Speakers

BIOGRAPHY

H.E. Sayyid Dr. Munther Al Busaidi is the Vice Chairman of Oman Vision 2040 Implementation Follow-up Unit. The unit is tasked with following up and supporting the implementation of the vision’s programs and initiatives. Prior to joining the unit, he was an advisor to the Behavioral Economics Department in the Ministry of Economy. He was also vital in setting up the department and leading it in the first year of establishment. He was also the Assistant Dean for Training and Community Service in the College of Economics and Political Science at Sultan Qaboos University. His role involved building ties with the public and private sectors through joint projects and initiatives. Dr. Munther was also a founding partner at The Firm for Business & Economic Consulting. The company specializes in management consultancy and capacity building. He has a PhD from the University of Melbourne – Australia and a master’s degree from the University of Illinois - USA

BIOGRAPHY

Joël Mesot studied physics at ETH Zurich, where he obtained his doctorate in 1992 with a thesis on high-temperature superconductors. He performed most of his research on quantum materials at the large scale facilities of the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Switzerland. Joël Mesot also brings extensive experience in international contexts with research stays in France (Institut Laue-Langevin) and (Argonne National Laboratory). From 2008 to 2018 he was the director of PSI. Among other projects, the X-ray free-electron laser facility SwissFel was built under his leadership. Mesot also dealt with energy topics and specifically with the potential of hydrogen as an energy carrier. Since 2019, Joël Mesot has been president of ETH Zurich, home of 22 Nobel Prize winners, among them Albert Einstein. ETH Zurich is regularly ranked among the best universities in the world. Joël Mesot is a full professor of physics at ETH and a member of national and international advisory boards, including the Foundation Board of the Swiss Innovation Park and the Governing Board CREATE (Singapore).

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Morsy is a licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.) – registered in States of Colorado and Kentucky – with many years experience in climate change, sustainability, water, energy and sustainable & climate finance. During his career, he has leveraged extensive experience on both national and international levels. His experience was made of different ingredients resulted from the different roles that he served. Dr. Morsy has assumed technical and academic roles all of which has contributed to build his competency as a Climate Change Expert.

BIOGRAPHY

After graduating from the American University of Beirut in agricultural engineering and environmental sciences, Karim El-Jisr quickly realized his passion in battling Climate Change and moved on to complete a course in Business Sustainability Management from the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. With 20 years of Conservation management under his belt, Karim shifted his attention to making future cities more livable and climate-proof with a people-centric focus.Karim lives in The Sustainable City Dubai, an award-winning master-planned community. Being fluent in Arabic, English, French and Danish, Karim stands today as a seasoned speaker who is passionate about sharing his practical knowledge at international venues.

BIOGRAPHY

Engineer / Abdulaziz Al Shidhani has more than 19 years of technical and leadership experience, most of which are in the energy and water sectors. He is currently the Director General of Renewable Energy and Hydrogen at the Ministry of Energy and Minerals since March 2022. During the past one year, hee led the efforts to craft Oman green Hydrogen Strategy including chairing the Renewable energy and green hydrogen efforts unification committee and setting up Hydrogen Oman as a green hydrogen orchestrator.

In addition Abdulaziz is a deputy Chairman of the Environmental Services Oman Holding Company, and before that he was a deputy Chairman of the Oman Power and Water Procurement Company. On a national level he contributed to the formulation of Oman vision 2040 through the Committee for Strategies alignment and national priorities, the Joint Technical Committee for Urban Planning and the Sectoral Committee for Omanization in Electricity and Water Sector, and a member of the follow-up team for the Unified Gulf Water Strategy Project

In the water sector Eng. Abdulaziz Al-Shidhani held a Chief of Water Operations , General Manager of Planning and Asset Management, and Senior Manager of Privatization and Restructuring during the period from June 2013 to March 2022. He participated in various discussions on policies of the electricity and water sector, and strategic projects such as the water restructuring project and the privatization of electricity companies . Eng. Abdulaziz worked for Mazoon Electricity Company in different positions, the last of which was the Director of Planning and Regulatory Affairs. In addition to the above, Eng. Abdulaziz held several positions previously, Including membership in the Board of Directors of the Society of Omani Engineers during the period between 2014-2016

Eng. Abdulaziz Al-Shaithani holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master’s in Business Administration from Sultan Qaboos University, he completed Leadership Programs at IMD and completed the National Leadership and Competitiveness Program for leaders in the government sector, organized and supervised by the Diwan of Royal Court represented by the Competency Development Institute.

BIOGRAPHY

Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent, The EconomistGregg Carlstrom is a Middle East correspondent for The Economist, based in Dubai. He has covered the region for more than a decade, with stints in Cairo, Beirut and Tel Aviv. His reporting and analysis on the Middle East has been published in a number of other publications, including Foreign Affairs, The Atlantic and Politico. His first book, “How Long Will Israel Survive: The Threat From Within,” was published in 2017. 

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Guy de Kort leads Shell’s Operated Ventures in Oman, which covers the accountability for the Block 10 gas development project, the development of a blue H2 project, and Shell’s exploration blocks.Guy joined Shell in 1989 after studying Mechanical Engineering at Delft University. In the first 10 years of his career with Shell, he held various technical roles in upstream process and facilities engineering, followed by some 10 years in commercial roles, which included the development of the Pearl GTL project. Since then, Guy has been in management roles, supporting Shell’s gas business, amongst others as the Vice President Gas to Liquids (GTL), and VP Development for Shell’s Integrated gas business covering Shell’s front end gas projects in upstream and midstream (LNG). Guy was also closely involved in the BG acquisition in 2015/16 when he led the integration Shell and BG’s technical organisations. Guy took up his assignment in Oman at the end of 2021.

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Spyros served as Minister of State for Foreign Economic, Environmental, and Cultural Affairsin 2009-2011. His duties included environmental and cultural diplomacy, economic andenergy issues, development cooperation and humanitarian assistance.First elected as Member of the Hellenic Parliament in 2007 and re-elected in 2009. During2007-09 he was the Shadow Minister of Environment, Energy, and Planning for the leadingopposition party.Senior Associate of the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL)since 2018, acting as an ambassador of the programme in the South-East Europe and EastMediterranean regions, and teaching in selected programmes of the Institute.Advisory Board Member of Sustainable Investments Oman since 2021, promoting cutting-edge technological innovations in the MENA region on food security, energy, and health.Board Member of the EU Commission "Restore our Ocean and Waters" Mission since 2022,aiming to protect and restore the health of our ocean and waters through research andinnovation, citizen engagement and blue investments.Founder and Director of the Institute for Sustainable Development of the European PublicLaw Organization (EPLO), initially a joint initiative between CISL and EPLO, and since 2019fully incorporated within EPLO, enjoying the status of International Organization andPermanent Observer of the UN General Assembly.Chief Senior Advisor with VeRture, a European group of consulting companies on sustainabledevelopment policy, innovation, business development and new technologies, with a globalportfolio of clients.Developer the Verimpact methodology and algorithm for ESG assessment and certification,the first methodology to align ESG to the UN SDGs. He now leads the provision of strategy,assessment, and training services on ESG in many parts of the world.Founder and holder of 2 patents with BabylonGardens, an Innovation Hub for Green UrbanSpaces, with offices in France, Greece and Cyprus.Senior Advisor to the UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan for the Mediterranean Strategy onSustainable development, and the Sustainable Consumption and Production Plan (CircularEconomy) 2012-15.Programme Director, Acting CEO of WWF Greece, and member of different internationalteams (water, EU Policy, agriculture etc.) between 1997-2001, and Coordinator of theMediterranean Unit of the Ramsar Convention 2001-07.President of Ecofilms, the International Film Festival of Rhodes 2004-07.Born in Athens, Greece in 1964. He studied Economics at the University of Athens (BSc) andAgricultural/Environmental Economics at the University of Reading (MSc), and is fluent inGreek, English, French, and speaks some Italian and Spanish. Married, two daughters.

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Dr Ana Nacvalovaite holds a doctoral degree from Oxford University, centred around ethical business and investment practices with research based on regulation, sustainability, and transparency of investments of sovereign wealth funds. She specializes in working with sovereign wealth funds to enhance social and environmental sustainability.

Ana is a Research Fellow at Oxford University, Kellogg College Centre for Mutual & Co-owned Business, where her work focuses on investigating engagement of stakeholders in ESG and SDGs to further implementation of sustainable finance internationally. Ana’s work highlights the importance of conversing with governments, private sector, and academic community to encourage collaborating on positive and imminent changes coming out from standing united on finding solutions that are global, inclusive, and manageable.

Amongst other projects in sustainable finance, Ana serves as an expert advisor to the British Standards Institution on the Committee of Experts on Sustainable Finance, working on ‘Sustainable Finance Framework’. Having participated in drafting and reviewing of International Standards on Green Instruments, she is now raising awareness of the importance of a ‘just transition’, and the role of sustainable finance required to support the ‘S’ in ESG.

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Is a sustainability enthusiast with almost two decades of experience in the fields of R&D and technology assessment. He currently serves as the Vice President of the Sustainability and Circular Economy at the Oman Environmental Services Holding company “be’ah” since 2017. Before joining be’ah, Mohab was an Assistant Professor at Sultan Qaboos University where his research focused on the commercial production of biofuels and commodity chemicals from microorganism. Mohab holds a BSc and MSc in Biotechnology from Sultan Qaboos University and Northwestern University, respectively, and a PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Delaware. In addition to his academic credentials, he has earned professional certificates from Harvard Business School (Leading and Building a Culture of Innovation) and the University of California, Berkeley (Financial Planning and Analysis). 

BIOGRAPHY

Duncan Bonfield is the Chief Executive of the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds (IFSWF) Secretariat, the global network of sovereign wealth funds established in 2009 to enhance collaboration, promote a deeper understanding of Sovereign Wealth Fund activity and raise the industry standard for best practice and governance. Prior to joining IFSWF, Duncan was Group Director of Corporate Communications at LandSecurities plc, a member of the FTSE 100 and the UK's biggest listed property company.Previously, he was Corporate Affairs Director for BAA, the FTSE 100 company which owned Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports. Duncan has a Bachelor's Degree in Politics from Bristol University.

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Carrie is a seasoned business leader with a passion for the environment, particularly the impact of our food supply on the planet. Her expertise is in strategy and general management. She had managed major greenfield Capex projects from conception to revenue-generating operations.

Carrie co-founded Avant with Dr Mario Chin in late 2018, the first and leading cultivated fish company in Asia. At Avant, Carrie provides the vision, guides the strategy and supervises the implementation. Carrie is a Bloomberg New Economy Catalyst 2022. She holds MBA from INSEAD.

Avant is the first cultivated meat company in Greater China and the first cultivated fish company in Asia. Avant’s technology offers a system to produce nutritious, tasty fish and functional marine proteins directly from fish cells at economically viable costs. The group’s end-to-end technology platform also allows continuous new product development from scratch all the way to production. Avant aims to be a global leader in producing traceable and sustainably cultivated proteins in a fully contained environment for food, skincare, and functional applications. Founded in 2018, Avant now has presence in Singapore and Greater China. Avant has also been awarded Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum, Bloomberg New Economy Catalyst, Forbes Asia 100 to Watch and featured in Reuters, TIME Magazine, Financial Times, South China Morning Post, and CCTV. For more information, please visit www.avantmeats.com.

BIOGRAPHY

Eng. Mohammed Ahmed Ali Tabouk is Director of Design & Construction of Roads with the Ministry of Transport, Communications & IT in the Sultanate of Oman

He has been also a part-time lecturer at Dhofar University, since 2016.

Eng Tabouk was previously Director of Maintenance. His academic qualifications include a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from Coventry University (UK).

BIOGRAPHY

Eng Ibrahim waili, A petroleum engineer, holding a master degree in petroleum engineering. with more than 19 years of experience in his field of expertise. He started his career in the petroleum industry as a reservoir engineer at PDO and worked with different top energy company's like shell, EDO, , and PDO in different professions ranging from Reservoir, deal lead manager, Head of business planning , and planning & services officer. Currently, Eng Ibrahim is working at the MOHUP as the Director of Oman National 'Spacial strategy and also, the director of transformation of the ministry of housing and urban planning.  

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A practising lawyer for 10 years, Charlotte Morton studied for her MBA at London Business School before setting up a car club business. Asked to establish the business side of ADBA in 2009, she saw the potential of an industry that can deliver huge potential and value to the UK. Given the even bigger global potential, which must be achieved if the Paris Climate Change targets and UN Sustainable Development Goals are to be met, Charlotte played a pivotal role in establishing the World Biogas Association in 2016 to promote and increase the rate of uptake of biogas globally. Charlotte was awarded an OBE in the 2022 Queen’s Birthday Honours for her services to the biogas industry. She is also on the board of Green Gas Trading Ltd, which runs the Biomethane Certification Scheme.

BIOGRAPHY

Graduated with PhD from Sheffield University, UK in 2000. A professor at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), Oman, Prof. Al-Jabri served as a member of the State Council of Oman from 2011 to 2015. He was ranked in the top 2% of the world’s most influential scientists and researchers in the field of construction and buildings, published by Stanford University, in 2020, 2021 and 2022. He was also conferred with “The Order of Royal Commendation (2nd class)” by His Majesty, Sultan of Oman in 2022 for his outstanding achievements in Scientific Research.

In 2015, Prof. Al-Jabri received the ‘Best Researcher Award’ from SQU, and ‘Pioneer Engineer Award’ from the Gulf Union of Engineers in the year 2017. He was elected as a fellow of reputed professional organizations like Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), UK in 2015, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the USA in 2018 and Oman Society of Engineers. He is serving on the Board of Trustees of the Arab Commission for Accreditation of Engineering and Technology as well as Chairman of the Education Committee in the Federation of Arab Engineers.

His research interests focus on three areas:(1) Studying the behavior of materials and structures at elevated temperatures, (2) Investigating the potential use of waste materials and industrial by-products in civil engineering applications, and (3) Earthquake Engineering and assessing seismic hazards in Oman.

Prof. Al-Jabri has published more than 200 articles in refereed journals of high repute, conferences, and technical reports. He served as principal investigator and researcher for more than 31 research grants and consultancy projects. He has also served as chair and member in many committees at the university, national and regional levels.

BIOGRAPHY

On January 1, 2020, Mr. Bin Hadi was appointed Managing Director of Siemens Energy Oman. He is also the Head of Government Affairs in the UAE and Middle Eastsince 2015. Siemens Energy is world leading energy technology company with broad expertise across almost the entire energy value chain, committed to making sustainable, reliable, and affordable energy accessible globally. Siemens Energy is focused on energizing society, accelerating decarbonization and leading the energy transformation.Mr. Bin Hadi is an experienced energy professional with significant experience across the energy sector. Prior to his current role, Mr. Bin Hadi headed the Oil and Gas business for Siemens Gas & Power in the Middle East from April 2019. Previously he was the head of the Oil, Gas & Petrochemical solution Business for process industries & drive Division in Siemens UAE & Middle East from November 2017 till March 2019. Mr. Bin Hadi joined Siemens in July 2015 in Abu Dhabi. Prior to Siemens, Mr. Bin Hadi was Vice President of Oil, Gas and Petrochemicals for ABB UAE. He also held a series of senior management positions for ABB in the oil and gas sector, including as a planning engineer, in project management, market development, account management. Mr. Bin Hadi’s international experience includes a year in a senior market development position in Norway. Mr. Bin Hadi holds an MBA and a BSc Hons. in management. He has also completed executive education in management & leadership at INSEAD France

BIOGRAPHY

Dr Dalal Aassouli is an Assistant Professor of Islamic and Sustainable Finance at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) in Qatar. She was previously a visiting academic at the Durham Centre for Islamic Economics and Finance, Durham University Business School. Prior to that, she worked at the International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation (IILM) in Malaysia where she assisted with the establishment of the IILM's sukuk programme. Before that, she held several corporate finance positions in Europe where she had exposure to the African, European and Latin American markets. Dr Dalal serves on several industry working groups and non-profit global forums such as the CIBAFI Sustainability Working Group, Qatar Financial Center Islamic Finance Taskforce and the Global Impact fintech (GIFT) Forum. She is also an invited speaker in international conferences and events and provides her consultancy expertise to various organizations on issues related to sustainable and Islamic finance. Dr Dalal holds Masters from NEOMA Business School, and Paris Dauphine University and a PhD from ENS de Lyon in France. Her areas of research interest include Islamic finance in general and its implications for liquidity management, corporate finance, ethical finance, development finance, green finance, food security, sustainable development and socially responsible investing.

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Ivonne Bojoh (1974) offers almost three decades of leadership experience in tech-centric and user-focused start-up/scale-ups in Europe and Asia. Adept at building and growing start-up businesses. She possesses vast experience in developing product platforms that leverage fit-for-purpose technology, aimed at providing the best user experience.

At Circle Economy Foundation, as COO & Director Digital, Ivonne leads the operations and digital innovation. The foundation’s digital strategy leverages technology to deliver over 11 years of circular economy research to accelerate its envisioned impact: doubling global circularity by 2032.

In 2022, Circle Economy launched Circularity Academy, a gamified e-learning platform and Ganbatte.world, an open-access platform delivering data insights, circular solutions, and case studies to 6,000 cities around the world. In addition, together with be’ah (Oman), Circular Norway, ARA (Austria), and Zero Waste Scotland, Circle Economy co-developed the first version of an in-depth dashboard enabling changemakers with data and tools to accelerate the adoption of circular strategies by businesses and governments.

Ivonne is passionate about leaving behind a positive footprint, and contributing her knowledge and experience to leverage technology to avoid climate breakdown. She is married to Patrick and lives in Haarlem, the Netherlands with their two cats.

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Faisal has over 15 years' experience in property. He currently leads the Knight Frank research function across the Middle East. His previous role was Head of London Commercial Research for Knight Frank, where he and his team provided consultancy and strategic advisory services to a range of global clientele, including investors, landlords, developers, HNWI, banks and institutions.  His knowledge and experience spans all real estate sectors and includes markets across the UK, Middle East and Africa.  His work in the Middle East is focussed on the impact of Vision 2030 on Saudi Arabia’s real estate landscape as well the rebounding of Dubai’s ultra-prime residential market and the growing importance of ESG considerations.

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Prior to joining InterContinental Energy as Head of the Middle East, Tony spent over 30 years in the Oil&Gas business of which 27 years with Shell. He has been based in the Middle East for over 20 years working across several countries. With a broad career spanning different technical and commercial positions in the oil and gas business, he has built significant experience in the establishment, implementation and governance of joint ventures in the Middle East. Tony holds an MSc Mining Engineering degree from Delft University, Netherlands and an MBA degree from Warwick University, UK. 

BIOGRAPHY

Starting as an Agriculture Engineer (AUB), I obtained 2 master degrees in Land Use Planning (Universite Toulouse III) and then in Environmental Management and Policies (INA-PG).

I started working in 1998, volunteering at the Ministry to write standards for wastewater effluent use in agriculture. Since then I have worked at the Ministry of Environment in Lebanon, as a GEF UNDP project manager, with NGOs on project implementation and resource mobilization/proposal writing and with private consultancy firms on environmental impact assessments. In 2006 I joined UNDP as a GEF Regional technical advisor, covering arab states, west and central africa in International Waters, Biodiversity and Land Degradation. With the emergence of REDD and climate change adaptation I shifted to finance and lead UNDP’s Index Insurance Facility feasibility. In 2012, I joined the UN-REDD secretariat in charge of national programmes and in 2017 I relocated to DRC as CTA to the Ministry of Finance on running their REDD fund. I’ve joined UNEP in September 2021.

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Rajat Seksaria, Chief Executive Officer of ACME Group, has made theorganization the powerhouse of young and talented professionals.One of the youngest non-promoter Chief Executives in the country,dynamism is his forte. An IIM Calcutta alumnus, an electrical engineerfrom Gujarat University, he possesses rich experience of over 17 years.Rajat is steering the ACME Group into becoming futuristic, nimblefooted and yet structured organization and enabled the organizationto play a vital role in rapid energy transition, which will throw upunique opportunities and challenges. Under his leadership, ACMEGroup has successfully streamlined the organizational processes forthe execution and timely delivery of projects and other strategicfinancial transactions. Rajat has played a key role in strategic deals forthe company including the issuance of offshore green bonds,partnerships with global firms like SCATEC, UNOPS S3i, IFU &Brookfield Renewables and divestment of assets to Petronas andActis. Rajat is also at the forefront of ACME’s move into setting up apioneering global green hydrogen business. With earlier stints withShell (earlier BG India Ltd), Punj Lloyd and India Power CorporationLimited (IPCL), he has also handled international project developmentin renewables and infrastructure in Africa, Asia and Europe.

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Eugene Wang grew up immersed in the vegetarian food business. Since 2010, his vision for launching Sophie’s Kitchen, the first Plant-Based Seafood Alternative, has manifested into a viable category innovation lauded by the press and social media thought leaders. Sophie’s Kitchen had won numerous recognitions from companies like PepsiCo and Chipotle. In 2019, Eugene took the alternative protein to the microorganism level and started another venture - Sophie’s BioNutrients.  The Singapore-based company, which grows microalgae in bioreactors and has recently expanded to Europe. The company created the world’s first allergen-free microalgae-based dairy alternatives and microalgae-based burger patties with its microalgae protein concentrate.

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James Reeve is Chief Economist at Jadwa Investment, a private investment bankheadquartered in Riyadh. His primary focus is Saudi Arabia’s macroeconomic situationand outlook, though having spent time as an Advisor at the Ministry of Investment, he alsoclosely follows the structural changes underway in the economy. Earlier, James was ChiefEconomist at Samba Financial Group prior to its merger with National Commercial Bank.James has also worked for the Institute of International Financial (IIF) in Washington, DC,where he analysed macroeconomic and financial sector developments in a range of MENAcountries. The early part of his career was spent at the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) inNew York and London, and Chatham House, a London-based think tank. He holds aMasters’ degree in Development Economics from SOAS, London University, and a BA fromManchester University.

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Hari is the CEO and co-founder of Zuno Carbon – a Greentech start-up that provides enterprise solutions to measure, report, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He grew up in Oman, and currently resides in Singapore where his company is headquartered. Hari has worked closely with environmental and sustainability regulations, reporting, and strategy and led the Zuno Carbon team that built and commercialized the Veridis and PEMS.ai carbon management platforms. Zuno Carbon is his second venture as an entrepreneur after having founded and successfully exited an EdTech start-up in 2022.

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Firas Al-Abduwani PhD, acting Managing Director of Hydrom (Hydrogen Oman), has over 17 years of experience in building, developing and leading teams along a clear strategic vision with emphasis on adding value and competitiveness to Oman.In his role Firas is responsible for Hydrom achieving the performance indicators agreed with its shareholder (Energy Development Oman) and with its regulator (Ministry of Energy and Minerals). Key among the deliverables is setting the auction process through which Hydrom will be allocating lands for generation of green hydrogen for local and global consumption while maximising value capture for the Sultanate along the definition set by Hydrom’s Board.Prior that Firas was VP – Clean Energy in OQ Alternative Energy where he was responsible for “clean electron” projects that contribute to the decarbonisation objectives of OQ and Oman. The clean energy team is additionally responsible for developing the clean energy requirements of the Green Molecules pillar within OQ Alternative Energy.  Prior to joining OQ, Firas had established several companies and invested in several start-ups locally and internationally. Key among Firas’ portfolio of companies was HTC (Hussam Technology Company LLC).HTC which has grown to be a reliable and innovative system integrator in the ICT and Energy sectors, has played a significant role in the Private Network market of the Sultanate with 100s of customers, 10k’s of users of its networks, and RO 10m’s of value-add and savings to the economy. HTC has also positioned itself as a leading Solar PV EPC in Oman with multiple firsts in the market and is a first mover in the Energy Efficiency market.Identification of market gaps and transitions, the associated value chains, market innovations and key stakeholders, enabled the HTC team to strategise and execute several firsts in Oman including Oman’s: 1st distributed WiFi and mesh deployments, 1st TRA approved FSO and MMW installer, 1st TRA approved Oilfield communication network and DWDM links in the Sultanate. Furthermore, HTC delivered Oman’s first AER-compliant grid connected solar PV plants as part of Shell’s Solar into Schools initiative, Oman’s first bi-facial solar plant and Oman’s fist single axis tracker project. Al-Abduwani is a firm believer in the social and economic responsibility of firms in their local communities, and strives to positively contribute in this respect. Contributions in this field include setting up a dedicated solar PV training facility to train and prepare local and resident capabilities in meeting the solar certification requirements under a BP social investment project grant.Firas Al-Abduwani holds a PhD in Petroleum Engineering from Delft University of Technology, a MEng in Petroleum Engineering from Heriot-Watt, a BEng in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College, and is an alumnus of IMD and the National CEO Program. He chairs Amin Renewable Energy Company, Oman’s first utility scale PV IPP and is a member of Royal Academy of Management Alumni Board. Firas was a member of Sharakah, chaired the SME (small and medium enterprises) Committee in OCCI (Oman Chamber of Commerce), a member of OBF (Oman Business Forum) and was a member of TRC’s (The Research Council)’s Steering Committee of the Strategic Renewable Energy Program. He was APSR certified as an energy auditor as well as AEE CEA certified; and is DCRP certified as a Senior PV Expert

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David Aikman joined King’s Business School in April 2020 as Professor of Finance and Director of the Qatar Centre for Global Banking and Finance. Previously, he spent 17 years working as an economist at the Bank of England – most recently in the role of Technical Head of Division in the Financial Stability Strategy and Risk Directorate where he led the Bank’s work on various macroprudential issues.Between 2013 and 2015, David was seconded to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in Washington DC, where he worked as an advisor in the Division of Financial Stability. In 2008, David was a Visiting Scholar at the Bank of Japan’s Institute for Monetary and Economic Studies. David has represented the Bank in various international fora, including meetings of the Financial Stability Board, the Basel Committee, and the European Systemic Risk Board.He is the author of various research papers on financial stability and macroprudential policy, and has a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Warwick.

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His current role entails, inter alia, providing advice on strategic planning, mainstreaming financial sector into macroeconomic policy issues, and governance.As a member of the Economic and Development Committee, Governance and Institutional Performance Committee, and advisor on socio-economic indicators, he participated in the synthesis of the Oman2040 vision.Holder of an MA in Economic Development of the Middle East, Durham University, UK.He is an alumnus of the University of Glamorgan (now the University of South Wales, UK), as well as the US-based Georgetown University Leadership Seminar, and the Southern Methodist University Rule of Law Program, USA. Prior to his current position, he worked as the Executive Director of a prestigious Omani law firm, and served at the Omani Majlis Ash-Shura (elected chamber of the bicameral council of Oman) between 1999-2008 in several capacities, the last of which was Assistant Secretary General for Information. He also served as the political advisor to two American ambassadors in Oman.

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Henry Gordon-Smith is a sustainability strategist focused on urban agriculture, water issues, and emerging technologies. Henry earned his BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, coursework in Food Security and Urban Agriculture from Ryerson University in Toronto, and an MSc in Sustainability Management from Columbia University. In 2014, Henry responded to a global need for technology-agnostic guidance on urban agriculture by launching the advisory firm Agritecture Consulting which has now consulted on over 250 urban agriculture projects in over 40 countries. 

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Dr Hochadel is an expert in global cities, and currently the Executive Director of Global Business at Connected Places Catapult in London, England.  She works with local leaders, entrepreneurs, city and national governments around the world, including the Gulf states, India, Malaysia, Africa, and the United Kingdom. She is the author of Local Leadership in a Global Era: Policy and Behaviour Change in Cities (2017, Palgrave Macmillan), exploring the changing role local leaders are playing in addressing local challenges through global engagement.Dr Hochadel has over three decades of experience in politics & public policy and community, government, diplomatic and international relations. She has served as special adviser to Congressional and Presidential candidates across the United States, as well as for British Members of Parliament; has been a guest lecturer at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government; and proudly serves as a member of the United Nations Global Happiness policy sub-committee.Dr Hochadel’s Doctorate is from King’s College London in International Political Economy, and she specialises in enabling local governments and leadership around the world to build globally focused, innovation-based economies.

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Dr. Marc VERMEERSCH is the Executive Director of the Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI). He is leading scientific and technology research, development, and innovation at QEERI, to tackle Qatar’s Energy and Water Security Grand Challenges, and environmental issues, while also addressing the impact of climate change on the State of Qatar and the region. During the last five years, he has transitioned the institute mandate from pure academic into a market-driven, applied research business unit, contracting key, strategic partnerships with highly ranked partner institutions and initiating financial sustainability through revenue generation from contracted services.With more than 25 years of experience in research and innovation, Dr. VERMEERSCH has joined Qatar Foundation (QF) with first-hand knowledge in research, development and deployment (RD&D), as well as technology transfer product development, and manufacturing.Prior to his appointment at QF, he worked at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST - 2014) as a Professor of Practice and as the Managing Director of the Solar Center. Before joining KAUST, Dr. Marc VERMEERSCH has been working for more than eight years for the French oil and gas company TOTAL (2006), where he initiated the R&D in solar energy and triggered the Group’s business in sustainable energy conversion technologies. He started his industrial career with the French Group SAINT-GOBAIN (1995) where he occupied several positions (11 years) in technology transfer and product development, as well as support to business deployment and quality management.Professionally, Dr. VERMEERSCH is a strong team builder, integrator and federative in challenging environments. His vast experience in management and executive leadership, built on industrial, technological, and scientific knowledge at the international level, reaffirms his conviction that innovation is a culture necessary for the sustainable progress of companies and institutions, as well as for the balanced and harmonious development of people.

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Eng. Khaled AlRashed has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from King Fahad University forPetroleum and Minerals. He has more than 20 years of experience in Engineering Projects. He started hiscareer as a system Engineer at ABB Contracting. Then, he worked as a Business Unit Manager at ABBAutomation Company. He moved to Saudi Electricity Company in 2005 and became the President andChief Executive Officer of Saudi Electricity Company for Project Development. He was recently appointedas Group Chief Operating Officer at Saudi Investment Recycling Company (PIF Subsidiary) wholly ownedby Public Investment Fund.

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Sardar is a manager at Economist Impact with more than ten years of professional experience in policy analysis, economics and management consultancy. He has worked in the Middle East, South Asia and Africa with various national and regional government and development agencies, such as the UN, USAID and FCDO. His main areas of expertise include sustainable economic development, labour productivity, social protection, education, food security and poverty alleviation. He has extensive experience in designing and conducting large-scale research projects and surveys, impact assessments, project evaluations and programme management. Sardar holds a master’s degree in Public Administration in International Development from Harvard University and a bachelor's degree in Economics from Lahore University of Management Sciences. He studied abroad at Waseda University in Japan and Malardalen University in Sweden. Sardar is a recipient of the Fulbright Scholarship, Erasmus Mundus Fellowship, Joint Japan World Bank Graduate Scholarship and Pakistan’s Presidential Award for Academic Excellence.

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Justine is the Deputy Vice President within the Strategy & Policy team. Alongside the VP, she is responsible for coordinating actions and commitments of member companies and providing strategic direction to the organisation on various topics within OGCI. She has more than 10 years of experience in climate change and sustainability, working both at strategic and operational levels. Previously, Justine worked for consulting firms in Climate & Energy teams where she assisted private and public players in setting up and implementing low-carbon strategies. Justine holds an Engineering degree on Energy from Ecole Centrale de Lyon.

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Mr. Ghalib Al Mamaari is A Vice President Low Carbon Molecules at OQ Alternative Energy, part of OQ Group, an integrated energy company specialising in sustainability and business excellence.Prior to his role at OQ Alternative Energy, he worked as the VP of Information & Digital Solutions where he spearheaded the digital transformation journey of OQ. Previously, he worked for the Implementation Support and Follow-up Unit, Takamul Investment Company and Occidental Petroleum Corporation.Mr. Al Mamaari is a the vice chairman of Vale Oman Pelletizing Company . He also served on the board of Sohar Aluminium, Muscat Gases, Majis Industrial Services & Takatuf Oman.Mr. Al Mamaari holds a bachelor’s degree in Electronic Commerce and a Master’s in Business Information Systems from the University of Queensland, Australia.

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Eng. Moutaz Al Riyami is currently the Executive Director of Gas at Petroleum Development Oman (PDO).  He is also the responsible Director in PDO for implementing the Company’s Low Carbon Strategy. Over the course of 20 years in PDO, he assumed various senior roles across Project Management, Corporate Planning & Economics, and Asset Management. In 2015, Moutaz joined Shell’s Group Strategy as part of the Shell Scenario Leadership Team based in The Hague and played a key role in running Shell’s Energy Transitions Programme. He then took up a role in 2017 with their Upstream Non-Operated Ventures (NOV) Leadership Team as General Manager prior to returning to PDO.Moutaz is a graduate of Sultan’s Qaboos University - College of Engineering.

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SENIOR MANAGER, BUSINESS ASSURANCE AND BOM FOR ENERGY TRANSITION AND DECARBONISATION, Oman LNGEng. Hamed Al Mamari is currently holding the role of Business Assurance Senior Manager and Business Opportunity Manager for Energy Transition and Decarbonisation at Oman LNG responsible for driving and implementing Green House Gases and Energy Management, low carbon and net zero strategy. Prior to his current role, he worked as Asset Management Excellence Regional Manager in Shell based in the Hague supporting a number of Assets from different lines of business (Upstream, LNG and Downstream). Over the course of more than 17 years, he assumed various roles across Strategic Planning, Operations Management, Risk and Reliability Management, Process Safety, Project Management, Performance Management, Business Transformation and Continuous Improvement, Asset Management Systems Implementations, ERP and CMMS Implementations. Hamed holds a bachelor degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Leeds (UK).

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Reham Yahia is an experienced professional in agricultural waste management, having obtained her Bachelor's degree in International Agriculture with specializations in Organic Farming and Sustainability. She has helped multiple small companies grow their R&D, fundraising and business development. Reham has further developed her expertise by undertaking local as well as international training programs such as being chosen among 15 leaders from Africa and Europe to gain an intensive mentorship on growth strategy & business modelling at Enpact organization based out of Berlin, Germany. Most recently she was awarded a scholarship to study food security at Business School Netherlands. Adding onto this success, Reham is a Co-Founder of Baramoda company (one of the most 10 sustainable companies in the Middle East)"Fobrbes,2022" as well as Co-Founder of Environeur (The first online platform in Egypt for waste management).

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Chad Robertson is a social entrepreneur from Cape Town and currently the Co-Founder and CEO of Regenize, a company on a mission to make zero-waste services accessible, attainable and inclusive. He has a background in software development and was a student at the University of Cape Town - Graduate School of Business, where he completed his MPhil in Inclusive Innovation, focusing on the informal waste sector in South Africa.  Regenize offers three solutions focused on achieving their mission:  A recycling solution, REACT, a freemium recycling collection service in low income communities that integrates informal waste collectors to perform recycling collections by providing them with uniforms, fossil-fuel-free recycling tricycles, mobile devices, access to clean recyclables and a decentralised recycling hub.  A behaviour-change solution, Remali, a virtual currency and behaviour changing mobile application focused on connecting and encouraging users to live a zero waste lifestyle using gamification and incentives. A zero-waste shopping solution, Zero Waste Spaza, that partners with existing local convenience shops to make purchasing staple foods more accessible & attainable without creating packaging through digital dispensers that they install.  

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Yaqoob bin Saif Al Kiyumi works as Chief Executive Officer of Oman Power and Water Procurement. Yaqoob has a diverse experience in the oil & gas industry having previously worked in both Petroleum Development Oman and Occidental Oman, and in the manufacturing, industry having previously worked with Sohar Aluminum smelter for over 7 years. Yaqoob holds a bachelor Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering from Coventry University in the UK.With its unique role, OPWP is a key player in the energy transition in the Sultanate of Oman. Its focus on deployment of renewable energy resources as part of the energy mix in the country has already resulted in the commercial operation of a 500 MW solar project with another 1000 MW on the tendering phase

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Energy and foreign policy specialist with over 15 years of international experience in private and public sectors (World Bank, IEA, Aramco, NATO, Dow Jones). Specializing in energy economic and policy research; sustainability and ESG; strategic business advisory; and investment strategy. Past and ongoing work in areas of energy security and economics, international power networks, GCC energy markets and geopolitics, and energy governance.Currently Principal for energy & sustainability at Economist Impact and Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center.Previously senior corporate planning officer at Saudi Aramco, responsible for corporate and energy market analysis provision to the Chairman, CEO, and Saudi royal palace. Previously principal policy advisor, speechwriter, and energy analyst to two consecutive Executive Directors of the International Energy Agency. Early career at NATO driving alliance efforts on international energy security and strategic implications.Quantitative and qualitative analysis and consultancy is reinforced by peer-reviewed publications, technical assistance expertise, and superior academics.

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In June 2017, Mr. Ali Hassan Moosa joined the Oman Banks Association, as the first full-time employee of the Association, having 24 years of experience in various fields of banking, such as Technology, Retail, Marketing, Operations, Credit, and Recoveries, as well as the private commercial sector, specifically, residential and commercial real estate, and tourism development. Mr. Ali also lectured at the College of Banking and Financial Studies and was the first author of the section ‘Banking & Finance’ in the monthly publication Oman Economic Review. Mr. Ali holds a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science from the University of Reading, and an MBA from Webster University.

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Ayad Al Balushi was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Oman Investment Authority in September 2020. His diversified experience covers the areas of finance, strategy and portfolio management. He previously held the positions of Chief Financial Officer and Chief Portfolio Officer at Oman Oil Company Exploration & Production. He also led OQ’s Alternative Energy business unit. Prior to joining OQ, Ayad worked in Petroleum Development Oman and Schlumberger. He is the Chairman of Sohar Aluminum, Abraj Energy Services, and a board member in Oman Airports Company. He is a graduate of the CEO Program by IMD and holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nottingham.

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Khalid M Al Barwani is currently Deputy General Manager and Head of Wholesale Banking Group at Bank Nizwa SAOG. With a career spanning over 20 years’ in Corporate & Institutional Banking Khalid has worked with Multinational, Regional and Local Banks. He began his career at National Bank of Oman and had senior roles in HSBC, Ahlibank SAOG as AGM Corporate Banking and most recently Oman Arab Bank SAOG as DGM Head of Large Corporates. Khalid has a Bachelor’s Degree in Economic and Business Policy and a Master’s Degree in Economics from the University of Portsmouth UK.

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Dr. Salim Al Huthaili is the Chief Executive Officer of Solar Wadi, a renewable energy development  company focusing on Solar, Wind and other renewables as well as energy efficiency. He assumed this  position in March 2022. Previously Dr Salim held various leadership positions including CEO of  Alternative Energy in OQ. Al Huthaili was a member of OQ leadership team and the CEO of Duqm  Refinery & Petrochemical Industries Company between 2018 and November 2021. He brings extensive  global leadership experience gained from working with Shell in various roles, including alternative  energy, projects, technology and petrochemicals in Europe and the MENA region. Al Huthaili was also  the CEO of OXEA between 2015 and 2018. Salim holds a Ph.D. in Renewable Energy and Sustainable  Development. He attained his BEng Honors degree in Mechanical and Mathematics from Nottingham  University, U.K

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Over 15 years of experience in ICT Sector between Public and Private Sectors, including Telecom Operators, Cyber Security Vendor, System Integrators and FinTech. Wadee Holds a BSc. From SQU in Computer Science and MBA from University of Bedfordshire. He is currently the Senior Manager of ICT Business Development in Omantel.

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With ten years of expertise in environmental port management and environmental consulting, Mohammad Khalfan Ambusaidi works as an environment lead at SOHAR Port and Freezone. Mohammed leverages his expertise in environmental fields—along with a track record of working in the marine sector—to improve the environmental management in Sohar Port. Mohammed holds a Master of Science (M.Sc.) in environmental engineering from Sultan Qaboos University. Mohammed has expertise in the circular economy, digitization, energy transition, best available techniques for environmental protection, and environmental monitoring.