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.

Alexander leads AECOM’s Middle East Digital Project Delivery group which covers the implementation of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and other digital technologies on major projects.

Alexander holds a Mechanical Engineering degree and a Project Management Professional qualification. His 17 years professional experience includes project management, design and construction coordination, site management and supervision roles. He has worked in Europe, Australia and the Middle East, with the last nine years spent in the UAE.

For the last eight years he has been heavily involved in the management and implementation of Building Information Modeling and digital technology for design consultancies, construction firms and developers. His experience includes development of organisational strategy and implementation, project methodology and BIM execution plans, design coordination, design management, setting up BIM for scheduling (4D), costing (5D), and facility management (6D).

Naji Atallah leads the Construction and Manufacturing industries for Autodesk in the Middle East and Turkey region since 2013. He focuses on evangelizing Autodesk’s vision for the future of those industries, as well as cultivating and sustaining the firms relationships with strategic industry leaders, clients and associations.

Naji has been in the engineering technology sector for nearly 20 years serving prior to his current role, as the Regional Manager for AVEVA Solutions and as a project Engineering lead for Petrofac E&C. He holds a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. His research interest focus on advanced design techniques such as generative design on which he is a peer-reviewed published author.

Barry is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer with extensive experience in the Building Services Industry, in Contracting, Consulting and Client representative role, in various parts of the world, including UAE, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Oman, Russian Federation, and India. He has gained substantial experience in all aspects of design and construction during his career, and his innovative thinking nearly always leads to more efficient cost-effective solutions for the projects he is involved in. He serves on both the CIBSE/ASHRAE scientific committee, and AIRAH technical committee. He compiled a technical design manual and sustainable design guide for all InterContinental Hotel Group brands. This was responsible for the 2007 CIBSE International Achievement award, with the judges commenting on how these guides simplified Hotel services design to reduce both capital and operating costs, and presented the information in a way in which it could easily be understood by Engineers whose first language was not English. Barry presented at the RICS Smart Buildings for Smart Cities conference in Delhi in June 2016, and regularly presents on the benefits of BIM in efficient construction. He has presented at a number of industry conferences, on many subjects, including sustainability and improving the efficiency in design and construction.

Zimbabwean Andrew Milburn has been an integral part of the GAJ team having joined the company in 2004. He was educated in both the UK and South Africa having earned a BSc (Architecture) at the University College in London and a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa. Known as the godfather of BIM in the region Andrew has been championing the BIM cause for more than ten years and has delivered a number of informative talks on the subject at numerous BIM conferences worldwide.

Andrew is a valuable mentor to the technical team at GAJ and is responsible for coordinating overall BIM activities in the practice. He has been involved in a wide range of projects from commercial developments, including the Harare International Airport in Zimbabwe, to hotels and resorts across the Middle East and, more recently, Al Seef Dubai, the Gulf Hotel in Dubai and Mysk al Mouj in Muscat.

Omar is an Associate Director in AECOM’s Design, Planning and Economics practice. He has 20 years’ experience in urban development and strategic planning, and is currently co-leading cross-geography projects and teams, providing project management and technical management.

Omar’s experience includes strategic planning, industrial planning, transport-oriented development, mixed-use developments, heritage and urban revitalization, and community development. He has experience of large-scale projects in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and USA.

Prior to joining AECOM, Omar held a dual appointment as the Urban Design Section Head at EHAF Consulting and the Deputy Project Coordinator at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Egypt.

For years, Omar been practicing, researching and lecturing hand in hand, with a focus synthesizing MENA architectural and urban design practices with global trends. His more recent interest in parametric modeling theory and BIM is leading to a unique perspective involving design, planning, and project management.

Omar holds a master’s degree in Urban Design and is a PhD candidate at the University of Michigan.

Nithin is an engineering professional with over 12 years of experience in Middle East construction Industry. He has completed his MSc in Construction Project Management from Heriot Watt University. He has over 8 peer reviewed publications and his field of interest for research includes BIM, Lean Construction and IPD Projects. He is currently working with SPML as a Senior BIM Manager. He is responsible for delivery of BIM projects across MENA region.

With over 15 years of hands-on BIM implementation experience - Arsen is the Head of BIM at ALEC Engineering and Contracting LLC, the preferred contractor in the Middle East region. He is responsible for the organizational BIM strategy and overseeing the BIM execution on some of the mega projects in the region such as Sea World Abu Dhabi, DWC International Airport Expansion, and some of the projects at Expo2020. Arsen has worked as a BIM Manager on the owner, contractor and consultant side of the building industry in the region, so he understands the capabilities and constraints on all levels of the supply chain.

He has Project Management/Design Management experience on various large scale projects in Master Planning, Hospitality, Residential, Sports and Commercial Sectors. With over 25 years of international experience with leading design firms in Singapore, Australia, India and UAE. He has a keen interest in exploring new technology and how it helps designers to improve their response to the requirements of a project.

Ibrahim Atta-Apau is an experienced Chartered Engineer who leads the global Asset Management and Digital Transformation practice for Atkins Acuity, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group and the end-to-end advisory business from Atkins that combines management consulting, financing and technical capabilities to help clients solve complex front-end problems in the built environment.

Ibrahim’s practice specializes in helping clients across the Architecture, Engineering & Construction sectors with implementing the latest technologies to achieve business efficiencies. He oversees a global team of engineering professionals that specialize in Building Information Modelling (BIM), Digital Asset Management, Big Data Analytics, ICT and Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain technologies.

His core skill lies in combining his Design & Engineering background, and extensive business advisory experience, to clearly understand how a business operates. This allows clients to identify how they can optimize their existing processes, increase profitability, and achieve their desired outcomes.

Arsanious Abtnago is a BIM passionate. During his 5 years tenure at ASGC, Arsanious is keen to maximize the benefits of BIM in the contracting field and to expand the BIM functionality not only in the BIM department but in all other divisions of ASGC as well. He also strives for achieving the integration of BIM from 3D to 7D.

Arsanious expertise and passion came well aligned with ASGC’s culture and direction of being the most disruptive and innovative player in the market. ASGC, one of the leading construction groups in the UAE, is at the forefront of digital transformation in its industry.

Before this role, Arsanious was working in Kuwait as a site engineer in Palms Agro, a company specialized in landscaping governmental projects across Kuwait. He started his career in MK Design Egypt as a designer of both residential and commercial construction projects.Arsanious was born in Egypt and he got his bachelor’s degree in architecture from Modern Academy in Cairo.

Bahaa Ibrahim got engaged in the structural engineering from 1999 up to present where he gets connected with Hard Precast Building Systems in 2007. Currently, he is a General Manager in the Technical Division directing 30 staffs in the design department and 20 staffs in the QA/QC department. His function is not limited to technical division but has comprises with HSE functions as well.

Having 20 years of skill in the structural engineering and precast design, he managed several types of design and built projects encompassing several precast applications. Making the most innovative and dynamic precast solutions with value engineering ability depicts his expertise in this field.

Positive approach in adapting to ever changing innovations has set him to limitless enhancement of strategic and effective solutions.

Listens and understands appropriate methodology for the needs of all stakeholders.

An efficient support from tendering to operations processes.

Objective mindset and strong management skills works towards success of this company (HPBS) considering the turbulence that most experiences nowadays.

Derived from being aggressive and immense technical know-how marks HPBS good rapport towards authorities and precast stakeholders which makes beneficial for projects approval.

Together with his technical team, he has able to convert all the technical works to complete BIM platform.

A BIM enthusiast with the traditional Civil Engineering degree, Sheik Uduman currently working in RSP Architects, Planners & Engineers as BIM and Technology lead. He is leading BIM team, responsible for researching new technologies and innovating workflows with BIM. His focus also includes project setup, BIM Execution Planning, project standardization, managing the day-to-day BIM workload and Revit & BIM support needs across the company.

Coming Soon

Joylyn M. Dela Cruz is the BIM Lead and Digital Specialist of Aurecon.

Joylyn has been responsible for the implementation and management of BIM on Middle East exemplar landmark Projects such as The Dubai Creek Harbour Tower and Podium, Expo 2020 CoEx Campus, House of Wisdom and Riyadh Metro Project.

A strong supporter of the BIM revolution, she believes digitalizing BIM can make the projects as buildable, usable, operable, and sustainable as possible.

She holds a Civil Engineering degree from Mapua University in the Philippines.

Dr. Yasemin Nielsen is an Associate Professor and the Lead of EngD Construction at Heriot Watt University Dubai campus. She has over 25 years of academic and industrial experience.

She is currently active in post-graduate education and research. She has supervised over 150 MSc and PhD theses. Her industrial experience includes Sustainability Management positions of various prestigious projects in the UAE. She has collaborated with universities in the US, UK and Turkey as well as with both public and private organizations in funded research projects and organized and chaired international conferences. Her research output includes book chapters, numerous papers in peer-reviewed journals and refereed conferences.