Founder of UAE BIM Association (UBA), VDC Deployment Manager at EllisDon, 1st BSI Kitemark for BIM Design and Construction achiever in an Emirati Contracting Company (ECC), member of AIA (International Associate), Certified Autodesk professional and instructor, holding several academic and professional certifications: LEED GA, Building Performance Analysis; C2C Cradle to Cradle; Smart Cities (City Information Modelling) Module from ETH Zurich, Engineering Management Module from Delft University. BIM Management – Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and member of PMI.

Successfully implemented BIM Framework for Azmeel and Al Bawani, two of the top construction companies in Saudi Arabia, at the same for one of the most established companies in UAE (ECC).

Led ECC to be shortlisted in ME Big Projects award in the category of Excellence in BIM Implementation.

Ahmed is pursuing MBA in “Management of Digital Transformation” from York St. John University.

Coming Soon

Craig Garrett is based in Dubai as an Academies Manager of Bentley Institute’s Digital Advancement Academies. He has more than 30 years of cross-industry experience and is recognized as a leading authority on digital delivery in the Middle East. As a regular speaker at construction conferences and events, Craig regularly promotes industry best practice and project team collaboration.

Building on extensive knowledge of large complex projects, Craig’s skills are tuned to the creation, development and experience of data management throughout the supply chain. Having worked as part of the client’s representative team during construction, he has a practical understanding of on-site digital delivery to facilitate digital construction, supply chain manufacturing, facilities management, and operational requirements.

As the Digital Advancement Academies leader in Dubai, Craig regularly facilitates industry discussions and actively supports and promotes BIM adoption at every level. In addition, he develops and disseminates high quality BIM policy as mandated by government and advises key clients on digital strategy throughout the entire project lifecycle.

Damir has spent most of his career in the engineering and construction industry as an technology professional. He has over 18 years of experience in creating value at the intersection of business insight and technology, leading transformation initiatives across Asia-Pacific, USA, UK and the Middle East.

Damir leads IT Division in KEO International Consultants, and prior to this appointment he headed up Middle East IT operations in Mott MacDonald, responsible for the IT strategy and service operations. Before that he served in a variety of IT management positions in WSP, Balfour Beatty, Parsons Brinckerhoff and others. He was accountable for many facets of IT, from leading delivery of innovative solutions to clients, to directing back-office corporate initiatives - ultimately supporting businesses to win and to deliver work.

Throughout his various roles, Damir has successfully created environments where staff are able to grow and achieve personal development. His leadership style emphasizes integrity and strong service orientation. A proud father of two daughters and the husband of environmental sustainability aficionado, Damir is a strong advocate of diversity and equal opportunity in the workplace.

Damir holds a Master’s Degree in Management from the Macquarie Graduate School of Management, Australia.

Farah Kurdi is the Built Environment Sector Lead – Middle East at Mott MacDonald with responsibility for planning, business development and delivery of BE projects.

Prior to joining Mott McDonald, Farah worked in portfolio and operations management at several companies, including AECOM, and Parsons.

Farah received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and an MBA from the University of Jordan and the German Jordanian University in 2001 and 2015.

Moreover, Farah is the recipient of the 2017 Female Executive of the Year Award by Middle East Consultants Awards, an achievement made possible by her leadership skills. She also routinely appears on construction speaking panels, with a recent appearance at the Women in Construction Summit in December 2018.

Senior Digital Design Manager (M.Arch) with 14+ years of professional experience (5 years in Middle East) as design specialist in digital technologies, BIM processes & parametric modeling (Rhino + Grasshoper - Revit + Dynamo - 3D Max). Always up to date, researching and developing latest technologies like CIM, VR, AR, MR, AI, ML, 3D printing, drones, point cloud, generative design, automation, digital twins, integration of sustainability, specifications, FM and QS. Extensive knowledge and experience working with UK (BS-1192, PAS-1192), US (LOD Forum, AIA) and ISO 19650 series BIM standards.

Extensive experience designing with and implementing digital technologies and BIM for private and public sector projects, like airports, high rise towers, industrial buildings, offices, retail/commercial, educational, hospitality/housing, sports facilities, government facilities.

Nour Habib Kassassir is the Vice President and CIO for Parsons MEA Business Unit. Nour focuses primarily on the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, is responsible for all ICT planning, design, execution and operations for all of Parsons employees across the MEA Region.

He has 33+ years of extensive & solid experience in Information Technology Service Delivery & Management in diverse industries including: Automotive, Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Oil & Gas in the U.S., Middle East, Europe, and Asia regions.

Umang Patel is Technical Director for Mott MacDonald Middle East and South Asia driving strategy and growth in the region. Umang’s prime focus right now is developing Mott MacDonald’s Cyber Resilience strategy but moreover offering practical advice on the impact of Cyber regulations to key clients in the region, UK and Singapore.

As an accomplished chartered engineering professional, Umang has more than 18 years of experience in public and private sectors and has worked in UK, Middle East and Asia on some of the world’s biggest and most challenging design and build projects. Umang leads a team of more than 180 employees across the region and is responsible of Mott MacDonald’s Global Delivery Services operation and represents this business Unit at our Global Water Sector Board. Being an engineer at heart, Umang is always striving to learn, and believes in driving technical and professional excellence to maximise design efficiency, ensure there is continuous improvement and look for opportunities to reduce operational burden which ultimately benefits our client and environment. As our Global Electrical and ICA practice leader Umang’s role is to connect our practitioners together, foster best practice, drive innovation and support our business to secure new work in this field.

Vivek has been an advocate of innovation and technology enthusiast for the ‘built environment’ for the past 20 plus years. As a qualified Architect and Urban designer, he has a wide experience of interacting with industry to understand/identify their unique critical business issues and translating technology into outcome based solutions for ‘Advancing Infrastructure’ that add values to designers, consultant’s contractors and owner operators. He has had the privilege to work with world-class organizations in shaping and successfully delivering project collaboration, information modeling, mobility and management (BIM) for the lifecycle of the built asset.

He has been part of many industry though leadership forums as Innovation Live, Construction Innovation Forum and Leaders in Construction. He is a regular speaker at industry events, academic institutions and business conferences that focus on AEC Industry, innovation, technology adoption.

Elena Salun is the Head of CAD & BIM at Cracknell Landscape Design. A Senior Architect with over 12 years of BIM experience, Elena has overseen multiple BIM Implementation programs successfully assisting new companies to adopt processes encompassing the full BIM lifecycle.

She has extensive experience working on commercial, residential, hospitality, aviation, infrastructure, railway, healthcare and governmental (USACE) projects in the US, Europe and the Middle East, and strives to push the limits of BIM development ensuring success through effective BIM management, technology application, and by advocating the importance of working in a truly collaborative environment.

Focusing on the human and cultural aspects of the BIM Ecosystem made possible for her to strategize and deploying BIM with a holistic vision and both practical and empathetic approach.

With her drive for efficiency and an ability to identify future trends, she has led the development of many BIM/VDC tools which have then been deployed and used on numerous projects including the Doha and Riyadh Metro projects, and the Expo 2020 UAE Pavilion.