Managing Director
Clean Energy Business Council
United Arab Emirates

Raed is currently the managing director for the Clean Energy Business Council (CEBC) in Dubai and is a senior advisor with the Apricum Group and founder of Sunergy Advisory. Raed has over two decades of international experience in the energy sector, having worked with Multinational corporations as well as technology startups and R&D organizations. Recently, Raed was at First Solar where he was Vice President for Sales and Business Development for MENA, overseeing First Solar’s commercial footprint in the region, market setup, origination and strategy development for partnerships and project execution. Upon moving back to the ME in 2009, Raed joined the core team that built the Economic Development Division at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), where he was responsible for creating the institution’s successful Industry Collaboration Program and acted as an advisor to both public and private sector entities in Saudi Arabia.

Raed previously took on several senior roles with Siemens AG in Germany and in the US. He is the author of several referenced papers and holds several patents around energy conversion. Raed is a co-founder and mentor of several technology startups and is a passionate advocate for decarbonization and the clean tech industry

Senior Vice President
Dii Desert Energy MENA

Cornelius is a well-respected leader and investor in the renewable energy industry and built several successful clean energy businesses and start-ups within Middle East and Africa. He has extensive board level experience from 10 years in Deutsche Bank (among others, youngest board member in Deutsche Bank Italy Group) and several renewable energy associations via pro bono work. By building the international shareholder and partner network of Dii (Desertec Industrial Initiative), he was at the forefront of the renewable energy revolution in North Africa and the Middle East. A keen entrepreneur and investor in emerging markets with recognitions such as “Solar Pioneer 2015” for the Middle East, he is lecturing at several universities including St. Gallen and is a regular speaker at international conferences. He holds an MBA (Dipl. Kaufmann) from University of Passau, and speaks German, English, Italian, French and Russian. “I am glad to be able to work in renewable energy which is also my passion – we can genuinely make an impact with many different things and help people, to make our planet a better place. Having new challenges every day is fantastic and many more mountains to be climbed!”

Principal Consultant at Three Pillars Consulting
Co-Founder of Shams Global Solutions
Sultanate of Oman

Michael Tsang, Ph.D., is the owner and principal consultant at Three Pillars Consulting, an environmental and sustainability services company based in the Sultanate of Oman, as well as the co-founder of Shams Global Solutions, a sustainability-focused training and education company. He has been working for many years in the fields of environmental sciences, sustainability and public health and how they related to industries and economic activity.

Specifically, Dr. Tsang has focused on the risks associated with and the benefits offered by emerging technologies to society. Such technologies include renewable energies (e.g. solar photovoltaics and biofuels) as well as engineered nanomaterials used in agriculture, textiles and electronics. He has presented at major international conferences on the subject and has published the results of his work in highly ranked international journals such as Nature Nanotechnology.

Prior to starting Three Pillars Consulting, Dr. Tsang was a contract-consultant to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineer Research and Development Center, in the department of Risk and Decision Sciences. There he worked on risk assessments, life-cycle assessments and multi-criteria decision analysis. Michael was also a research fellow at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C. within the Office of Research and Development’s Chemical Safety for Sustainability program. There, he worked on building novel datasets and environmental models for chemicals.

Dr. Tsang holds a Ph.D. on the topic of Eco-Design of Third Generation Photovoltaic Solar Cells from the University of Bordeaux. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of California, San Diego and a Master’s degree in Public Health, with a focus on environmental sciences and toxicology, from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Senior Vice President
Dii Desert Energy MENA

Cornelius is a well-respected leader and investor in the renewable energy industry and built several successful clean energy businesses and start-ups within Middle East and Africa. He has extensive board level experience from 10 years in Deutsche Bank (among others, youngest board member in Deutsche Bank Italy Group) and several renewable energy associations via pro bono work. By building the international shareholder and partner network of Dii (Desertec Industrial Initiative), he was at the forefront of the renewable energy revolution in North Africa and the Middle East. A keen entrepreneur and investor in emerging markets with recognitions such as “Solar Pioneer 2015” for the Middle East, he is lecturing at several universities including St. Gallen and is a regular speaker at international conferences. He holds an MBA (Dipl. Kaufmann) from University of Passau, and speaks German, English, Italian, French and Russian. “I am glad to be able to work in renewable energy which is also my passion – we can genuinely make an impact with many different things and help people, to make our planet a better place. Having new challenges every day is fantastic and many more mountains to be climbed!”

Executive Director
Jordan Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Fund (JREEEF)
Ministry Of Energy & Mineral Resources (Memr)
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

• Executive Director; Jordan Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Fund (JREEEF)
• EFQM 2013 Certified Assessor.
• CEO/Co-Founder CSRArabia/ Consulting Company.
• EFQM Assessor.
• Assessor at King Abdullah II Center for Excellence Award.
• Assessor at Abu Dhabi Award for Excellence in Government Performance.
• Assessor at Dubai Government Excellence Program.
• Consultant /Business developer, SME’s Capacity Building and Enhancing Entrepreneurs capabilities, SME’s and Entrepreneurs.
• Projects Management Experience; PMP certification.
• Regular daily columnist/writer of newspaper articles regarding political, economic, social and cultural issues.

Regional Team Leader
Climate Change, DRR, Energy and the Environment
United Nations Development Programme
Regional Hub for Arab States

Dr. Kishan Khoday is with the United Nations Development Programme where he serves as UNDP Regional Team Leader in the Middle East and North Africa for Climate Change, Energy and the Environment. He has been with the UN for 20 years with assignments in China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, and has led over $1 billion of UN initiatives to combat climate change, conserve biodiversity, and advance water and energy security for poor and vulnerable communities. Kishan holds a Juris Doctor degree in international environmental law, and MSc and BSc degrees in natural resource governance and environmental science. He is a thought leader on the Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Agreement on Climate Change, with over thirty publications on various aspects of the transition to sustainability.

Research and Development Manager
Environmental Center for Excellence
Be’ah
Sultanate of Oman

Farah Al Barwani is currently serving Research and Development Manager in the Environmental Center of Excellence (ECE) at the Oman Environmental Services Holding Company “be’ah”. Previously, Dr. Al-Barwani was a Visiting Lecturer at the Department of Biology, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) as well as Head of Research and Development for EOR LLC, where her focus was the development of effective treatment plans for wastewater from various sites within the Sultanate of Oman. Her current focus at be’ah is to support research and development in waste management, to facilitate corporate and national integration of broader sustainability initiatives such as circular economy activities, sustainable development goals (SDGs) and waste management hierarchy.

Industrial Engineering Specialist - Strategic Planning Department
Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects
State of Kuwait

Mrs. Al-Usaimi has an experience of around 13 years in both the Financial and Engineering Sector in Kuwait. She managed projects in different sectors in Kuwait and the Region.

She started her carrier in the Investment Banking field in 2004 at Global Investment House – one of the leading investment companies in the region, where she participated in number of leading Private Placements deals starting with valuation, legal and financial restructuring, documentation and private placement. In addition to offering financial advisory, capital raising, pre-IPO transactions, startup companies, and merges & acquisitions. She later joined the Ministry of Public Work, State of Kuwait, in 2012 within the Special Project Administration - Consultant Department, where she manages projects by dealing with international consultant on the design phase, preparing the final designs along with the contractor, reviewing and approving contractors within special committees, and preparing & reviewing the final contracts of the project. She then joined Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects in 2018 as an Industrial Engineering Specialist in the Strategic Planning Office by which she has participated in incorporating the general strategy of KAPP, in addition to performing the tasks of Business Development, by managing and monitoring the flow of the projects in the initial stages as well as looking into opportunities in the market for PPP projects. Sarah has been a member of several specialized committees and a Board member of number of companies in Kuwait.

Mrs. Al-Usaimi received her MBA from Kuwait University, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial & Management System Engineering from Kuwait University, Kuwait.

Senior Energy Analyst
Directorate of Sustainability, Technology and Outlooks
International Energy Agency

Christophe is a senior energy analyst in the Directorate of Sustainability, Technology and Outlooks of the International Energy Agency (IEA). Christophe joined the IEA in 2015 and leads the oil and gas analysis within the World Energy Outlook series: the Agency’s authoritative analysis of long-term global energy trends and challenges. He led the special focus on natural gas in the World Energy Outlook 2017 with particular focus on assessing the methane emissions from oil and gas operations. He also led the special focus on innovation and the environmental performance of oil and gas supply in the World Energy Outlook 2018.

Prior to joining the IEA, Christophe was lead researcher for the UK Energy Research Centre at the University College London (UCL) Institute for Sustainable Resources. Christophe holds a PhD in energy and resources from UCL and a BA and MSci from Queens' College at the University of Cambridge in Theoretical and Experimental Physics and is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at UCL.

Contractors & Consultants Approval Section Head
Distribution Code Review Panel
Sultanate of Oman

• Holds Bachelor Degree on Electrical Engineering from Sultan Qaboos University – Major Power system & Energy
• Has worked and experienced in the three sectors: Government ( Public Establishment of Industrial Estates), Semi Government ( NAMA Group Companies) & Private ( Over Seas Construction Company LLC)
• Heading Contractors & Consultants Approval Section in DCRP since 2014.
• Focal point for the running of 3 working Groups in DCRP:
• Contractors & Consultants Approval Working Group
• Solar Approvals Working Group
• HSE Working Group

Business Development Manager
Jinko Solar

Dareen Ayyad is the Business Development Manager at Jinko Solar covering the Middle East region. Dareen Has been with Jinko Solar for just over two years. Prior to her current role, Dareen worked in Saudi Arabia for Energy Solutions Developers and Manager (ESDM) – focusing on energy efficiency projects and small scale renewable energy projects. Dareen has a master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Carleton University in Canada and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Ottawa in Canada.

Senior Business Development Manager
Siemens Gamesa

2017 - Date: Senior Business Development Manager, North Europe and Middle East, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, Germany

2012 - 2017: Sales Manager Utilities/IPP, Siemens Power and Gas, Saudi Arabia

2011 - 2012: Sales & Marketing Engineer, Alstom Grid Services, Pakistan

2010 - 2011: Executive Engineer Sales & Proposal, Siemens Wind Power, Pakistan

2008 - 2009: Sales & Proposal Engineer, Siemens T&D Services, Pakistan

2003 - 2007: B. Sc, Electrical Engineering

Senior Advisor
Oman Power and Water Procurement Company
Sultanate of Oman

Brian Wood currently has the role of Senior Advisor at Oman Power and Water Procurement Company, and was director of OPWP’s Planning and Economics Department from 2011 to 2018. His team is responsible for OPWP’s supply plan, with the license objective to assure that electricity generation and water desalination capacity is sufficient to provide for demand, at costs that are reasonable and economic. In recent years the supply plan has stressed development of procurement strategies that emphasize renewable energy development, demand management, energy trading, and market-based approaches. Other roles are to set tariffs that reflect the cost of supply, advise on the economic aspects of project development, and to support government policymakers on fuel diversification policy and other matters within the purview of OPWP. Before coming to OPWP, Mr. Wood worked and lived in India, Southeast Asia, and Egypt since the mid-1990s, mainly as a management consultant in electricity resource planning, development and implementation of energy efficiency strategies, and energy policy development. He was educated in engineering and public policy at Stanford University and the University of California at Berkeley in the USA.

Head of Studies and Research
Ministry of Oil and Gas
Sultanate of Oman

Hilal Said Sulaiman Al Hadi , born in Muscat in Oman on March 25, 1971. Has three years Electric Diploma on 1990, and then continues to complete my studies and graduated from Scotland in UK in 2001 as BSC in Electric and Electronic. I have more than 23 years’ experience in Oman electric system which includes but not limited to 11kV maintenance, Protection, communication (220kV,132kV,33kV,11kV,and 415V, 33kV maintenance, Operation, training, system studies, planning and more. My career start at 1990 as electric technical tile 1992, and then transferred to protection and communication section at 1992 until 2002, and I’ worked as protection and communication technician, then become communication engineer from 2002 tile 2003, then shafted to system studies in 2003 tile end of 2004 at Ministry of Housing, Electricity and Water, and then shifted to Oman Electricity Transmission co (OETC), end of 2014 assigned to be one of the OETC establishment teem (privatization) focused on protection and communication . First of May 2005 started as section head of protection and communication with OETC. In 2008 selected to be a head section of Strategic Planning and Studies with OETC. At 6/5/2013 to 4/5/2014 become as Compliance & Regulation Manger with OETC. Then I applied for early retirement from the government system and joint MEDC as Senior Planning Engineer, Section Head of Studies and Research till date. Planning Manager ( Acting) MEDC. currently secondment with Ministry of Oil and Gas till 14/1/2020.

Also a member of grid code from 2005, and chairman of Metering and data exchange code. I was charring many activities within OETC. And received a Arabic inventors price in 2003 at Cairo and I ‘m member of science club in Oman and , have many different inventions and attend different scientific activities last 19 years. Representing science clubs at second Omani inventions exhibition at 22 to 24/3/2015 and I’ got second price for my invention. I’ appointed in the Arabic interconnection Energy studies as member, and I’m selected as focal point of the IAEA Oman group, report was prepared for the Oman Exploring Energy options study till 2035 for the peaceful nuclear office (Ministry of foreign affairs) . Publications of more than 25 technical papers, tow presentations was given in the IEEE Oman at MSQ 2014.

Asst. Director - Business Development & Technical
Etihad ESCO

Pradeep Singh is teh Asst Director of Business Development and Technical departments at Etihad Energy Services, (owned by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority). He holds a Mechanical Engineering degree with CEM, CEA, CMVP, PMP, and LEED Certifications, and possesses more than 11 years of experience in leading roles in energy efficiency and ESCO projects.

Pradeep is the oldes employee of Etihad ESCO who has played a key role in the shaping of the newly established company. He conducted the first ESCO project’s feasibility studies and was instrumental in developing the first ESCO Contract based on the guaranteed energy saving and performance.

He was also involved in the development of the Dubai Airport and JAFZA Retrofit ESCO project, which turned out to be the largest energy retrofit project in the Middle East. He played a lead role in the development of key ESCO projects in Dubai that will result in guaranteed saving of more than AED 100 Million per annum.

Prior to joining Etihad ESCO, Pradeep served as the energy manager for IBM, where he was responsible for achievement of the company’s energy conservation target. He has also worked with Schneider Electric’s energy management department and has done more than 100 energy audits, which includes power plant, different industrial sector, commercial buildings etc.

General Manager
Gulf Renewable Lab

Saeed Balhaddad graduated from a college of science of King Fahd University for Petroleum & Minerals in 2007.

Since then, Saeed Joined Saudi Aramco as Project engineer. In 2015, Saeed joined Energy Systems company as a general manager. In 2019, Saeed has been nominated as a general manager of Gulf Renewable Lab, a joint venture company between GCC Lab & UL.

Saeed also a certified coach and speaker.

Renewable Energy Engineer
Petroleum Development Oman
Sultanate of Oman

Idris is a mechanical engineer and holds a PhD in renewable energy from university of Exeter, UK. He started his career as Mechanical design engineer at the government of Oman at the projects directorate. In April 2012, Idris joined Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) and worked as a mechanical construction engineer. Currently, Idris works at the Renewable Energy section under the electrical infrastructure department in PDO.

Renewable Energy Lead
Petroleum Development Oman
Sultanate of Oman

Eng. Mohammed Al-Lawati is the Renewable Energy Lead at PDO looking after PDO’s journey of energy transition into the renewable energy. He is involved in all renewable projects ranging from solar, wind, storage system, hydrogen potential and hybrid system solutions. Mohammed holds a Master in Electrical Engineering from Western University at Canada. Mohammed joined PDO in 2010, and worked in the power infrastructure department responsible for the operation, maintenance and construction of the transmission system in PDO network. Then, Mohammed worked as a power concept engineer planning the development of PDO’s power system and conducting studies on new technologies. Later on, Mohammed was a project engineer for a power plant project valued at 100 million USD.

Senior Sales Manager - Middle East
Siemens Gamesa

Gilles is the Senior Sales Manager for Middle East for Siemens Gamesa, offering solutions for renewable energy and storage projects. Gilles is a graduate engineer from Supelec, Paris and in the company for 8 years. He held different sales positions contributing to Siemens Gamesa success on challenging emerging markets of MENA region and has a strong expertise in EPC projects and of large infrastructure tenders.

Senior Operation Engineer
Saudi Aramco

Tawfeek Ahmed Mohmmed Molah is Electrical Senior Engineer graduated from King Abdulaziz University in 1991. Currently, he assigned as Western Distribution Department Energy Coordinator at Saudi Aramco.

Group General Manager
Assarain Group

Mr. Dhananjay Gulwadi - Group General Manager of the Assarain Group of Companies came to Oman in 1985 and has been with the Assarain Group for over 28 years. He holds a Degree in Civil Engineering from IIT Mumbai, one of India’s top engineering colleges and a Post Graduate qualification in Construction Management from The National Institute of Construction Management and Research, Mumbai.

He was initially associated with Assarain Concrete Products & Trading LLC which he led and developed since its early days in 1987 to a mature concrete products manufacturer in Oman. In the year 2000, he was appointed as the Group General Manager of the Assarain Group.

During his tenure as the Group General Manager, the Group has seen tremendous growth in its turnover and is today a leading player in the concrete products industry, frozen food distribution and contract cleaning & landscaping businesses.

The Group also owns The Body Shop, Raymond Shop, Hatat Polyclinic, Assarain Furnishing, Assarain Insurance Services, Wadi Adai Auto Service Centre, The Blue Falcon Travel & Commercial Company, Al Qurum Complex all of which are a part of Mr. Gulwadi’s responsibilities. Mr. Gulwadi is associated as a Board Member of Ahjaar Mining LLC, a Joint Venture with Minerals Development Oman SAOC and Al Fajar Al Alamia Company SAOG, set up recently to quarry & crush gabbro rocks and export aggregates to the neighbouring countries.

His expertise is in business diversification and growth, business restructuring process and building alliances with the companies across the world to offer best solutions to the local Oman market. One favourite area of his has been recruitment & training of qualified nationals and grooming them to take up management roles.

His other interests are water conservation, reading books & magazines in business and current affairs.

Section Head – Energy Recovery
Business Development Department
Be’ah
Sultanate of Oman

Zainab Ali Abdulkhaliq is a Section Head managing the Energy Recovery from Municipal Solid Waste projects within Business Development Department, at Oman Environmental Services Holding Company “be’ah.

Zainab holds a Master degree in International Business, a Master of Science degree in Environmental Management and a Bachelor degree in Commerce. Prior to joining be’ah, Zainab worked at Central Bank of Oman, W.S. Atkins Global and HMR Consultants.

Partner – Finance and Projects
Pinsent Masons

Gurmeet has been based in Dubai since 2007. She has advised public and private clients on energy and infrastructure projects including advising on structuring, procurement, regulatory, corporate issues, contractual documentation (including PPAs, EPC, EPCM, BOO, BOOT, DBO, O&M, etc). She has been practising law for over 20 years.

Gurmeet is a current board member of Middle East Solar Industry Association (MESIA) and has been on the board for over two years. She has spoken at various conferences including trade missions to Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt, WFES, MENA New Energy, SNEC (Shanghai), CSP Focus (Morocco and Dubai) and on Dubai Eye Radio. She has published numerous articles and worked on industry task force such as for the rooftop solar program in Dubai. These have increased the industry's profile significantly and has helped foster new relationships with stakeholders. Gurmeet is listed in IFLR 1000 2019, Who’s Who in MENAT Renewables Guide 2017 and is also a member of the Clean Energy Business Council and the Emirates Green Building Council.

Business Development Manager
ACWA Power

Mohamed Attari is a business development manager at ACWA Power with primary focus on renewable energy projects and sustainability. He joined ACWA Power in June 2015.

Mohamed’s responsibilities include bidding, tendering and bringing projects to financial close. Mohamed has been involved in bids like Morocco 850MW Wind, NOOR PV 176MWp, DEWA PV 800MWac as well as captive PPAs and private projects origination in Morocco and UAE. Recently he was instrumental in ACWA Power’s success in Solar PV projects in Egypt and the landmark first PV project on a landfill site in Bahrain.

Recently, Mohamed Attari has been awarded Middle East’s Rising Star of the Year by MEED awards, given his remarkable track record in leading significant projects in challenging markets which has led to the diversification of the energy sector towards renewable and sustainable technologies.

Director
Ereda

Cristóbal López is a senior engineer with 25 years experience in Renewable Energy (Wind Energy and Solar Photovoltaics), Environmental Protection (Atmospheric Pollution, Waste Management, Environmental Management, Planning and Audit). During 11 years Mr. López has being working in IBERDROLA Ingeniería y Construcción, the firm providing technical support to IBERDROLA (second Spanish electric utility and main Wind Energy developer all around the world) in the fields of Environmental Management and Renewable Energies. He participated in several TACIS projects as an expert and as Team Leader. In the Renewable Energy field he was in charge of licensing and construction of Wind Farms in Spain. He provided support as consultant since 2004 in Wind and Solar PV Energy issues in Ukraine, Romania, Croatia, Kazahkhstan, Serbia, Chile, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Uruguay, Angola, Tunisia, etc. He worked also as Project Manager for the Inter-American Development Bank (EIA in Dominican Republic), World Bank (Renewable Assessment in China), etc.

Senior Renewables Energy Engineer
Tanweer
Sultanate of Oman

Cristóbal López is a senior engineer with 25 years experience in Renewable Energy (Wind Energy and Solar Photovoltaics), Environmental Protection (Atmospheric Pollution, Waste Management, Environmental Management, Planning and Audit). During 11 years Mr. López has being working in IBERDROLA Ingeniería y Construcción, the firm providing technical support to IBERDROLA (second Spanish electric utility and main Wind Energy developer all around the world) in the fields of Environmental Management and Renewable Energies. He participated in several TACIS projects as an expert and as Team Leader. In the Renewable Energy field he was in charge of licensing and construction of Wind Farms in Spain. He provided support as consultant since 2004 in Wind and Solar PV Energy issues in Ukraine, Romania, Croatia, Kazahkhstan, Serbia, Chile, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Uruguay, Angola, Tunisia, etc. He worked also as Project Manager for the Inter-American Development Bank (EIA in Dominican Republic), World Bank (Renewable Assessment in China), etc.

Partner and Board member
Pinsent Masons

Catherine Workman is a member of the firm's global Board, and specialises in advising public and private sector organisations around the world on PFI and PPP transactions. Workman has been with Pinsent Masons for more than 15 years, and also specialises in the infrastructure sector, where she has acted for government bodies, consortia, operators, and lenders on major infrastructure schemes for a number of projects, including airports, ports, hospitals, schools, roads, and real estate redevelopments.