Alex Zalami is currently the advisor to the UAE minister of labour. Prior to his role at the ministry he was executive director at the Dubai Ethics Resource Center and before that he worked as director of International Programs at the Washington-based Ethics Resource Center, a leading non-profit, non-government organisation dedicated to organisational ethics. He coordinated the activities of ERC affiliated centers in a number of developing countries and was responsible for the development of a Global Integrity Alliance of non-government organisations that are active in the fields of ethics and institutional governance.

Alex also held a number of executive positions in the US and international companies. He holds an undergraduate degree in Mathematics from the State University of New York and graduate degrees in Mathematics and Industrial Engineering from San Jose State University and the University of California at Berkeley, respectively. He is married and has two children.

Ali bin Towaih is the executive director of the sustainable energy and environment division at Tecom Investments. He also holds the title of executive director for Energy and Environment Park. The energy and environment division is in charge of developing and implementing a sustainable development policy for Tecom Investments across all its projects in Dubai and internationally. The policy consist of several elements such as the Green Buildings initiative for all Tecom Investments owned buildings as well as retrofitting the existing buildings, energy and water conservation programmes, sustainable procurement policy, and sustainable development training and awareness program for Tecom Investments staff. Part of his responsibility is to make Dubai the sustainable energy and environment hub in the region, by developing new value added real estate for a free zone dedicated to the Energy and Environment Park (Enpark) (www.enpark.ae). Ali bin Towaih is a member of the Emirates Energy award Committee and a member on the advisory board of the Engineering School in the American University Dubai. He is also a member of the technical committee of the off Shore Arabia conference 2009, and a member of the board of directors of Energy Management services Company (EMS). In July, Towaih has been unanimously elected by the board of directors of the Emirates Green Building Council (EGBC) to be the new chairman of the council, www.EmiratesGBC.org. The EGBC is a non profit organisation which was formed in 2006 with the goal of advancing green building principles for protecting the environment and ensuring sustainability in the UAE.

Anthony Wood is currently the executive director of the CTBUH and responsible for the day-to-day running of the Council in conjunction with the chairman and the executive committee. His field of specialism is the design, and in particular the sustainable design, of tall buildings. Based at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Antony is also an Associate Professor in the College of Architecture at IIT. Prior to becoming an academic at the University of Nottingham, UK in 2001, and IIT in 2006, he worked in architectural practice in Hong Kong, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta. Projects that he has been involved in within these countries include the mixed use tower project of SV City, Bangkok (completed 1995), the 44-storey condominia project of Kuningan Persada, Jakarta (1997) and the prestigious Kuala Lumpur Central International Railway Terminal, Malaysia (completed 2001). He is editor of the CTBUH special annual edition of the John Wiley & Sons published Journal: ‘The Structural design of Tall and Special Buildings’ and co-chair of the CTBUH Tall Buildings and Sustainability working group. Wood is also founder of the Tall Buildings Teaching and Research Group based between the University of Nottingham, UK and the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago. He is working on research projects in conjunction with Arup, the University of Greenwich Fire Safety Engineering Group and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Department of Building Services Engineering. He is also Supervisor for the 3-year PhD studentship Tall Building Technologies. He is currently writing three books, entitled ‘New Paradigms in High Rise Design’, ’Pavements in the Sky: The Use of the Skybridge in Tall Buildings’ and ‘The History of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat’.

Bishoy Azmi, PMP is the Chief Executive Officer of Al Shafar General Contracting (ASGC). Azmy holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Construction Engineering from the American University in Cairo (Egypt) and is currently working on his Masters of Science in International Construction Management from the University of Bath (UK). Over the past six years Azmy has held various posts within ASGC, and has been part of the company’s management team for the last two of them. Azmy 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, Azmy says he connects very well with the passion, drive and vision that are behind the neck breaking development pace of the region. Azmy focuses on 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, he contributes articles to various scientific, management and commercial publications including Construction Week.

David Gottfried started Regenerative Ventures and its consulting arm, WorldBuild in 1995, after founding the US Green Building Council (USGBC) in 1993. USGBC has been quoted as the leading global green building organisation, having the greatest impact on climate change. In 1998 Gottfried invented and incubated the World Green Building Council. He has more than two decades of multi-disciplinary experience as a real estate developer, construction manager, and sustainable development management consultant. He received his degree in Engineering and Resource Management from Stanford University and is the author of Greed to Green - the transformation of an industry and a life. David has won numerous awards and delivered hundreds of keynote speeches in over a dozen countries. He is internationally acknowledged as one of the foremost founders of the global green building movement, and wrote the white paper for the Leed Green Building Rating System, the acknowledged US standard for green building.

Emad Eldin Farouqis a senior legal consultant with the Dubai Land Department. He studied law at the University of Fes, Morocco and the Mohawk College, Ontario, Canada. Farouq has won a number of certificates of appreciation from the Minister of Culture and Information, Director General of Abu Dhabi Police, Secretary General of Municipalities, Secretary General of Federal Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He is a member of the Hamilton Community Legal Service, a member with the African-Canadian Legal Association and a member of the Professional Paralegal Association of Ontario.

Falah Al Ahbabiis the General Manager of the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) in the United Arab Emirates. In this role, he oversees the management and implementation of the comprehensive urban structure framework plan – Plan Abu Dhabi 2030 - in coordination with both the public and private sectors. As the agency responsible for the present and future of the emirate’s urban environments, the UPC ensures best practice in planning for both new and existing urban areas. Before moving into urban planning affairs, Al Ahbabi worked in the aviation and telecommunications industries where he played a vital role in working with the Mubadala Development Company to establish the first helicopter academy in the Middle East, as well as launch a satellite to serve the region. Al Ahbabi also has relevant experience in the privatization of government services, and international experience in utilities. Al Ahbabi holds a degree in Management from the California State University.

Frank Odzewalski is currently the CEO of formwork company Hünnebeck Middle East FZE and Hünnebeck Emirates LLC in Dubai. He was previously the Export Director of the company. In 2003 he left Germany where he was employed as the sales director for Skyspan to come to the UAE. He has been closely involved with the Middle East for a large part of his career. Before 2000 he has had several roles with Thyssen Hünnebeck in Germany including area sales manager for the Middle East, Africa and Western Europe. Hunnebeck Emirates is working on the Burj Dubai.

Haytham Al Tajir is chairman of Al Tajir Real Estate Company, which he set up three years ago. It is owned by Empire Holdings. Son of Mahdi Al Tajir, the former UAE ambassador to the UK, Haytham was educated most of his life in England and so is familiar with sophisticated European building standards and techniques. His company’s current developments that are under construction include a commercial project, Credential Towers and a residential development, Fortunato. He is planning six more projects by the end of 2008 including a residential one in Jumeirah Village.

Joe Tabet has over ten years experience in the Middle East and Europe accumulating significant knowledge as an architect, design director, project manager and strategic business leader. He has extensive experience in architectural design, design development and detailing, as well as considered as a specialist in Hotel and Leisure Resort, Design and Development, which includes producing the Atkins hotel guidelines comprising the international and local operator requirements. He has worked on numerous significant, high-profile projects and is also part of the Atkins Sustainability Research team. He has built up expertise in this fast-moving field over the past few years and is continuing to drive the research forward. His sustainability research covers a diverse range of topics and is applied to areas of the business where it can make a difference. He holds a Masters Degree in Architectural Design from the Universite Saint Esprit in Kaslik, Lebanon, is a member of the Lebanese Order of Engineers and Architects, as well as a member of the UAE Society of Engineers.

Dr Mohammed Dulaimi is a senior academic with an extensive experience construction management and project management. Dr Dulaimi started his career in the construction industry working as structural designer and quantity surveyor. Dr Dulaimi has spent more than 20 years in academia working in universities in the UK, Singapore and UAE developing a strong record in winning research grants and leading international research teams. Dr Dulaimi has published extensively in internationally refereed journals and conferences with over 70 papers published worldwide. His main area of expertise and interest are management of innovation, leadership, project management, and procurement. He has a significant international profile giving presentations, keynote speeches, seminars and short courses in USA, UK, Europe, Middle East and the South East of Asia. He served a juror for Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award and Cityscape AD 2008. Dulaimi is currently coordinating the awareness programme and is a member of the executive committee of the Emirates Energy Award.

Philippe Dessoy has been instrumental in brining Six Construct in the Middle East to the forefront. He has more than 24 years experience in the construction industry throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa. He graduated in civil engineering with distinction from the University of Brussels in Belgium. He started his career as a Trainee Engineer with UNERG Belgium in 1984. He is currently the general manager of Six Construct in the UAE. Previously, he headed up the tendering department in the company. His duties then included tendering, marketing and new business ventures in the Middle East for Six Construct in particular and for the group Besix in general. He was also in charge of negotiating and finalizing contracts. He also provided necessary technical and commercial advice for various projects undertaken by the company. Before coming to the UAE, Dessoy worked for Besix in Brussels, Spie Batignolles, CGEE Alsthom and Tiat in France and on the underground metro network in Cairo, Egypt.

Rashid Abdul Wahab Galadari was born into entrepreneurial lineage, Rashid Abdul Wahab Galadari established the RAW Galadari Group after he graduated from university, leveraging his association with the Galadari Group, which was established for over 140 years and has evolved to become one of the most prominent commercial groups in the region. Its activities range from high profile consumer brands sold through retail outlets, to the supply of heavy industrial plants.

As Chairman of the Group, he has been driving and expanding business across the Middle East. The newest offshoot of the business is the Galadari Investment Office (GIO), the property management and development arm of the Galadari Group.

He also played a strategic role in the City of Arabia development in Dubailand.
GIO is extensively involved in luxury real estate construction and is renowned for pioneering luxurious commercial and residential properties in the freehold market. The flagship project presently under development at GIO is the G Tower.