Speakers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Ramiz Hamdan Alaileh is the Sustainability and Energy Efficiency Director at the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy. He is responsible for driving policies, regulatory frameworks, and strategies to enable demand side management implementation and improve end-use efficiency for energy and water as well as enabling sustainability initiatives including alternative energy sources, electrification of transport, and energy-storage systems.

Previously, Ramiz was the Head of Powerwise at the Regulation & Supervision Bureau and earlier to that he was the Manager of Power Applications at the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority. His experience spans more than 15 years in the power utility sector operations, regulations and policy making.

Ramiz holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering (magna cum laude) from the American University of Sharjah-UAE, and a Master of Science degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology-USA. He is a member of the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Associated of Energy Engineers (AEE), and a founding member of the Academy of Regulatory Professionals.

Saïd Mouline is an engineer specialist in the energy and environmental questions. Graduate from the Institut National Polytechnique (Grenoble, France) and University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA), he was President of the Energy, Climate and Green Economy Commission at the General Confederation of the Moroccan Companies (CGEM). He was advisor to the President of OCP, the world leading phosphate company for a sustainable development policy. He has in the past worked within the Cabinet of the Minister of Energy and Mines and counseled various national and international organizations like the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental protection, BMCE Bank, WLPGA, World Bank, IFC, GiZ, KfW and UNDP. He was also Head of the Public Private Partnerships at COP 22 committee. He is currently CEO of the Moroccan Agency for Energy Efficiency (AMEE). He was also President of MEDENER, the Mediterranean Association of National Agencies for Energy Management.

Habiba Hassan Sultan Al Mar’ashi is the Co-founder and Chairperson of Emirates Environmental Group (EEG). It is a pioneering non-government organisation established in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 1991. She single handedly established the Arabia CSR Network in 2004, as the MENA region’s pioneering and only multi-stakeholder platform with local and multi-national entities. She guided EEG to become the first environmental NGO in the world to receive ISO 14001 certification. She co-founded the Emirates Green Building Council in 2006 and serves as its Treasurer and Board Member. Mrs. Al Mar’ashi has been actively associated in leadership roles in global bodies such as UN Global Compact (board member) and President of the UNGC – GCC States, UNEP (civil society representative), a member of Global Reporting Initiative Stakeholder Council (GRI), and a member of the Advisory Committee of the Det Norske Veritas (DNV) Certification Advisory Board for the Middle East. She is currently a Vice Chair of the Global Urban Development and Patronage Committee member of myclimate. In 2019 she was selected to come on board as a member of a high level Global Investors for Sustainable Development (GISD) Alliance at the invitation of the UN Secretary-General.  In July 2021 she was chosen to serve as a Director of the World Green Building Council (WGBC). Mrs. Al Mar’ashi also serves as a member of advisory Boards for several Academic Institutions and other boards that deal with Sustainability in the Region and Globally.

Majid Ideisan is a specialized engineer in Sustainable and Renewable Energy systems, and a Certified Energy Manager by the Association of Energy Engineers. He is currently acting as a Project Manager at the Financial Sustainability and Investment Department at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure that is responsible of managing federal investments in the sectors of Energy, Infrastructure, Transportation and Housing. Such investment projects include the retrofit of federal assets to establish optimal energy efficiency through advanced technologies and sustainable sensor systems.

Shaikha AlShaikh is a civil engineer with more than 6 years of experience working on infrastructure projects across the MENA region. She holds a Master of Science in Engineering Management, with a concentration on Total Quality Management from the British University in Dubai, and a Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering, with a minor in English Literature, from the American University of Sharjah. She is currently a PhD candidate in the Architecture and Sustainable Built Environment Program at the British University in Dubai. She started her career at MWH, Now part of Stantec in 2015, working on diverse water projects that range from master planning to detailed design and execution in the UAE, KSA, Bahrain, Mauritius and Libya as a civil engineer and project manager. In 2018, she moved to Dubai Municipality, and is currently the Head of Technical Support Office in the Drainage Projects Department. She has been part of the team working on strategic infrastructure projects which include the Dubai Deep Tunnel Stormwater System, as well as looking to implement initiatives that support the Dubai Demand-Side Management Strategy.

Khaled Bushnaq is the founder and Board Member of Energy Management Services - EMS, and one of the leading figures in establishing the Energy Efficiency industry in the Middle East.

EMS was established by Khaled Bushnaq in the early nineties with a handful on engineers, to be transformed into a multimillion-dollar company operating in six countries with more than two dozen on professionals serving the energy efficiency market.

EMS serves the energy efficiency market in existing buildings as well as projects from the design stage. EMS clientele covers commercial, residential, industrial and institutional facilities and includes the famous Burj Khalifa (tallest Tower in the world), Dubai Mall (largest Mall in the world).

EMS is a founding member of the Emirates Green Building Council (EGBC) where Khaled is a Vice-Chair, member of the Board of Directors and actively involved in its Executive Management Committee meetings. He also served as the Chair of World Green Buildings Council – MENA Region for two terms.

If you're a hotelier, you've likely heard of Mr. Mohamed Soussan. His list of credentials is lengthy, and if some really wanted to, it could go on and on and on about his accomplishments.

Mr. Mohamed Soussan started his career at Lakeside Hotel, Canberra Australia and from there he moved to Capital Royal Hotel, Southern Pacific Hotel, and many others and after that not to mention every well-known hotel chain such as; Sheraton, Intercontinental, Rotana, etc. has his golden era of loyalty and hardworking marked in their books.

As he already nailed down his name in the field of Hospitality but it shined highly when he joined a Local Company Nayel & Bin Harmal Investment Company, which is very famous in Al-Ain in the construction field with the various number of sister companies under it. But the biggest challenge which Mr. Mohamed Soussan accepted is to open their First Hotel, and undoubtedly as courageous he is, as higher the results are, started from 2010 till to-date, he successfully managed to open three Hotels and two upcoming projects with the same brand and the great applause for the impact of this brand on all the international branded chained hotels.

Being in the industry for more than 32 years, he is founded in a good position to share his knowledge and experience with all colleagues in the organization by conducting the various Trainings & Development Programs by himself in order to enhance their professional skills which has a direct impact on guests’ experiences and to enlighten their vision for their future growth.

Along with all the above, Mr. Mohamed Soussan works stays connected with various Local & International Business Event & Exhibitions. And recently been awarded as the number 33^rd in the Power 50 General Managers of 2020, in the UAE and the Middle East and scoring better ranking continuously from last 5 years.

He is striving for further developments and achievement in an unstoppable manner which is definitely leading him to the more success.

Nathan is a project manager, development director & Partner at Carter Associates, a project consultancy and project management firm in Dubai.  Carter Associates works with asset owners and operators to identify opportunities for increasing efficiencies and revenue and decreasing costs and then project manage the implementation of those agreed strategies.  They have a specific expertise in hotel refurbishments, feasibility studies and capital development plans and have introduced a number of ESCOs into their projects.

Having been with Enova since 2009, Francisco was appointed Business Development & Marketing Director in September 2017. With an extensive operational background in, and knowledge of, different business models, as well as a proven track record consolidating and developing business units, he is the perfect fit for this role.

Francisco was previously Director of Operations responsible for Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, a position that went beyond operational delivery, entailing the management of supporting functions and direct responsibility for the business units’ financial results and business development.

Francisco is knowledgeable about all building services, with a deep technical exposure and interest in energy conservation and efficiency, renewable energy, CHP and HVAC systems. This, along with his commercial acumen, has enabled him to support the successful implementation of Energy Performance Contracts. He has extensive experience in all building typologies and is acquainted with a variety of engineering disciplines and Green Building Certification tools. Francisco has been a built environmental professional throughout his career and has been involved in more than 200 projects in Europe, South America and the Middle East.

Dr. Samir Thabet is the Corporate Sustainability Manager at Consolidated Contractors Company. In his current role, Dr. Samir oversees the group-wide Sustainability strategy, and he is in charge of CCC's net-zero roadmap. Samir is a Mechanical Engineer graduate in 1994, also holding a master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Wales, class of 2011. Samir holds a Ph.D. in Sustainable Development and Diplomacy from EUCLID (Pôle Universitaire EUCLIDE / Euclid University), class of 2020.

Samir joined CCC in 2014 as the Head of Sustainability, where he played a pivotal role in driving sustainable practices across the construction business, leading the company toward regional and international amongst the industry peers.

Samir brings over twenty-seven years of experience in diverse projects throughout all stages - estimation, tendering, engineering & project execution of industrial, residential, commercial MEP & Sustainability in the Middle East region.
 

Jagath is Building Services graduate from University of Grimsby UK having over 38 years of experience Dubai in the Building Services Industry. Jagath is a Member of British Institute of Facilities Management and a Member of the Institute of Refrigeration UK.

During the 38 years carrier in Dubai Jagath has been involved in many roles in Building Services designs, Operation & Maintenance, Facilities Management, Building Resource Management, Pioneering Sustainable Building Retrofitting Projects, Contracts Administrations, New Building Designs and construction management, Clients representative roles and in Projects Management etc….

Jagath in 2009, pioneered getting LEED EBOM certification to Dubai Chamber Head Office Building making the only LEED certified existing building in the MENA region and continued to upgrade the certification level to Platinum and again recertification to Platinum level using ARC platform for the first time in the MENA region.

He also owns and operates a Hydroelectric Power Plant in Sri Lanka providing sustainable power to the national grid.
Jagath is also an expert in Renewable Energy had designed and competed a 2 Mega Watt ground mount solar project at the University of Dubai Campus premises to achieve the Net Zero Energy status.

In 2013 His Highness Sh. Mohammed awarded Jagath the Dubai Government Excellence Award in the Innovative government employee award category.

Dr. Pablo Izquierdo is the Energy Efficiency Manager at the Energy Efficiency and Renewables Office (Reem) of Ras Al Khaimah Municipality, UAE, responsible for all building retrofits and energy management activities in the Emirate.

He has 20 years of experience on sustainability and energy management, 6 of them in the UAE, during which he has developed corporate sustainability strategies for government entities in the UAE as well as energy and waste masterplan strategies worldwide. He has also certified the sustainability of commercial buildings in the Middle East and Europe using LEED EBOM and carried out several energy audits.

In the UAE, prior to his current position, he worked as Senior Manager for Energy Audit and Consultancy for Smart4Power, an ENGIE Solutions company, and before that as PMO Director for Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence. Formerly, he worked with engineering consultancies and real estate advisory firms in the UK and Spain.

Dr. Pablo holds an Engineering Doctorate (EngD) from the University of Surrey in the UK on Environmental Technologies.

Innovative E&I professional offering vast experience leveraging Electrical & Automation engineering and set up process to deliver highly effective and creative solutions to business and technology challenges. Utilizes highly attuned analytical skills to maintain operational cost and business strategies employing cutting-edge technologies to increase productivity. Consistently drives high standards of service through effective project management, communication, and strategic planning to develop and manage strong client relationships. Highly organized with strong capacity to prioritize workload, delegate deliverables, and steer project completion within established deadlines.

Dr. Spanos is a consultant, professional engineer, and sustainability expert with 20 years of experience.

As a Director of Sustainability of KEO International Consultants, he provides professional consultancy and strategy-related services to government institutions, investment funds, developers, architects, and contractors.

His experience includes new low carbon developments, investment-grade audits of energy efficiency programs, smart sustainable strategies for large developments, and the delivery of sustainable real-estate assets, renewable energy, and urban development programs in MENA, the UK, Europe, and Africa.

His primary interest is in the implementation of added commercial value through client-focused sustainability, ESG, and Climate Change related decisions in the early stages of strategy development. He is currently working with some of the signature clients in the region.

Dr. Spanos is actively supporting academic research, regional Green Building Councils, and international professional bodies.

Saadat has 18 years’ experience in air conditioning and refrigeration industry. His diversified experience in Pakistan and Middle East included Design and Project Management. He joined Trane UAE in 2005 and since then he works with Design Engineers and Consultants to develop Innovative, Energy Efficient and Environmentally Sustainable solutions. His expertise includes non-conventional chilled water systems to reduce carbon footprint such as: Combined Cooling and Heating systems, Future Refrigerants with Lower GWP, and Thermal Storage Systems.

Mr. Rajmohan leads the Building Systems and Solutions Business for Armstrong Fluid Technology in Middle East and Africa.

He has 14 years of wide experience in the field of HVAC and Pumping.

He is a Mechanical Engineer from PSG College of Engineering, India and has an MBA in Marketing Management from KSOU University, India.

He believes the key to future is in Integration of latest Selection, control and hydronic tools to achieve most cost effective building solutions and has been working in the industry to propagate those values.

Ali Almulla, a UAE National, holder of bachelor’s degree in Civil & Infrastructure Engineering from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia.

Senior Infrastructure Manager at Dubai Community Management with more than 8 years of UAE experience in the industry.

Ali is the Project Manager of Dubai Community Management – LED Retrofit Project.

Passionate about the industry and innovation for sustainability Ali has initiated and led a renewable energy-saving program of replacing halogen light with LED light across 19 districts of DCM.

His proactive measures and forward thinking of best industry practices resulted in reduction of ~1,473 metric tons of carbon footprint.

Mais Kayed is an Architect with more than 6 years of experience in project coordination and conceptual schematic design to completion, including all stages from design to construction. Her background is in environmental design, sustainable indoor quality assessment and urban planning. She holds a Bachelors in Architecture, Masters in Sustainable Design of Built Environment, and is currently pursuing her PhD in Architecture and Sustainable Built Environment.

Having more than 22 years of experience in the electrical field with focused experience of more than 14 years in lighting industry with LEDVANCE & OSRAM, revolving around sales and marketing, business development and product support. Result-oriented marketing professional with a proven record of accomplishment in planning and leading comprehensive marketing strategies in support of business goals and objectives, Deep market knowledge in UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain. Bangladesh for project and trade business.

Completed MBA in 2012, with S.P Jain Institute of Management & Bachelor of Commerce Degree in 1999, Mumbai University.

Having in-depth knowledge of lighting products, including lamps and luminaires, having seen the transition in the industry from lamps to LED technology, gives much deeper insight into which retrofit solutions can work best in terms of lamp and/or complete LUM.

Henry Jeha leads sales and business development for strategic verticals and geographies within the MENA region for Siemens’ Energy & Asset Performance business unit.  He is responsible for defining the business’ portfolio strategy, roadmap, and positioning to customers.  For over ten years, Henry has supported individuals and organizations in developing and implementing innovative solutions within the energy efficiency, renewables, and sustainability fields.

With a background in Environmental and Energy Engineering, Henry’s experience spans the project development, technical solution development, execution, and performance assurance phases of energy performance contracting projects.  He has been involved in over three hundred energy auditing and performance contracting projects in the Middle East, North Africa, and United States.