SPEAKERS 2024

Michael Rutman, Co-CEO of Baynunah Watergeneration, has over 20 years of experience in establishing and managing international sales systems, positioning the company and its products, and developing new marketing channels. He holds an Executive M.B.A in process at Kellogg M.B.A. program and Bs.C in Computer Science.

Maher Al Kaabi, a visionary leader, and a seasoned banker with over 30 years of experience in the Banking, Digital industry and Family Business. He has extensive expertise in Board Membership, Islamic Banking, Wholesales & Consumer Banking, Risk Management, Finance, Operation & Technology, Sales & Distribution and Business Development. He also has deep knowledge in innovation and trends in the generation and utilization of data sets and of new technologies. Serves on board of several startup companies, a Chairman of Board of Governance of a Star International School and co-founder of Blink.

Works extensively with various ministries in future technologies, circular economy, and sustainability of family businesses by training NextGen on Venture Studio Module.

Mr. Maher is a sought-after keynote speaker who shares his expertise and insights on various topics at events covering various topics (FinTech, Building Digital Economy (AI, metaverse, blockchain, web3, etc.), Circular Economy, Renewable Energy, Sustainability, Sustainability of Family Businesses (supervise venture studio program for UAE NextGen’s), Banking & Finance, Corporate Governance, and Investments).

He is an advisor to the Group Chairman of Al Serkal Group of Companies (165+ year old family) and serves as an Independent Board Member. He advises the Board on developing a more structured governance model and reviewing and refining the structure of the group with the objective of creating a more flexible, robust and efficient organization that will be better placed to respond to future business opportunities. He also applies his expertise in transitioning businesses digitally.

Shane is a Co-Founding Partner at Shorooq Partners, a prominent alternative investment  fund manager in the MENA region. With a background in finance and entrepreneurship, he  has worked with notable institutions like UBS, TD Securities, and GlobalFoundries. He's  recognized as a Forbes 30 Under 30 and a Kauffman Fellow, focusing on fostering  entrepreneurship in MENAP and beyond. Shane, an alumnus of The Wharton School, has a  passion for connecting the entrepreneurial landscapes of MENAP and Asia, leveraging his  diverse professional experiences spanning multiple countries.

Mr. Sky Kurtz is the Co-founder and CEO of Pure Harvest Smart Farms, a pioneer in the global Agritech sector. Pure Harvest develops world-leading controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) solutions to deliver the best quality fresh produce all year round. The Company’s hybrid growing solutions provide precise climate and environmental controls, enabling increased productivity and reduced waste (including water, energy, time, & transport) in the harshest climates on earth, with projects spanning the MEASA region.

Prior to founding Pure Harvest, Mr. Kurtz Cofounded Vence – a wearable technology solution for animal protein farming that semi-automates rotational grazing, reinventing livestock management. He also served as a Senior Executive with Francisco Partners, a $24 billion tech investment firm based in California and an affiliate of Sequoia Capital, a world-leading venture investment firm. Mr. Kurtz invested in and served on the boards of numerous companies across many sectors, with annual turnover ranging from $25 million to $2 billion dollars.

Mr. Kurtz was awarded an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and holds a B.S. in Finance from the W.P. Carey School of Business at ASU, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude and was named the Turken Family Outstanding Graduating Senior (valedictory honor).

Omar Saif is a multi-disciplinary professional who has been driving sustainability and decarbonization efforts within the Middle East for the past 11 years. Currently, he is the Director of International Partnerships at the Global Climate Finance Centre (GCFC) in Abu Dhabi, where he focuses on brokering international partnerships that accelerate ClimateTech financing and deployment, especially in emerging markets.
Omar's experience spans across government, consultancy and trade promotion. Most recently, he was apart of the COP28 team focusing on private sector engagement in the ClimateTech space. He’s also worked with several consultancies including EY, WSP and SmartWatt as a sustainability consultant. In these positions, he led and delivered diverse projects including energy management, GHG accounting, Net-Zero, sustainability strategies, and ESG reporting. Additionally, Omar has played an integral role in government trade promotion efforts with the Dutch and New Zealand governments, focusing on the promotion of ClimateTech startups and SMEs.
Omar holds an M.Eng. in Engineering & Public Policy, as well as a B.Sc. in Environmental Science, both from McMaster University in Canada.

Harry Wright is a qualified lawyer and an expert in climate and biodiversity technology. He is the CEO and founder of Bright Tide, a leading sustainability consultancy. At Bright Tide, Harry advises top private sector companies, including Nestle and EY, providing strategic advice on climate change, nature, and biodiversity. Additionally, through Bright Tide's accelerator programs, he supports entrepreneurs who are pioneering climate, nature, and AI solutions, having worked with over 300 ventures to help them scale and secure investment opportunities. With the launch of the new Sustain.Ai program, Bright Tide is furthering its ambition to support AI ventures at the forefront of sustainability innovation.

A graduate cum laude in monetary and financial economics of Bocconi University, Milan, at the EIB Aldo has been Deputy Head of Funding, Euro, from 2001 to 2018 and Head of Sustainability Funding from 2018 to 2022, developing EIB’s core funding instruments in Euro: “EARNs”, “EPOS” and “ECoops”. In 2007, he shaped the transaction with which the EIB inaugurated the green bond market, subsequently promoting best practice in working groups of ICMA’s Green Bond Principles (GBP), China and the EU. Within the framework of the Climate Bank Roadmap, he has driven the gradual alignment of EIB’s sustainability funding with evolving EU legislation on sustainable finance - in close cooperation with the Projects Directorate. These results have won Aldo several recognitions, e.g.: “most impressive Green/SRI bond funding official” by Global Capital in 2015/16/17/19; “Personality of the Year” by Environmental Finance in 2018; and “Australasian Market Person of the Year” by Kanganews in 2021.
In the EU Platform on Sustainable Finance, he presently chairs the workstream on the gradual application of the Taxonomy to green bonds that should facilitate the uptake of the upcoming EU Green Bond Standard.

Three-time GRAMMY nominated musician and activist, Rocky Dawuni, straddles the boundaries between Africa, the Caribbean and the U.S. to create his appealing Afro Roots sound that unites generations and cultures. A galvanizing performer, Dawuni has shared the stage with luminaries including Stevie Wonder, Ozomatli, Sauti Sol, Janelle Monae and John Legend, among many others. Named one of Africa's Top 10 global stars by CNN, he has showcased his talent at prestigious venues such as The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center and The Hollywood Bowl.  Rocky is a UN Goodwill Ambassador for the Environment for Africa, a UN Foundation Ambassador for the Clean Cooking Alliance and an Ambassador of Born Free USA. Rocky was also named the Global Ambassador for the World Day of African and Afrodescendant Culture which is a globally recognized by UNESCO. Through these and other designations he uses his music to shine a light on crucial issues facing humanity cross the globe through live concerts, speaking roles, panels, youth empowerment and more.  

Influenced by the soulful beats of Fela Kuti and the positive messages of Bob Marley  - Rocky Dawuni's infectious, sing-along sixth album, Branches of the Same Tree, (Cumbancha) was nominated for a GRAMMY for “Best Reggae Album” (2016) featuring the Afro Dancehall mashup video "African Thriller.”  Branches highlights Dawuni's ability to communicate a universal, uplifting message that crosses borders and reaches out to the hearts of millions. The influential “Songlines Magazine named the album one of the “Top 10 Most Essential Reggae Albums of All Time!”

Tien Nguyen is the founding partner at Earth Venture Capital, a deep-tech VC firm focusing on energy transition, green manufacturing and agriculture with investments in 7 countries. Tien is also an expert at Rockefeller Foundation Asia for AI and climate actions. He serves on the steering committee of Impact Investing Readiness Vietnam by IIX and Global Affairs Canada, as well as an advisor at CarbonX Capital. An Irish Government fellow, he's a key player in expanding Irish influence across Southeast Asia through the "Team Ireland" vision. His guidance fuels innovation in climate-tech as a mentor for Google for Startups, She Loves Tech, and MoveSG Accelerator, making a global impact from Southeast Asia.

Andrew Chang is a startup ecosystem builder and marketing specialist, having founded and built new accelerator chapters and climate tech programs in China, Thailand, Indonesia and the UAE. He specializes in open innovation and identifying new deal flow and startup technologies for corporations specializing in electric vehicles, batteries, renewables, and grid-edge. He helped launch the Free Electrons global utility-startup accelerator and is now facilitating innovation programs within China servicing leading Chinese SOEs such as Towngas, State Grid, and Baowu Steel.

Prior to New Energy Nexus, Andrew was a Project Manager at Powerhouse, the world’s only incubator and accelerator dedicated to solar. Andrew has helped Powerhouse quickly become the nation’s leader in fostering solar innovation and entrepreneurship by hosting annual Solar Hackathons in Silicon Valley, launching Australia’s first Solar Hackathon, leading international competitions and designing the accelerator program for solar startups. Lastly, Andrew’s extensive marketing and communication experiences comes from 3+ years at two internationally renown advertising agencies; TBWA China and Y&R Shanghai. He managed accounts with Porsche, Pepsi, Bacardi and Adidas. His most notable achievement was managing and pitching Pantone ‘The Power of Color’ creative that won Bronze at Cannes in 2014. Andrew started his career as a marketing manager at Sungevity, the Oakland based rooftop solar company.

Nicoletta is an environmental engineer and holds an Executive MBA from Bocconi University in Milan. Nicoletta is a sustainability and sustainable finance expert and has 15 years of experience spanning from environmental and social due diligence, Corporate Social Responsibility review and implementation within companies around the globe, responsible sourcing and sustainable finance. She is committed to support financial players and companies transition towards increased sustainability and impact. Nicoletta is enthusiastic about impact investing, social businesses and Environmental Social Governance drivers. In short, anything that contributes to a better world.

Orchlon Enkhtsetseg is the Founder and CEO of URECA - a Singapore based climate-tech company with the mission to empower a global movement of climate action through technology. Mr. Orchlon has been a passionate clean-tech investor with 10+ years experience in management across project finance, clean energy, and infrastructure. As an NYU Economics graduate, Orchlon has held key positions at Newcom Group and Rio Tinto, and was recognized in Forbes Asia’s 30 under 30 in 2019. Notably, he steered the development of the first wind farm in the Gobi Desert with Clean Energy Asia, a company backed by SoftBank Energy. 

Jamil Wyne is an advisor, investor and educator working on climate technology and investment around the world. He is the co-founder of Riffle Ventures and was the lead author of the Climate Tech Opportunity. He is a climate investor and has worked with USAID, the Development Finance Corporation, the World Wildlife Fund, Clean Energy Ventures Group, UNICEF, and national governments on climate projects. He is a Forbes contributor, and his work has been featured in Stanford, Brookings, McKinsey, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, CNN, and World Bank publications. He has been a Fulbright, New American and Truman Fellow and resides in Washington DC.

Heather Buchanan is the Chief Executive Officer of Bankers for Net Zero, an initiative that brings together banks, businesses and regulators to support the financial sectors transition to net zero in the UK. She has extensive experience advising Government, trade bodies and civil society on the commercial relationship between banks and their customers. In 2021, Bankers for Net Zero was announced as the UK Country Chapter of the UN Convened Net Zero Banking Alliance, the first initiative of its kind in the world, to provide the bridge between the high level commitments that banks have made and implementation on the ground. Since COP26, Heather has been tireless in her efforts to focus on the role of finance and banking in supporting the real economy in a just transition. She was thrilled to see this work culminate with Bankers for Net Zero taking to a global stage as a core partner of the UK Pavilion at COP28. In 2024 Heather was recognised as one of the twenty Trailblazing Women in Climate (Reuters) and shortlisted as Sustainability Leader of the Year and Women in Green Business (Business Green).

Poonam's career spans continents, focusing on brand & organizational restructuring, digital transformation, risk management, leading public consultation roles for emerging economies and advocating ESG & regulatory compliance.

Her contributions earned her the CIBC Achievers Award during the financial crisis, she also advanced the Clinton Global Initiative's impact investing initiatives. A recognized cross-sectoral strategy leader. Her role as an ESG consultant for trade and SMEs highlights her dedication to embedding sustainable practices across industries.

Luma is the Director- Middle East, Africa and India- for the UNPRI Principles of Responsible Investment and is a recognised sustainability and sustainable finance thought leader.  Prior to Joining UNPRI, Luma drew on three decades at the forefront of finance, Islamic finance, sustainability, entrepreneurship and investment in MENA and Europe to advise corporates, financial institutions, funds and asset managers on sustainable finance and transition strategies. Luma’s work also focused on the creation of a sustainable finance ecosystem in the MENA region through close collaboration with regulators, financial markets and other market stakeholders in MENA on sustainable finance initiatives and regulations, including the recent UAE Green and Sustainability-linked Bonds and sukuk Regulations of 2023.

A former finance partner and global head of the Islamic Finance Group at Linklaters, Luma is a pioneer in the development of the capital markets and ground-breaking capital and financial markets transactions across MENA and globally, in particular in Islamic finance.

Luma is a regular speaker on sustainability and Islamic sustainable finance topics and is a regular contributor to finance and sustainability sector publications.

Toby is a co-founder of Audacy Ventures, focused on impactful climate technologies post his first career in traditional energy and renewables. Audacy has so far focused on alternative fuels (hydrogen, SAF), energy storage, and carbon capture technologies.  He has 20 years of investments and advisory experience across energy, infrastructure, technology, real estate and natural resources. Toby advised on over US$15bn of transactions whilst at Macquarie Capital and was part of the founding team of Kerogen Capital, a specialist in international energy investments with over US$2 billion AUM.

Paul Miller is Managing Partner and CEO at Bethnal Green Ventures, Europe’s leading tech for good venture capital firm. He co-founded the firm in 2012 and has helped invest in and support over 150 startups that aim to create a more sustainable planet, an inclusive society and healthy lives. Paul's also written widely about supporting early stage technology ventures. Previously he was co-founder and CEO of an education technology startup and worked for two UK-based think tanks - Forum for the Future and Demos. He was awarded an OBE for services to startup investment in 2020.

Maxine Fernandes is a dynamic MC and radio presenter with over 7 years of experience in the UAE. Known for her vibrant personality and engaging presence, Maxine has hosted numerous high-profile events, captivating audiences with her eloquence and charm. Her extensive experience in radio has made her a familiar voice across the region, where she brings a unique blend of professionalism and warmth to every broadcast or event. Maxine’s passion for connecting with people and her ability to create memorable experiences make her a sought-after talent in the entertainment industry.

Kevin Holliday is the Managing Director of C3 – Companies Creating Change.

He has over 20 years of strategy, finance, and investment experience across the globe, with broad exposure to different sectors and business models within complex and dynamic environments.

Kevin has previously held senior positions at AW Rostamani Group, OSN, Global Integrated Security, Networkers International Plc, and Euromoney Institutional Investor Plc.

He has substantial experience in high-growth, fast-paced, innovative environments, with exceptional strengths in strategic development and execution, impact investing, and social entrepreneurship.

Kevin is a qualified chartered management accountant (London, UK) and holds an MBA from Warwick Business school (Warwick, UK).