK, and holds an MSc Environmental Change & Management from Oxford University, and a BA Combined Honours in Economics and Psychology from Carleton University, Canada.
Director of Corporate Outreach, Value Reporting Foundation
Neil Stewart is the Value Reporting Foundation’s New York-based Director of Corporate Outreach, advancing awareness of the SASB Standards and the International Integrated Reporting Framework and helping companies world-wide with implementation. Neil brings more than 25 years of experience in and around investor relations and corporate governance. Previously at Citigroup as VP IR Advisory on the ADR team, helping non-US issuers develop IR and ESG strategies, Neil is a board member of NIRI NY, the New York chapter of the National Investor Relations Institute.
Founder and Managing Director, Moxie Future
Jessica Robinson is a global expert in sustainable finance, advising financial institutions, institutional investors, think tanks, governments, regulators and companies on a broad range of issues relating to green finance, ESG, sustainable and responsible investment, as well as gender, climate and carbon finance. She is also the Founder and Managing Director of Moxie Future - the world’s first insights, education and community platform empowering women as responsible, sustainable and impact investors, and recently published her first book, ‘Financial Feminism: A Woman’s Guide To Investing For a Sustainable Future’.
Founder, Sustainability Advisor Sustainability Tribe
Amruta Kshemkalyani, founder of Sustainability Tribe, #ZeroWasteUAE Social Initiative, and AK Sustainability Advisory is a sustainability advisor, speaker, educator, and social entrepreneur. Originally a mechanical engineer and a certified sustainability consultant; Amruta’s primary expertise is sustainable design and the built environment as well as business sustainability. For the past 14 years, Amruta has helped many organizations embedding sustainability into business. Parallelly, for the past 12 years; Amruta has played the part in bringing a positive social behavioral change through her work of educating society and inspiring climate action. Amruta is also an advisor to international environmental organizations and is an honorary judge at various international sustainability awards. Amruta has been featured in numerous local, international media and is recognized as UAE’s top environmental thought leader.
