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Leaders in Construction 2008
November 02 - 05, 2008 · Sheraton Jumeirah Beach Resort & Towers, Dubai, UAE

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Meet the Speakers

sadek owainati

Sadek Owainati is an engineering consultant with 42 years experience in various fields of the construction industry worldwide, and has been responsible for negotiating, managing and constructing multi-disciplinary projects worth more than US $1.5 billion. Sadek’s concern for the environment and safety developed during the 1980s as he worked for 11 years in the oil industry for ADNOC Group in Abu Dhabi. Sadek is one of the Founders and a Member of the Board of Emirates Green Building Council (EGBC); a not-for-profit organization established in the UAE in July 2006 promoting green building principles in the UAE. He was elected as EGBC’s Vice-Chair till March 2007 and later served as Chairman of the EGBC board for the period April 2007 till July 2008. Sadek played a major role in the EGBC’s draft rating system based on LEED adapted to satisfy the prevailing conditions in the UAE where more emphasis is given to water.

Sadek was previously Deputy General Manager of Al Naboodah Contracting – Building Division, a leading contracting company in the UAE, with a portfolio of various major building projects in Dubai such as Al-Marsa Tower, the first 60 story building at Marsa Dubai. Sadek graduated with distinction as a civil engineer in 1966 and was awarded the Iraqi President Award for the highest ranking student of the College of Engineering - University of Baghdad. In 1969 he obtained his Masters degree from the University of Manchester and in 1973 received his PhD in Engineering from the Imperial College of Science & Technology, University of London, UK. Sadek is a qualified Environmental Auditor from California State University, Long Beach, 1992.

John Bullough

John Bullough is Chief Executive Officer of Aldar Properties PJSC. In this role, John has overall responsibility for ALDAR which involves engineering and controlling the company's current growth in the UAE and future expansion into international markets. In addition, he overseas all projects development activities and related businesses of ALDAR. A Chartered Surveyor by profession he was previously Retail Director at Grosvenor in London and has over 30 years experience in the development and investment field. John is leading the team in delivery of a very substantial development programme including a number of major residential and retail led mixed use projects. He has been responsible in the past for major developments in the UK including projects in Cambridge, Basingstoke, Preston, Liverpool and Dublin. John is a past President of the British Council of Shopping Centres (BCSC) and a member of the BCSC Education & Research Committee and Urban Taskforce, he is a also member of the International Council of Shopping Centres (ICSC).

riad kamal

Riad Kamal has over 40 years of experience in construction, real estate development, investments and banking. He is the founder, largest shareholder and CEO of Arabtec Holding PJSC, the UAE’s largest construction company with an annual turnover in excess of US$1 billion and a workforce of 50,000 employees. Riad was one of the first Arab entrepreneurs to take a private company public in the UAE in 2004. Arabtec is listed on the Dubai Financial Markets and currently has a market capitalisation in excess of $2 billion. Riad is also the founder and deputy chairman of DEPA United, the largest hotel interior decoration and fit-out company in the Middle East with operations in over 17 countries in the MENA region and with manufacturing plants throughout Asia and the Middle East. DEPA currently employs over 8,000 people and has an annual turnover of US$500 million. Riad holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Civil Engineering from Imperial College, London. He is a past President of the Jordan Business Council Dubai (2002-2006) and a member of the board of trustees for the Welfare Association since 1998 and Chairman of the resource and fund raising committee. Riad is also an active member of the World Presidents Organisation.

Khaldoun Tabari

Khaldoun Tabari is the Vice Chairman & CEO of Drake & Scull International PJSC (under incorporation) and has led the development of the company from a local MEP contractor to a regional leader in the construction industry. Under Khaldoun’s leadership, Drake & Scull International (DSI), has expanded the business to include engineering, procurement and construction (EPC), civil contracting, property development and expertise in the district cooling sector. DSI provides fully integrated end to end solutions for buildings and businesses. He has instilled his values of quality, customer focus, continuous self-analysis, teamwork and ethics into the company while increasing revenues and profits more than five fold. Prior to joining DSI, Khaldoun worked in senior posts at a number of regional companies, and gained widespread experience in the field of electrical and mechanical contracting. Khaldoun also serves as a board member for Gulf Technical Construction Company (GTCC), EFS EMCOR Facilities Services Group (ME), Walltech; Cedar Mills, Jordan Fleet Leasing Company; First Qatar Real Estate and Energy Central.

Gurjit Singh

Gurjit Singh is Chief Property Development Officer overseeing the property development portfolio of Sorouh Real Estate PJSC, both in the UAE and internationally. Gurjit has been internationally active in the real estate industry for more than 25 years, and has been involved in the development of resort, commercial, retail, leisure and residential township developments in the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia and Singapore. Prior to joining Sorouh, Gurjit worked with numerous multinationals including the Sime Darby Group, one of Malaysia’s largest multinationals, and the Sentosa Leisure Group in Singapore. Gurjit was part of the creative and development team that was awarded the coveted international 2006 THEA Award for Outstanding Achievement for the Images of Singapore attraction on Sentosa. He was also part of the team that won the prestigious 2007 Cityscape Architectural Award for best Leisure Development for the Palawan Beach Development in Sentosa. Gurjit is a member of a variety of professional organisations, including the Singapore Institute of Surveyors and Valuers, the Association of Property and Facilities Management Singapore and the Singapore Institute of Planners. He is also a Fellow of the Land Institute United Kingdom, the Institution of Surveyors Malaysia and a Registered Property Valuer and Estate Agent. Gurjit is a graduate of the University of Cambridge in England. In 1994, he was awarded with the Malaysian Young Manager of the Year.

rami dabbas

Rami Dabbas has extensive experience in real estate developments and has been working in the UAE since 1997. He has been actively involved in the design and construction of many mega developments in Dubai. Rami spent over 6 years working with EMAAR where he was Director of Projects. He now works as CEO of Aqaar Properties and was directly involved in its setup. Rami is responsible for the commercial and technical operations of the company which is now developing projects worth 6 billion AED. In his role as Head of Real Estate Developments for Ajman Development & Investment Authority (ADIA), Rami represents the government as member of the board for Al-Zorah Project Development Company, which will start a 12 year long mega project on prime land in Ajman with a total cost of US $20 billion. On another front, Rami also represents the government in their partnership with the Tanmiyat Group to develop Ajman Marina. Rami graduated in 1982 with an MBA in Civil Engineering from the USA and UK.

Kez Taylor

Kez Taylor has worked as Managing Director at ALEC for 4 years. He has worked in the construction industry for a total of 20 years and started his career in South Africa. Kez is responsible for overseeing the day to day operations at ALEC and he also takes care of strategic planning for the future of the business. Kez has overseen the construction of many notable projects in the UAE, including phase 1 and 3 of the Madinat Jumeirah and the Shangri La in Abu Dhabi.

Stephen Lines

Stephen Lines is Director of Operations for the PMC division of Tameer. As head of the negotiation team, he successfully managed the clients interests in the first Alliance contract awarded in the UAE with a value of 7 billion AED. Stephen has over 30 years of experience within the construction industry and has been involved in projects in Ireland, India and South Africa before moving to the Middle East. His substantial experience in logistics budget management and man-management skills have developed the team of 70 into a progressive PMC ready to challenge the demands of the UAE market. As an active member of the prestigious Chartered Institute of Builders, Stephen has been instrumental in training and mentoring staff to achieve acceptance into Professional Associations.

Adil Abdalla

Adil Abdalla is a Development, Project & Preservation Management Professional who graduated as an architect and is a certified project manager. He has worked as a site engineer, contractor, project manager and a director of projects in Sudan, Egypt, UAE and Malaysia; with various governmental agencies, NGOs, and private enterprises. Adil’s interests expand from the preservation of historical buildings, structuring controls on initiations and setting framework for quality and performance monitoring. He focuses on both people and the built environment. Adil is a PhD Researcher and an occasional writer, lecturer and coach; who is fanatic about roles & responsibilities, CSR initiatives and team-work.

Dusan Mills

Dusan Mills has 30 years global experience in delivering major projects for government, public and private companies in the United States, Asia, Australia and the Pacific Region. His specific areas of expertise include regional and large-scale urban development, waterfront renewal, heritage preservation, hospitality and tourism. Dusan has been involved in some landmark projects, including strategic planning for redevelopment of Port of Cairns, Australia; strategic planning for construction of Serangan project, Bali’s largest waterfront reclamation project; strategic planning related to renewal of Auckland Waterfront (New Zealand’s largest urban waterfront renewal project); and reclamation and waterfront development related to creation of Marinas and Boatworks on San Francisco Bay. Dusan has extensive experience as both a developer and a Lead Consultant.

RogerWoord

Roger Wood is Director, Chartered Civil Engineer and member of the Association of Project Management, who has broad experience of major projects in a number of different countries. He is currently the Commercial Leader in Arup Urban Design, responsible for financial control and team management of a variety of projects such as Dongtan Eco-City, Wanzhuang, Jinan, Jeddah City Masterplan, Stratford City Development and other Eco projects in the United Kingdom. He has over 25 years of varied experience that includes the design, supervision and project management of major projects such as Temple Mills despot, CTRL; Hong Kong Station, Lantau; Airport Railway, Hong Kong, Pagbilao Power Station, Philippines; Salford Quays, Manchester and highways projects in Oman. He currently is focused on environmental, sustainability and civil engineering solutions for masterplanning projects.

Bishoy Azmi

Bishoy Azmy holds a B Sc. in Construction Engineering from the American University in Cairo (Egypt) and is currently working on his M Sc. in International Construction Management from the University of Bath (UK). Over the past five years, he has held various posts in Al Shafar General Contracting and has been part of the company’s management team for the last three of them. In those same years, Bishoy has been directly involved in the setup of many affiliate companies within the ASGC Holding Group. Having witnessed the growth of Dubai from the early eighties to today, Bishoy connects very well with the passion, drive and vision that are behind the neck-breaking pace of development of the region. Bishoy’s plan for ASGC Holding is ambitious indeed, aspiring to be a leading regional player in the construction industry through a two-pronged approach; adopting and following the organisation’s historical tradition of reliability, adherence to commitments and strong emphasis on quality with a new streak of modern management that revolves around innovation, technology and empowerment. A member in several international bodies, Bishoy contributes articles to various scientific, management and commercial publications.

Grahame McCaig

Grahame McCaig has worked as General Manager at Dutco Balfour Beatty for the last 6 years after a short stint as General Manager for Dutco Construction. Grahame has helped to expand the company dramatically over the last 5 years and is now responsible for over 10,000 hourly paid employees and 1,600 staff. After starting his career in South Africa, Grahame held positions as Deputy General manager at Khansaheb Civil Engineering and also worked for Gammon Construction in Hong Kong before returning to Dubai. Grahame is currently serving as the General Secretary of the recently established DCCI Build and Civil Construction Group. He graduated from the University of Cape Town in 1985 with a BSc. in Civil Engineering.

nigel harvey

Nigel Harvey joined Murray & Roberts in 1977 where he was responsible for managing the company’s commercial building activities in George and Johannesburg before taking responsibility for all building works in South Africa. He moved to Dubai in 2004 to take on the position of General Manager for Murray & Roberts in the Middle East. Nigel attended school at St. Andrew College in Grahamstown and graduated in 1978 with a BSc. in Building Management from the University of Port Elizabeth.

steven hunt

Steven Hunt is the Senior Legal Counsel specialising in construction and projects at Nakheel. Steven oversees the construction function of all Nakheel projects and is tasked with modernising the construction procurement and contracting function within Nakheel. Steven also supports Nakheel’s project team in respect to all major infrastructure assets including sewage treatment, water, district cooling, gas and transport.


rob stewart

Khalid Eid has worked as Executive Director, Global Project Operations at Injaz for 3 years. His role is to execute the project development cycle from initiation of the excavation phase, including enabling works activities, to eventual substantial completion and handover. Khalid has 24 years experience in the industry and worked at the Federal Avaiation Administration and Raytheon Service, both in Texas, prior to joining Injaz. One of his most significant accomplishments is the completion of an ILS Category III runway construction at George W. Bush International Airport at Houston Texas, USA under the direct order of George W. Bush Senior. Khalid was the Project Manager on this job.

Adnan Al Hammadi

Adnan Al Hammadi is the Director of Rail Projects Construction Department, which is the first of its kind in the region. He supervises the DM001 Metro Project (Red & Green Lines), the longest single metro project ever built (72 km & 47 Stations) and Al Safooh Tram Project. Prior to joining the RTA, Adnan has successfully accomplished many projects including the Urban Traffic Control System and the Control System in Dubai in 1998. He has vast experience in privatization, fleet management, annual maintenance contracts and asset management. Adnan has been appointed as head of a number of committees including the Contractors Pre-Qualification & Evaluation Committee, Implementation of Maintenance Management System (maximo) Project Committee, Energy Saving Committee and Station Context Planning Committee. Adnan was granted the (Distinguished Administrative Employee 2006) award in appreciation of his remarkable achievements. This award is organized by the Dubai Government Excellence Program.

Dave Bass

David Bass started his career in the British Army as a member of The Royal Engineers. Shortly after leaving the Army he moved to Dubai in May 1991 as a commercial diver. He transferred into a Health & Safety role in January 1993 as a Safety Officer for Waagner Biro, the Austrian Energy and Environment Company, on the Jebel Ali ‘G’ Power Station Project. He has experience in power generation, oil and gas, construction and the health and safety services and training fields.

He has been with Al Naboodah for six years and recently transferred from the Civil Engineering Division (CED) to the Group HSE Manager’s position for the entire Al Naboodah Construction Group. Under his guidance CED achieved certification in OHSAS 18001 and ISO 14001 for the HSE Management System.

He has a strong background in HSE implementation and legislative knowledge, gained over the past 17 years in the Gulf region, as well as in development and practical application of HSE Management Systems. He is a graduate member of the UK’s Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and a full member of the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management.

rob stewart

Rod has extensive experience in international business development, procurement and project management, particularly for transportation, building structures and wastewater infrastructure. As Hyder Consulting Middle East Limited’s Regional Managing Director he has ultimate responsibility for the technical and commercial operation of the regional business, which currently employs around 1,000 staff. Previous positions held by Rod include acting as an adviser to the United Kingdom and Polish highways departments on the introduction of PFI into the construction and maintenance of roads and bridges. He also has particular expertise in the use of steelwork in construction, including design, supply, fabrication, erection and maintenance, for steel buildings, long span bridges, offshore and marine structures. Rod holds construction management and project management qualifications.

Dr. Fahd Bakour
Executive Director
Al Fara’a Group

Dr. Fahd Bakour works as Executive Director for the Al Fara’a group of companies. He has 20 years of experience in the construction and building industry, of which 15 years have been in the G.C.C. Fahd holds a Ph.D. in Engineering Management, an MSc in Construction & Project Management and a BSc. in Civil Engineering. He is a certified Six Sigma black belt

denis beaupre

Dr. Denis Beaupre
Operations Manager, Technical & Sales
Unibeton Readymix

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