Speakers- Future Urbanism Smart City Event 2023

Czech Republic

Leading the areas of architecture, development, and city planning for the 10th Most Sustainable City in Europe

Petr Hlavácek

Deputy Mayor

City of Prague

Czech Republic
USA

Multi-award-winning urban landscape architect for 40 years working with cities at strategic planning levels. Featured in Forbes 50 over 50 (2021)

Martha Schwartz

Principal & Founding Partner

Martha Schwartz Partners

USA
Singapore

Master-planned clean, green, and smart estates to create attractive destinations for Singapore's talent and communities.

TAN Boon Khai

CEO

JTC Corporation

Singapore
Italy

One of the most influential urban designers who was featured in Wired Magazine’s ‘Smart List: 50 people who will change the world'

Prof. Carlo Ratti

Director

MIT Senseable City Lab

Italy
Estonia

Lead Estonia to be one of the most digital nations in the world & named “the most digital nation in the world” by Wired

Taavi Rõivas

Former Prime Minister, Chairman of Supervisory Board

Estonia

Estonia
UAE

Championed the construction of the central laboratory building in line with the emirate’s green building system standards

Dr. Mohammed Al Muhairi

Executive Director of the Infrastructure Development Sector

Ajman Municipality

UAE
UAE

The only Emirati architect to work on Expo 2020 and developed the DDA Master Planning Guidelines for all masterplans within the jurisdiction

Ahmed Bukhash

Director – Urban Planning

Dubai Development Authority

UAE
KSA

Unifying the standardization activities in cooperation with the National Standardization Bodies across 7 GCC member states

H.E. Saud bin Nasser Al Khusaibi

President

GCC Standardization Organization

KSA
UAE

A highly experienced and accomplished major event operations and planning director, now leading Sustainability for Expo City Dubai

Matt Brown

Chief – Sustainability

Expo City Dubai

UAE
Netherlands

An urban ecologist and nature advisor inspiring green and biodiverse revolution in cities across Europe.

Gitty Korsuize

Senior Urban Ecologist

City of Utrecht

Netherlands
Italy

Global urban resilience specialist of leading Italian Smart City projects and an advisor to the Italian Ministry of Ecological Transition

Piero Pelizzaro

Head of the National Building Innovation Hub

Italian State Property Agency

Italy
Denmark

Member of the World Economic Forum Global Future Council and championed Helsinki as the “most functional city in the world”

Jan Vapaavuori

Former Mayor of Helsinki & Executive Chairman for Neighborhood Development

Urban Partners

Denmark
UAE

Oversees the whole energy demand management spectrum for the Emirate of Dubai

Faisal Ali Rashid

Senior Director

Energy Demand Side Management, Dubai Supreme Council of Energy

UAE
USA

A seasoned technology executive transforming the waste ecosystem with their data-driven organization

Renaud de VIEL CASTEL

Chief Operating Officer & Head of Global Expansion

Rubicon Technologies Inc.

USA
Denmark

In over 20 years of experience, he has driven people-first urban transformations in New York, Buenos Aires, Copenhagen, and now the Gulf

Jeff Risom

Partner, Chief Innovation Officer

Gehl Architects

Denmark
Canada

Influencer with over 855K followers on her social media channels

Dami Lee

Architecture Influencer

Canada
UAE

Manal AlBayat

Chief Engagement Officer

Expo City Dubai

UAE
Singapore

Award-winning architect and sustainable development professional who is greening Singapore

Tan Szue Hann

Head of Sustainability, and Deputy General Manager, Sustainable Urban Renewal

Keppel (Real Estate)

Singapore
Saudi Arabia

Seasoned real estate developer and currently driving SAR 94B mega mixed-used development.

Saeed Albailly

VP Development

Knowledge Economic City

Saudi Arabia
United Kingdom

Retrofitting classic developments & adapting them for the future, leading to an increase in footfall and economic development.

Steve Fernandez

Global Building Retrofit leader

Arup

United Kingdom
Singapore Singapore

Transformational Leader leading the urban development efforts for the smartest city in Asia

Huang Zhongwen

Director, Physical Planning North, Urban Redevelopment Authority

Smart Nation Digital Government Office

Singapore Singapore
South Africa

A professional banker now focusing on enhancing Cape Town's financial and operational sustainability

Councillor Siseko Mbandezi

Member of the Mayoral Committee for Finance (MMC)

City of Cape Town

South Africa
Oman

An accomplished innovator and entrepreneur, is revolutionizing Oman's sustainability efforts, while also promoting sustainable investing and ESG principles in the MENA region.

Mohab Ali Al-Hinai

Vice President – Sustainability and Circular Economy

Oman Environmental Services Holding Co. SAOC - be'ah

Oman
A system thinker, innovator, visionary leader and serial entrepreneur with over 25 years of managerial experience in enterprise architecture for the telecom and banking industries.

Marek Stawinski

Founder and CEO

Naviparking
Italy

Experienced urban designer harmoniously solving the complexity of mixed-use developments with the aim of providing an optimal setting for healthy communities to thrive.

Francesca Pintus

Head of Urban Design

Progetto CMR

Italy
Egypt

Led the development of the Cybersecurity applications and the uses of artificial intelligence in the water and wastewater sector since 2021.

Ahmed Abdelhady

Director of Quality and Environmental

Holding Company for Water and Waste Water

Egypt
UAE

Master planner of creating net zero cities for 150,000 residents in the Middle East – pushing the boundaries of urban design

Baharash Bagherian

CEO

URB

UAE
Spain

Leads a global network of 150 large cities (over 1 million) from around the world

Jordi Vaquer

Secretary General

Metropolis

Spain
UK

Over 2 decades of experience in transforming and creating sustainable infrastructure across the US, Europe, and the Middle East.

Benito Blanco

Partner, Architecture and Design

David Chipperfield Architects

UK
Russia

Spearheading Russia's fastest-growing public company and one of the largest federal corporations in proptech and development

Anton Elistratov

CEO

Samolet Group

Russia
UAE

An accomplished urban designer, master planner & landscape architect who has worked on projects such as Al Reem Islands, Green Riyadh Highways, King Abdullah Economic City & many more.

Christopher Fannin

Senior Principal, Managing Director

InSite

UAE
USA

A visionary leader recognized for his expertise in Urban tech and honored as "Futurist in Residence".

Alby Bocanegra

Founder & Former CTO of NYC

The Urban Futurist, Inc.

USA
KSA

Internationally recognized hospitality verteran and board member of several organizations in KSA & Bahrain.

Olivier Harnisch

Founder and CEO

Lunasole Hospitality

KSA
UAE

An award-winning leader with 19 years in XR, web3, and The Metaverse, known for innovative global lessons

Steve Bambury

Web3/Metaverse Integration & Off-Plan Specialist

Lazudi

UAE
Portugal

Winner of THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD at UK Global Smart Cities

Vitor Pereira

Executive Director

Zoom Global Smart Cities Association

Portugal
USA

Leads the largest global network of around 400,000 Smart Cities practitioners and stakeholders

Corey Gray

Global CEO

Smart Cities Council

USA
UAE

Responsible for envisioning and planning for the first-of-its-kind thriving sustainable city in the middle of a desert

Lukas Sokol

Head, Master Planning

Masdar City

UAE
UAE

Leila Hurstel

Board Member Verse Estate

Verse Estate

UAE
Canada

Canadian serial entrepreneur renowned for fusing technology and sustainability in business ventures

Amir Entezari

Chief Executive Officer

UmbraCity & Emplace

Canada
USA

Advisory Council to North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB), Chair at USA National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, US government advisory to various governments. Strong orator for unfiltered & unbiased Energy perspectives

Andreas Thanos

Policy Specialist

MA Dept of Public Utilities

USA
Netherlands

Cybersecurity expert securing the world's third busiest railway network.

Dimitri van Zantvliet

Director Cybersecurity / CISO

Dutch Railways

Netherlands
UAE

Seasoned architect with expertise in sustainable design, leading construction of net-zero energy buildings within Masdar City

Chris Wan

Associate Director, Sustainability and CSR

Masdar City

UAE
UAE

An Award-winning educator focusing on heritage travel and tourism

Dr. Ross Curran

Assistant Professor

Heriot-Watt University Dubai

UAE
USA

NASA's Chief AI Advisor responsible for integrating technology efforts to enable future exploration endeavors

Omar Hatamleh

Chief Advisor – AI & Innovation

Goddard Space Flight Centre, NASA

USA
UAE

Driving smart urban development, innovation enablement, strategic asset and information management across EMEA

Shane Mitchell

Director, Advisory EMEA

Parsons Corporation

UAE
USA

An award-winning designer who leverages technology and AI to enhance the projects of tomorrow.

Pardis Mirmalek

Founder and CEO

ARTAA AI

USA
UAE

Leading science and technology research park with over 3,000 companies & partners

Ali Saeed Abuzinjal

Head of Digital Transformation

Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park

UAE
Russia

Launched a food delivery business with a turnover of RUB 2 billion in just one year

Andrey Ivanenko

Managing Partner

Samolet Group

Russia
UAE

Responsible for driving business growth globally in mapping and geospatial solutions covering over 700,000 square kilometers each month.

Sabina Mirza-Akhmedova

Chief Operating Officer

Mappable

UAE
UAE

Greening major developments across the Middle East & South Asia.

Ali Amiri

Director of Sustainability and Specialism in the Middle East and South Asia

Egis

UAE
UK

A Fortune 500 company that's deploying $125 billion in sustainable financing

Jarek Olszowka

Managing Director and Head of Sustainable Finance

Nomura

UK
UK

Drove the growth of the global green bond market from $2bn to $2.2tn

Sean Kidney

CEO

Climate Bonds Initiative

UK
Bulgaria

Entrepreneur and digital transformation leader spearheading one of the most successful and innovative IT companies in Central and Eastern Europe

Delyan Lilov

Chairman on the board (COB)

Living Homes

Bulgaria
UK

Nadira Tudor

Master of Ceremony

UK
USA

Leads US Department of State's private sector engagement to boost economic growth, entrepreneurship and innovation

Thomas Debass

Managing Director, Office of Global Partnerships

U.S. Department of State

USA
South Africa

Srikanth Mulakaluri

Founder and CEO

Insticc Digital Solutions

South Africa
Saudi Arabia

Developed major successful projects such as Super Block 5 (5000 Hotel Keys) in Rua Almadinah

Anas Hasan

Design Director

Rua Al Madinah Holding Company

Saudi Arabia
Switzerland

Award-winning landscape architect who won the Rome Prize in Landscape Architecture from the American Academy

Craig Verzone

Founding Principal, Landscape Architect

Verzone Woods Architectes

Switzerland
UAE

Award-winning designer shortlisted as Architect of the Year 2018 by Middle East Architect

Luca Vigliero

Vice President Concept

DAMAC

UAE
Italy

Emanuele Bompan

Editor-in-Chief

Renewable Matter

Italy
UAE

Andy Show

Managing Partner

AMA

UAE
UAE

Dr. Bhakti More

Chairperson & Associate Professor School of Design & Architecture

Manipal Academy of Higher Education Dubai

UAE
UAE

Cristiano Luchetti

Associate Professor – American University of Ras Al Khaimah

American University of Ras Al Khaimah

UAE
UAE

Edward Mcintosh

Regional Design Director, Middle East, Atkins, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group

Atkins

UAE
UAE

Farah Naz

Director of Innovation & ESG AECOM Middle East & Africa

AECOM Middle East & Africa

UAE
UAE

John Shenton

Chair

Dubai Hub for the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)

UAE
UAE

Richard Fenne

Director

Woods Bagot

UAE
UAE

Russell Cailey

CEO

THINK Learning Studio

UAE
UAE

Safder Nazir

SVP Public Sector, Huawei Middle East & Central Asia

Huawei Technologies

UAE
India

Sailesh Sagatapu

Partner

Anthill Ventures

India
UAE

Steven Velegrinis

Design Director, Regional Lead Cities & Urban Design

Gensler

UAE
UAE

Valter Vieira

Regional Director

ASPECT Studios

UAE
UAE

William Plowman

Partner

Foster and Partners

UAE
UAE

Toufic Riman

Country Manager Gulf

Autodesk

UAE

Speakers- Future Urbanism Smart City Event 2023

Petr Hlavácek

Deputy Mayor

Martha Schwartz

Principal & Founding Partner

TAN Boon Khai

CEO

Prof. Carlo Ratti

Director

Taavi Rõivas

Former Prime Minister, Chairman of Supervisory Board

Dr. Mohammed Al Muhairi

Executive Director of the Infrastructure Development Sector

Ahmed Bukhash

Director – Urban Planning

H.E. Saud bin Nasser Al Khusaibi

President

Matt Brown

Chief – Sustainability

Gitty Korsuize

Senior Urban Ecologist

Piero Pelizzaro

Head of the National Building Innovation Hub

Jan Vapaavuori

Former Mayor of Helsinki & Executive Chairman for Neighborhood Development

Faisal Ali Rashid

Senior Director

Renaud de VIEL CASTEL

Chief Operating Officer & Head of Global Expansion

Jeff Risom

Partner, Chief Innovation Officer

Dami Lee

Architecture Influencer

Manal AlBayat

Chief Engagement Officer

Tan Szue Hann

Head of Sustainability, and Deputy General Manager, Sustainable Urban Renewal

Saeed Albailly

VP Development

Steve Fernandez

Global Building Retrofit leader

Huang Zhongwen

Director, Physical Planning North, Urban Redevelopment Authority

Councillor Siseko Mbandezi

Member of the Mayoral Committee for Finance (MMC)

Mohab Ali Al-Hinai

Vice President – Sustainability and Circular Economy

Marek Stawinski

Founder and CEO

Francesca Pintus

Head of Urban Design

Ahmed Abdelhady

Director of Quality and Environmental

Baharash Bagherian

CEO

Jordi Vaquer

Secretary General

Benito Blanco

Partner, Architecture and Design

Anton Elistratov

CEO

Christopher Fannin

Senior Principal, Managing Director

Alby Bocanegra

Founder & Former CTO of NYC

Olivier Harnisch

Founder and CEO

Steve Bambury

Web3/Metaverse Integration & Off-Plan Specialist

Vitor Pereira

Executive Director

Corey Gray

Global CEO

Lukas Sokol

Head, Master Planning

Leila Hurstel

Board Member Verse Estate

Amir Entezari

Chief Executive Officer

Andreas Thanos