GWECCC 2023 SPEAKERS

Javier Doblas

Partner

Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

Javier is a Partner in the Dubai office of Boston Consulting Group (BCG). He is a core member of BCG’s Energy and Climate & Sustainability practice areas and works with clients in the energy sector, focusing on clean energy strategies, transformations and transactions. In particular, he leads BCG’s work on low-carbon hydrogen in the Middle East

Ahmad Al Khowaiter

Executive Vice President, Technology & Innovation

Aramco

Ahmad Al Khowaiter was appointed Executive Vice President of Technology & Innovation on April 1, 2023. Prior to this role, he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, a role he undertook in May 2015. He was previously Executive Director of Power Systems in 2014, and Chief Engineer from 2011 to 2014. Ahmad joined Saudi Aramco in 1984, holding various technical roles in oil and gas production organizations, involving design, project management, commissioning, and operations; together with a number of supervisory, managerial and general management positions. Ahmad is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Saudi Aramco Development Co., King Abdulaziz City of Science & Technology, and NEOM Energy and Water Company to name a few. Ahmad holds a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from the King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, a M.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and an M.S. degree as a Sloan Fellow from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

H.E. Eng. Abdullah Al Abdulkarim

Saline Water Conversion Corporation

Governor

Excellency Eng. Abdullah Al-Abdulkarim is an accomplished and forward-thinking leader, presently serving as the Governor of the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) since May 2020. Eng. Abdullah Al-Abdulkarim is a distinguished and forward-thinking leader with a proven track record in the water industry. As the current Governor of the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC), he has successfully driven the organization to new heights, solidifying its status as the world's premier producer of desalinated water. Al-Abdulkarim is a strong advocate for entrepreneurship and the ambitious goals set out in Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030. His focus on innovation, strategic business transformation, and sustainability has effectively aligned SWCC with the Kingdom's objectives. His dedication and visionary leadership have been instrumental in improving the desalination water production infrastructure and modernizing plants across the Kingdom.

Mohammad A. Abunayyan

Founder & Chairman

ACWA Pawer

Mr. Mohammad A. Abunayyan is the Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of ACWA Power, a publicly listed company in the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul), which is at the global forefront of the energy transition through transformative solutions in clean energy, water desalination, and green hydrogen. An accomplished business leader with over four decades of experience in varied sectors, Mr. Abunayyan is widely recognized as a global reference in the water and energy sectors. Founded in 2004, ACWA Power has emerged as an agile, high growth, power, water, and green hydrogen champion that is supporting achieving Saudi Vision 2030 goals and delivering power, water, and green hydrogen reliably and responsibly, at low cost, to communities in 12 countries across the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia.

Saroj Kumar Jha

Global Director, Water Global Practice

The World Bank Group

Mr. Saroj Kumar Jha is the Global Director for the World Bank Group’s Water Global Practice (GP). In his current assignment, Mr. Jha is a core member of the GP’s senior management team, which drives the policy direction of the GP, oversees a portfolio of $24 billion in water-related investments, analytical work, multi-donor trust funds and global partnerships. Mr. Jha supports an integrated approach to water security and inclusive service delivery, accelerated climate action and food security through Bank’s Global Water Strategy, and providing policy advice and operational support in response to specific country needs.

Before this appointment, Mr. Jha was World Bank’s Regional Director of the Middle East Department, Senior Director for the Fragility, Conflict and Violence Global Practice at the World Bank Group, the World Bank’s Regional Director for Central Asia based in Almaty. In addition, Mr. Jha served as the Bank’s Global Manager for the Disaster Risk Management Practice and as Head of the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), which he founded in 2006.

Mr. Jha, an Indian national, joined the World Bank in 2005 as a Senior Infrastructure Specialist in the Sustainable Development Network, after working for the Government of India (1990-2005) and United Nations agencies (1999-2004) as a senior executive in the field of public sector management, infrastructure financing, natural resources management, natural disaster prevention, and environmental sustainability.

Hafedh Al Qassab

Acting Deputy Chief Executive - Operations & BMP Project Director

Bapco

Hafedh Al-Qassab has nearly 30 years of experience in the downstream oil and gas business. He holds a Masters in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College London, and is a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (FIChemE). He is a Chartered Engineer (CEng) and also a Member of the Institute of Leadership and Management (MInstLM) UK. He has also been decorated with the Order of Bahrain (Third Class) for services to the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Cristiano Rizzi

Managing Director and Senior Partner

Boston Consulting Group

• Over twenty five years of experience in the energy sector, across multiple countries, based in Dubai since 2014 .
• Supported multiple utility companies in defining their strategies, particularly on setting ambitions and defining operating model for renewable.
• Supported Net Zero strategies for multiple countries, baselining emissions and identifying key levers and targets to achieve net zero within the set ambition
• Supported water players and water company shareholders in assessing strategies and expansion programs in the water production and water management.
• Supported multiple green hydrogen projects, defining ambition for companies or government, designing and launching auctions.
• Supported EPC players in defining strategies and operating model to cope with energy transition and supply chain challenges.

Dr. Tariq Nada

Vice President - Water and Technical Service

ACWA Power

Dr Tariq Nada is ACWA Power’s Vice President for Desalination based in the company’s office in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. With an impressive career spanning over 22 years, Dr Nada is responsible for overseeing the technical aspects of ACWA Power's extensive water portfolio. He also sits on the boards of multiple companies linked to ACWA Power desalination projects. Dr Nada has accumulated a wealth of industry experience since his career began in 2001, when he got his start working in the operations and maintenance of power and desalination plants in Saudi Arabia. He joined ACWA Power in 2015 as an executive manager for the portfolio management team, and rose through the ranks thanks to his deep knowledge of desalination from both the technical and commercial standpoints – including operations and maintenance, sustainable strategies and profitability as well as the full cycle development of bid proposals for water plant projects. Dr Nada also holds a PhD in Desalination Technology from Glasgow in Scotland University

Hana Al Hashimi

Chief Climate Negotiator

United Arab Emirates

Hana AlHashimi is the Chief Climate Negotiator for the UAE for COP27 and COP28, and Head of the Office of the Special Envoy for Climate Change, HE Dr. Sultan Al Jaber. Previously, she led the International Organizations Section of the United Arab Emirates Prime Minister’s Office, leading partnerships with the United Nations, OECD, African Union, among others. AlHashimi served as a senior adviser to the President of the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly From 2018–2019, as team lead for climate action, sustainable energy, frontier technologies, and information and communications technologies (ICTs); and as the liaison with the Group of 77 and China (a group of 134 countries from the developing south). From 2015 to 2018, AlHashimi served as Happiness Representative, Sustainable Development and Digital Cooperation Expert at the Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the United Nations in New York. Her prior experience includes project development for sustainable energy accelerators at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in Vienna, Austria.

Prof. Waleed Khalil Zubari

Professor of Water Resources Management

Arabian Gulf University

• Coordinator of the Water Resources Management Graduate Program & the UN Water Learning Center for the Arab Region hosted by the AGU
• Member of the Permanent Advisory Committee of the Water Resources Council in the Kingdom of Bahrain
• Obtained his PhD from Colorado State University in 1990 in the field of groundwater systems mathematical modeling
• Teaches graduate courses in Hydrogeology and Water Resources Development, Management and Planning in Arid Regions; supervised more than 45 MSc and PhD theses; published more than 100 research papers
• Research interests include the Water-Energy-food security nexus; water resources governance, planning and management; use of numerical models in the management of groundwater systems; and the impacts of climate change on the water sector
• Conducted more than 50 contractual research studies and serves as a consultant for many UN (e.g., ESCWA, FAO, UNESCO, UNDP, UNEP), and regional (e.g., GCC SG, LAS) and international organizations (e.g., WB, GIZ)
• Vice-President of the GCC Water Science and Technology Association and the Chairman of its Scientific Committee
• Member for the Board of Trustees of The Yousif Bin Ahmad Kanoo Prize.

Eng. Khaled Al Qureshi

Chief Executive Officer

Saudi Water Partnership Company

Khaled Al Qureshi is a result-oriented senior executive with 25+ years of leadership experience in the Water Desalination sector. Khaled earned a BSc degree in Chemical Engineering and MSc degree in Desalination Technology. Khaled was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC) in 2017 where he is overseeing all the kingdom’s offtake agreements as the water principal buyer. In addition, he is overseeing the Kingdom’s privatization efforts of water desalination, sewage treatment, strategic reserves, transmission lines, and other related water projects.

Marco Arcelli

Chief Executive Officer

ACWA Power

Marco Arcelli is the Chief Executive Officer and responsible for overseeing the strategy and operations of ACWA Power's growing global footprint and ensuring its continued growth and success worldwide. He is a seasoned C-level executive with over 20 years of international experience in energy and infrastructure, retail, and digital innovation and has played a crucial role in the strategic positioning and growth of multinational companies. As an energy expert, Marco has held various leadership positions, including CEO Enel Trade, EVP Upstream Gas, CEO of Enel’s North American operations, as well as Chairman of EP New Energy. Marco also has in-depth expertise in turn-around and operations, having led two corporate transformations highlighted in case studies by IESE and Harvard Business School. He is also a peer reviewer for the International Energy Agency. He has also made significant contributions in public affairs and government relations, managing policy negotiations at the country and EU level. He is a dedicated advocate of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues and has served as an Audit and HR Committee member for listed companies in Germany and Russia. An active member of numerous Boards, Marco is also a mentor for organizations supporting women in business and young talents. He holds a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Università degli Studi di Genova, Italy and has completed the Harvard Advanced Management Program.

Zoë Knight

Group Head, Centre of Sustainable Finance & Head of Climate Change MENAT

HSBC Bank Middle East Limited

Zoë Knight is Group Head of the HSBC Centre of Sustainable Finance and Head of Climate Change MENAT. Zoë has been advising global institutional investors on equity investing and climate change for over 25 years. She joined the Global Research business of HSBC in 2010 to provide institutional investors with climate change analysis and recommendations. Since then she has produced insights on low-carbon opportunities in bond and equity markets, long-term carbon and water risks and managing financial stability in relation to climate change. In 2018, Zoë set up the Centre of Sustainable Finance at HSBC to provide climate insight across the group. In 2020, she was recognized as one of 275 Global female energy influencers by the Women’s Energy Council, and in 2021 she featured in ‘The Female Lead’, a book of 67 women changing the world today. In 2022, she was included in the inaugural list of 50 most influential people in Sustainable Finance by Financial News.

Abdul Amir Ajmi

External Affairs-Value Creation Director

PDO

Abdul-Amir Abdul-Hussein Ibrahim Al-Ajmi is an engineer by background and graduated from the University of Leeds, England. He works for Petroleum development Oman (PDO), since 1995, the major Oil & Gas Company in Oman and has 28 years experience in diverse roles including technical and managerial positions such as senior project management, contract strategy development, investment promotion, government and industrial relations, marketing, reputation issues management and sustainable development. He was Secretary General and a Board Member of the Oman Society of Engineers and is now a member of Oman Environment Society. Abdul-Amir attended executive education programmes at Harvard Business School, London Business School, the Prince of Wales's Business & Sustainability Programme at University of Cambridge, IMD and other prestigious institutes. Abdul-Amir became External Affairs Director on 1 January 2014 with a mandate to enable PDO’s vision by focusing on stakeholder engagement, government and industrial relations, raising PDO’s profile, corporate social responsibility and delivering on national directives.

Bart Boesmans

Chief Technology Officer

ACWA Power

Bart Boesmans is Chief Technology Officer at ACWA Power. He has more than 25 years of experience in various roles in the energy business. Amongst others he has been Managing Director of Belgian research center LABORELEC and Deputy Managing Director of ENGIE’s Global Business Line Renewables. Bart Boesmans holds a Ph.D in mechanical engineering from K.U.Leuven and is a visiting professor at the same university.

Sarah Cocker

Managing Director

Amplify & Former TV Anchor, CNBC

Sarah is a dynamic communicator with over 25 years’ experience in finance, media, corporate communications and academia. She works globally as a consultant and coach for cabinet ministers and the C-Suite to define and achieve their strategic communication objectives. Sarah regularly hosts events and moderates at international conferences on diverse topics from smart data to sustainability. Sarah graduated from Bayes business school, UCL with a BSc Hons in Economics. She started her career as an equity analyst at BNP-Paribas, then led the London Latin American equity sales desk, placing high profile IPOs to European funds. This led her to financial journalism, where she globally anchored the CNBC breakfast show Squawk Box for many years and worked for CBC and BSKYB. Before moving to Dubai over ten years ago, she worked at IMD business school in Switzerland, coaching and developing communication workshops for the Masters programme. Since living in Dubai, she co-hosted the well-known Business Breakfast show on Dubai Eye Radio.

Raad Al Saady

Vice Chairman & Managing Director

ACWA Power

Raad Al-Saady is the Vice Chairman & MD of ACWA Power. In his current role, he oversees growth and business expansion along with providing guidance on strategy, human capital, stakeholder management and other strategic drivers. Previously, Raad was part of the Abdul Latif Jameel Company (ALJ), a successful and diversified Saudi business conglomerate, where he held several key leadership roles across ALJ’s business sectors, including his tenure as Vice President of Mobility. A strategic management veteran, Raad has over 20 years of experience in the financial services and automotives industry, including a stint in the technology venture capital sector in Silicon Valley, in California, USA. An active board and committee member, Raad has served governance level positions across diverse organizations in aviation, retail, trade, and financial services, including Saudi Arabian Airlines, Morgan Stanley, Saudi General Authority of Foreign Trade, and numerous other reputable NGOs/firms. Raad holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business management from Menlo College, in California, USA

Antonio Di Cecca

Chief Operating Officer

Tabreed

Antonio Di Cecca was appointed as Tabreed’s Chief Operating Officer in January 2022. He joined the company after having spent 11 years with ENGIE, where he performed numerous roles in the global district cooling industry, most recently as Head of Asset Management at the group’s Dubai headquarters. Antonio has over twenty years of international experience within the energy sector, including a period of five years with the International Energy Agency (IEA). He is also an active member in many district energy associations, as well as the technical committee of the World Utility Congress. Di Cecca is fluent in Italian, French, Spanish and English, and has a Master in Aerospace Engineering from Politecnico di Torino (Turin, Italy), and a Specialised Master in Energy Engineering and Management from the Ecole de Mines de Paris (Paris, France).

Moin Muhammad

Vice President – Chemicals, Water & Technology Center

NESR

Mr. Muhammad has over 27 years of technical and operational experience in the oil and gas industry. He joined NESR in 2018 as VP – Chemicals and ESG Impact Technologies. Prior to joining NESR, Mr. Muhammad worked at Schlumberger for 22 years. During his career Mr. Muhammad held various leadership positions in technical and line management jobs in Canada, the United States and Middle East. He developed and implemented strategies, established substantial business growth and commercialized several high impact technologies which were very well received by the customers and recognized by the Word Oil Awards. Mr. Muhammad received Master of Engineering in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alberta, Canada, and has several granted patents and authored more than 20 technical publications/presentations.

Ferdinand Varga

Managing Director & Senior Partner

Boston Consulting Group

Ferdinand joined BCG in 1999. Before joining the Gulf Offices, he worked at our offices in Warsaw, Dallas, Sydney, Budapest and Dubai. Ferdinand is a core member of the firm’s Energy practice, specializing in power and utilities as well as energy markets regulation. Within that practice, he leads the energy-generation business line globally and the energy network business line in the Europe, Middle East, South America, and Africa (EMESA) region. Ferdinand has worked in BCG’s Warsaw, Dallas, Budapest, and Middle East offices. His assignments often focus on accelerating decarbonization pathways, developing and implementing growth strategies, and improving operational excellence of his clients. Ferdinand holds a PhD and MSc at the Slovak Technical University in the field of Power Generation and Distribution. In his leisure time, Ferdinand enjoys sailing and travelling with his family.

Julio de la Rosa

Middle East Director, Water Solutions

ACCIONA

Julio de la Rosa is a seasoned executive with over 18 years of experience, offering a thorough understanding of operating principles and strong strategic and commercial acumen. With hands-on experience, technical and commercial, working on global flagship power/energy/water and environment projects, Julio joined ACCIONA in 2016 and since then he has been responsible for the overall management of all strategic and operational Market and Customer Relationship activities across Middle East regarding power, water and environment projects for development, Investment, EPC and OM activities. Some of the projects won under her leadership have been Shuqaiq 3, one of Saudi Arabia's biggest desalination plants, using inverse osmosis technology and with a capacity to process 450,000 cubic metres per day, to cater for a population of 2 million people. Also the green finance close for the three ISTPs, Madinah-3, Buraydah-2 and Tabuk-2 in KSA and the RO Jubail 3B desalination plant to name a few.

H.E. Dr. Fuad Mohammed Al Ansari

President

University of Bahrain

Dr. Fuad Mohammed Al Ansari is the esteemed President of the University of Bahrain, assuming the position in May 2023. He holds a PhD in Architecture and Urban Planning from the University of Newcastle, United Kingdom (2009), a master's degree in Architecture and Urban Design from the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom (2000), and a bachelor's Degree in Architecture and Urban Planning from King Faisal University - Imam Abdul Rahman bin Faisal University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (1994). His professional journey began at the University of Bahrain in 1996, where he commenced as a research and teaching assistant. Advancing through the ranks, Dr. Al-Ansari later became an assistant professor and subsequently served as the dean of the College of Engineering from 2014 to 2022. Dr. Al-Ansari's extensive expertise extends beyond academia, as he has actively contributed to numerous boards of directors and specialized committees at national, regional, and international levels. His practical experience in architecture and urban design is notable, having undertaken projects in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Furthermore, he actively participates as a member of technical committees for multiple projects.

Eng. Hebah Abbas

Chairwoman - Sustainability Committee

Kuwait Water Association

Hebah Abbas is a playmaker and innovative technology and construction leader with more than 20 years of solid experience starting in the international telecom private sector, where she closed key Regional deals. She then transferred to the strategic public sector of education overseeing the cooperation between the Ministry of Education and the private sector in the form of EPC and PPP framework through multiple projects. A graduate of Syracuse University, New York , Hebah is a lead team member in the Commissioning Authority for national educational facilities, a selected member of the Contracts Committee and Educational Facilities Inspection Committee within the division; where she streamlines technical specifications and contracts for national facilities and performs National Facilities Audit. Moreover, Hebah has been nominated to be a part of the official team following up the implementation of Kuwait's National Development Plan for the education sector.

A certified LEED (R) Green Associate TM and CIPM ™ Certified International Project Manager, Hebah Abbas is a pioneer in the sustainability and clean energy implementation projects, starting as Business Development Consultant in Life Energy in 2010. Some of her recent participation/nominations are: implementing solar panels and BMS in new school projects, selected by KFAS to attend the Deployment of Renewables: Barriers, Options, and Lessons for the GCC workshop held by the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. Moreover, Hebah abbas was invited to attend multiple certified high level energy workshops in the UN House Kuwait, In order to formulate the Kuwait Energy Outlook (KEO). She is currently the Technical Advisor for Kuwait Water Association and the Chairwoman of the Sustainability Committee. A member of ABCK - AmCham (American Chamber) - Kuwait.

Suha Al Saif

Sustainability Director

NESR

Suha works with NESR as Sustainability Director, where her role is to accelerate NESR strategy of tackling climate change, energy transition and decarbonization. In her role she presents a significant portfolio of associated technology and products to NESR clients in the region. Previously, she worked for 13 years in multinational and local companies such as, National energy services reunited, Emerson process management and Saudi Paper Group, leading their Supply Chain, logistic, local content (iktva), environmental projects, energy development projects and sustainability. Suha graduated on 2006 with a bachelor of Sociology, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia, and A master of operations supply chain management, university of technology, Sydney, Australia, 2012, Graduate certificate of sustainability, UCLA, United States, 2015 and Executive leadership certificate, LBS, London 2021 Suha is also advisory Council at society of petroleum engineers SPE Middle East, member of Middle East Oil and Gas gender diversity 2019, SPE Gaia 2022 & 2023 Co-chairperson and a member of few of NPO in the United Sates such as Sustainable Works, Net Impact, GreenBiz, Los Angeles.

Dr. Ahmed Khan

Technical Resource Manager

SIRC

Ahmed Khan holds a Doctorate in Biochemical Engineering and a Master of Research. He has more than 15 years of background in research and development (R&D) and operations, with experience in various sectors, including waste management and the automotive sector. Presently, is supporting Saudi Investment Recycling Company, to help the kingdom execute on its waste management strategy.

Prior to Saudi Investment Recycling Company, Ahmed held several leadership positions including R&D Technical Director at Guilford Europe where he was responsible for ensuring planning and direction of technical and innovation programs, including design validation plans and technical oversight. Prior to that he was in the KSA, where he helped design and establish one of the largest waste management companies in the KSA, REVIVA, which is now a subsidiary of SIRC.

Bader Mohamed Al Mansoori

Plants Operation Manager

GPIC

Bader Al Mansoori is the Plants Operation Manager of the Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC), he directs the activities of managing and operating the plants in the complex. Since graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1996, Bader has dedicated his past 27 years to self-development and modernization across various fields and departments. He has progressed well through the ranks of GPIC, holding different positions such as Mechanical Supervisor, Senior Planning Engineer, Planning Superintendent, Maintenance Manager and Technical Services Manager before reaching his current position as Plants Operation Manager. During that time, Mr. Al Mansoori has also obtained a Master’s degree in Engineering Management from the University of Bahrain. Speaking extensively on both national and international level Bader has brought the company’s innovative approach to plant maintenance, technical services and plants operations to the public, and has been regularly recognized for his leadership skills and sound management decisions.

Dr. Mohamed Wahba

Vice President Honorary

International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage

Industry expertise and experience has an integrated and diverse experiences in the fields of Irrigation, Drainage, Integrated water resources management, drought and floods management, conventional and non-conventional water resources, rainwater harvesting, advance micro irrigation technologies, agribusiness technologies, Sustainable Development Goal’s, strategies, climate smart agricultural, climate change mitigation and adaptation, “water, food, energy nexus”, supervision of the implementation of irrigation and drainage projects, field studies, evaluation of the use of advanced agricultural drainage technologies and the use of drainage water for irrigation, as well as savings in irrigation water, advanced drip irrigation technologies, development and management of water resources. In addition to follow-up implementation of large projects, preparing of training strategy of Ministries, designing and implementing various training programs in all fields related to water resources, irrigation and drainage, drought management, capacity building for all different functions at the ministry level, coordination of international conference, workshop, events, forums jointly with international organizations and donors.

Raffaella Salamone

Head of International Initiatives

Eni Rewind

Raffaella Salamone has more than 20 years of experience in environmental engineering and project management as manager in environmental rehabilitation, water and waste management and treatment, sustainability, and circular economy projects, both in Italy and abroad. She has been working for Eni Rewind S.p.A. (Eni’s environmental company) since 2005. Over the years she assumed many positions in the engineering department by studying and managing soil & water remediation projects for industrial oil&gas and petrochemical sites in Italy. She is currently head of International Initiatives for developing soil, water and waste remediation and management projects. Raffaella is Eni’s Knowledge Owner in Environmental Engineering.

Hussain Ali Al Basha

Technical & Sales Manager

NESR

Hussain Albasha is a Chemical Engineer with over a decade of experience in the oil and gas industry, including experience in water treatment. He began his career in well testing, where he gained valuable experience in the field and developed a deep understanding of the technical aspects of the industry. Over time, he transitioned into a role as a Technical and Sales Manager, where he has been able to leverage his technical expertise, including experience in water treatment, to drive sales and build strong relationships with clients. Throughout his career, Hussain has demonstrated a strong commitment to excellence and a passion for innovation. He has a proven track record of delivering results and has been recognized for his ability to develop and implement effective strategies that drive growth and profitability. With his experience in water treatment, he has been able to contribute to the development of effective water treatment processes.

Mundhir Adai Mohammed Al Battashi

Water Management Engineer

PDO

Mundhir Al-Battashi is a process engineer at petroleum Development Oman Company (PDO) since 2010. He holds a master’s degree in process engineering from Sultan Qaboos University. He started his career in PDO as water management engineer then moved to Shell Bangalore Technology centre to work in the FEED office. After that, He worked as concept engineer for 4 years in PDO handling various projects in Oil, Gas and Water. In 2019, Mundhir joined the water team again as senior water management engineer.

Nabil Al Lawati

Head Corporate Environment

PDO

Nabil Al Lawati has a Master Degree in integrated environmental management from Bath University in the United Kingdom, as well as a Bachelor of Science from Sultan Qaboos University. Moreover, he has more than two decades of experience in integrated environmental management and sustainability. He has worked at Petroleum Development Oman for the past eighteen years and is currently the Head of Environment. He has also worked at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs for 10 years, and held the position of head of the Environmental Impact Assessment department prior to joining PDO. Nabil has led many strategic impact assessments covering a wide range of industries such as petrochemical, mining, agriculture, tourism, etc. He is also an active member of many international and national environmental institutions.

Seung Hak Choi

Research Science Specialist

Aramco

Dr. Seung-Hak Choi is an expert in membrane-base separation process who working in R&DC at Saudi Aramco as a Science Specialist. Dr. Choi holds a Ph.D. in Green Chemistry and Environmental Biotechnology from the University of Science and Technology. Since his Ph.D., Dr. Choi has been working in various sectors including, national research institutes, start-up company and academia. His pioneering and dedicated research on membrane-based fluid separation process generates 2 book chapters, 33 peer-reviewed journal articles, 56 presentations and 20 granted patents. Currently, Dr. Choi is leading a R&D project in Saudi Aramco to tackle challenges in produced water treatment and reuse to conserve ground water.

Moath Al Shonaify

Vice President - Finance BU PM Gulf, Regional CFO

ACWA Power

Based at the headquarters of ACWA Power in Riyadh, KSA, Mr. Moath Al Shonaify is assigned as a Vice President– Finance BU PM Gulf Regional CFO. He joined ACWA Power in 2020.

Mr. Al Shonaify is a Board Audit Committee Member in Shuaibah Two Water Development Project Company, Al Mourjan for Electricity Production Company & The Energy & Water Academy.

Mr. Al Shonaify has an in-depth experience and expertise over 16 years. From 2008 to 2020, he worked in SAMBA Financial Group, Saudi National Bank and Saudi Investment Bank. He brings experience of corporate banking & corporate finance. At the bank he held various leadership roles in building and managing corporate clients and gained extensive cross-functional leadership experience in business management, strategy, client relationship management, credit, risk, operations and sales.

Mr. Al Shonaify has knowledge in commercial contracts, planning, financing, business analysis, business development including expertise in commercial and financial areas, profitability and sustainable approaches & strategies.

Mr. Al Shonaify holds a “Bachelors of Science in Business Administration” Concentration in Finance and Management from “The American University of Sharjah” in “Sharjah, UAE”.

Mohamed Al Shehab

VP - Corporate Finance & Investor Relations

Bapco Energies

Mohamed Al Shehab is currently the VP of Corporate Finance & Investor Relations at Bapco Energies and is responsible for securing funding for capital investment opportunities, and setting the Group’s financing strategy. Mohamed joined Bapco Energies as Portfolio and Investor Relation Manager in 2020. Prior to joining Bapco Energies, Mohamed served as a Vice President at Barclays Bank PLC, in London, United Kingdom. Mohamed was also an Assistant Vice President at Barclays Corporate Investment Bank. Mohamed earned a BSc in Business Administration at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, U.S.A, majoring in Finance and Operations and Information Management with a double minor in Economics and Philosophy. He holds an M.Sc. degree in Managerial and Financial Economics and a Certificate in Global Risk Management from HEC Paris. He also holds a Certificate in Advanced Credit Skills and passed CFA qualification Level 1, 2, and 3 examinations.

Sara Al Mahmeed

General Engineer

Electricity & Water Authority
Kingdom of Bahrain

Sara Al Mahmeed is currently working as a general engineer in the Electricity and Water Authority, with more than 4 years of experience in Water Conservation Section, under the Planning and Material Development Group. Sara holds a Master degree in Engineering Management from George Washington University. And a bachelor degree in Electronics Engineering from University of Bahrain. She prepared a master's thesis on water wastage in the kingdom of Bahrain: main causes and suggested solutions She is currently responsible for developing the certified licensed plumbers program. Auditing and reviewing building permit applications in planning stage. And arranging for site inspection in implementation stage. She has experienced in awareness lectures in the field of water conservation in order to raise the level of community awareness.

Abdullah Saeed Al Jubran

Regional Director, Gulf Portfolio Management

ACWA Power

Abdullah Saeed Al Jubran is a highly accomplished senior executive with over 25 years of experience in financial, strategic, and operational leadership. He excels in turnaround management and high-paced organizations, driving organizational improvements and implementing best practices. Abdullah's expertise includes strategy development, profitability analysis, contract negotiations, and government relations. He has held prominent positions as Chairman and Board Member in prestigious organizations. Currently, he serves as the Portfolio Management Executive Vice President at ACWA Power, overseeing more than $10 billion portfolio in the Gulf region

Brigitte Bichler

Head of Group Sustainability

OMV

• Brigitte Bichler works since 2008 for OMV AG and is currently leading OMV’s Group Sustainability Department
• Responsible for OMV’s climate & sustainability strategy, long-term climate targets and OMV’s ambition to become carbon neutral by mid-century; she is also responsible for ESG management & disclosure and implementation of the EU Taxonomy.
• More than 20 years of professional experience in diverse sectors: environmental authorities, waste industry, oil & gas industry, European Commission.
• From Oct. 2020 - Oct. 2022 Brigitte was member of the Platform on Sustainable Finance, the advisory body to the European Commission for the development of the EU Taxonomy
• Academic background (Master of Engineering) in Industrial Environmental Protection, Disposal Techniques & Recycling and an MBA in Energy Management.
• In-depth know-how on developing GHG/climate change mitigation policies & strategies, GHG inventories, GHG emission reduction targets development and carbon reduction initiatives as well as water and waste management due to her academic background and professional experience as environment and waste management expert in the energy and waste management sector.

Fatmah Abdulhadi Mohammad

Field Environment Engineer

KNPC

As an environment engineer working in the field of refinery operations, specifically in ensuring optimal air quality and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. My role involves monitoring and analyzing air pollution within the refinery, implementing measures to reduce emissions and conducting detailed reports on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other associated factors. Through my work, I contribute to the sustainable development of the refinery industry by identifying potential environmental risks and implementing effective mitigation strategies. My two-year knowledge of air quality regulations and environmental standards allows me to navigate complex compliance requirements and ensure the refinery's operations align with Kuwait Environmental Public Authority (KEPA) regulation and environmental best practices. Additionally, my expertise in GHG reporting demonstrates my ability to quantify emissions accurately, providing valuable data for environmental impact assessments and supporting the refinery's commitment to carbon reduction.

Mohammed Basheer

Supreme Council for Environment

Mr. Basheer has 8 years of experience in the environmental space. He is currently working as a Climate Change Specialist in the Climate Change and Sustainable Development Directorate at Bahrain’s Supreme Council for Environment (SCE). Before joining SCE, he worked as a Project Manager for over 6 years at Amane Advisors, a management consultancy firm specialized in water and resource management, where he delivered consultancy projects for leading local and international clients in the water and resource management sectors, from both public and private sectors.

Raghunadha Babu V

President

Bahrain Solar Industry Association

• 41 Years in Public Utility Projects Execution, involving Engineering, Procurement, Construction & Projects Management.
• Country Representative, Solar GCC Alliance
• Senior Engineering Specialist, Electricity & Water Authority
• Organizations Worked with:
  • 1. Electricity & Water Authority, Bahrain
  • 2. Alstom Power, Switzerland
  • 3. ABB Sadelmi (Milano), Ansaldo Energia (Italy), Paharpur Marley (India), AP NRT (India), SOLAR GCC ALLIANCE

Dr. Naeem Minhas

Sustainability & Decarbonization Tech. Champion

Baker Hughes Technology Centre

Technologist with the focus on sustainability and decarbonization. He completed his Masters in Aerospace Materials and PhD. in Advanced Structural Ceramics from Imperial College London. He did his Post Doc from KAUST followed by a position in the Imaging and Characterization Core Labs as a Research Scientist. He also has a Masters in International Development from London School of Economics. He Joined Baker Hughes at the end of 2014 as a research engineer based in Dhahran Technology Center. He, in his current role, is leading Advanced Manufacturing Technologies focused on 3D Printing based in Dhahran. He also is leading sustainability and decarbonization initiatives from Dhahran Technology Center.

Eva-Maria Pusch

Group Head of Market, Competitive & Green Intelligence

OMV

Eva-Maria Pusch is currently OMV’s Group Head of Market, Competitive & Green Intelligence and board member of the World Energy Council representing Austria’s energy industry.

In her current role she established a transformation group within the organization called Market, Competitive & Green Intelligence supporting the overall transformation journey of the organization.

Eva-Maria is also Board Member of World Energy Council with the focus to humanize the Energy Transition narrative, putting people into the focus of Sustainability.

Maryam Ali Al Hamar

Manager Information Technology

Bapco Energies

I have accumulated ten years of experience in managing and improving business processes. This extensive experience allows me to effectively drive excellence by identifying areas of inefficiency, simplifying workflows and boosting overall productivity.

One of the highlights of my journey was successfully spearheading Human Capital management digital transformation project in 2022 for Tatweer petroleum. The initiative generated transformative outcomes by empowering and enabling the organization staff through maximised Employee and Manager Self-service, eliminating duplicate and non-value adding activities, digitalizing most of the processes in one integrated platform to facilitate data driven decisions and increasing visibility and insights.

Currently, I am managing the Human resources digital transformation for five entities within Bapco energies group under project Harmony. Project Harmony will offer a common technology platform with single ERP by standardizing and unifying processes across the entities by considering adopting leading practices.

Dr. Kamal M. Sassi Almuteer

Assistant Professor

University of Bahrain

Dr Kamal Sassi is an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Bahrain. Dr Kamal earned his Ph.D. degrees from the University of Bradford in 2012, He teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses including design and transport processes and separations courses. Dr Sassi's research focuses on modelling and optimization of chemical processes with an emphasis on refinery and membrane separation technologies. His current research aims to develop methods for energy savings and more efficient use of water in industrial processes. He has published numerous papers in engineering journals and conference proceedings, focused on process optimization and scheduling of operations to minimize energy consumption. Before joining the University of Bahrain, Kamal served as a process engineer at Azzawiya Oil Refinery, Libya. His diverse responsibilities spanned analysing technological performance, troubleshooting operational issues, and optimizing overall operations.

Mawaheb Mohamed

Business Development Manager

SLB

• 20 years’ experience in the Oil & Gas industry ranging from field operation to leadership and management.
• Worked across the globe in harsh drilling environment. Countries include Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, UAE, KSA, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Kingdom.
• Possess an in-depth knowledge of the oil and gas industry, from exploration and drilling to production.
• In-Depth understanding of the latest technological advancements and innovations in the industry, such as digitalization and automation.
• Extensive experience in managing complex oil and gas projects, including offshore and onshore drilling.
• Proven track record of delivering high-quality and cost-effective outcomes on various oil and gas projects.

Qazi B. Saeed

Water Treatment Service Manager

NESR

I truly believe that every challenge opens doors to opportunities and achievements.

Right away after my graduation, I started with the Oil&Gas industry in the year 2003. The amazing journey took me through multiple exciting turns of Field Operation, Project Management, T&D, Service Quality, and ESG (Water Treatment) initiatives.

I have enjoyed 20 amazing years of Field Operations and Support roles in a very diverse operating environment around the globe. Each new role and responsibility gave me an augmented attitude to accomplish exceptional and sustainable goals.

The expedition continues, and I am on the edge of my seat to deliver excellence for all deliverables.

Dr. Mohammed H. Al Hazmi

Director, Operational Excellence T&I

SABIC

Dr. Mohammed Al-Hazmi has more than twenty-five years’ experience within the petrochemical technology and business domain. Dr. Al-Hazmi holds several executive leadership positions during his career. Dr. Al-Hazmi has extensive technical experience in research and technologies as well as involved in development of several technologies from the lab scale to a full commercial scale. Dr. Al-Hazmi received several national and international awards. He also active member of several international scientific societies and has several well-received scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals as well as delivering several talks in national/international conference and symposium.

Dr. Ali Fardan

Head of ESG

ALBA

Dr. Ali Fardan has more than twenty-two years of experience within different industries like power and water, oil and gas, aluminium smelting, and environmental and sustainability domains.

Dr. Ali Fardan holds different roles during his careen which ends up as the Head of ESG department in ALBA, involving in the transformational efforts in the industrial sector towards net zero carbon and adoption of clean energy and sustainable technologies.

Dr. Ali has different degrees in electrical engineering, Chemistry Science and Environmental sciences. His areas of specialty ranges from the environmental and analytical chemistry to the renewable energy and desalination technologies.

He is working extensively in fields like: Reverse osmosis desalination, Pressure Retarded Osmosis and energy recovery of desalination processes, Water Footprint and Life Cycle Assessment, and GHG accounting.

Wael Abdallah

Managing Director - SDCR

SLB

Wael Abdallah joined Schlumberger in 2005 as a research scientist at DBR Technology Center, Canada. Currently, he is the Managing Director of Schlumberger Dhahran Carbonate Research Center in Saudi Arabia. Prior to this assignment, Wael was the program manager for the geology, rock physics and recovery research activities at the same center. He also managed commercial service studies investigating reservoir fluids phase behavior and flow assurance in a previous assignment, in addition Wael was an instructor for Reservoir Fluids at NeXT. Wael holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alberta majoring in Heterogeneous Catalysis and Surface Science. He also holds M.Sc. and B.Sc. degrees in Chemical Engineering from Jordan University of Science and Technology majoring in fluid phase behavior and thermodynamics. Wael received the Alberta Ingenuity Award in 2005. He has published and co-authored 90+ peer-reviewed and conference papers in addition to 21 granted patents in different technology areas. He holds a professional Engineering Status in Canada and Saudi Arabia, an active member of SPE and SPWLA societies.

Ali Al Aithan

Business Development Manager

Messaben

Ali Alaithan is the business development manager of Messaben Corp with over 15 years of experience in Water Desalination & Filtration and the industrial wastewater treatment and reuses domain, with intensive experience in deploying advanced water technology. He started his career with SWCC from 2002 to 2009 as an engineering division coordinator in charge of plant engineering modification & update CAD drawings. He joined Doosan Heavy Industrial R&D Center, Dammam in 2014 as Process Engineer and was in charge of running several projects & piloting optimizations for desalination processes efficiency improvement. In 2018 joined Marafiq as the lead process engineer in charge of a commercial Desalination plant 100 MLD. In 2019 joined Tahliah as a process design manager, and successfully accomplished several projects for industrial wastewater treatment and reuse (Oil & GAS Produced Water ZLD). In 2022 joined Messaben Crop as BDM to bring economical and integrated technological solutions for water sustainability in the MENA region, focusing on produced water treatment and reuse. Ali studying for a master’s degree in water treatment & Desalination at KFUPM since 2022 and holds an Applied Mechanical Engineering from Kookmin University South Korea Seoul. He participated in global workshops and conferences such, as ADIPEC, IPTC , WETEX

Dr. Ammar Al Ahmed

Senior Lab Scientist

Aramco

Dr. Ammar Al Ahmed works for Saudi Aramco Carbon Management Division. He holds a PhD degree in materials chemistry, specializing on the development of novel solid sorbents and catalyst for CO2 capture and conversion applications. Ammar has patented, co-authored peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals and presented in a number of conferences.

Dr. Basma Al Najar

Faculty Member

University of Bahrain

Dr. Basma Al-Najar has been awarded her PhD degree in Environmental and Sustainable Development (ESD) from the University of Bahrain. Her PhD thesis investigated the properties of nanomaterials that can be applied efficiently in water treatment process, taking a part in the University of Oxford and the University of Bahrain collaboration project. She is the first author of the two published joint research articles between the two universities. She gained her M.Sc. in Medical Physics from the University of Leeds (UK) and B.Sc. in Physics from Newcastle University (UK). She is an author and co-author of more than 30 research work (research articles and book chapters) published in high indexed scientific journals. Dr. Basma is currently a faculty member in the department of physics in the University of Bahrain. Her current research area focuses on the characterization of novel nanomaterials and their applications in water treatment, purification and desalination.

Abdulrahman S. Al Suhaibani

Senior Research Engineer

Aramco

Dr. Alsuhaibani earned his Bachelor if Science degree in Chemical Engineering from The Ohio State University, and holds both a Master’s and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University. With over 8 years of experience in areas related to Sustainability in the Oil & Gas Industry, Dr. Alsuhaibani has several scientific contributions in the area of process design, simulation, optimization and systems’ LCA. Additionally, he has worked as a consultant, designing roadmaps for the decarbonization of the maritime and passenger transportation sectors. Currently, he serves as a research project leader in Saudi Aramco R&DC.

Dr. Muhammad Wakil Shahzad

Senior Lecturer, Mechanical & Construction Engineering

Northumbria University, UK

Dr. Shahzad is working as an Associate Professor in Mechanical and Construction Engineering Department at Northumbria University (NU), Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom. He worked as a Research Scientist in the Water Desalination and Reuse Center of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology from 2014-2019 before joining NU, UK. He is working in solar to alternative fuels, hybrid desalination processes and data center cooling research. He won many international awards including, Sustainability Medal 2020, Global Innovation Award 2020, National Energy Globe Award Saudi Arabia 2020 and 2019, Excellence and Leadership Award 2019, IDA Environmental & Sustainability Award 2019. His research was highlighted at Yahoo business, Nature Middle East, Arab News and many other national and international platforms. He successfully commercialized his desalination processes through spin-off company. Dr. Shahzad holds 11 international patents. To date, he has published 4 books, 22 book chapters, over 85 peer-reviewed journal papers and more than 110 conference papers. He also received three best paper awards in international conferences. He is an editorial board member of ICHMT (Elsevier), NATURE Applied Science journal and serving as a Guest Editor for many journals. He is a Chartered Engineer (UK) and serving as a Mentor for International Desalination Association Young Leader Program (IDA-YLP). He is a member of many professional organizations namely; Institute of Mechanical Engineer (UK), International Desalination Association (IDA), The International Water Association (IWA) and American Society of Mechanical Engineer (ASME).

Zaid Mohammed Binhazzaa

Sustainability Specialist

SABIC

Zaid joined SABIC R&D in 2018 starting as pilot plant engineer then further progressed a scientist for LAO-OP technology; Zaid has one granted patent and two patent applications in regard of LAO-OP technology developments and one publication related to feed characterization for PEM H2 electrolyzer. Zaid holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering and a minor’s degree in leadership from Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, and a master degree in Hydrogen Energy from King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Ibraheem Al Mansouri

Director of Engineering

Masdar

Dr Ibraheem Almansouri is currently the Director of Engineering at Masdar. In his current role, he is oversighting all technical support for Business Development, Project Delivery, M&A, Asset Management and Energy Services. Prior to his current position, he was a senior member of the bidding team in Clean Energy’s Business Development team and was responsible for various projects in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Dr Almansouri has extensive knowledge in academia and research, which includes a wide range of strategic and commercial exposure, and practical experience. Dr Almansouri is the recipient of several regional and global awards including the Emirates Energy Award (2014-2015 cycle) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Myron Zucker Industry Applications Award (2008) besides being an active member of Mohammed Bin Rashid Academy of Scientists.

Maram Al Sabbagh

Environmental Coordinator

Bapco

Maram Al Sabbagh is an Environmental Specialist working for Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco). Maram has been in Bapco for 10 years and currently holds the position of the Environmental Coordinator for the Bapco Modernisation Program (BMP), the largest investment project in the history of Bapco, leading the Project’s Environmental and Social team. Throughout her time at Bapco, Maram led a number of environmental initiatives including the Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) Week Environmental Committee, Bapco’s Green School Awards and Bapco’s Mangroves Nursery and Transplanting Project. Prior to joining Bapco, Maram worked as a Corporate Sustainability Engineer at Abu Dhabi Polymers Company (Borouge), one of ADNOC’s Group Companies, in 2013, and was a Level 2 Environmental Consultant at Environmental Resources Management (ERM) in Abu Dhabi prior to that, in 2010. Maram holds a BSc in Natural Sciences (with a minor in Organic Chemistry and a major in Molecular and Cellular Biology) from University College London (UCL) and an MSc in Environmental Engineering from Imperial College London.

Rawan Al Ghamdi

IKTVA Officer

NESR

Mrs. Rawan is a Saudi woman who strives to be a productive and constructive member of society. In her eagerness to support kingdom’s efforts she began working for the In-Kingdom Total Value Add (IKTVA) program in 2018. Currently, she is working full time as an IKTVA Officer with the National Petroleum Technology Company (NESR). She has five years of experience working in the IKTVA and localization fields. She graduated in January of 2018 from Prince Mohammed bin Fahad University with a bachelor’s degree in interior design. This stemmed from her passion in working in green designs and fascination with architecture. During her spare time, she volunteers with student designers to discuss and brainstorm their case studies.

Tatenda Phiri

Future Energy Leader & Standing Committee Member

World Energy Council

Tatenda Phiri is an academic, future energy leader, a member of the Standing Committee at the World Energy Council, and a Business Development Engineer at Eaton Corporation, a global power management company. With a focus on energy infrastructure challenges, demand and supply dynamics, policy transfer processes, the geopolitics of energy and critical minerals, Tatenda draws on his broad experience in government, business and academia to shed insights into energy markets, the transition to a net-zero global economy, and the geopolitics of that transition. His interdisciplinary research approach encompasses the broad field of energy systems, aiming to develop answers to the complex interlinking of sustainability, supply security, and competitiveness. Tatenda's work at Eaton Corporation allows him to bridge academia and industry, applying his research insights and academic knowledge to real-world energy challenges and contributing to the development of innovative energy solutions. Through his multifaceted roles, he demonstrates his commitment to driving positive change in the energy sector, providing valuable insights and promoting sustainable practices for a more prosperous future.

Ahmed Janahi

Deputy CEO - Al Dur 2

ACWA Power

Ahmed Janahi is the Deputy CEO at HAYA the Owner of the Al Dur 2 Power and Water plant which is majority owned by ACWA power. His experience spans 19 years where he started first as a trainee in Bahrain’s first independent Power Plant “Al Ezzel Power Plant”. He progressed over the years holding a number of positions looking after Power Plant performance, reporting, planning, Operation and Maintenance, Contractual obligations (PPA / PWPA) etc. Prior to joining ACWA Power (Al Dur 2), he held the position of Operation Manager and covered the Al Ezzel Power Plant and Al Dur 1 Power and Power plant, this experience provided me with the knowledge and exposure that became the foundation for my current role as Deputy CEO at HAYA where we oversee the Operation of Bahrain’s largest IPWP and ensure that all our obligations are met to provide the Kingdom of Bahrain with efficient and reliable Power and Water.

Amal Al Derazi

Environmental Engineer

Bapco

Amal Alderazi holds a BSc in Chemical Engineering from the University of Bahrain and joined Bapco in 2016 as an Environmental Engineer. At Bapco, she focuses on maintaining the Corporate Environmental Management System, compliance reporting, and providing essential input on engineering projects from an environmental perspective. Additionally, Amal actively participates in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities, underscoring her commitment to sustainable practices and community engagement.

Faisal D. Al Otaibi

Chief Technologist Oil & Gas Treatment R&D Div

Aramco

Faisal has a BSc Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tulsa, a Masters and PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Calgary. Faisal has more than 25 years of combined industrial and research experience in the areas of gas hydrates, gas separations, oil treatment and produced water treatment. He started his career with Aramco as a stimulation engineer, then an operations engineer at Jeddah Refinery, and currently he is the Chief Technologist of the Oil & Gas Treatment R&D Division at the Research & Development Center of Saudi Aramco in Dhahran. Faisal also worked at UOP-Honeywell as a visiting research scholar in the area of gas separation technologies. He has many journal publications and patents in his area of expertise.

Mohammed Ghassan

Environmental Specialist

BAPCO

Mohamed Ghassan Farija is an Environmental Specialist at the Bapco Modernization Program. He earned a BEng in Mechanical Engineering from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2014 and an MSc in Environmental Engineering from Newcastle in 2015. Mohamed joined Bapco’s engineering department in 2016 and transitioned to the Bapco Modernization Program’s environmental team in 2017. His role centers on ensuring project environmental compliance with international standards. In addition, he is the author of The Layman’s Guide to Climate Change.

Saleh Al Jateli

A/ Manager Technical Services

KNPC

With experience of 24 years in oil & gas industry, Mr. saleh have been working in both spectrum on the industry from leading operational team to being member and heading the design team in clean fuels project. within and supported with back experience in utilities, gas treatment operational & design back ground in KNPC operational platform , he have been leading the process engineering team responsible for treating & handling the natural gas supply with major focus on energy efficiency and optimization in alahmadi refinery for the past 6 years. Managing and supporting operations team for the process units troubleshooting and optimization. In addition, he have been leading the Process control team responsible for provide the managing and automation systems support to achieve the optimum operational parameters for the units.

Mohamed Al Noaimi

Valuation & Structuring Specialist

Bapco

Valuation & Structuring Specialist at the Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco), responsible for providing and assisting the Corporate Strategy & Business Development Department in the identification, evaluation, development and communication of long-term strategies, investments opportunities with the objective of optimising Bapco’s profitability and competitiveness. Mohamed is an alumnus of Masdar’s Future Sustainability Leaders Program. He also participated in COP27 in the African Youth Dialogue and Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week as a moderator. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and a master’s degree in Management and International Business from the United Kingdom’s Nottingham Business School.

Mustafa Al Shehri

Director - Sustainability & ESG

SABIC

Mustafa Al Shehri is an experienced Director of Sustainability and ESG with a demonstrated history of working in the Oil & Gas and Chemicals industries. Skilled in International Relations, Business Development and Partnerships Building. Strong community and social services professional and well acquainted with current social challenges and Sustainable Development Goals. Represent SABIC and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in external strategic sustainability initiatives including World Economic Forum in Davos, United Nations, World Business Council of Sustainable Development (WBCSD), and manage communications with stakeholders (Governments, Associations, Think Tanks in the region and globally) to bring measurable value from these external engagements and thought leadership on sustainability. Mr. Alshehri is also the Vice Chair of Saudi Arabia UN Global Compact Network

Razan Bucheeri

Legal Researcher

Supreme Council for Environment
Kingdom of Bahrain

• Razan works as a legal researcher at the Climate Change and Sustainable Development Directorate at the Supreme Council for Environment, where her work focuses on climate negotiations and climate policy.
• Prior to that, Razan briefly worked in the private sector before joining the Prime Minister’s Office as a Studies Specialist where her tasks included producing benchmarks studies and writing briefs to inform decisionmakers on geopolitical developments and various international and regional affairs.
• Razan holds a bachelor of laws from Newcastle University and a master’s in international law from the University of Edinburgh.

Suhaib Kaki

SYLC Board Member & Process Safety Manager

SABIC

• 7 years of Petrochemical Industry Experience during which obtained the best sustainability idea award.
• Passionate in advocating for the youth and their empowerment and a current Board Member of the SABIC Young Leadership Council (SYLC).
• Obtained his Chemical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree from King Abdulaziz University and currently perusing his Master’s Degree in Engineering Management.
• A Certified Energy Expert and currently a Process Safety Manager.

Turki Mohammad Al Enezi

Environmental Engineer

KNPC

It’s Turki Alenezi, I graduated from Wilkes university with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering. I have been working at Kuwait National Petroleum Company KNPC Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery as an environment engineer in environment division for more than two years and half. I worked with operations department for a year and two months as field operator then continued my work as a panel operator in sulfur block which has become a field of expertise for myself afterwords. Currently, I am developing two flare systems to enhance the quality of work. The first system is flare management system, and the other is flare off/on alarm system. The flare management system will help in carbon reduction by identifying the normal flaring of each unit within the refinery and trying to optimize the normal flaring to the flare header. Furthermore, the system will give the environment engineer the opportunity to have a better monitoring over the flare on daily basis. In contrast, the flare off/on alarm system will reduce the environmental impacts and works as an additional supportive tool to avoid catastrophic incidents.

Neeraj Kuldeep

Senior Programme Lead

CEEW

Neeraj Kuldeep is a Senior Programme Lead at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). He has nine years of experience in public policy domain. Neeraj’s research at The Council revolves around solar and wind markets and the socio-economic benefits of renewables, including jobs and skilling in the sector. He is particularly interested in the policy, regulatory, and economic aspects of rooftop solar, and is currently leading a project to design new business models to accelerate the deployment of rooftop solar in the Delhi region.

Neeraj also works on energy storage technologies, electric vehicles, and grid integration, and often cross-pollinates ideas and analysis with other teams on subjects like the assessment of the criticality of battery minerals in India.

Neeraj holds an undergraduate degree in Energy Science and Engineering and an M. Tech in Energy Systems from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay.

Khalifa Al Khalifa

Environmental Specialist
BAPCO

Khalifa has been with Bapco for 3 years, having previously worked at the Supreme Council for the Environment in Bahrain. Throughout his short career, Khalifa has managed to supervise the publication of two sustainability reports and has undertaken training in GRI reporting standards to become a GRI sustainability professional. He is also handling the mangrove transplanting project which involves management of the Bapco Mangrove Nursery and coordinating with national authorities to quadruple mangrove coverage in Bahrain. In parallel, he is an internal auditor in ISO14001 (Environmental Management Systems).

Khalifa holds a Master of Arts in Sustainable Development from the University of St Andrews, Scotland, and a Master of Arts in Environmental Technology from Imperial College London.

Ali Buhaji

Head of Development & Investment (MENA)

MASDAR

In his capacity as Head of Development & Investment focused on the development of green field opportunities within Middle East and North Africa, Ali provides more than 15 years of diversified experience in infrastructure investments, structured & project finance, acquisition & mergers, project delivery and portfolio management with extensive focus on renewable energy projects. In his current capacity, he ensures the development of opportunities with adequate balance between commercial feasibility and risk allocations. Previously, Ali served as the Head of Asset Management Unit within Masdar overseeing the performance of nearly USD 3 Billion investments portfolio with Assets located nationally and internationally in more than 30 countries.

Ali Currently serves as a Board Member in several companies within the portfolio of Masdar where he contributes via his strong international and multicultural experience, and thrives on working in diverse geographies and marketplaces. He is a senior executive with a strategic mind-set and a commercial outlook, having developed his skills across variety of sectors, including renewable energy, oil and gas, defense and government, technology transfer and commercialization. He serves currently in the board of renewable flagship assets such as Al Dhafra Solar Energy Company (2GW) and London Array (620MW).

Prior to joining Masdar, Mr. Buhaji served in the Deputy Supreme Commander Office as part of the Offset Program Bureau (OFFSET), Rolls Royce Energy, ADNOC and the Technology Development Committee part of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Prof. Johannes Vrouwenvelder

Director - Water Desalination & Resuse Center & Professor - Environmental Biotechnology

KAUST

Dr. J.S. (Hans) Vrouwenvelder is director of the Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), and full professor at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Vrouwenvelder has 35+ years of expertise in research and industrial projects on biological stability, biofilms and (bio)fouling control of engineered systems, such as desalination membrane installations.

He has developed several tools such as a membrane fouling simulator device to provide facility operators and management personnel real-time information on the status of biofouling in their membrane systems.

He has research collaborations with e.g., ACWA Power, the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA), the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) and Aramco.

Thomas Altmann

Executive Vice President – Innovation & New Technology

ACWA Power

Thomas Altmann is the EVP for Innovation and New Technology at ACWA Power. He is a leading expert in Energy and Desalination, having worked in technical and managerial roles in this field for over 30 years. As a global specialist, Thomas held EVP and MD positions at ILF Consulting in Germany with responsibility for Energy & Desalination across international markets. He also served as VP at Bechtel in the Power Generation business unit with global responsibility for Desalination out of their UK and US offices.

Thomas has also served as elected Director on the board of the International Desalination Association (IDA) and the European Desalination Society (EDS). He is also a member of the IDA Global R+D Committee and MIT Technology Review Global Panel. Thomas holds a degree in chemical engineering and was granted patents in the field of desalination and brine mining.

Tariq Ghassan Al Ghaffari

Deputy Governor for Research and Innovation Execution

Saline Water Conversion Corporation

Tariq Ghassan Al Ghaffari is a deputy governor for research and innovation execution projects at Saline Water Conversion Corporation, where he focuses on research innovation, development, engineering, procurement, and execution of projects for the desalination industry aligning with the vision and goals of 2030 through SWCC’s capabilities. During the Pandemic (COVID-19) through innovative solutions one of the projects achieved a world Guinness record “Lowest Energy Consumption in the world for water desalination plant 2.271 KWh per meter cubic”. Tariq holds a PMP®️, certificate Harvard business school, and many other related professional certificates and a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from Washington State University USA

Mir Dawar Ali

Executive Director – Digital

ACWA Power

Mir Dawar Ali, Executive Director – Digital @ ACWA Power International, supports the Chief Digital Officer and VP – Enterprise Architect to formulate the strategic digital direction for the company. Mir provides a strong leadership on a portfolio of application services to drive the implementation and support of several strategic digital initiatives. Mir has nearly 22 years of global experience in the IT services industry with a strong track record of driving digital transformation for enterprises, executing business turnarounds and managing successful project deliveries during his tenure at AppsPro Technology Co (part of Accenture), Arab Bank PLC and Perform ICT Technology Co. Mir also led the cyber security initiative at ACWA Power, where he managed to develop a comprehensive framework model to set the baseline of his organization security. He is currently responsible for the enabling function cluster comprising of Application and Development Services, Cloud SAAS Services, and Technology Operations Services. He holds Master of Engineering degree in Computer Science from PSUT, Jordan, and a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Computer Systems from NED University of Science and Technology, Pakistan.

Abdullah Bin Tuwaym

VP - Transaction Management

Saudi Water Partnership Company

He is the Transaction Management Vice President at the Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC), the principal buyer of desalinated and treated water in Saudi Arabia. He oversees the tendering of Saudi’s water PPP projects from the conceptual stage through financial close.

Prior to joining SWPC, he held project and corporate finance roles with Al Rajhi Bank and the Saudi Industrial Development Fund. Here he successfully led the financing of a number of major water, infrastructure, and industrial projects.

Abdullah Salim Al Awaid

Wastewater Projects Manager

NAMA

Abdullah Awaid is a civil engineering graduate from Sultan Qaboos University with over 14 Years of experience in Wastewater field.

He joined Nama Dhofar Services formerly known as Salalah Sanitary drainage services in Year 2009 as a Contracts Engineer.

During last 14 years of his services, he has been instrumental in successful execution and contracts management (overall project management) of major wastewater projects few of those listed below:

• Expansion of Water Reclamation Plant (WRP) I from 20 MLD to 35 MLD
• Upgrading of WRP II from 35 MLD to 55 MLD
• Collection and conveyance system (Wastewater Network )- Phase III Project
• Collection and conveyance system (Wastewater Network )- Sahalnoot Stage -1 Project (BOT basis)
• Expansion of TSE Network -Initial objective works
• Emergency Outfall to Sea (From MPS-1 to Sea)
• O&M contracts for Salalah and other Wilayats of Dhofar

During last 14 years he has worked on different positions such as Contracts Engineer, Head of sections for contracts and Projects Manager -Wastewater sector.

Currently he is working as Projects Manager -Wastewater sector.

Tahani Hussain

Manager – ESG

Bapco Energies

Tahani has 17 years working experience in sustainability, environment, training & consulting, +11 years of that was spent in in the oil & gas sector.

Tahani holds a master’s degree in environmental and sustainable development from the university of Bahrain, she is responsible for the implementation of ESG principals across the Bapco energies group.

Fazil Abdul Rahiman

Vice President Sustainability and Climate Change

TAQA

Fazil is a strategy and sustainability leader with over 15 years of experience in the domains of energy transition, climate change and sustainability. He has led some of Middle East region’s iconic and first of its kind projects when it comes to decarbonization, energy strategy, green economy, carbon markets, sustainable finance and ESG strategies for leading governments, asset managers and corporates. Currently he is the Group Vice President for Sustainability and Climate Change at TAQA. His previous companies include Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, EY, PwC, Masdar, Dubai Carbon Center of Excellence and Hewlett Packard.

Fazil holds an M.Sc. in Electrical Power Engineering from Masdar Institute of Science and Technology at Abu Dhabi in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA). He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Energy Manager (CEM) and a Certified Measuring and Verification Professional (CMVP). He is one of the first International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) scholars and was awarded ‘Young Future Energy Leader (YFEL)’ by Masdar. Fazil introduced the concept of ‘Demand Response Mismatch’ to the research world, which is published in the IEEE Journal of Smart grids

Haitham S Bahashwan

Environmental Division Superintendent

YASREF

Having accumulated over two decades of experience in the oil and gas sector, I have developed an extensive industry knowledge that sets me apart. My professional journey has been marked with significant milestones, one of which is joining Yasref Company in 2015, where I currently hold the position of Environmental Division Superintendent.

Throughout my career, I have witnessed the dynamic nature of the oil and gas industry, navigating through various challenges and triumphs. This exposure has equipped me with a comprehensive understanding of the sector, encompassing both technical expertise and practical know-how. Over the years, I have honed my skills in environmental management, utilizing innovative and sustainable practices to ensure compliance with industry regulations and minimize the company's ecological footprint.

In my present role, I meticulously oversee the Environmental division, collaborating with a diverse team to implement strategic initiatives that focus on maintaining a harmonious balance between industrial operations and environmental preservation. Drawing from my extensive experience, I am adept at identifying potential environmental risks and developing pragmatic solutions to mitigate them effectively. Additionally, I actively engage with stakeholders, both internal and external, fostering strong partnerships and promoting a culture of environmental responsibility.

Noor A. Abu Hassan

Head of Planning and Development Group

Ministry of Works Kingdom of Bahrain

With over 17 years of expertise in the wastewater sector, engineer Noor A. Abu Hassan has worked in a variety of capacities, including project management, master planning, engineering design, capital projects, and permitting. She holds the title of Head of the Planning and Development Group at the Sanitary Engineering Planning and Projects Directorate of the Ministry of Works. Graduated from the University of Bahrain with a bachelor's and a master's degree in engineering management. Noor concentrated on the ministry's master plan and strategy for sanitary engineering in Bahrain for the last three years. Additionally, Noor oversaw number of treated sewage effluent and sewer projects, including initiatives to improve the networks and maximize earned value. she is a motivated team player who is dedicated to improving work performance and value delivery.

Dr. Mona A. Aziz Al Jar

Academic Faculty Member

University of Bahrain

Doctorate in Environmental and Sustainable Development program, University of Bahrain (2023), M.Sc. in Spectroscopy from Lille 1 University of Science and Technology, France (2014). Dr. Mona A. Aziz Aljar is an academic faculty member at Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Bahrain. Her current research interests are focused on the development and characterization of biodegradable polymeric hydrogel nanomaterials for wastewater treatment, biobased composites for environmental application (bentonite, cellulose and chitosan based composites), environmental chemistry and sustainable development. She is a member in the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD). She is an author and co-author of many scientific papers related to the environmental chemistry in high impact international journals.

Dr. Khawla Al Shayji

Deputy Director General for Strategic Thrust Programs
Kuwait Foundation for the Advancements of Sciences

KFAS

Currently working as the Deputy Director General for the Strategic Thrust Program at Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS). Spent the last 25 years as a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Kuwait University and is considered the first female faculty member in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Kuwait University.

She received her Bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Kuwait University and then began her carrier as a desalination plants inspection engineer at the Water Resources and Development Center (WRDC) at the Ministry of Electricity and Water. Obtained her Master’s degree in water desalination technology from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Glasgow, and then her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (V TECH) in the application of artificial intelligence to water desalination plants.

Her research and consultation focuses on the science and technology of water desalination, renewable energy, heat transfer, corrosion and fouling, environmental impacts, and risk assessment in Power Generation & Water Production Stations.

She has also taught graduate and undergraduate courses and supervised may master’s degree students thesis research at Kuwait University in topics related to water desalination, renewable energy, heat transfer, and engineering economics.

She participated in many local and international conferences, training courses and workshops related to her field of specialization.

Mohammed S. Halawani

Chief Executive Officer

Tawzea

He has more than 16 years of experience in strategies, business development and change management, Mr. Halawani made several successful initiatives in the field of privatization of the water sector in the industrial cities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well he successfully managed to let Tawzea Company one of the leaders of the water & Wastewater sector in KSA by participating in the privatization program.

He was also a member of the committees from the private sector in developing the Water national strategy of Saudi vision 2030 & the strategic plan of University of Business and Technology (UBT) in Saudi Arabia.

Mr. Halawani has master’s degree in business administration from the University of Business & Technology (UBT), Saudi Arabia, and bachelor’s degree in marketing from the same university. Professional development has been of great importance throughout his career.

Moin Muhammad

NESR

Mr. Muhammad has over 27 years of technical and operational experience in the oil and gas industry. He joined NESR in 2018 as VP – Chemicals and ESG Impact Technologies. Prior to joining NESR, Mr. Muhammad worked at Schlumberger for 22 years. During his career Mr. Muhammad held various leadership positions in technical and line management jobs in Canada, the United States and Middle East. He developed and implemented strategies, established substantial business growth and commercialized several high impact technologies which were very well received by the customers and recognized by the Word Oil Awards. Mr. Muhammad received Master of Engineering in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alberta, Canada, and has several granted patents and authored more than 20 technical publications/presentations.

Dr. Mohab Ali Al Hinai

VP - Sustainability and Circular Economy

be’ah

Dr. Mohab Ali Al-Hinai is a highly skilled and experienced professional in the fields of technology and sustainability. With over twenty years of experience, he has held numerous positions in academia and industry, including his current role as the VP of Sustainability and Circular Economy at the Oman Environmental Services Holding Company "be'ah". In addition to his extensive academic background, which includes a PhD in Biological Sciences, Dr. Al-Hinai has also earned several professional certificates in financial planning and analysis, sustainable capitalism and ESG, and leading and building a culture of innovation. He is also a co-founder of Sustainable Investments LLC, which focuses on promoting sustainable development and ESG principles through sustainable investing and ESG advisory in Oman and the MENA region. Dr. Al-Hinai has participated in several prestigious leadership programs, including the National Collaborative Leadership Program, which was organized by the Royal Academy of Management in Oman and delivered by Saïd Business School and the International Institute for Management Development (IMD).

Mark Thomas

Group Chief Executive Officer

Bapco Energies

Mark Thomas is a veteran operating executive with a record of transformative leadership and value creation across the globe. Over his 38-year career with bp, Mark developed a deep knowledge of board and executive processes, strategic transactions, commercial optimization, front-line operations, and Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance. He has a strong appreciation for the nuance of global business, having lived and worked in nine countries and conducted business in 20 others.

Mark’s most recent role as Group Chief Executive Officer, Bapco Energies, previously known as “nogaholding” has accountability for managing the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s investments in the oil and gas sector. The Bapco Energies Group, comprising 15 subsidiary companies, spans the entire oil and gas value chain from exploration, through midstream infrastructure and downstream petrochemicals and refining. Reporting to the Board of Directors and Chairman His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Mark is accountable for the overall financial and operating performance of the Group and the Group Strategy that integrates the subsidiaries under one umbrella organization. Mark is Chairman of the Board of Bapco Gas & Bapco Gas Expansion, Chairman of BACJET Fuel Company, Vice Chairman of Bapco Refining, a member of the Bapco Upstream Board of Directors and SteerCo Chairman of BMP Project.

As Head of Group Chief Executive’s Office (2018-2020), Mark was an advisor to bp CEO Bob Dudley and a steward of executive processes. He worked directly with the executive team and the Board of Directors and had oversight of strategy development and investment governance. He also provided support to Mr. Dudley in his roles as Chair of the Oil & Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) and Chair of the World Economic Forum Oil & Gas Governors Committee.

As Regional President of bp’s North Sea business (2015-2018), Mark transformed the core business to improve profitability while setting the foundation for production to double over the next five years. Among the changes, Mark led the divestment of $1.5B of non-strategic assets, reduced headcount by 70%, invested in focused growth opportunities, and improved overall safety performance to best in the basin.

Earlier, as Vice President Operations, bp Azerbaijan (2009-2014), Mark was the operational leader for one of bp’s top three global businesses, accountable for the safe and reliable operation of two mega-fields that produced one million barrels of oil equivalent daily. He also served as Head of Engineering, Maintenance and Subsea in the North Sea business, Performance Unit Leader for Central North Sea, Southern North Sea, and President and Managing Director of BP Nederland Energies, among other big operational roles.

Mark began his career as a Project Engineer for Amoco Canada and was a Commercial Negotiator for Amoco in Trinidad and Tobago when the company merged with bp in 2000. He earned an MBA from European University in Antwerp and a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of New Brunswick in Canada. He has served as the Chair of the Board of the International School of Azerbaijan, the Second Vice President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Azerbaijan, and a member of the Board and head of the Audit Committee of the UK Offshore Oil & Gas Association in Aberdeen.

Tomaz Guadagnin

Managing Director Flexible Generation GCC

ENGIE

In his current position in ENGIE, Tomaz is responsible for the asset and O&M management of ENGIE’s power and desalination fleet in Bahrain, UAE, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar.

Previously to that, he has performed in many other operational technical and leadership roles in Brazil, Thailand and Oman over nearly 20 years of experience with hydropower, thermal power generation as well as thermal and reverse osmosis desalination technologies.

He also serves as a board member of several power and water assets in the GCC.

Usman Ahmed

Group CEO

National Bank of Bahrain

Usman Ahmed is the Group CEO of the National Bank of Bahrain (‘NBB’) and is also concurrently the Vice Chairman of the Bahrain Islamic Bank.

Usman has over 28 years of diverse international banking experience in emerging markets across the EMEA and Asia Pacific regions, of which for the last 15 years he has held various senior leadership roles as Group CEO, Managing Director, Board Member and Executive Chairman covering Corporate & Investment Banking, Capital Markets, Commercial, Consumer and Islamic Banking in Bahrain, Hong Kong, London, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines and the United Arab Emirates.

Prior to joining NBB, Usman was the CEO and an Executive Board Director of Citi Malaysia, leading over 5,200 colleagues. He was also the Executive Chairman of Citigroup Global Markets Malaysia and concurrently responsible for the Citi Solutions Centers hubs for Securities Services, Cash & Trade operations, and Anti Money Laundering, covering over 50 countries across the globe.

He has also been the CEO and Managing Director of Citi Bahrain, Kuwait & Qatar, while concurrently being the Global Head of Citi Islamic Banking, based in Bahrain.

As the Chief Operating Officer & Managing Director for Citi's Asia Pacific Corporate Bank in Hong Kong and the Corporate and Investment Banking Head for Citi in Philippines, Usman was extensively involved in leading strategy and client coverage in Asia after the global financial crisis.

While at Barclays Bank Plc. Usman led a team of over 1,100 client coverage and Transaction Banking product professionals across 14 countries in the MENA, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia regions as the Head of Corporate & Commercial Banking for Emerging Markets, based in Dubai.

Hisham Abu Al Fateh

Chief Corporate Communications Officer

National Bank of Bahrain

Hisham Abu Al Fateh overseas the development and execution of innovative communications campaigns, shaping strong positioning for NBB, and fostering strong relationships among key stakeholders. Responsibilities include corporate communications (external and internal communications), brand guardianship and social media content development and management, and management of media relations, sponsorships, and events.

Prior to joining NBB, he held roles with Peacock Concierge Group – Bahrain, Kuwait & KSA, Bahrain Institute of Banking & Finance (BIBF), ZAIN Bahrain, Venture Capital Bank, Gulf Air – Bahrain and London, Promoseven Group, Bank of Bahrain & Kuwait and Ahli United Bank. He holds a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from University of Sunderland, United Kingdom and a Diploma in Airline Studies from International Air & Travel Association (IATA), Singapore.

He is also a professional Presenter and Moderator on Bahrain Television & Radio Corporation.

Abu Al Fateh serves as Chairman of the Public Relations Committee at the Bahrain Association of Banks (BAB).

Peter Terium

Chief Executive Officer

ENOWA

Peter Terium is CEO of ENOWA, the energy, water and hydrogen subsidiary company of NEOM, Saudi Arabia. Since joining NEOM, one of the Saudi Giga Projects under Vision 2030, he has been leading its Energy, Water and Food sector. From that time until ENOWA establishment in 2022, Peter has been building 100 % based renewable energy and sustainable water and food systems. Leading also, one of ENOWA’s energy core activities which is the production and exporting of green hydrogen.

Peter’s rich experience in in the energy industry spans over 20 years in Germany and The Netherlands, his home country, and other countries in Europe.

Before joining NEOM, he was the CEO of Innogy SE, (2016 -2017). A new company he worked on transforming from the German DAX listed company RWE. Innogy SE, focused on renewable energy, network and retail businesses. At that time, Peter worked on making it Germany’s most valuable energy company. Bringing innovative energy solutions while overcoming the challenges of the decentralized and digitized modern energy market.

Prior to that he was the CEO of RWE AG from 2012 to 2016 and the CEO of Essent, the leading Dutch energy utility acquired by RWE in 2009, from 2009 to 2011.

Today, Peter is working on bringing that rich experience and more into Saudi Arabia and making ENOWA one of the leaders in renewable energy in the MENA region.

Dr. Abdullah Al Subaie

General Director of Sustainability & Climate Change

Ministry of energy , Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Dr. Abdullah Alsubaie is a General Director at the Ministry of energy in Saudi Arabia. He is heading the climate change policy research team.

Previously, he worked at The Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco). Also, he worked in King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) as a Research Assistant Professor, and a Deputy Director of Water & Energy Research Institute.

He was the Principal Investigator for several R&D key projects and initiatives. He authored and co-authored several publications and technical reports and delivered a number of speeches and presentations in conferences and workshops.

He received his BS from King Fahd University for Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) Saudi Arabia, in Electrical Engineering in 2004, and his Master and PhD in Electrical Engineering from The University of British Columbia, Canada, in 2010 and 2016 respectively.

Eng. Abdullah Al Zowaid

Deputy Governor for Production Affairs

Saline Water Conversion Corporation

Eng. Abdullah Al Zowaid is the Deputy Governor for Production affairs of Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) with more than 30 years of extensive experience in desalination industry and technology. Graduated in Automation & Control from King Fahad University for Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM). Al Zowaid is a member of board of directors of Water & Electricity Regulatory Authority (WERA) of Saudi Arabia, a member of water supply & demands executive committee in Ministry of Environments, Water and Irrigation (MEWA), Board Chairman of Shuaibah Water & Electricity Company (SWEC), Board chairman of Shuaibah Expansion Project Company (SEPCO). Al Zowaid joined SWCC since 1991. He is contributing with the decision maker of SWCC to pave the strategic direction and plans of SWCC future and water sector. Al Zowaid is also a member of the board of directors of International Desalination Association (IDA)

Dr. Kala Vairavamoorthy

Executive Director

International Water Association

Kala Vairavamoorthy is an internationally recognized water resource management expert, with particular expertise in urban water issues. He combines a strong engineering background with practical international experience. He has published extensively and has a strong international profile working closely with the World Bank, UN-Habitat, UNESCO, GWP, SIWI and the EU. This includes leading several urban water management projects for the World Bank, African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank and DFID.

Prior to joining the International Water Association, he was the Deputy Director General for Research at the International Water Management Institute. Kala was also the Founding Dean of the Patel College of Global Sustainability and a tenured Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, at the University of South Florida (USA). Prior to that he was a full professor and Chair of Water Engineering at the University of Birmingham (UK), and Professor and Head of Core of Sustainable Urban Water Infrastructure Systems at UNESCO-IHE (Netherlands). He is currently Professor (adjunct) at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IITM).

Kala has a PhD and MSc in Environmental Engineering from Imperial College, University of London, UK and a BSc (Hons) from King’s College, London.

Abdul Majeid Haddad

Deputy Regional Director

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Dr. Haddad has over 25 years of expertise in the fields of sustainable development, environmental management, and climate change. He has been responsible for overseeing the development of regional programmes to respond to national and regional priorities for environmental protection, climate change, pollution control and resource efficiency. Earlier, he played a leading role in scaling up climate finance in the region and assisting countries meeting their obligations under UNFCCC and Paris Agreement as well as developing projects to reduce green gas house emissions and build resilience through adaptation planning and implementation. Mr Haddad worked at UNEP Headquarters in Kenya as Global Task Manager for Capacity Building for implementation of Rio Conventions on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Biological Biodiversity (CBD) and Combating desertification (UNCCD). Between 1998-2003, he coordinated a large regional programme for marine conservation of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia after serving Sustainable Development Advisor with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Yemen. Before joining the UN, Mr Haddad was Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Sanaa’ Yemen. Mr Haddad holds a Doctorate degree in Biology from the University of York, UK.