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
Zakaria ALbizane
Morocco
Morocco
Zakaria ALBIZANE is a passionate entrepreneur and expert in asset management, with a strong focus on renewables portfolios. With a background in civil engineering and a master’s degree in corporate finance, Zakaria brings a unique blend of technical knowledge and financial acumen to his work. With over 5 years of experience as an asset manager, Zakaria’s entrepreneurial drive led him to establish his first
company in 2014. The company aimed to provide performance-driven solutions for clients seeking to optimize their renewables assets. Building on this success, Zakaria went on to found a second company focused on developing cutting-edge technologies that further enhance the performance of renewables portfolios.
Today, Zakaria’s companies manage multiple portfolios for over 100 power plants across 6 countries, employing an integrated approach that combines advanced technology, efficient processes, and highly skilled resources. By delivering comprehensive solutions, they have achieved remarkable results in improving the performance of energy portfolios.
Prof. Dr. Hoda Awad
Egypt
Egypt
Hoda Ragheb Awad, Undergraduate from the American University in Cairo, Majoring in Middle Eastern Studies Minor Political Science. M.A from the American University in Cairo im Political Economy. Ph.D from the Faculty of Economics and Political Science Cairo University. I am a professor of Political Science and political communication. I have many academic activities and publications in gender studies .
Hanna Sain
UAE
UAE
Hannah Sain is an enthusiastic urban planner and environmentalist specializing in sustainable city planning. With a strong dedication to regenerative design, Hannah strives to enable cities to develop and uphold policy frameworks that advance resilient and adaptive development in the wake of a changing climate. She is deeply passionate about the importance of a comprehensive approach that focuses not only on carbon capture and reduction, but innovative solutions to food and water security, preservation of biodiversity, and a strong circular economy. With a Master of Science in Planning, specializing in Sustainable Transportation from Florida State University, Hannah possesses a strong educational foundation to address the complex challenges of urban planning in the context of climate change. Her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Policy, coupled with minors in Biology and Geography, provides her with an extensive understanding of the interconnectedness between natural systems and urban development.
During her experience as a Planning Analyst at Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc., Hannah played a pivotal role in completing projects such as Trail Feasibility Studies for the Florida Department of Transportation, complete street projects for local municipalities, and drafting new policy for localities interested in integrating Sustainability and Resiliency chapters to their Comprehensive Plans. The multidisciplinary exposure of private consulting provided an ecosystem that inspired the interrelation and importance of every sector in designing sustainable cities.
Determined to share knowledge and foster professional growth, Hannah actively participated in the American Planning Association (APA). She engaged in sessions focused on progressive urban planning initiatives and topics throughout the state of Florida, constantly expanding her network and staying up-to-date with industry advancements.”
Dr. Said Alahayne
Morocco
Morocco
Said Alahyane is a research-professor in political science at the
Faculty of Legal, Economic and Social Sciences-Cadi Ayyad University,
Morocco. His research focuses on public policies with a focus on
agricultural policies, food security issues, policymaking in Morocco.
He is the author of numerous articles published in international
journals.
He was a visiting scholar in Schustermen Center for Israeli studies at Brandeis University (United-States) and in Israel from June 28, 2023 to July 20, 2023