Biography

His Excellency Abdulrahman Saleh Al Saleh is the Director General of the Government of Dubai's Department of Finance (DOF) since 2009. H.E. is member of the Executive Council of Dubai, and Dubai's Strategic Affairs Council. In 2019, Al Saleh was appointed as a board member of the Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD), while in 2021 he was appointed the Chairman of the Rochester Institute of Technology, Dubai Board of Directors. H.E. Al Saleh is a member of a number of highly esteemed boards, including Dubai's Supreme Fiscal Policy Committee, Dubai World, the Federal Tax Authority as well as the Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC). Under a presidential decree issued in December 2018, H.E. Al Saleh was appointed as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the United Arab Emirates Central Bank. Previously, H.E. DOF's Director General has held many leadership and financial positions in a number of government entities at the local and federal levels, including the Senior Executive Director for Financial and Administrative Affairs at Dubai Customs. He also chaired a number of committees, notably the VAT Committee at Dubai Customs. He also oversaw and participated in a number of other regulatory and strategic committees, including the Executive Credit Policy Committee and the Indirect Taxation Working Group. H.E. Al Saleh is a fellow member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) in the United Kingdom and holds an MBA degree from the American University of Sharjah.

Biography

His Excellency Abdulla Al Basti is the Commissioner General of the Government Development track. The entities under this track include: Dubai Department of Human Resources, Dubai Statistics Centre, Dubai Smart Government. His Excellency has been Secretary General of The Executive Council of Dubai since October 2017, overseeing the creation and implementation of The Executive Council’s vision, direction, and strategic decisions for the emirate across various sectors, and through the development and management of the council’s public policies. He is also responsible for the development and implementation of Dubai’s Plan 2021, and its alignment with UAE Vision 2021.Dubai’s high quality of life, positioning, and competitiveness on both the global and regional stage, through the emirate’s world-class strategic sectors and government accountability have thus far been priorities for His Excellency, who currently manages strategic programmes designed to achieve excellence in government performance; as well as review laws and regulations to ensure they are conducive to Dubai’s vision of economic diversification and investment. His Excellency has long been stern when it comes to the application of the principles of good governance as well as the accountability in government work.In addition to his role as Secretary General of The Executive Council Dubai, His Excellency currently heads the Dubai Government Excellence Program (DGEP), and is board member of numerous initiatives, including The Year of Giving; The Higher Committee for the Year of Zayed; Federal Competitiveness and StatisticsAuthority; Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives; Higher Committee for the Protection of the Rights of People of Determination. His Excellency is also a member of the World Economic Forum’s Network of Global Future Councils; and is on the Board of Trustees at Dubai Future Foundation.His Excellency has a wealth of experience within the government sector, where he was responsible for the launch of numerous strategic initiatives, from the EmiratesGovernment Services Programme to the Mohammed bin Rashid Smart Council. He has served as the Executive Director of the Government Development Division in the Prime Minister's Office, supervising the launch of both the Emirates Government Services Programme and the UAE Government Leaders Programme; and held the position of Secretary General of the Cabinet at the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and Future, prior to which he held the position of Director General of The Executive Office of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, and ruler of the Emirate of Dubai.A graduate of Mohammed bin Rashid Programme for Leadership Development, His Excellency Abdulla Al Basti holds a master’s degree in Total Quality Management from the University of Wollongong, Dubai, and a Bachelor’s in Information Technology from the University of Dubai

Biography

H.E. Saeed Mohammed Ahmad Al Tayer has an overall experience of more than 35 years in the field of telecommunications, energy, water, infrastructure, oil, gas and industry.

Under his leadership since 1992, DEWA achieved unprecedented successes and has become one of the very best distinguished utilities in all aspects world-wide.

His Excellency Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer is a Member of the Dubai Council as the “Commissioner General for the Health and Knowledge Track” which includes Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), Member of the Dubai Executive Council and Strategic Affairs Council, Dubai Supreme Fiscal Committee, Chairman of Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC), Chairman of Dubal Holding, Chairman of Dragon Oil Company, Vice Chairman of Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), Vice Chairman of Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, among other representations.

As an initiative of his own, several successful companies were established, including Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (EMPOWER), Etihad Energy Services Company (Etihad ESCO), Mai Dubai and many other companies.

His Excellency received a number of prestigious awards such as the “Middle East Champion of Energy” award received at the World Green Economy Summit 2015 from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). On 18 May 2016, the UNDP appointed His Excellency as "UNDP National Goodwill Ambassador for Sustainable Development Goals". In addition, the Swiss Business Council, Dubai & Northern Emirates awarded His Excellency the prestigious “Lord of Matterhorn Award”. Moreover, His Excellency received an honorary doctorate from Amity University in Dubai in appreciation of his continuing innovative efforts to achieve excellence and enhance scientific knowledge and sustainability.

Biography

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem is one of Dubai's leading businessmen. He is the Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DP World and the Chairman of the Ports, Customs & Free Zone Corporation.

Mr. Bin Sulayem’s expertise and visionary leadership spearheaded the rapid expansion of Dubai’s infrastructure, including ports and free zones, contributing significantly to the stellar growth trajectory of the United Arab Emirates. He was also a leader in developing the infrastructure supporting Dubai’s successful tourism industry, among various other sectors.

Highlights of his three-decade business career include:

Leading marine terminal operator DP World’s expansion internationally, including the purchase of the P&O group for US$6.8 billion in March 2006, which propelled it to one of the largest global port operators and trade enablers in the world with 78 marine and inland terminals in six continents

Overseeing the rapid development of the Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) into an unrivalled business park of more than 7300 companies

Establishing and leading Nakheel, a real estate and tourism property development firm that has created many iconic Dubai projects including The Palm, the world’s largest man-made islands

Establishing and leading Istithmar World, a major investment house focusing on private equity with a portfolio of investments in diverse sectors across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East including retail, financial services, industry, tourism and hospitality, and healthcare

Pioneering the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), a market for gold and precious metals, diamonds and coloured stones, energy and other commodities.

Mr. Bin Sulayem has a BSc in Economics from Temple University in the USA. He is a Board Member of the Dubai Executive Council, the UAE Federal Tax Authority. He is also a Non-Executive Chairman of Virgin Hyperloop One.

Biography

Ahmad Rizwan is an ex-banker and senior lawyer with more than twenty-six years of international experience in banking, corporate & project finance and Islamic finance. Since 2009, he has been attached to the Government of Dubai Legal Affairs Department, a Dubai Government Department that provides various legal services to the Government and Government entities in the Emirate of Dubai, as well as supervise and manage all legal matters required to meet the demands of the economic, and social developments within the Emirate of Dubai in a robust legislative, regulatory framework. Ahmad’s primary practice is focused on advising and acting as counsel to the Government of Dubai’s public treasury and other Government Entities on a wide range of public finance related matters. Ahmad holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from Malaysia and a Master of Laws from Australia and first came to the UAE in 2005.

Biography

Abdulla Saeed Bin Majid Belyoahah was appointed in September 2014 as Board Member of Emaar Malls Group. He also served as a Non-Executive Director of Emaar Properties PJSC from April 2012 to April 2021.

He is a Board Member of the National Bonds Corporation since December 2010 and was appointed as member of its Audit Committee in April 2011. Abdulla is also a Board Member of Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation from August 2019.

He started his professional career with Istithmar, serving in the consumer products and real estate vertical departments, worked on several key acquisitions and strategic divestments, and evaluated real estate investment opportunities globally.

Currently, Abdulla is the Senior Financial Consultant of the Department of Finance, Government of Dubai. Prior to this, he served as the Director of the Public Debt Management Division of the Department of Finance and was responsible for the consolidation of Dubai sovereign debt and investor relations operation. He worked on several key financing initiatives of the Government of Dubai including a US$1.93 billion Sukuk in 2009, a US$1.25 billion bond in 2012, a US$500 million 30-year bond (the first ever 30-year conventional bonds in 2013) and a 10-year Sukuk with a benchmark sized of US$750 million. He also played an active role in the successful restructuring of Dubai World and Nakheel and was also part of the team that represented the Department of Finance, spearheaded by its Director General, to win its first Dubai Government Excellence Award.

Biography

Naveed is an ex-investment banker and private equity professional with over 14 years of hands-on experience focused on project finance, private equity Investments, public private partnerships and public sector projects budgeting.
In his current role he is leading the Public Private Partnerships (PPP) Program at the Department of Finance for the Government of Dubai. In this capacity Naveed is responsible for devising the Strategy and Policy for Dubai Government’s PPP program, assists procuring entities to identify PPP Projects and provide Financial and Technical Advisory for structuring and implementing PPP Projects.
Naveed has been part of the Dubai Government since 2011 and has successfully delivered multiple projects pertaining to different sectors such as: public transport, road infrastructure, green energy, social development, healthcare facilities and utilities.

Biography

Muna Abdulla currently holds the position of Capital Project Director at The Department of Finance. She is responsible of Dubai Government Capital Project Budget and PPP Program. She plays an instrumental role in leading policies and formulating and implementing strategies focused on boosting the Private-Public Partnerships across the Dubai Government.
In addition, Muna is heading the normal procurement projects’ budgeting for all Dubai Government Capital Projects falls under the law No (1) of 2016. She leads and participates as a member of many high-level government programs and committees by leveraging her skills, such us Dubai Public Sector Design, Dubai Government New Initiatives and Dubai Government PPP Projects.
She has intensive experience over 13 years in several official positions in the government of Dubai that have contributed to the economic growth of the Emirate.

Biography

"H.E. Younus Al Nasser is a prominent Emirati leader in the field of digital transformation and one of the most well-known executives in managing the future vision of the UAE, concentrating his efforts on the growth of the Emirate of Dubai. For over 15 years he has occupied several official positions in the government of Dubai that have contributed in building the digital capacities of the Emirate. 
Currently he is the Assistant Director General of Digital Dubai and CEO of the Dubai Data Establishment, the establishment leading Dubai’s city-wide data efforts. Furthermore, Al Nasser is also the head of the UAE Data Committee vested with building the UAE National Data Strategy and launching the National Data Platform, under the UAE Council for Artificial Intelligence."

Biography

"Ahmed Bahrozyan is the CEO of Public Transport Agency, which is responsible for public transport services and vehicles in Dubai (public buses, taxis, school buses, limousines, labour transport buses, and private mass transit for individuals). The Agency also commissions detailed studies for designing, building, managing, operating and maintaining an integrated mass transit system along with other transit elements in Dubai. It also attends to the licensing of public transport routes and vehicles. Bahrozyan has a bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems from Colorado University, USA and completed the programme of the Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Leadership Development. Bahrozyan joined RTA in 2005, just a month after its establishment, as Deputy Director of Information Technology before being promoted to Director of the Department. He took over as Director of Development and Corporate Performance where he engaged in dealing with all RTA agencies and sectors in the delivery of quality control systems and the monitoring of strategic and operational performance across the RTA. In 2008, Bahrozyan was posted as CEO of Licensing Agency where he focused on improving the quality and standards of customers service along with several other strategic initiatives relating to the Smart City. Before joining RTA, Bahrozyan was Manager of e-Government services at the Dubai Municipality, where he supervised the improvement of hundreds of e-services tailored to the improvement of services for the business community as well as Dubai citizens and residents "

Biography

"Mr. AlHaddad is a masterful professional with extensive knowledge and experience bringing over 16 years track record of delivering quality projects in both public and private sectors. With his intellectual capability, widespread expertise and sharp vision, he leads high potential teams by leveraging his skills in commercial and investment responsibilities and engagements at RTA since 2013. He is an Architectural Engineer and a Master Degree in Real Estate Management from the University of South Wales – Sydney. Ever since his focus is on commercial transformation and Public Private Partnerships (“PPP”) and being the Commercial and Investment Director, he is always keen to improve investment and PPP pillars across RTA by positioning CID at a pioneering site through implementing effective operational models and high standard initiatives as well as leading projects that in turn increase Private-Public Partnerships and accelerate economic growth. AlHaddad always aspires excellence in achieving RTA strategic goals with a focus on Financial and Asset sustainability. He leads and participates as a member of 42 committees and teams within RTA . Specialized teams such as the naming rights contracts committee, Dubai Taxi Investment team, etc. He Led CID in winning the CFI award for the “Most Innovative Logistics Project Investment Team - GCC 2019” and achieving the ISO 10014:2006 Certification attesting that RTA’s commercial and investment practices are aligned by the best practices positioning RTA being the first entity in the region. Last but not least, Ibrahim Al Haddad has successfully adapted innovation & digitalization in investment services to transform & achieve a unique investors journey . “RTA Invest Platform ” is one of the success stories which will be launched in July 2021. Through this digital investment platform RTA will offer an integrated experience for potential investors Globally . The platform will create interactive investment channels with investors for sharing ideas and proposing innovative business solutions. It will enhance the cooperation and investment drive in a variety of fields and boost the public-private partnership, PPP, concept."

Biography

"Dr. Ibtesam Al Bastaki’s current role as the Director of Investment and Partnership in the Dubai Health Authority focuses on driving healthcare investments into and within Dubai. Her expertise lies in developing its public-private partnership projects.
She graduated as a medical physician from RCSI and became Arab Board certified in Family Medicine. She completed a Master’s degree in Healthcare Management from the same institute. Furthermore, she is a graduate of the MBR Leadership Program.
Dr. AlBastaki’s wealth of experience spans the extensive years she worked in both the public and private sector entities such as the Prime Minister Office, MOH, VPS Healthcare, and DHA.
Dr. AlBastaki is a woman leader in healthcare, serving as a scientific chair for International Family Medicine, as well as, heading the Jury Committee for Special needs since 2014. "

Biography

Qualified Civil Engineer and a performance-driven Director with over 12 years of experience in leading Major Infrastructure and Energy projects specifically sewer systems, storm water systems, Tunnels and waste to Energy with experience in Management of PPP projects. Fahed is Equipped with strong leadership and managerial skills which supports Drainage Project Department’s productivity’s efficiency.
Dubai Municipality is one of the lead government entities in UAE, where tradition is very respected. However, innovation is also respected and valued. Fahed’s method of management and his Experienced in working in multicultural environments at different level (Europe ,Middle East) created a culture at which innovation is essential element of the department’s strategy.

Biography

Mohammad Alhawi assumed his position as Director of Economic Development at The Executive Council in May 2018 where he plays an instrumental role in leading Dubai’s economic policies, formulating and implementing strategies in coordination with stakeholders from the private and public sector. He also holds the position of Chairman of the Economic Team, reporting into the Executive Council with the mandate of enhancing Dubai’s economic and competitive positioning.
Alhawi joined The Executive Council following his role at Mubadala in Abu Dhabi where he served as Vice President, Technology Manufacturing & Mining Platform leading international investment consortia of multi-billion-dollar infrastructure projects. He is also responsible for the creation of the Research and Development strategy of the world’s 5th largest Aluminium company.
Holding various positions at the Prime Minister’s Office and The Executive Office over the years, Alhawi has gained a wealth of knowledge and experience in developing and implementing high level government initiatives and government policies. His track record boasts exceptional negotiation capabilities and crisis management and interpersonal skills for delivering strategic institutional objectives.
A graduate of Mathematics from Imperial College London, Mohammad Alhawi also holds a Masters in Computer Science from University College London in England.

Biography

Abbas is the Regional Head for Project & Export Finance (West) based out of Dubai. He has worked in finance for twenty-four years and has extensive experience in credit analysis, structuring and documentation. Before joining SCB, he worked for Citibank, managing a portfolio of MNC's and local corporates. Prior to that, Abbas worked at Bank of America managing a diversified portfolio.

Abbas has significant experience in the power sector. At Bank of America Pakistan, he was responsible for leading nine of the largest funded/non-funded syndications for Pakistan's Water and Power Development Authority. Abbas also worked extensively on the debt arrangement for Kot Addu Power Company, Pakistan. Abbas has also worked on arranging debt in the United States, including that for Duke Energy and Mirant Corporation.

Biography

Adel now co heads NATIXIS’ Investment Banking, Coverage and Infrastructure & Energy Finance teams in Dubai covering the Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META).He has 22 years of experience in banking, including 9 years with RBS’ Infrastructure Finance Group in London covering advisory, lending and equity.

Adel worked across sectors including power & renewables, oil & gas, telecoms, water, waste, and social infrastructure and accommodation in META, and delivered fixed rate solutions from institutional investors (a key form of liquidity for the future). Adel has also advised public and private sector clients on transactions across Europe and the UK. He has been based in Dubai covering the region for over 12 years.

Biography

Mr. Ebobissé is the Chief Executive Officer of Africa50, the pan-African infrastructure investment platform capitalized by the African Development Bank and, so far, 28 African countries and two African Central Banks.

Prior to joining Africa50, Mr. Ebobissé served as the Global Head for the World Bank Group’s Global Infrastructure Project Development Fund (“IFC InfraVentures”), where he led the development of and investment in numerous infrastructure projects in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. He also served as Chief Investment Officer in the Global Infrastructure and Natural Resources Department of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-sector arm of the World Bank Group, based in Washington.

Prior to joining the IFC in 1998, Mr. Ebobissé held several positions in the financial services industry in France, including Deputy Head of Project and Structured Finance at Caisse des Depots et Consignations, based in Paris.

Biography

"Antoine Cousin is a Partner in the Abu Dhabi office of leading global law firm White & Case LLP.  He has in-depth experience in advising governments, sponsors and lenders on large scale infrastructure and energy projects, PPPs and joint ventures.

He has led multiple award-winning ‘pathfinder’ PPPs in the region, as well as institutional reform and regulatory mandates.

Antoine has been based in the Gulf region for twelve years.  He has written extensively on project finance and PPPs and he is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, seminars and trainings."

Biography

"Brad Watson is a Partner and EY’s global leader for infrastructure advisory services in the government and real estate sectors. He also leads EY’s Infrastructure Advisory practice for the Middle East and North Africa. 
Having moved to Dubai from Toronto, he has been providing strategy and policy-based advice to senior executives in the private sector and at all levels of government across North America, and now here in the Middle East, for over 25 years. Over the past ten years alone, he has advised on multiple projects that have achieved financial close across North America totaling over $20 billion worth of capital assets and service delivery. He is currently advising on several capital projects across the GCC – including high profile initiatives in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait."

Biography

Brian is a Director in the Loan Syndications team at Emirates NBD and is responsible for debt origination, advisory and execution of all syndicated financings across Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Pakistan while within the UAE he covers Abu Dhabi and key sectors including healthcare, education and PE/sponsor-led financings.

His background spans over 16 years of regional investment banking and capital markets experience across Loan Syndications, M&A Advisory, Asset Restructuring and Equity Capital Markets. He has worked with clients across the full credit spectrum from regional sovereigns and IG-rated corporates to high yield issuers under conventional and Shariah-compliant formats for both corporates and financial institutions.

Biography

Chris Heaton-Harris was appointed as a Minister of State at the Department for Transport on 25 July 2019. In this role he has overall responsibility for Rail, including specific major projects such as East West Rail.

Chris Heaton-Harris was appointed as a Minister of State at the Department for Transport on 25 July 2019. In this role he has overall responsibility for Rail, including specific major projects such as East West Rail.

He was Comptroller of HM Household (Government Whip) from 9 January 2018 to 9 July 2018 and was previously Vice Chamberlain of HM Household (Government Whip) from June 2017 to January 2018.

He was made an Assistant Government Whip in July 2016. He was elected Conservative MP for Daventry in May 2010.

Biography

"Chris Seymour has more than 30 years’ experience in the industry and manages the 1300 strong Mott MacDonald operation in the Middle East. Chris has worked in the Middle East region over the last 12 years and he is also Chair of the RICS MENA Market Advisory Panel. Chris is also an independent advisor on the Investment Committee of ENBD Real Estate Investment Trust and is an active member of the IPFA. Having spent many years in PFI and PPP procurement practising in both UK, Europe and Middle East he also advises many clients on strategy, risk, commercial and technical advice for large public-sector investments. 
Prior to joining Mott MacDonald in 2016, Chris worked for Arcadis and was a member of the strategic advisory board to the Group, advising on mergers and acquisitions, divestments, strategy changes and shareholder presentations. "

Biography

Douglas Segars is responsible for Moody’s EMEA Infrastructure Finance ratings and research business. He leads a team of analysts in London, Paris, Frankfurt and Madrid covering utilities, infrastructure corporates and project financings. Before joining Moody’s in 2014, Douglas spent his 30-year career in Europe and the Americas in a variety of credit and origination roles with a focus on infrastructure, financial institutions and public finance.

From 2010 to 2014, he served as Head of Infrastructure Finance at Her Majesty’s Treasury, advising government ministers on initiatives to support infrastructure in the United Kingdom including the UK Guarantees Scheme, a £40 billion programme to provide financial guarantees for social and economic infrastructure projects, and the Green Investment Bank, the first national financial institution created to mobilise private sector capital for sustainable infrastructure development. Prior to HM Treasury, Douglas was a Managing Director at Financial Security Assurance, holding a number of positions and leading teams structuring and guaranteeing financings for public-private partnerships, utilities and local authorities.

Biography

"The Chairman of the Istanbul PPPCoE, Dr. Aydin is the Founder and Chairman of the Foreign Economic Council PPP Committee of Turkey - DEİK under the Turkish Ministry of Economy.  Dr. Aydin is also an official advisor to the Turkish Ministry of Trade and conducts governmental relations with various countries in terms of PPP projects.   
Dr. Aydin has more than 20 years of experience in the infrastructure industry on both public and private sector sides. He developed the PPP structure for local authorities in Turkey and was the official rapporteur of the section on PPP Investment during the preparation of the 11th Development plan of Turkey.
He is also the head of Head of CIS Regional Chapter of WAPPP and the Chairman of Istanbul PPP Week Preparation Committee. He regularly participates in various international events related to PPP as a moderator and speaker. "

Biography

EY Global Green Economies & Infrastructure Leader and Future Cities Co-Leader, Gianluca is a seasoned professional with international exposure to the intersection of business and technology.

With 20 years of industry experience, he helps companies mitigate climate change through sustainable energy production and consumption, and has harnessed deep knowledge in smart mobility, the sharing economy, internet of things and big data, public procurement and project financing. Gianluca also focuses on the strategic management of innovation and seeks to inspire leading cities and companies in various industries to establish new business models enabled by the internet economy.

Holder of several international patents, some of which have re-established the principles of operation and the economic models of modern communication networks, he earned his master’s degrees in Water Management Engineering as well as in Telecommunication Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Milan.

Biography

"Fadheela is the General Manager of the Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects (KAPP). Prior to this, she was the Manager of the Oversight and Follow-up Office at the Touristic Enterprises Company in Kuwait. She also served as the Financial Manager at the Kuwait Authority of Partnership Projects, Financial Controller and Chief Accountant representing the Ministry of Finance in Kuwait.
She holds a Masters in Accounting and Financial Systems from the Gulf University in the Kingdom of Bahrain."

Biography

At NEOM, Florian leads on overall mobility strategy and systems. Prior to joining NEOM, Florian led the Innovation Centre for Mobility and the design and implementation of a smart city district and living lab for smart mobility, renewable energy and future city design in Berlin. Previously, Florian co-founded the Grantham Centre for Climate and Environment, the Urban Age Programme and the Centre for the Analysis of Risk and Regulation at the London School of Economics. Florian serves as chair of the European Commission expert group for smart mobility systems and services and a member of the EU expert assembly on smart and sustainable cities. A native of Berlin, Florian has in the past worked with the German Institute for Urbanism and the German federal government during the unification of East and West Germany.

Biography

"Hayek has 40 years of experience in investment banking, PPP, governance, strategy, public policy, economic development, and government relations. 
In 2019, he was nominated to be President of the World Bank. He was Secretary General of Lebanon’s High Council for Privatization and PPP, and has been a board member of multinational companies, banks, professional associations, civil society NGOs and educational institutions. 
Hayek studied in Lebanon, Mexico, and the USA. He is conversant with 11 languages. "

Biography

Biography

"Harj Dhaliwal oversees all activity and projects for Virgin Hyperloop in the Middle East and India. With over 35 years of civil engineering experience, he has a proven track record for managing mega rail and infrastructure projects including PPP, PFI and D&B projects across Europe and the Middle East.  
Prior to Virgin Hyperloop, Harj was the Senior Vice President for International Rail and Transit Systems Business at President Corporation where he and was responsible for managing his business sector across Europe and the Middle East with over 450 staff deployed across some of the largest and complex rail and metro projects in the world. Prior to joining Parsons in 2012, Harj led the development of several multi-billion-dollar rail and transit programs in the UK and Ireland. "

Biography

Jean is the Head of Fin Infra, the French infrastructure finance agency providing advisory to public entities to facilitate public infrastructure investment financing. 

He has been a member of the Executive Committee of Icade, CEO of CDC Infrastructure, and Deputy Director of Social & Employment Policies at the Treasury Department of the Ministry of Finance in  Paris

He also held positions as an advisor for economic and tax policy at the Prime Minister’s Office and as a financial attaché at the French Embassy in the USA.

Biography

Mr. Sancho presently holds the position as Middle East CEO of Spain´s ACCIONA. Based in the UAE, he developed largescale Seawater desalination and Wastewater treatment projects in the Middle East, Africa and Australia under PPP or EPC/O&M schemes. Over the past years, he has been involved in the tendering, execution and management of several infrastructure businesses within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

Mr. Sancho has recently been included in the Forbes List ‘’Global Meets Local: Top 50 executives in the Middle East 2020’’ following his first inclusion back in 2018. He is also part of the 2020 Middle East Construction Week “ME Power 100 List”

Biography

A graduate from École Centrale de Nantes and Sciences Po Paris, Julien is part of the team that founded Leonard. He was appointed Head of Operations & Foresight in November 2016. The VINCI Group created Leonard to tackle the challenges posed by the transformation of regions and lifestyles. Their goal is to unite a community of key stakeholders in order to build the city of the future together.

Julien previously worked as a project coordinator at Fédération Française des Télécoms, where he was in charge of safety and rolling out the fibre optic network. At the French embassy in Vietnam, he managed a portfolio of publicly funded development projects in the fields of water, transport and aerospace technology. He joined VINCI Autoroutes in 2012 to manage concession contracts, coordinate the definition and implementation of investment programmes and financing agreements as well as oversee the financial steering of overseas subsidiaries. Julien was put in charge of VINCI Autoroutes’ Mobilités foresight initiative planning before moving to Leonard.

Biography

Mark Romoff is a senior international business strategist and corporate director. He was formerly President and CEO of The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships, President and CEO of the Ontario Centres of Excellence and a senior Canadian Diplomat serving in Nigeria, Mexico, Malaysia, Japan and the United States. 

He is a member of the Board of Directors of Infrastructure Ontario; the Australia-Canada Economic Leadership Forum; and is Vice-Chair of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Working Party on PPPs. He also served as Chair of the Canadian Smart Cities Challenge Jury and is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Biography

Michell Zappa is a technology futurist, information designer and founder of Envisioning, a technology foresight institute. His work aims to illustrate the implications of accelerating change and facilitate a higher level of awareness about our relationship to technology. Michell has collaborated on projects on all continents, helping people and organizations prepare for and better understand emerging futures. Between 2017 and 2019, Michell worked with members of the UAE PMO on the creation and delivery of lectures and workshops for public officials in Dubai. He oversaw design and platform development at Trendwatching in London and Amsterdam before launching Envisioning.“

He is a renowned public speaker, and frequently consults on technological strategy. His work has been featured in WIRED and TASCHEN. Michell teaches technology foresight at THNK School of Creative Leadership in Amsterdam, NovaSBE in Lisbon and SingularityU. Frequently he lectures about patterns of technological transformation at major events.

Biography

Mikk Vainik is the head of Accelerate Estonia which tests and pilots tech initiatives with an intention to propel Estonia forward as a catalyst for the nation and the world. Mikk’s experience in Estonian public service began in R&D policy, continued in e-governance and startup ecosystem development and is now focused on market-creating initiatives via Accelerate Estonia.

He has been chosen by the World Economic Forum as one of the world’s 50 most influential people revolutionising government.

Biography

Mohammad is leading the Digital Government practice efforts at EY across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and is also a Digital Government and Innovation lecturer at the Paris School of International Affairs, Sciences Po, France. After a successful 12+ years career in the UK government under three Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher, John Major and Tony Blair, Mohammad shifted his focus to the private sector and now for 20+ years has been advising and helping government and public sector organizations in the UK, Middle East, Australasia and South Asia on strategic challenges and digital transformation.

He is a catalytic public sector changemaker and champion of diversity & inclusion, and passionate about transforming government. Being a change agent with a bias towards action he has enabled governments to become more citizen-centric and achieve operational breakthroughs by harnessing conventional and digital capabilities, as well as leveraging the power of design thinking.

Biography

Mohammed Al Baloushi is a Director in the Diversified Assets at Mubadala Investment Company’s UAE Investments Platform. Mohammed has spent over 13 years with Mubadala, supporting the strategic portfolio plan and playing a key role in delivering Mubadala’s investment strategy in the social infrastructure and financial markets. He provides strategic investment planning, management and financial asset management oversight of the portfolio investments and is responsible for the delivery of the social infrastructure investment under the Public Private Partnership (PPP).

Alongside his role at Mubadala, Mohammed also has number of board positions, including being the Chairman at Al Hikma Development Company, Manhal Development Company, Leaseplan Emirates and Khadamat Facilities Management Company. He is also a Director at Al Maqsed Development Company, Abu Dhabi Entertainment Company and Gulf Energy Maritime.

Biography

"Muneer leads the regional team and advises the governments on sell side financial advisory mandates for structuring and implementing public private partnerships (PPPs) and privatizations in the infrastructure and social sector. Muneer has advised on some of the most innovative and complex transactions in the MENA region. Muneer has extensive commercial and investment banking experience and has lived and worked in North America, Europe, Middle East, and South Asia.
Prior to joining IFC in Washington DC, he worked with ANZ Investment Bank (ANZIB) in London in senior roles. At ANZIB, he led the European power initiative to originate and execute large and complex project financing transactions in the power sector in continental Europe. "

Biography

Orestis Kavalakis is the Secretary General of Private Investments & PPPs at the Greek Ministry of Development & Investments. Before his appointment, he had served as special Advisor to the Deputy Minister of Development & Investments, responsible for industry, trade and consumer protection. During his tenure he successfully handled major investment projects, notably Hellinikon Project, Elefsis Shipyards and Hellenic Sugar Industry.

He is the President of the Steering Committee for Strategic Investments, a member of the Ministerial Committee for the Monitoring & Development of Ports, the Investment Committee of the Entrepreneurship Fund II (TEPIX II), the Investment Committee of Infrastructure Fund of Funds (InfraFoF) and numerous other committees and public bodies. He is also an assigned member of the Board of the Arab – Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and Development.

Biography

"Rajeev is a Strategy and Transactions Partner at EY with a primary focus on Project Finance and Infrastructure Advisory. He has over 30 years of experience of which 26 years have been in the GCC. His experience includes PPP Strategy & Framework, Power & Utilities, Education, Healthcare, Real Estate and Transportation.
Rajeev has led a number of PPP projects and opportunities in several MENA countries over the past 20 years. 4 of Rajeev’s projects have won awards as “Deal of the Year” in their respective sector, and a number of others have set market precedent through innovation and bespoke design for local requirement.
Rajeev has spoken at various conferences and participated in expert panels, conducting PPP workshops (since 2005-06), highlighting issues with Infrastructure projects, and other related subjects. He has delivered several successful and award-winning PPP projects. He is a regular speaker on international PPP conferences and has strong networks across developers, investors and lenders."

Biography

"Rajit Nanda is currently responsible for ACWA's global growth bringing together the multi-locational and multi-functional skills of business development, acquisitions and divestiture, legal, corporate and project finance. He is also responsible for the global portfolio performance of ACWA Power (approx. 45 Power and desal facilities in Construction and Operations) representing 34,000 GW & 5.9 mil cubic meters per day of desal, spread across 13 countries. 
Mr. Nanda has led the origination and closing of several IPP/IWPPs across Asia, Middle East & Africa and has also initiated and overseen several transformational business acquisitions for ACWA Power. He is passionate about the energy transition and has dedicated his future to the acceleration of decarbonisation of the world. "

Biography

Rami Ghandour joined Metito in 2004, set up Metito Utilities in 2007, and is currently a director on the board of Metito Holdings.  Metito Utilities is the investment arm of the Group, providing complete water and wastewater outsourcing and partnership solutions to end-users. Rami also leads Metito’s endeavors into strategic partnerships, mergers and acquisitions as well as equity investments.

Prior to joining Metito, Rami was a process engineer and project manager at Bechtel in London, and a management consultant with the Boston Consulting Group in New York. Rami has an MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurial Management from the Wharton School, as well as a MEng, MA and BA in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cambridge.

Biography

Richard Ellis holds the position of Chief Business Officer at Altitude Angel, the world’s most trusted UTM (unified traffic management) technology provider.  Altitude Angel is working to both evolve the aviation industry and unlock the huge commercial potential of unmanned aerial vehicles for companies and organisations across the globe. With a deep understanding of regulation and policy concerning the long-term evolution of global airspace, Richard’s role at Altitude Angel involves working closely with regulatory bodies and ANSPs (Air Navigation Service Providers), national infrastructure providers, and enterprise businesses around the world - to ensure new frameworks accommodate and accelerate innovation and commercial value without compromising on safety.

Prior to joining Altitude Angel, Richard held an Executive role at AirMap, as well as a number of Board level and Executive roles in international tech and data driven organisations including CarZar, Market Mettle, Smith Micro, Message Labs, Openwave, and Digital / Compaq.

Biography

Salman Badr has been acting Vice President of the Privatization Advisory Department in the National Center for Privatization & PPP since January 2021. Prior to that Salman served as Director of Investments at The Saudi Industrial Investments Company (Dussur), an industrial investment and development company.

Salman’s experience also includes an executive leadership role in an international defense logistics company, as well as private equity and infrastructure investment execution in a global emerging markets private equity firm.

Salman holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and Political Science with Honors from the University of Toronto, Canada, 2005.

Biography

Sami Neffati is the Managing Partner of the Aberdeen Standard Investments Investcorp joint venture focussing on infrastructure in the GCC and MENA region. He previously held the position of Assistant General Manager of Energy at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation in London. Sami is an Emerging Markets specialist with long experience in the MENAT region. He headed Sumitomo’s business development for Africa and led teams working on financing projects in renewable, power generation, transmission and distribution. Sami focused on Energy transition in Europe and worked on acquisitions of infrastructure assets in Western Europe and the Nordics.

Biography

Sebastien is the Middle East CEO for Veolia, which is a world leader company in the environmental business. Sebastien has experience in the utility sector, mostly in the MENA region. Previously, Sebastien was President & CEO of Amanor, a 100% Veolia affiliate, a large company of 600 employees, expert in water network management acting on municipal and industrial businesses all over Morocco

He has also been Business Development Director for Veolia Morocco, a 600M Euro company with 4,000 employees. Before that, Sebastien was General Manager of Bahwan Veolia Water, an operation & maintenance company dedicated to desalination plants in the Sultanate of Oman.

His portfolio of achievements in his career include management of utility companies, experience in operation & maintenance of desalinations plants, technical expertise in the water sector & business development.

Biography

Steve Severance leads the Program Management and Marketing for Masdar City, a low-carbon sustainable city and clean-technology cluster in Abu Dhabi. He oversees numerous projects to ensure they meet program baselines that balance sustainability and economic requirements, as well as program controls guaranteeing each project meets sustainability, revenue, cost and schedule targets. Additionally Mr. Severance leads the development of the technology lines of business including district cooling, mobility, and smart city initiatives.

Mr. Severance has 20 years of experience in project and programme management, strategy consulting, financial analysis and economic development. He joined Masdar City from Booz & Company in Los Angeles, where he was an Engagement Manager. During nine years at Booz & Company, he led teams handling senior-level clients and their major projects in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. He also headed the development of operating models, governance, organisation, processes, and tools required to improve the success of these projects.

Biography

Mr. Takeo Koike has over 23 years of experience in private sector infrastructure finance and Public Private Partnerships across Asia and the Pacific. As Director of Advisory Division 1, he currently manages ADB’s transaction advisory services for PPP projects in South Asia, Central Asia, South Caucasus, Indonesia and Myanmar. He successfully structured and executed a number of complex limited recourse project financings for infrastructure projects, and also raised corporate financings for utilities.

Prior to joining ADB, Mr. Koike worked for the Export-Import Bank of Japan (currently, Japan Bank for International Cooperation) covering private sector power projects in Pakistan. He also worked as Section Chief in International Bureau of the Ministry of Finance, Japan, and was in charge of formulating and coordinating on policies and strategies related to tackling Asian Financial Crisis and promoting private sector participation in infrastructure in developing countries.

Biography

Thomas Hahn has been Chief Software Expert at Siemens AG since 2011. In addition to his function as Chief Software Expert, he was Head of the Business Analytics and Monitoring technology field from 2011 to August 2013. He joined Siemens in 1986 and worked as a product developer in the field of industrial networks in Erlangen. In 1993 he moved to Nuremberg, where he worked in product management for SIMATIC and as a project manager responsible for development of SIMATIC STEP 7. From 1997 he worked as Head of Development at Traffic Control Systems in Munich for two years. In 1999 he returned to Nuremberg, where he was Head of Software Development for Industrial Automation Systems. He held this post until 2011.

Beyond his activities at Siemens, Thomas is the President of Big Data Value Association (BDVA), the private counterpart to the EU Commission to implement the Big Data Value PPP program. The mission of BDVA is to develop the Innovation Ecosystem that will enable the data and AI-driven digital transformation in Europe. He is also a member or board member of various bodies, including the OPC Foundation, Openlab CERN and Platform Industrie 4.0.

Biography

Tim leads GHD Advisory’s business in the UK, Europe and Middle East. He has spent the last twenty years assisting global businesses in making sustainable investment decisions in the infrastructure sector.

Throughout his career, Tim has led the delivery of commercial and transaction management services on over $60bn of infrastructure transactions, and today focusses squarely on helping clients achieve their net zero aims, with a particular focus on hydrogen.

He leads a dedicated international team that covers sustainability resilience & ESG services, strategic and commercial advisory, data analytics, transaction advisory, due diligence, origination, business case, policy & regulatory advisory to the public and private sectors.

Tim’s sector experience spans defence, operational outsourcing, oil & gas, transport, logistics and infrastructure.

Biography

"Trevor leads the top-ranking Infrastructure & Energy practice at DLA Piper.  He has 35 years of experience advising on PPP projects around the globe in a range of sectors.  
Trevor has been based in the Middle East since 2013 and is involved in advising procurers, developers and lenders on PPP deals around the region including numerous deals in the water sector, major transport schemes and increasing numbers of social infrastructure projects covering accommodation, health and education. "

Biography

Mr Narayan has an extensive Senior Executive career with more than 24 years of experience in ports and international banking sectors. As Group Chief Financial, Strategy and Business Officer of DP World he has been instrumental in ensuring the success of a number of Group’s strategic and transformational initiatives.

Prior to joining DP World he held executive positions with ANZ Group, as Head of Corporate and Project Finance for South Asia and Salalah Port Services in Oman, as Chief Financial Officer. He has also served as Non-Executive Director of Istithmar World and IDFC Securities. He is qualified Chartered Accountant.

Mr Narayan has twice been named MENA CFO of the Year at the Annual MENA CFO Awards.