Speakers

Hanan Sami Alhashmi is a Principal Urban Planner with 4 years of experience in the field. Coupling her past experience in the Environmental and Urban Planning field in the United States with her passion to see her city Dubai reach new milestones in sustainable development, she has facilitated the execution of the Dubai 2040 Urban Plan with a fresh outlook.

She is currently working alongside her colleagues at Dubai Municipality to lead the implementation of the Plan to ensure its vision of making Dubai become “the best city to live in” comes to fruition. Hanan is working on various framework plans, strategies, policies, and guidelines that will ensure an enhanced quality of life for the city’s residents. These include the Dubai Greenery & Open Space Strategy, and the Dubai Public Beaches Policy.

She is currently a member of the Emirates Planning Association, the American Planners Association, and the Upsilon Rho Beta Honors Society from Arizona State University.

Mohammad AlHashmi is an architect that has started his journey as an urban planner within the Department of Municipalities and Transport for the past two years. He aims to work alongside his colleagues and develop planning guidelines and policies that ensure a prosperous future for the residents and communities of Abu Dhabi.

Anushree is a passionate young designer with 7 years of experience in the field of landscape architecture. Having worked across the Middle East, South-East Asia and Europe in leading landscape design firms such as desert INK, Parsons and Ramboll, she has been exposed to a diverse set of design styles, varying in scale and complexity.

She has developed designs for a wide range of public realm projects like waterfront developments, theme parks, residences, public parks and playgrounds. Over the last 2 years through extensive research, collaboration with industry experts and design of multiple playgrounds, Anushree has developed expertise in inclusive ‘playscape’ design. Her philosophy of design encourages nature play for everyone by holistically integrating landscape into playgrounds.

Anushree has completed a Master’s in Landscape Architecture from the National University of Singapore and won an excellence award for her academic work at the SILA (Singapore Institute of Landscape Architects) student design competition. She also holds a Bachelor’s in Architecture from Sushant School of Art and Architecture, India.

Arushi Bhatnagar is landscape architect with 7 years of experience in the field, currently focusing on residential projects at webeleaf, the residential department of Fiona Environs. Her passion lies in creating better outdoor spaces for residents, and she has had the opportunity to work on a variety of projects in villa communities, community parks, and streetscapes within these communities. She is dedicated to engaging directly with residents to understand their needs and design spaces that enhance their quality of life. Through her work, she strives to create beautiful and functional outdoor spaces that are enjoyed by all.

I am an architect and urban design consultant. My focus is to create the conditions that enable more people to walk and cycle, through better infrastructure design, safer roads, policies, and campaigns.

I worked with the Roads and Transport Authority, on the implementation of the principles and strategies set by the Dubai Urban Plan 2040. This included the preparation of framework plans, pilot area plans, and design manuals that will be needed to achieve the goal of making Dubai "the best city in the world to live in" by 2040.

Prior to joining the RTA, I led the master planning design at Arada, a new UAE-based developer with a launch focus on the Emirate of Sharjah. I also led the urban planning and design practice for the UAE at Khatib & Alami, where I worked with major developers such as Dubai Properties Group, Meraas, and Majid Al Futtaim Properties. During this time, I worked on high-profile projects that spanned a diverse series of disciplines, including public realm design, development codes, port planning, and wayfinding.   We also provided advisory services for the Department of Town Planning and Survey in Sharjah on strategic city-wide studies such as urban growth, demand, supply of land, and housing. 

I worked as a Researcher and Analyst at Collier's International, and as a Research and Coordination Officer at the Centre for the Study of the Built Environment (CSBE) in Jordan, where I served as a liaison officer between CSBE and Habitat for Humanity – Jordan.

I am based in Dubai, where you would often find me running errands with my boys on our bikes.

Dr. Giancarlo Mangone is internationally recognized for his unique interdisciplinary expertise in designing and implementing communities, strategies, and assets that maximize their socio-economic + sustainability performance potential, in ways that achieve aspirational client objectives practically + within budget. He leads the design and implementation of a major residential industrial area in Abu Dhabi, as well as consults on aspirational community development projects across the world through his practice, Wicked Solutions. Dr. Mangone has developed award-winning, industry-leading projects across every inhabited continent. He is regularly invited and awarded national and international exhibitions and competition prizes, guest professorships, and keynote speeches, including the Prince Foundation, Korea Forestry Service, City of Jakarta, Institute of Sustainable Urbanism at TU Braunschweig, European Union Circular Economy, Canadian Museum of Nature, and Seoul Biennale 2021.

Elie is a consultant who holds Master of Science from Loughborough University in the UK as well as being a member of the British National Register of Accessibility Consultants (NRAC) and being a certified accessibility consultant for the built environment by the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (CPABE-II/IAAP). Elie is also a member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) and the International Institute for Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM).

Geoff is a landscape architect and horticulturist who has practiced in both capacities in the MENA region for 30 years and earlier in his career, in Australia, Japan, India and France. He mixes the bigger picture of landscape planning and strategic issues with the minutiae of horticulture. Without the understanding of the large and the small, neither can be effected sustainably.

Geoff is currently working on several high profile projects in KSA including Neom, AlUla, Greening Riyadh and Amaala.

Previous projects included upgrade of the Riyadh Diplomatic Quarter and master plans for two of Saudis vast Royal Reserves, as well as the KSA wide landscape strategy for MOMRA and the Abu Dhabi Public Realm Design Manual.

Geoff recently completed involvement with the RAK Landscape Master Plan, Abu Dhabi's Sea World and works with some of the world’s best known architects, engineers and landscape architects on projects such as the Zayed Museum , FIFA stadium precincts, in association with AECOM, OMA, Architecture Studio, MDP and others.

With AECOM, he provided the planting design and review for much of Dubai's World Expo and the award winning UAE exhibit for the Beijing Expo.

Geoff has a deep interest in the natural history of the region, in particular the plants of cultivation and the contemporary application of cultural traditions in the design of urban places.

Hani is an Associate Director at AESG. He is Civil Engineer by background with over 10 years of experience in sustainable design and construction. Hani led the development of KSA’s green building rating system (Mostadam) as well as provided strategy advisory support in relation to its operations. He has been involved in providing strategy consultancy to various developers in relation to sustainable cities and master planning. His experience includes development of sustainability guidelines, policies, as well as implementation of corporate sustainability strategies.

Jinmo is a Landscape Director of DAMAC Properties. He is a Chartered Member of the Landscape Institute (CMLI) in the UK and a Member of the Urban Design Institute of Korea.

He has a depth of professional experience working on a variety of international projects that cover Asia, Australia, and the MENA region as a Landscape Architect, Urban Designer, and Lead Project Development Manager.

Jinmo holds a Master's Degree in Urban Development and Design and Bachelor's degree in Landscape Architecture from both Australia and South Korea.

Born in Sao Paulo in 1974 and raised in Lisbon, where he moved in 1977, João Branco studied Architecture and Town Planning at Lisbon Technical University’s Faculty of Architecture (UTL), Portugal, and Escola Tècnica Superior d’Arquitectura del Vallés, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Spain, as an Erasmus student. He graduated in 2000.

Working as a town planner and urban designer, he discovered the water features theme as a powerful urban design tool to enhance public spaces. So, from an early stage, he started working on integrating the water element into architecture, landscape design and public art projects.

During the last 20 years, he has conceived, developed and supported hundreds of multi-scale water feature projects worldwide, primarily for retail, hospitality, public plazas, roundabouts and theme parks. Also, having worked in international companies, such as GHESA and now OASE, has been crucial to building a solid worldwide experience, allowing him to speak at several professional events, attend multiple international exhibitions and constantly support global partners in the conception of innovative & memorable fountain experiences.

• Link to LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcgbranco/

• Link to Professional Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/publicshape/

Landscape Architect passionate about creating sustainable, inspired outdoor spaces. Over fourteen years of experience developing high profile and complex projects such as residential communities, resorts, airports, and educational facilities across multiple regions including the Gulf, the Middle East and Africa.

Currently leading the landscape team at Diamond Developers, crafting sustainable, community-driven spaces that bring people closer to nature.

Katarina Uherova Hasbani is Partner and Global Director of Strategy and Advisory at AESG. She is an energy transition and sustainability professional with comprehensive experience in leadership positions across the value chain of the energy industry, encompassing utilities, oil and gas and renewables and large energy users. She has proven experience as an effective leader of global cross-functional teams and has spent 18 years designing strategies, public policies and implementing transformation projects across more than 30 countries in the Middle East, South-East Asia and Europe. Katarina covered cross-cutting themes shaping energy transition, including net zero, climate change, environmental protection, and sustainability.

She is an active public speaker and has authored a variety of studies on energy transition and decarbonisation. She is active in industry associations and is also currently a member of the Global Executive Committee for Insead Energy Alumni Club and local UAE Insead Alumni Association. Katarina mentors actively to promote balanced leadership among her industry peers and young professionals.

Nader is the Director of “Design & Build” for Proscape LLC with over 25 years of experience in urban design and landscape architecture in the Middle East of which the last 10 years were with Proscape LLC. His experience has included landscape design, supervision and execution as well as masterplanning and urban design. A pioneer in the Gulf region with regards to the concept of turn key landscape solutions taking medium and large scale urban projects from inception through design to execution and completion on site. This has led the industry to a new approach to the business in general, combining both design and site experience to achieve project objectives both aesthetically as well as financially. Constantly merging latest design practice principles with new approaches for implementation has led him to push forward in the front of landscape construction techniques.

Nadine Bitar advises governments, institutions and International development agencies on mission-oriented and innovative policies, programs and strategies for Sustainable Development. For the past two decades, she lead , oversaw or reviewed Major policies and strategies for regions, cities and rural areas in the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia Region. She is a keynote speaker and advocate of Place in global and regional forums held by international and regional organizations. She is a global thought leader advocating' Place-led 4.0 © Mrs. Bitar addressed high-level audiences in more than 30 global forums and roundtables organized by corporate boards, regional governments and international bodies such as the United Nations, the World Bank, GCC , Arab League, and MIT among others. She delivered capability building and workshop efforts with over 6000 Training hours in the United Kingdom, Tanzania, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, KSA and UAE. Moreover, Mrs Bitar has trained in innovation and smart cities respectively at Insead Business School and Harvard GSD program, Public Policy from MBR Dubai school of government and Urban Design from AUB. Mrs Bitar is a member of multiple international associations among them ISOCARP, IFLA, Saudi Planners Association ,the Regional Studies Association, International Society of Ecological Economists, Emirates Planning Association and Recognized Global Expert ( PEDRR, OPPLA, Metropolis).

Ralf has over 20 years of professional experience in Asia, Australia, Middle East, exerting comprehensive knowledge spanning from conceptual design through project delivery.

As an accomplished and inspiring leader, he has led his teams to the successful completion on a series of significant projects of varying sizes with broad experience in lifestyle, hospitality, residential and commercial projects.

Ralf leads the global hospitality division of RSP, focusing on delivering high quality design ranging in type, scale, budget and geography to both international and domestic clients. His vision is to continue to produce well-considered architecture and interiors that answer to the region’s new forward-thinking vision, whilst setting exceptional project delivery standards.

Rashiq is an interdisciplinary designer with a primary focus on architecture and the built environment. Through a research-oriented process, rooted in emergent technologies and parametric design practices, Rashiq strives towards a more human centric design.

He has a professional experience spanning over 19 years, across five countries.

Having graduated from the Architectural Association with a Master of Architecture and Urbanism from the AA Design Research Laboratory (2008) in London and a Bachelor of Architecture from Sushant School of Art and Architecture (2002) in New Delhi, he went on to work with Zaha Hadid  Architects on projects in Europe, Middle East, and China before moving on to 10 Design in Hong Kong. He has been involved in projects of various scales and typologies, ranging from large scale MLPs ( Urban Design) and hi-rise towers to smaller-scale residential, interior design projects, and temporary pavilions.

Ill Sam Park studied architecture at Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, joining Foster + Partners in 2006. He worked on a variety of award-winning projects across Asia and the Middle East, such as World Trade Centre Souk mixed-use development in Abu Dhabi, The Alif Mobility Pavilion in Dubai Expo 2020, Coral Bloom sustainable hospitality project in KSA, etc. Ill Sam has an interest in innovation, sustainability, and user focused design which is best reflected in his project ICD Brookfield Place project in Dubai, which has received various awards including LEED Platinum. Ill Sam has relocated to Dubai in 2016 to manage projects in the region.

Seb Davies is Associate Director for Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB) in Dubai, with diverse experience in managing all phases of a project life cycle in the fields of quantity surveying, cost planning and contract management. Seb leads RLB’s Digital Services in the region and plays a pivotal role, in collaboration with the global development team, to advance the company’s in-house software. This includes RLB’s 3D Measurement programme and cloud-based post contract and benchmarking platform. He also supports the company’s efforts in the development of carbon calculations and life cycle cost models.

Vasushree Mohta is an award-winning designer with over 18 years of experience across the UK, Europe, and the Middle East.

Vasushree is a master planner and place maker with all round skills in urban planning, urban design, architecture and public realm. Her design philosophy is centered around end user experience, where she considers the various influences that shape our daily life. Whether it’s a national plan or a tactical urban insert, Vasushree focuses on creating sustainable & human centric experiences that are inclusive and exemplify high quality of design.

As part of her role, she oversees the complete planning and development process, starting from creating a vision to translating it into an implementable project. Vasushree has been directly involved in several significant master plan projects in the Middle East. Her experience includes small to large scale schemes that range from strategic studies to detailed master plan designs for approval. Vasu specialises in mixed use projects and as a qualified architect brings a thorough understanding of appropriate building typology options and neighbourhood character development to the master planning process.  

Most recently, Vasushree has been working on a number of KSA Vision 2030 projects, including the Diriyah Gate master plan, which won the silver accolade for Future Projects – Urban Design Category at The World Architecture News (WAN) Awards in 2021. Her current projects also include King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, Al Ula town master plan, mixed use projects in the UAE, and various strategic framework plans. She also led the vision master plan for Wasl 1 in Dubai; a transit focused on high end urban infill.  

Her key focus for the future is around digital transformation both in how we design and experience cities. Another key emphasis area is sustainability and promoting carbon solutions for the urban environment. She is an active supporter of Women in STEAM and a member of various regional professional design and architectural platforms where she helps increase the knowledge and awareness of good design within the community.

Zilqurnain Abbasi has over 11 years’ hands on experience in the design and manufacture of geosynthetics along with design and application of geosynthetic solutions for bespoke civil and environmental engineering applications. Currently, he is working as a Product Development Manager at Alyaf Industrial Co. Ltd. a geosynthetic solutions provider in KSA. He holds a BS Degree in Engineering with an emphasis in polymers & textiles.

His areas of significant experience and expertise includes experience and knowledge in geosynthetic industry, test methods and investigates and critical evaluation of existing technologies. Identifies and evaluates new technologies to improve system integrity and achieve greater efficiency in the field activities. Prepares cost-benefit analysis on the impact of geosynthetic technology usage. Managing complex technical projects focused on utilization off geosynthetic solutions for achieving value engineering and cost efficiency.