Dr. Hassam Chaudhary

Assistant Professor, School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society Heriot-Watt University Dubai

Dr Hassam Chaudhry joined Heriot-Watt University in 2014 as an Assistant Professor in Building Services Engineering and is currently in role of Director of Studies (Dubai) for the Architectural Engineering discipline. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and is active in undergraduate teaching and research, particularly in the areas of energy in buildings and the use of computational fluid dynamics and thermal modelling. He was awarded a PhD in 2013 from the University of Leeds following the completion of his research on developing a passive cooling mechanism to progress natural ventilation in buildings. Dr Chaudhry is a holder of a UK/International patent (PCT/GB2014/052263) titled 'Passive cooling system for wind tower', published by WIPO for the developed commercial technology in 2015

Dr Chaudhry specialises in advancing wind-driven energy and heat transfer techniques for ventilation within the built environment. His research experience includes working on dynamic and smart architecture along with designing and commissioning low-speed closed-loop wind tunnel facilities for teaching and research. He has worked as a Principal Investigator representing Heriot-Watt in the collaborative project entitled 'Mapping the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect in Dubai and its impact on building energy performance', funded as part of the Global Challenges Research Workshop Call 2016 (RCUK). Dr Chaudhry was presented with the ‘Excellence in Engineering’ award in 2009 and 2010 sponsored by the Wood Group Production Facilities, Aberdeen, AB12 3AX, UK.

His research output to-date includes over 40 peer-reviewed journal and conference publications including a book chapter. Dr Chaudhry serves as an Associate Editor for International Journal of Ventilation, Taylor & Francis and is active on the review panel for a number of leading international journals including Applied Energy, Energy and Buildings and the International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer.

James Mowat

Director, Energi People

James Mowat is arguably one of the most well-known and recommended specialist MENA MEP Building services recruiters. At Energi People, a privately owned UK-based recruitment company, established in 2002, he currently leads the MEP Building Services Design team providing high-quality recruitment solutions within the MENA, APAC & UK. He brings over 16 years of experience & huge passion to MEP Building Services Design recruitment, executive search & talent management.

Over the years, he has partnered with his clients in the Middle East MEP Sector providing efficient and effective recruitment solutions including a retained search for C Suite level candidates, along with recruiting teams of engineers for consultants, contractors, and clients across the full lifecycle of projects.

Some of the projects Mowat has recruited for include several of the world’s most iconic buildings; the Burj Khalifa, Dubai Airport, SIDRA Medical & Research Centre in Qatar, Expo 2020, KAFD, Dubai Mall, NEOM, Dubai Metro & various data centres across the region.

Cristina Savian

CEO and founder, BE-WISE

Cristina Savian is the CEO and founder of BE-WISE, an international management consultancy firm with offices in London, England, and Melbourne, Australia. Cristina makes it her mission to help drive digital transformation and technology adoption across the construction sector.

In addition to her prominent role as a keynote speaker and conference chair in the field of digital construction from Australia, Saudi Arabia to the UAE, her expertise in digital twins for our built assets makes her a key advocate for the field all around the world, and not surprising she was named one of the most influential individuals in the world of digital twins for 2021 and 2022 in Who's Who in Industry 4.0.

Mandarr Agshikar

Business Excellence Mentor & Coach, General Manager at Ajhinkya FZE

Mandarr is a Business Excellence Mentor & Coach and also an EFQM & CASS Certified Assessor with more than Three decades of experience. He is based in the Middle East for the past 18 years and has worked with Market leaders across various industry verticals. Mandarr has also been providing Association Management, Marketing & Business Excellence Services through his company - Ajhinkkya FZE and mentors organizations in their journey towards Excellence

Mandarr brings to the table, rich experience in terms of assessment of organizations & individuals through his association with most of the Excellence Awards in the ME region.