Speakers

Ruth has been the Chief Executive of CIBSE since May 2021. With over 25 years of experience, Ruth has a proven track record in launching, leading and transforming international, community-focused organisations to achieve sustainable growth across the education, publishing, information product, events, training, digital and media sectors. 

Ruth's global leadership experience spans from Shanghai to San Francisco and many places in between. Before joining CIBSE, she held senior roles in the media and information sector, including Managing Director at the Daily Telegraph and Divisional Chief Executive at UBM (now known as Informa Plc). 

Ruth is a board-appointed trustee of Engineering UK and serves as a Non-Executive Director for Actuate UK and the Association of Exhibition Organisers. She is passionate about developing people and is an executive mentor for the UK Government-backed mentoring program, ‘Be the Businesses’. 

Vince started his 45-year career in Building Services Engineering as an Apprentice Electrician at Royal Mail, later becoming a Chartered Engineer after completing a part-time degree. He held key roles at Royal Mail and National Design Consultancy (NDC), where he served as a Director for the London practice for nearly 20 years. 

With experience spanning design, project management, maintenance and statutory compliance, Vince has managed multi-site projects across the UK for both public and private sectors. 

A CIBSE member since 1998, he has been deeply involved in mentoring and training engineers, serving as Chair of the Membership and Registration Panel for over 12 years, and holding multiple leadership roles within CIBSE and the Engineering Council. He joined the CIBSE Board in 2020. 

Vince is passionate about developing young talent in the industry and chairs the Apprentice of the Year Judging Panel. He is also active in health and safety initiatives, particularly in response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy, and serves as a CIBSE technical trainer.

Imran Shaikh, Chairman of CIBSE UAE, is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer and Fellow of CIBSE with over 15 years of experience in technical and commercial management, energy efficient MEP design, site execution, green building, and energy auditing facilitation, supported by ASHRAE and other prestigious certifications. He is enthusiastic about technology driven sustainable design.

In his current role as Director of MEP and Specialisms for Ramboll Middle East, Imran leads the team and provides strategic guidance to the MEP and Specialism team on a wide range of high-profile prestigious projects including hospitality, mixed use developments in the Middle East region.

Graeme is an MEP Director and the Global Head of Sustainability for Rambolls High Rise and Complex Building Spearhead. He is a CIBSE Chartered engineer with 20 years’ experience in the construction and building services industry. He is a highly experienced, motivated sustainability focused mechanical engineer and Project Director, and holds an Association of Project Managers (APM) qualification. An excellent communicator and natural educator, he is also a part-time lecturer at the University of Strathclyde within the Architecture School.

Over the course of his career, Graeme has gained a wealth of experience working in both the UK and overseas in a number of different sectors including commercial, residential, retail and leisure. This includes high rise mixed use residential projects, and experience working on high profile, flagship buildings in London.

Graeme is a staunch advocate of working with design teams from the outset of projects to develop and implement passive and low energy strategies. He has a proven track record in achieving Outstanding BREEAM ratings, 5-star NABERS energy performance ratings, and certified wellbeing standards.  He also brings extensive experience in working on high value, and complex refurbishment projects which achieve client aspirations.

His expertise in sustainable, low energy buildings means he is well equipped to effectively communicate the aspirations of the project to the team. Graeme’s hands on approach ensures these are achieved in a collaborative, coordinated manner, whilst ensuring delivery of outputs of the highest technical quality.

Mohamed Aqeel is seasoned real estate development expert recognized for delivering high-impact, design-driven, and sustainability-focused projects across masterplans, cultural, healthcare & hospitality. As Director of Development & Project Management at BEEAH Group, he oversees a multi-billion Dollar real estate portfolio managing complex, multidisciplinary teams to deliver projects harnessing the power of sustainability and technology to drive positive change. 

Mohamed’s career spans award-winning initiatives like the Museum of the Future & Bee’ah Headquarters, where he championed cutting-edge technology integration, sustainable building practices, and project delivery excellence. A passionate advocate for next-generation real estate, Mohamed’s experience positions him as a thought leader at the intersection of sustainability, technology and the real estate revolution.

Nabil has over 25 years of experience in the HVAC R industry, he has held various technical and commercial leadership roles for several global HVAC companies. His expertise spans product research and development, design, testing, manufacturing and marketing. He is well-versed in international HVAC technology, energy efficiency, regulations and standards across the US, Europe, and the MENA region, maintaining direct relationships with regulatory bodies and government agencies. He holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Tennessee State University, USA.

In the field of Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) engineering, true leadership is defined not just by technical expertise, but by the ability to inspire teams, shape sustainable solutions, and deliver excellence across diverse and complex projects. Prasanth Chakkingal, Head of MEP Design at PNC Architects, embodies these qualities.

With over 28 years of experience spanning India, the UAE, and Qatar, Prasanth has consistently demonstrated visionary leadership, technical mastery, and an unrelenting commitment to sustainability. From leading LEED-certified projects that set regional benchmarks, to expanding a design studio into a globally competitive operation, his career highlights the influence and impact of a leader whose contributions extend beyond engineering into shaping the industry’s future.

Furqan is an accomplished Building Services and Facilities and Infrastructure Engineering professional, with over 3 decades of experience, in the UK and Internationally. 

Currently working on a large and mixed portfolio of assets across Infrastructure, commercial, residential, retail and rail…as well as data centres across the UAE in excess of 200Mw in total.

As a chartered engineer, Furqan is involved in various CIBSE committees and forums both in the UAE and UK, Inc university course accreditations.

Tarek Qabaha is a Senior Technical Director with GHD, leading the Building Services and Mission Critical Design teams across the Middle East. With over 18 years of experience delivering complex, high-performance engineering projects across the UK, Europe, and the Middle East, Tarek has recently led the design of next-generation AI and prefabricated data centres. Some of his work include driving the technical development of Data Centre reference designs for hyperscale facilities exceeding 100 MW, integrating advanced cooling strategies, high-density GPU rack configurations, and sustainable power topologies. A chartered electrical engineer and active CIBSE UAE committee member, Tarek is passionate about innovation in energy efficiency and modular design, helping clients achieve speed-to-market while meeting ambitious sustainability goals. His leadership bridges global expertise with local delivery, fostering collaboration across GHD’s international network to shape the future of mission-critical and AI-driven data centre design.

Ragini has over 15 years of experience in sustainability, climate resilience, and low-carbon design. She began her career at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, where she pioneered a field-deployable instrument and algorithm for measuring circumsolar profiles, that was later granted a US patent.

She has led the sustainability design development of several landmark projects across the Middle East and the UK, spanning asset-level certifications, portfolio-wide frameworks and corporate ESG strategies. Her expertise bridges technical rigour with strategic leadership, from integrating eco-design and carbon management in masterplans to shaping organisational decarbonisation pathways and sustainability policies.

Ragini holds multiple professional accreditations including LEED AP, WELL AP, SITES AP, Estidama PQP, ActiveScore AP and TRUE Advisor. In her current role at Egis, she is responsible for implementing the regional ESG and decarbonisation strategy, ensuring alignment with Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) commitments, and driving internal capacity building. She also supports external organisations in developing their decarbonisation strategies, ESG policies and sustainability narratives.

Dr Anastasia Mylona, CIBSE's Technical Director, is a Chartered Engineer and a CIBSE Member. In her capacity, she spearheads CIBSE's Technical Team, shaping the institution's technical vision, defining knowledge priorities and establishing policy positions.

Dr Mylona previously served as CIBSE's Head of Research, overseeing the institution's knowledge and research endeavours. During this time, she fostered collaborations with both academia and industry, concentrating on developing guidance pertinent to embodied carbon, circular economy principles and providing crucial climate information for future-proofing buildings and their services. 

Her contributions extend to advising the Government on the implementation of Part O – Assessment of overheating risk in new dwellings in England, a component of Building Regulations.
D. Mylona's professional journey began with architectural training, followed by Ph.D. studies at the Welsh School of Architecture, focusing on the environmental performance of buildings. 

Subsequently, she pursued post-doctoral research at the University of Oxford, exploring the impacts of climate change on the built environment.

Aishwarya Chengappa is a Senior Sustainability Consultant at Egis with over six years of experience in driving sustainability across large-scale developments in the Middle East. She is a LEED Accredited Professional and Estidama PQP, with expertise spanning sustainable master planning, green building certification, and carbon strategy implementation. At Egis, she focuses on embedding sustainability principles into every stage of design and delivery. Beyond her professional role, Aishwarya serves as the Global YEN Vice Chair at CIBSE, where she advocates for emerging professionals and promotes collaboration and knowledge sharing across the global built environment community.

In his current role as the Head of Sustainability for Egis in Middle East and South Asia, Ishan is responsible for overseeing the delivery of all design and construction projects with respect to their sustainability aspirations. Ishan has close to a decade of experience in sustainable design, certifications, and energy efficiency within the built environment across a wide range of projects throughout the Middle East. He also has extensive experience in leading the delivery of energy audit programs for key hospitality projects in the region.

Under his leadership, the Egis Sustainability team has organically grown to 30 experts including sustainability consultants, building physics analysts, embodied carbon and energy efficiency specialists spread across UAE, KSA and India. The team is responsible for delivering holistic sustainable design solutions for all mega developments within the region.

Tharun Thomas holds the position of Deputy Head of Energy Efficiency at Engie Solutions Middle East, where he’s responsible for actively developing and managing Energy Performance Contracts and Smart Building Automation opportunities. He is a Certified Energy Manager by AEEE

Thomas has nearly two decades  of experience in Energy performance contracting, Industrial/Building Automation, in the UAE and Gulf region. He has also developed extensive competencies in automation sales, energy efficiency program delivery, building customer relationships, developing, and consulting energy efficiency solutions and managing complex client engagements. 

He has been involved in the completion of more than +200 energy audits and +50 energy performance contracts, generating +20M USD annual savings for clients across all major sectors resulting in the reduction of +52,000 tons over six years in the UAE & Saudi Arabia. 

He is also actively involved in team mentoring, development and thought leadership. He has been featured as a TEDX speaker and trainer at various industry events. Thomas holds a Post graduate Diploma in Operations Management  & a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Electronics (Hons). 

I am having the pleasure of working for Novenco Building & Industry, in the Netherlands for the last 18 years, in Air Ventilation Technologies,

During this time as responsible person for Middle East & Asian Market have experienced different market and applications.

Due to all these valuable experiences, I have learned how to combine Physic and Mechanical Rules with international and local regulations to make our lives safer.

My experiences are mainly in Ventilation of Under Ground Car Parks, Road Tunnel,  Buildings, Staircase Pressurization in high rise Building and smoke Management at event of Fire,   

Julie is a chartered engineer. She works as Head of Net Zero Policy for CIBSE, where she leads the work on CIBSE's Climate Action Plan, the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard, policy work, and collaboration with other institutions. She is the author of CIBSE TM40 – Health & Wellbeing in Building Services, and co-author of the Retrofit Revisit report, an evaluation of 10 deep retrofits from about 10 years ago. 

Samiullah Khan, CSO of Fakhruddin Holding, Advisory Board member Rochester Institute of Technology, A professor of Practice in Multiple Universities is a Radical and fugal Innovation expert and design thinker involved in research and implementation of advanced technology projects in the field of Positive Zero, Direct Air Carbon Capture, energy efficiency, circular economy, food security, waste management and renewable energy. 

Awarded International Patent on Improving Indoor Air quality and saving energy through Direct Air Carbon Capture.

Ex CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of The Island, (Lebanon Island – www.theisland.ae) one of the most exclusive, exotic and unique destination on the face of Earth. Ex Vice President SRM University (www.srmuniv.ac.in)  and Ex Country Head of Tata Motors.

Operated in over 55 counties, an active learner, sportsman and team leader with an uncanny ability to exponentially amplify the dormant potential in both senior and junior colleagues. 

Lana AbuQulbain is a Technical Engineer at the Emirates Green Building Council, where she leads multi-stakeholder projects uniting government, private sector, and NGOs to advance decarbonization. Her expertise spans embodied carbon, local regulations, school sustainability, health and well-being, and gender inclusivity through leading the EmiratesGBC Women Network.

She combines technical depth with strong network-building, turning complex challenges into practical solutions through research, policy advocacy, publications, and training programs. Education and well-being remain central to her work, including published research on outdoor school environments. Recognized as a thought leader, Lana was recently featured in Dubai Leaders Magazine for her role in advancing sustainability of the built environment.

As a separate note, Lana is also a children’s book author of two published titles, with her debut now in its third edition and over 5,000 copies sold since November 2022. She continues to write while pursuing the WELL Accredited Professional (WELL AP) certification to deepen her focus on human health in buildings.

Sandra Woodall is a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Royal Society of Arts, and the Academy of Urbanism, and a recognised industry leader in sustainable architecture and urbanism. Based in Abu Dhabi, she leads Tangram Gulf’s MENA studio and brings over 30 years of design leadership in the UAE, with a focus on regionally responsive, environmentally and socially sustainable solutions. Work that is underpinned by a deep understanding of desert urbanism and a commitment to contextual design that integrates advanced technologies to minimise environmental impact.

A passionate environmentalist, award-winning architect, educator, and researcher, Sandra is the RIBA Regional Ambassador for Sustainability and a key member of the Senior Leadership Team of the RIBA Gulf Chapter. She co-founded and co-curates the Chapter’s “Sustainable Development Series,” advancing knowledge-sharing and best practice across the GCC to support the delivery of the UN Sustainable Development Goals in the local context.

Outside of practice, Sandra is a regular keynote speaker at conferences, publishes articles and teaches Sustainable Design, Circularity and Sustainable Urbanism at Universities across the region.

Dr. Mutasim Nour is an Associate Professor of Electrical and Energy Engineering at the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University Dubai. He currently serves as the Associate Dean of Science and Engineering, as well as the Director of Studies for the MSc Energy and Renewable Energy Engineering programmes at the Dubai campus. Additionally, he holds the role of Associate Director of External Relations and Industry Engagement.

Prior to joining Heriot-Watt University, Dr. Nour was an Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, where he gained extensive academic and research experience. He has also served as a consultant to various companies in areas including energy storage, renewable energy, AC machine efficiency control, and energy-saving solutions.

Dr. Nour’s research interests encompass renewable energy integration, energy demand management, energy efficiency, energy storage systems, power electronics, and fuzzy logic control. His current projects focus on integrating renewable energy into power grids, optimizing energy demand, developing advanced storage systems, and applying artificial intelligence in power systems.

To date, Dr. Nour has authored over sixty peer-reviewed journal and conference publications, including a book chapter. He is an active reviewer for several international journals and conferences, and is a member of IEEE, the Jordan Engineers Association (JEA), and an affiliated member of the Energy Institute.

Marc Lynch is a Chartered Building Services Engineer with 17 years of international consultancy experience, specialising in award-winning workplace environments, retrofit, and smart building integration. His career spans both new build and existing building projects, with a focus on helping clients make informed decisions through feasibility studies, technical due diligence, and change-of-use strategies that shape resilient, future-ready assets.

He leads multidisciplinary engineering teams across MEP, sustainability, and smart building technology ensuring projects are delivered with technical excellence, commercial clarity, and client alignment. Over the years, he has designed and managed the delivery of complex, sustainable buildings across sectors including corporate real estate, hospitality, healthcare, education, and transport, with several projects recognised by industry awards for innovation and sustainability.

Beyond project delivery, Marc serves as Vice Chair of the CIBSE UAE Committee, where he mentors the next generation of engineers, engages with universities, and contributes to industry dialogue on decarbonisation, retrofit, and the future of corporate real estate.

He is passionate about advancing the building services profession and delivering engineering solutions that balance performance, wellbeing, and sustainability for clients and communities alike.

Paul Paterson is the founder and CEO of Elevation Carbon, a consultancy driving cost-led, performance-first sustainable building design across the Middle East. He’s known for connecting architecture and engineering to deliver real-world energy, carbon, and water outcomes, not just compliance models.

An ultra-marathon runner who thrives on endurance and resilience, Paul brings the same mindset to sustainability consulting: doing the hard work early, focusing on the long game, and pushing through challenges to deliver results that last. His current focus is integrating AI and automation into green building strategy, ensuring that every project delivers measurable ROI from concept to operation.

Farah Hussain is a Mechanical engineer within Buro Happold in Riyadh, with a focus on building services and performance. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and has recently obtained a Master’s degree in Computational Aeronautics from Imperial College London.

Farah has contributed to the design of high-profile residential, cultural, and landmark projects across the GCC. She aims to align mechanical systems with sustainable design strategies and is interested in developing long-term low-carbon solutions for both existing and new buildings, contributing to achieving net-zero targets.

An experienced Architect with a robust background in applying computational design across architecture and art. Over the years, I've seamlessly integrated these advanced technologies into diverse creative projects. Currently, as the Head of Computational Design at Ramboll, I apply computational design in the realms of both design and engineering. I lead a dynamic team, working on groundbreaking projects and developing cutting-edge digital solutions and tools that drive innovation and efficiency.

In addition to my role at Ramboll, I am passionate about education and sharing my expertise. I teach in the Master’s Program in Parametric Design in Architecture (MPDA) at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), where I guide and inspire students to harness the power of computational design.

With a deep enthusiasm for advancing computational design, particularly in the Middle East, I am committed to fostering innovative practices and pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the industry. I founded the Computational Design Community - Middle East.

Michael Rimmer, Chartered Engineer & CIBSE Fellow, is Regional Director of MEP at Egis across the Middle East and South Asia, leading over 350 experts in the region. With 20 years of experience, he holds a Master’s in Sustainable Building Design and has been recognized as the Middle East MEP Executive of the Year 2023 and MEP Leader of the Year 2024. He is a strong advocate for regenerative design and the use of digital technologies to deliver net positive buildings.

Dr. Bhakti More is the Chairperson of the School of Design & Architecture, Head, Centre for ESG at Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) Dubai. She holds a doctorate from the University of Salford, UK, and has over three decades of experience in the design industry and academia. Her research paper received the CIOB Best Paper Award in 2015 for the most innovative research. She serves as the coordinator for the Manipal Environment and Conservation Students Club, which has earned multiple accolades, including the Best Sustainable Green Campus Audit and Best Sustainability Action Project from the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi. She was also recognised as the Best Coordinator for her commitment to the sustainable campus initiative. Dr. Bhakti has led Team Tawazun in the Solar Decathlon Middle East 2021 for building a net-zero home and the Climate Action Plan for MAHE Dubai’s Race to Zero initiative by UNFCCC. She actively volunteers for the Advancing Net Zero Group and serves as the Youth Engagement Co-Lead for the Universities Climate Network. Dr. Bhakti is a University liaison for the American Institute of Architects in the Middle East and has been an ambassador for Women in Construction at Big 5, a mentor for the Link Program, a member of the INDEX Advisory Board.