Associate Director, Commercialization, RIC-2D Research Center - Khalifa University of Science and Technology
Dr. Ammar Jarrar is a distinguished professional, currently serving as the Associate Director for Commercialisation at the Research and Innovation Center in Graphene and 2D Materials (RIC2D) at Khalifa University for Science and Technology. With a focus on developing and managing smart and sustainable programs, he is at the forefront of addressing crucial challenges in business development and commercialisation initiatives related to Graphene and 2D Materials.
With a career spanning over three decades, Dr. Jarrar has earned global recognition as a Technical Advisor and Programs Director, demonstrating expertise in integrated water management, program management, business development, stakeholder's management, innovation, R&D, smart cities, and the water industry.
Throughout his illustrious journey, Dr. Jarrar has showcased his versatility in handling diverse program management initiatives. From operational and project management to contributing effectively and managing executive board meetings, he has consistently delivered outstanding results in the development and execution of sustainable programs.
Dr. Jarrar's profound impact extends to the successful formulation of strategic plans and implementation frameworks, leading to the design and realization of pioneering smart cities and water management initiatives. He has been instrumental in delivering highly efficient and effective programs, focusing on sustainable smart cities and innovative water strategies.
An accomplished researcher and prolific writer, Dr. Jarrar has published numerous articles and reports in esteemed journals such as WRR Journal, IAHS, ASCE, IAHR, and IRF. His contributions as an author and contributor to various reports and studies in the field of sustainability and water resources management and planning have further solidified his reputation as a thought leader in the industry.
With an unwavering commitment to advancing technology and sustainable practices, Dr. Ammar Jarrar continues to inspire and lead the way in the dynamic landscape of graphene and 2D materials research and commercialization.
Dr. Mohammad Khaled
Member of the board of Advisors (CSIT) Industrial - Abu Dhabi University
With over 20 years of experience in the fields of cybersecurity, AI, and digital transformation, Dr. Mohammad is a futurist and technology/business leader who drives strategic projects and partnerships with e&, a leading provider of cognitive, smart and safe city solutions. He leverages his strength on various industry experience, his extensive knowledge of corporate governance, corporate excellence and innovation, future foresight and accelerations, analytics and big data, and critical infrastructure protection and resilience and PhD in Computer Science to deliver value-added services and outcomes for public and private sector clients.
As a Director of Business Development and Strategic Projects, he leads large cross-functional teams to build and deploy AI, cloud, and big data analytics solutions that digitize services, accelerate smart and safe nation transformation, and support the efforts of critical infrastructure owners and operators to manage risks and achieve security and resilience. He is also a strategic thinker, global mentor, and advisor for international companies, technology vendors, and academic institutions, where he shares his insights and expertise on smart and safe city architectures and challenges. He is a member of the Board of Advisors at Abu Dhabi University, British University in Dubai, and Headline Bulletin, and an Adjunct Professor for Doctorate and MBA at Abu Dhabi University.
Jorge Carrasco TroitiƱo
Managing Director, Blockchain and Digital Assets - FTI Consulting
Jorge Carrasco is a Blockchain and Web3 expert and enthusiast with more than 15 years of experience building and developing lines of business related to emerging technologies. He currently supports clients in developing strategies for enterprise blockchain implementations, advises clients from multinational enterprises to start-ups on their value proposition and product-market fit in the Middle East and gets involved in complex virtual assets regulatory matters.
Mr. Carrasco is a prominent member of the Middle East blockchain industry, involved with numerous organizations, events and endeavours across blockchain, NFT and Web3.
Laila AL Hadhrami
Smart and Sustainable Cities Advisor - Metaverse Advisor - World Metaverse Council
Laila is a highly respected global futurist leader with over 18 years of experience in the Government and Private sector. As a renowned expert in Smart Sustainable Cities and Digital Transformation, she has been at the forefront of Metaverse development since 2006.
With a strong focus on the Middle East, Laila has become one of the region's leading Smart Cities advisors. She is currently leading an advisory company in smart and sustainable cities, while also serving as an advisor for different global consulting firms. Laila has worked extensively with various UN organizations and has held a Research fellowship in UNU eGov. Additionally, she founded the Smart Cities Ambassadors program, which aims to empower individuals to become leaders in the field.
Laila is an award-winning global leader and considered one of the most inspiring and influential women in the Middle East. In 2021, she was recognized as one of the top 50 inspiring women in Oman and the Middle East, as well as one of the most inspiring personalities in Oman. She is a global jury and mentor in different competitions and is passionate about empowering others.
Lukas Sokol
Head - City Design, Sustainable Planning & Approvals - Masdar City
Lukas Sokol is responsible for the Masdar City master plan including land use, transportation, public realm, development approvals, and sustainability.
His team explores the latest strategies and technologies to pioneer a new model of development in which people live more meaningful, productive, and sustainable lives.
Prior to joining Masdar City, Sokol came to the UAE to help with the founding of the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, where he managed the Urban Design Studio for more than a decade. His work focused on development reviews, urban design, and master planning for the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Sokol has worked internationally in planning and urban design for over 20 years. He is passionate about designing cities that enable people to live meaningful lives and continues to research and lecture on city urban planning and design.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture and a master’s degree in landscape architecture from the University of Arizona in the U.S. He also holds a master’s degree in cities from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Matthew Heaviside
Project and Program Director | EPC | Industry 4.0 | Digitalization | Smart Cities - Rochester Institute of Technology
Mr. Heaviside is a member of the Smart Cities Program at the Rochester Institute of Technology. His expertise in digital transformation, smart buildings, smart cities, and technology has led to significant efficiency improvements and cost savings for multiple organizations. Matthew is a member of PMI, the IEEE, and sits on the Building Transformations Smart Cities Think Tank. He also studies Computer & Information Technology at the University of Pennsylvania, with an emphasis in Artificial Intelligence & Data Science. As an American Muslim, he reads Islamic History, Culture, Sciences, and the Holy Quran.
Mohamed Al Marri
Acting Director of Research and Innovation Department - Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi
Mohamed Ali Hamad Futais Al Marri is a pioneering Emirati technology expert with over 29 years of experience in government and semi-government sectors. As the First Arabic PHP Developer and first emirati Microsoft Certified Professional, he has led numerous large-scale technology and data analytics projects in Abu Dhabi. Al Marri currently serves as the Director of Dissemination Department and Act. Director of Research & Innovation Dept. at SCAD.
Mohammed Al Breiki
Executive Director, Sustainable Real Estate - Masdar City
Mohamed Al Breiki is responsible for leading the advancement of sustainable development at Masdar City, from investment and planning to delivery and sustainable community management. Al Breiki provides strategic planning, value creation, and financial oversights in the development of real estate assets while maintaining highest standard of excellence.
He has over 20 years of development management experience, including planning and design, new construction, commercial tenant fit-out, operations optimization, and business plan execution. Previously, he has held roles at Mubadala, ADEK, and the Urban Planning Council.
During his 10 years at Mubadala, he managed major projects in various sectors such as real estate, health care, education, aerospace, and information and communications technology. Some of his notable Abu Dhabi projects include the design and delivery of New York University, the Four Seasons Hotel, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, and Khazna Data Center.
While at the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, Al Breiki contributed to the master planning of various mixed-use developments across Abu Dhabi and worked collaboratively with real estate developers to ensure their plans were professionally designed, sustainable, and well-managed. At ADEK, he managed the development and implementation of a schools master plan in Abu Dhabi.
Al Breiki holds a BTEC national diploma in business studies from Southampton City College in England. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, a post-graduate diploma in business administration, and a master’s degree in engineering management from the Higher Colleges of Technology in Abu Dhabi.
Qais Alsuwaidi
Vice President, Sustainability - TAQA Group
Qais Alsuwaidi serves as Vice President of sustainability at TAQA Group, a role he has held since September 2022. In his role, Qais supports the implementation of TAQA’s ESG Strategy and stakeholder engagement.
Prior to his role at TAQA, he served as the Director of the Climate Change Department at the UAE’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, where he led landmark national initiatives, including the UAE’s National Climate Change Plan 2050, National Climate Change Adaptation Program, UAE’s Net -Zero Strategic Initiatives, the UAE Climate Change Research Network.
Qais holds a bachelor’s degree in sciences from the University of Melbourne, a master’s degree in international law and sustainable development from the University of Paris-Sorbonne, and a master’s degree in public policy from the Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government.
Steve Severance
Director of Growth - Masdar City
Steve Severance oversees numerous projects that balance sustainability and economic requirements, guaranteeing each project meets sustainability, revenue, cost, and schedule targets.
Severance also leads the development of the technology lines of business, including district cooling, mobility, and smart city initiatives. He develops new business models, execution of strategies, and partnerships with leading global companies to implement technology requirements.
He has 20 years of experience in project and program management, strategy consulting, financial analysis, and economic development in the United States, Moldova, and the Middle East.
Severance holds a Master of Business Administration from San Jose State University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Cedarville University in the U.S.
Thierry Lestable
Acting Chief Researcher, Digital Security & Telecommunications Units, Artificial Intelligence & Digital Science Research Center (AIDRC) - Technology Innovation Institute
Dr. Thierry Lestable is the Executive Director of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Digital Science Research Center (AIDRC), covering multi-disciplinary units such as AI, Telecom (B5G/6G) and (Cyber)Security, within the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Before, Dr. Lestable was Director, heading the e-Mobility & Automotive Business Department from Sagemcom (France), addressing Market and Products challenges raising from Intelligent & Connected Vehicles (Telematics, DMS, ADAS), to micro-mobility (e-Bikes). Dr. Lestable was member of the Steering Committee from FIEV Federation, which represents major Automotive Equipment Suppliers, where he promoted the benefits of A.I for road safety.
Prior to Automotive, he was heading the Industrial IoT Business Department, designing and manufacturing connected devices, and platforms for the industry (Smart City, Asset Management, Smart Grid, …), rolling out LPWAN Networks worldwide.
Earlier, as Head of IoT Business Development & Strategic Partnerships, he actively participated to the Launch of IoT LoRa™ Alliance, being granted the position of Vice-chair for the Strategy Committee in June 2015, then from October 2015 till 2017 was the Vice-Chairman of the Alliance.
Dr. Lestable has +25 years’ experience in the Telecom, Mobility and Energy industry, steering industrial innovation, from spark of ideas to prototypes, products, standards, and systems, rolling-out networks, whilst leading new businesses, within organizations such as Alcatel, Samsung, and Sagemcom.
He received both Engg. Degree from Supélec (France) in 1997, and Ph.D, in 2003 from Supélec/Paris Sud-Orsay.
Dr. Lestable is author of 35+ international publications, 20+ patents, editor of 1 Wiley Book on Advanced Channel Coding, co-author in 2 Wiley Books on B3G/4G systems, was Telecom Expert for the European Commission, Eureka Cluster CELTIC, and the French National Research Agency (ANR).
He was Chair of the M2M Expert Group in eMobility European Technology Platform. In 2010, Dr. Lestable was member of the Telecom Steering committee of Systematic, a competitiveness pole, and created the IoT/M2M course in Supélec, where he was visiting lecturer for 7 years.
Wissam Hijazi
Sr. Director of Innovation - EllisDon Construction MENA
Wissam holds the position of Senior Director of Innovation at EllisDon MENA region. His primary responsibility is to manage the creation and execution of creative digital delivery approaches for EllisDon's operations, which is a part of the Project Management Consultancy (PMC) services. With over 17 years of experience in developing and implementing BIM and VDC applications for Design-Build-Operate projects, Wissam possesses a diverse range of skills and knowledge in the Digital Project Delivery industry. He is currently leading a team of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to design solutions for implementing digital twin and smart building technologies.
Wasim Beg
Director of Smart Cities Solutions - Injazat
An accomplished professional currently serving as the Director of Smart City Solutions at Injazat. In this capacity, my primary responsibility revolves around conceptualizing and realizing the next generation of urban and enterprise offerings. These encompass a wide spectrum, ranging from Smart Grids and innovative Smart Traffic Management systems to robust Public Safety, AI integration, Digital Twin solutions, and Industry 4.0.
Previously served as the Head of Digital Transformation and Innovation at Injazat, where I played a key role in designing and implementing many critical and strategic nationwide digital and smart city initiatives for UAE government and private enterprise. Additionally, I am honoured to be an active member of the design authority at Hassantuk, a sweeping safety and security program overseen by the UAE Ministry of Interior.
Spanning a career of two decades, I have extensive expertise in Digital Transformation, Smart Cities, and Enterprise Solution Architecture. A significant portion of this journey has been dedicated to steering digital transformation endeavours at a leadership level , which brings a wealth of knowledge to my role. Prior to joining Injazat, I led the Enterprise Asset Management practice at Siemens SIS division, where I held various roles in Solution Consulting, New Product Development, and end-to-end Digital Transformation project delivery for customers across the Middle East from different industrial domains such as Oil & gas, Utility, and manufacturing.
I began my career with TATA Consulting Services in consulting domain, working in the USA, India, and Europe in various capacities, including consulting and delivery leadership roles.
I am very passionate about leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as IoT, AI, Digital Twins and blockchain to create innovative solutions and products that aid customers in navigating market disruption and believe in the power of technology to solve both global and enterprise problems
I hold a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the National Institution of Technology in India and a Postgraduate Diploma in Digital Mastery from the MIT Sloan School of Management, USA.