Dr. Hassan Heshmat
Iraq, UK
Iraq, UK
Dr. Hasan Heshmat Managing Director of Hydro-C Ltd, Holding BDS University of Baghdad, college of dentistry and MPhil degree from Strathclyde University – Engineering Dept. with several certificates in business management and leadership. 13 years of experience working alongside international companies and organizations specialized in Energy, Water, Construction, Agriculture and Innovation. Focusing on building sustainable relations between nations and states to develop peace and business for mutual interest, stabilizing renewable energy, Oil&Gas, Infrastructure investment, humanitarian aid and education. Concentrating on taking the energy sector up to a greener level by incorporating sustainable clean solutions Energy industry allowing transforming the future to adopt innovative solutions. Achieved successful results by teaming with pioneer partners in UK, US, Israel, EU, China, Iraq and UAE. I enjoy walking my pet in the green dear place, water polo and swimming, obsessed with tech-related advancements for interstellar traveling. I do believe humanity as a race can achieve impossible when united, stronger together
Dr. Lee Recht, Head of the Food Systems Committee
Israel
Israel
Lee Recht, Head of the Food Systems Committee, Ph.D Vice President of Sustainability, Aleph Farms Lee’s main passion and dedication lies between climate, sustainability and innovation with a personal devotion to promote resilience in the global food systems. Dr. Recht is Currently VP Sustainability at Aleph Farms, an Israeli-based food company and a global leader in developing cultivated beef steaks with 3D tissue engineering. Her recent positions include working with the Global 1000 companies, leading NGOs and high level government officials from around the world, building tailor made ways to help identify and implement innovative and sustainable solutions according to their strategies and efforts. Lee established and directed The Builders R&D Innovation and led the Israeli ETA hub (External Technology Acquisition) by The Coca-Cola Company, delivering a continuous stream of original and ground-breaking technologies that contributed to fulfilling short and long-term goals of Coca-Cola’s Global R&D. Dr. Recht played a role also as a Scientific Advisor for the Energy and Clean-tech Sector at the Office of the Chief Scientist, Ministry of Economy (today: Israel Innovation Authority, IIA), where she promoted the Clean-tech sector within the government by initiating and establishing IIA programs and advocated Israeli innovation as part of the solution towards the Paris Agreement to tackle climate change. Lee holds a PhD in Biotechnology from the Ben Gurion University, a B.Sc. in Food technology from the Hebrew University and an MBA specializing in Strategy and International Management.
Rachel Barr
USA, Israel
USA, Israel
Rachel Barr is a climate change and circular economist equipped with over 15 years of experience in the field as an investor, social entrepreneur, and sustainability advisor. She is the Founder and CEO of Climate Tech Propel, a strategic sustainability consulting firm for climate tech startups. Formerly the VP of Sustainability at UBQ Materials, she is currently an advisory board member of Solar Impulse Foundation’s World Alliance for Efficient Solutions. Rachel is frequently featured on i24 New and serves as an advisor for MassChallenge. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University, a Master of Environmental Science from Yale University, and a Master of Arts in Public Affairs from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School, where she also pursued a Ph.D. in the Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy Program.
David Salama
Switzerland
Switzerland
Qualified legal counsel by background, I hold degrees in both civil law and common law and have been practicing in oil & gas and power out of Switzerland. For the past 20 years, I have operated with the charter of offering my clients high end advisory services with respect to corporate finance, project finance, M&A, JV and partnerships in the energy sector. I’ve also held several executive positions amongst which: Managing Director of an African based junior oil & gas firm for which I’ve successfully financed the plan of development and farmed out 50% of its assets to a major oil & gas operator; and Executive VP of a Swiss engineering company specialized in power, renewable energy and oil & gas for which I’ve advised the Board on strategic developments and key contracts.High-energy, results-oriented leader with a strong entrepreneurial mindset and passionate about resolving issues and conflicts for my clients. I have been active in M&A, Corporate Finance and Project Finance and closed a significant number of international transactions in our industries (Commodity Trading, Mining, Oil & Gas, Power and Renewable Energy).
Dr. Richard Elelman
UK, Spain
UK, Spain
Dr Richard Elelman studied Politics in the UK before living in France, Spain, Portugal, the Middle East, Sudan, Afghanistan and India. He is currently the Head of Politics at EURECAT in Barcelona, the co-leader of the RENAISSANCE Science-Art-Sustainability programme with the European Commission and has just completed an eight-month assignment as the Acting Coordinator of the United Nations’ World Water Quality Alliance based at the UN in Nairobi. The former Deputy Mayor of Figueres in Spain, he is a political analyst who has, in recent years, specialised in Environmental and Scientific Policy and the links between Politics, the world of Research and Development and Citizen Engagement. He works in collaboration with many supranational organisations such as the UN Environment Programme, UNESCO, the World Bank and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission as an External Expert. His latest publication, ‘The Gateway to the Future of the Mediterranean’ addresses the issue of the WEFE NEXUS. His principal activities at present, include defining the socio-political consequences of Climate Change on Migration, Health, Conflict and Gender Equality. He is a regular speaker at numerous international conferences in the United States, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Omar Al Busaidy
UAE
UAE
Omar Al Busaidy is a Fulbright Scholar, Author and Public Affairs expert. With a master’s degree in International Affairs & Intelligence at Florida State University, Omar is also a Non-Resident fellow at Trends Research & Advisory a geo-political think tank based in Abu Dhabi, UAE. His multiple roles have allowed him to achieve several accomplishments, from publishing his self-help book ‘Just Read It’ and his upcoming book on futurism titled “Why Jobs are Robots and Life is for People’, to investing in start ups in the tech sector. A former Global Shaper at the World Economic Forum and an alumni of the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) , Omar has been invited to mentor students on entrepreneurship, communication and leadership at several universities and conferences across the UAE and around the world. Since the Abraham Accords, Omar has been a powerful voice advocating for greater participation of countries to join the accords and has discussed the economic potential for the prosperity of the region on many occasions. He was invited to speak to Jewish federations and organizations as well as at the Commonwealth Club, University of Notre Dame and more.
Jalal Charaf
Morocco
Morocco
Mr. Jalal CHARAF is Senior Advisor North Africa at IFC (International Finance Corporation / World Bank Group) since March 2023. In October 2021, he joined the OCP Group as Head of Farmer Solutions within the SBU Fertilizers & Farmer Solutions before being Sponsor of the corporate function “Talent & Organizational Development” of the Group. From 2019 to 2021, he was Managing Director of CGEM (The Employers’ Organization of Morocco) and Chairman of the Management Board of the Observatoire des Branches (OdB), whose mission was to ensure that the right skills were properly forecasted for all professional branches. Before CGEM and OdB, Jalal began his professional career in 1999 and worked in the fields of the concrete industry (PREFAB Industries), international technical assistance (IFC / World Bank), teaching and training (Al Akhawayn University and OFPPT), and agriculture (Les Domaines Agricoles and Atlassence). Jalal holds an engineering degree from Ecole Centrale Paris, a Master of Engineering from Cornell University, a PLD from Harvard Business School and an Executive MBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology.
Ethy Levy
Israel
Israel
Professional Background: Based in Israel and strongly connected in the vibrant Israeli eco-system accross (a) government: ex Advisor to the President of the State of Israel, Innovation Authority, (b)the private sector: VC’s, incubators and accelarators as well as (c) academia and TTOs.
I work across multiple technology sectors and provide tech and innovation adoption advisory to Multi Nationals Corporations as well as to academia and government. Some of my clients include: Israel’s President’s Office (Served as Senior Economic Advisor), Government of Australia, Telstra (leading Australian Telco), AGL (leading Australian Energy Provider), Swinburne University (Advisor to Vice Chancellor for R&D), BHP, Inter American Development Bank (provided research on best practices in commercialisation of Agricultural research), Kubota Corporation and more. I am active in different geographies: Australia & NZ – Co Founder of the Bridge Hub (Innovation Hub for Agrifood technologies), Canada (Mentor and Speaker at the annual Inventure$ conference), Latin America, Europe (Representing Kubota Europe ventures in Israel), US (Global Ambassador to Springboard accelerator, Global Advisory Board of Western Growers Association).
I have a wide experience in creating the right settings to promote innovation and providing innovators the necessary tools and skills to bring their ideas to live and to commercialise them globally. I am assisting a large number of startups in a broad range of areas but with a strong focus on Agriculture, Food and Climate technologies. I have an extended global network with senior executives in global companies across a wide array of sectors. I work closely with leading VCs, incubators, the Innovation Authority and other players in the eco system. I am passionate about technology and its impact on society and the environment. ETHY LEVY Passionate Founder IMPACT INNOVATION ISRAEL & Managing Partner KINNERET IMPACT VENTURES
Abbas Kazmi
UAE
UAE
A multi award winning serial entrepreneur and investor who founded his first of several successful companies at 16. Abbas has been chosen as a Forbes 30 Under 30 Standout, as a Maserati 100, as one of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards Entrepreneurs’ Champions of the Year, and as one of startups.co.uk’s Young Entrepreneurs of the Year and Business Growth Enablers of the Year, to name just a few amongst many other awards. Abbas has been appointed as a United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Fellow, focussing on youth entrepreneurship and empowerment, peacebuilding and encouraging intercultural dialogue in MENA. and as a World Economic Forum Global Shaper. He has been chosen as a World Economic Forum Global Shaper and was selected to become part of the prestigious Helena Group Class of 2018 alongside the likes of Snap Inc CEO Evan Spiegel.
Ex-BlackRock working across EMEA and the US, Abbas co-founded both the Oxford Accelerator and VC fund Collegiate Capital, as well as being an investment committee member of, advisor to and LP investor in several funds in Europe such as BlackWood Ventures on whose Investment Committee he sits. Recently he was recognised and selected by the UAE’s Deputy Prime Minister, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, as an Arab Youth Pioneer and is working on how to tackle youth unemployment and encourage entrepreneurship, innovative homegrown research projects and greater private sector engagement with nationals in the Gulf region. He is very passionate about web3, the metaverse and blockchain technology and has been in the space since 2014, investing in and building many exciting projects. He advises the UK Government as a co-founding Advisory Board Member of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Metaverse and Web 3.0. He is also a Helena Group Fellow and one of the youngest fellows at the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce – FRSA.
An academic scholar both at Westminster School and Oxford University and a VC Fellow at London Business School’s Newton Venture Program, Abbas is Chairman of the illustrious Oxford Guild, which he has built into the largest university society in the world and where he has hosted a wide range of high profile guests from multiple major CEOs and Nobel Prize winners, to the likes of Kanye West, Woody Harrelson and many more. He is also co-founder of the All In startup diversity pledge, the Global Fintech & Blockchain Conference, Europe2SiliconValley Trip and the Spirited Network Covid-19 relief non-profit platform.
Combining both East and West, raised in Dubai with an early stint in Saudi Arabia before his elite education in the UK, Abbas has seen the huge changes in the region first hand since the early 1990s and has been fortunate to have been able to travel to over 100 nations across the world so far. Abbas regularly judges leading start-up competitions such as MIT Innovators Under 35 and speaks at top universities and conferences globally such as the World Economic Forum Annual Summit at Davos, Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit and Milken Institute MENA Summit and many more.
Prof. Shlomo Hasson
Israel
Israel
Shlomo Hasson is professor emeritus at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he teaches and carries out his research. For 40 years he taught at the department of Geography, the Institute of Urban and Regional Studies, and the School of Public Policy. He holds the Leon Safdie Chair for urban and regional planning and serves as the head of the James Shasha Center for Strategic Studies at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His main fields of interest are: geopolitics at the global and regional levels, urban and regional planning, innovation, science and technology, human capital and the role of higher education, democracy and governance and strategic thinking. He works as a consultant to several government offices and municipalities. He has published over 30 books and monographs and over 100 articles. His recent publications since 2016 are:
1. Israel Facing the Geopolitical Changes in the Middle East
2. Israel 2048: Spatial Development and Planning,
Strategic Plan 2050 – Between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River