Climate & Environment
Conference Programmes
Find out more about our expert speakers or view all the session details below.
Tuesday 16th April
14:25 - 14:30 | Welcome
Hall 7
MC: Sal Jafar, CEO, ESG Mena
14:30 - 15:15 | Panel: Learnings from COP28 - Navigating climate outcomes
In this introductory panel, we delve into key climate-related takeaways from COP28. Our focus is on bridging the gap between outcomes and practical implementation. We’ll explore how businesses and nations can effectively apply these insights to foster low-carbon economies and reduce pollution.
Moderator: John Dennehy, Senior Reporter, The National
Melissa Tan, CEO, Wah & Hua, Singapore & Regional Chapter Representative - Asia & Pacific, International Solid Waste Association
Suparna Mathur, Founder & CEO, Parna Impact Advisory
Filippo Ghizzoni, Partner – Sustainability & Waste Management, Roland Berger
15:15 - 16:00 | Panel: Harmonising with nature: A path to mitigate business emissions
Nature-based solutions can offer businesses a way to offset emissions and decrease their carbon footprint. By harnessing the regenerative capacity of ecosystems, organisations can make a tangible impact. This panel will discuss how companies ensure these approaches make a true difference, the greenwashing to avoid and will outline examples for those seeking inspiration.
Moderator: Ben Schroeder, Group Chief Communications Officer, Al-Futtaim Group
Nadia Ibrahim, Middle East Director for Sustainability, Ricardo
Leena Al Olaimy, Founder & CEO, Symbaiosys
Vikram Krishna, Co-Founder, Sacred Groves
Caroline Hooft-Slootweg, Co-founder, Kelp Blue
15:55 - 16:30 | Fireside talk: Fostering innovation in carbon abatement
Technology and innovation is considered a path to reduce CO2 levels and reduce emissions. What are the tangible examples that could make a difference in the near-term? This session will focus on R&D efforts, opportunities to scale and the potential positive decarbonisation impacts.
Moderator: Sal Jafar, CEO, ESG Mena
Dimitra Theodoropulos, Director Sustainability & Corporate Responsibility, Talabat
Magdalena Konig, General Counsel, AIQ
Jason Pratt, Global Executive Vice President - Health, Safety and Environment, DP World
Wednesday 17th April
MC: Charlene Nawar, Founder, Unwrapped
10:30 - 11:15 | Panel: Sustainable tourism – balancing governmental economic targets with environmental demands
How do governments marry their needs for tourism and the money this brings into a country with their net zero ambitions. Can tourism be truly sustainable, particularly when it becomes long-haul? This session will focus on the delicate balance between tourism, maintaining natural habitats and attracting footfall in an Instagram era.
Cody Paris, Deputy Director and Professor, Middlesex University Dubai
Sumaira Isaacs, General Manager, Gulf Dunes
Nadia Ibrahim, Middle East Director for Sustainability, Ricardo
Oliver Baillie, Co-Founder & CEO, Plain Tiger
Huda A.K., Co-Founder, Travel Indigenous
Brian Parry, Head of Development, Quest For Adventure
11:15 - 11:30 | Case study: Navigating the skies with renewable energy - Is net zero by 2050 possible?
This case study will examine the unique challenges faced in incorporating sustainable practices both in-flight and at ground level in airports. It highlights the need for collaboration in research, funding, and policymaking to make the transition to net zero by 2050 somewhat feasible. Through an exploration of innovative technologies and strategies, this presentation will provide a clear and actionable roadmap for the aviation industry's shift towards sustainability, balancing environmental imperatives with the practicalities of air travel.
Sven Deckers, Director - Strategic Planning, Dubai Airports
11:30 - 11:45 | Case study: The role of solar energy to improve healthcare in Africa
One of the challenges healthcare in Africa faces is the ability to provide care in communities or regions where there is no electricity. This talk will look at how solar electricity is changing this, having a dramatic impact on the quality of healthcare that can be provided, even in the most remote locations.
John van Zuylen, CEO, Africa Solar Industry Association
11:45 - 12:00 | Fireside talk: Health and climate: Protecting future generations from the impacts of climate change
This talk will outline ways to protect the most vulnerable, and discuss why the health impacts of climate change need to be addressed. Rising temperatures are predicted to exacerbate health issues in the future, and this session will investigate what action can be taken to minimise risks to the young. What more should reasonably be done by government and business to mitigate health risks whilst ensuring unintended consequences are avoided?
Moderator: Julia Carlow, Acting Head of Sustainability, American University of Sharjah
Amy Lehoczky, Director of ESG, G42
12:00 - 12:15 | Case study: Forging a regional carbon offsets market
This talk will outline the journey of setting up a voluntary carbon exchange in Saudi Arabia. Owned by the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund and Tadawul, the talk will highlight the challenges of growing this market, the reception towards carbon offset schemes, the types of companies buying carbon credits, how to avoid greenwashing and future opportunities to expand and launch in countries globally.
Abdulrahman Alfayyadh, Chief of Staff, Regional Voluntary Carbon Market Company
12:15 - 13:00 | Panel: Leave no one behind - bridging skills gaps for long-term, climate careers
So much talk on the environment and climate has a negative outlook - but what if we frame new jobs, skills and reskilling around the opportunities to introduce positive change? This panel will consider what the future could look like as new climate-focused careers are promoted, the education gaps to bridge and the opportunities these will bring to new generations entering the workforce or allow people already in the workforce to retrain.
Moderator: Charlene Nawar, Founder, Unwrapped
Walaa Hirzallah, Sustainability Consultant & Business Developer, Eedama
Suzanna El Massah, Professor, College of Interdisciplinary Studies, Zayed University
Youssef Diab, Professor of Urban Planning and Design, University Gustave Eiffel France and American University of Ras Al Khaimah
Alex Misseri, Regional Country Coordinator, Climate Fresk
CLIX talks – Startups in the spotlight
13:00 | Giovanna Laudisio, CEO, Nature Beads
13:08 | Vriko Yu, CEO, Archireef
MC: Adele Guidot, Program Lead, Global Compact Network UAE
14:15 - 14:55 | Panel: Global stock take: Corporate measurement of sustainability progress
As COP seeks agreement on what should be included in the global stock take, we ask how corporates can continue to measure their sustainability progress and in future, move faster. What open data is needed, and should companies share their emissions data so that similar-sized companies can compare their progress and share information on how changes were introduced. How can companies reach their decarbonisation goals?
Moderator: Dragos Fundulea, Principal – Sustainability & Decarbonization, Roland Berger
Habiba Al Marashi, Chairperson and Co-founder, Emirates Environmental Group
Joëlle Jammal, Executive Director, Global Compact Network UAE
Anne Marie Thodsen, Managing Director, The Umbrella Institute
Adrienne Doolan, CEO, Green Touches
14:55 - 15:10 | Case study: A sustainability framework: Building a sustainable electric power system
Presented by: Sandra Halayel, Director, International Government Affairs and Sustainability,
GE Vernova
15:10 - 15:50 | Panel: Driving corporate investment in decarbonisation for a greener future
Regulation can highlight gaps in decarbonisation strategies. However, does it sometimes favour organisations big enough to employ teams to understand and advise on them but hinder smaller companies, even where it is intended to help? Our experts explore how regulation can accelerate decarbonisation, what policies they need to encourage companies to decarbonise their operations, and the role that customers (big or small) play in ensuring climate targets are met.
Moderator: Lenah Hassaballah, Editor, CNN Business Arabic
Jonathan Churchman-Davies, Industrial Water and Energy Efficiency Lead, Abu Dhabi Distribution Company
Ellora-Julie Parekh, Chief Sustainability Officer, Al-Futtaim Group
Nadia Rouchdy, Head of Climate, Emirates Nature – WWF
Tanzeed Alam, Managing Director, Earth Matters Consulting
Jessica Scopacasa, Co-Founder, Olive Gaea
15:50 - 16:30 | Panel: Strengthening regional ESG data quality for greater actionable insights
This panel will look at ways to improve the transparency, accuracy, reliability, and completeness of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) data within the Middle East. It will ask what types of data are needed, if regulatory requirements need to be updated or changed and if these are critical to attract and meet investor expectations.
Moderator: Dr Jelena Janjusevic, Associate Professor of Finance, Heriot Watt University Dubai
Anne Marie Thodsen, Managing Director, The Umbrella Institute
Vash Singh, Sustainability Director, KEO Sustainability + Environment
Wassim Merheby, CEO & Co-Founder, Verofax
Lisa Knudsen, Vice President & Head of ESG, RAKBank
Anna Jakobsen, EMEA Leader - Sustainability & Commercial Advisory, GHD
CLIX talks – Startups in the spotlight
16:30 | Neha Jain, Founder, Zero Circle
16:38 | Dian Primavera, Head of Business Development, Fairatmos
16:46 | Shirook Ali, Founder, Ecosystem Informatics
16:54 | Heba As'ad, Founder, SmartEye Global