Keynote Speakers
Prof. Dennis Truax
Ph.D., P.E., DEE, D.WRE, F.ASCE
ASCE President 2022,
Professor of civil and environmental engineering at Mississippi State University, and the Director of the Mississippi Transportation Research Institute.
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SPEAKER PROFILE
Dennis Truax is the James T. White endowed chair, department head, and professor of civil and environmental engineering at Mississippi State University, and the director of the Mississippi Transportation Research Institute. Now in his 41st year on the Mississippi State faculty, he has assumed various roles as a mentor to students, staff, and faculty. His undergraduate degree was from Virginia Tech, and he has a master’s degree and a doctorate in civil and environmental engineering from Mississippi State.
Truax served on ASCE’s Board of Direction as a director and Society treasurer. He has worked on numerous ASCE committees and task forces, and he was the faculty advisor to the Mississippi State ASCE Student Chapter for 26 years.
He is a licensed professional engineer and holds national certifications as an environmental engineer with the American Academy of Environmental Engineering and Scientists and as a water resources engineer with the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers. He was elected a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1999 and a fellow of the National Society of Professional Engineers in 2016. He is one of two chapter honor members of the Mississippi State University Chapter of Chi Epsilon and was recognized by the National Council of Examiners for Professional Engineers and Surveyors and ASCE for his distinguished service to the profession.
He currently is the faculty advisor for the Mississippi State Chapter of Engineers without Borders (EWB). His work with EWB led the chapter to install nine water wells in southern Zambia, bringing sustainable clean water to almost 10,000 people living in a region that goes without any precipitation for six or more months a year.
He also holds or has held national leadership positions with NSPE, NCEES, and ABET. He is in his 12th year of service on the Mississippi Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors having been president of the board twice. He is also chair of the Onsite Wastewater Advisory Council for the Mississippi Department of Health.
Truax has worked on environmental and water resource management systems throughout the world, consulting for local and international engineering firms, small municipalities, and regional authorities, law firms, industry, and federal agencies. He has been the principal of three consulting firms and one environmental equipment company.
Mr. Ziyad Alshiha
Group Chief executive of The Saudi Investment Recycling Company (SIRC)
SPEAKER PROFILE
Ziyad Al-Shiha has been appointed CEO of the Saudi Investment Recycling Co. (SIRC). SIRC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund, the National Waste Management Center and the municipality of the Eastern Province recently signed an agreement to start integrated waste management and waste recycling activities in the province.
Al-Shiha has been a board member of the National Petrochemical Company, a Saudi joint-stock company, since 2019, and was deputy chair of the Business 20 (B20) Trade and Investment Taskforce.
He was president and CEO of the Saudi Electricity Co. (SEC) from 2014 to 2018 and, prior to that, was a SEC board member from 2012 to 2013.
Al-Shiha has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, a master’s degree in engineering and control systems from Rice University, and a second master’s in executive business administration from MIT.
He had a number of positions at Saudi Aramco after joining the company in 1984. He was an electrical engineer and vice president of general planning in one of the international joint ventures in the Philippines. He was also a public relations manager at Aramco, the director of facilities planning, and the executive director of power systems.
Al-Shiha has participated in several leadership training programs, including MIT’s Sloan Fellowship Program.
Eng. Turki Bukhari
Vice President, Assets & Facilities Management
Dr. Adam C. BOULOUKOS
Ph.D., The UNDP Resident Representative for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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SPEAKER PROFILE
Adam C. BOULOUKOS, Ph.D., Resident Representative. Dr. Adam Charles Bouloukos (United States) is the UNDP Resident Representative for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Prior to this appointment, Adam was the Country Director of the Norwegian Refugee Council in Uganda. He served as Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia (2017-2018) and Director of UNISDR in Switzerland (2015-2016) during the adoption of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, the first leg of the sustainable development agenda. Adam held numerous positions with UNOPS including as Senior Change Management Advisor in Switzerland (2016-2017), as Representative in Switzerland (2012-2014), as Director of Outreach and Partnerships in Denmark (2010-2012), as Representative in Sudan (2007-2010), as Representative/ Earthquake Response Coordinator in Pakistan (2006), and as Deputy Representative in Afghanistan (2004-2006). Adam started his international career in Austria with UNODC as Social Affairs officer then Coordinator of Research and Analysis (1995-2002) and then as Deputy Representative in Afghanistan (2002-2004). Previous to his overseas work, Adam was an instructor of criminology in the US.
Adam holds a Doctorate and Master’s in Criminal Justice from the Rockefeller College of Public Policy, USA and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Bucknell University, USA. In addition, Adam holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Management form the Edinburgh Business School, UK.
SPEAKER PROFILE
Turki Bukhari is a Vice President, Assets & Facilities management in Expenditure Efficiency & Projects Authority which is a part of 2030 vision programs to develop & promote expenditure, projects and asset & facilities management in the government entities.
Turki has a bachelor degree in mechanical engineering from king Abdulaziz university & EMBA degree from Arizona state university.
He held a number of positions at SABIC after joining the Company in 2002. He was Sr. Manager of operation, maintenance and engineering support department. He was also Executive Director, Technical, Maintenance & Chemical Operation in several SABIC affiliates.
Turki Assigned with crude oil to chemical project (COTC) as a project leader. This project is a joint venture between SABIC and ARAMCO which is part of the KSA 2030 vision
loan Fellowship Program.
Mr. Raed Albasseet
Chief Environment and Sustainability Officer of the Red Sea Development Company & AMAALA
Eng. Fahad Al Ajlan
KAPSARC’s president
SPEAKER PROFILE
Engineer Fahad Alajlan was appointed as the president of the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) in August 2021. Prior to joining KAPSARC, Fahad was the director of the Hydrocarbon Sustainability Program at the Ministry of Energy. He was responsible for looking at the long-term energy trends and their impact on energy markets including global demand for oil and gas. Additionally, he oversees the Circular Carbon Economy National Program, which aims to utilize a comprehensive framework to manage emissions while furthering the socioeconomic development of the Kingdom.
Fahad also worked at the Ministry of Economy and Planning in Saudi Arabia, advising on energy markets, policy, and trends, as well as the industry and petrochemical sector. Before that, he served for more than 15 years at Saudi Aramco, where he held senior positions working across operation, corporate strategy and investment planning, as well as mergers and acquisitions.
He holds a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University and an MBA from Stanford University in California.
SPEAKER PROFILE
Raed Albasseet has been head of the corporate environment and sustainability division of the Red Sea Development Co. (RSDC) and Amaala since April.
The RSDC and Amaala are among the Vision 2030 megaprojects established in Saudi Arabia to develop and promote new international luxury tourism destinations and diversify the Kingdom’s economy.
Albasseet’s role includes helping the firms meet ambitious sustainability goals in line with global performance standards while protecting important ecosystems.
He has been leading both companies in integrating pragmatic solutions to overcome complex environmental assessment and enhancement issues to satisfy UN sustainable development targets.
He became head of corporate environment and sustainability at the RSDC in May 2018 after having been Saudi Aramco’s international environmental policies and regulatory lead from 2016 to 2018, and its international environmental policies adviser and an environmental engineer between 2012 and 2016.
Albasseet also worked as head of pollution and environmental engineering at Aramco subsidiary Vela International Marine from 2011 to 2012, was a pollution and environmental engineer there between 2009 and 2011, and a maritime officer with the company from 2003 to 2007.
He gained a master’s degree in safety and environmental administration from the World Maritime University in Sweden, and a bachelor’s degree in merchant marine operations from Solent University, in the UK.
Mr. Mark Mirza
Project Leader at Fraunhofer ISC, Germany
Ms. Mayssam Tamim
Assistant Resident Representative
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SPEAKER PROFILE
With over three decades of experience in managing and leading projects in construction materials, renewable energy, and sustainability in the environmental protection and solar industries, Mark Mirza has been a passionate project leader for sustainability-oriented research projects at Fraunhofer ISC since 2014.
In particular, in materials and process development, either in the field of renewable energies (from solar to hydrogen) or sustainable packaging materials for various applications.
In the materials chemistry competence group at ISC, his task is to effectively analyze materials issues and identify deficits as well as potential opportunities. This results in the development of innovative and cost-efficient solutions to increase competitiveness while improving industrial processes along the entire supply chain.
Mark Mirza has a background in chemistry and material science and holds three patents for the solar industry as well as various scientific publications on the subject.
Dr Ahmed Al-Darwish
Deputy Governor for Development, Economic Research & Policy Advocacy
National Development Fund
SPEAKER PROFILE
Dr Ahmed is a Saudi Economist with a broad experience in macroeconomic and development policies as well as financial sector strategies. He led a number of significant projects varying between strategies building, policy design, impact assessment, and analyzing ongoing developments in the economy, financial sector, performance and efficiency analysis. He spent few years working as a Director, advisor and Economic Expert at the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), Ministry of Economy & Planning (MEP), as well as International Monetary Fund, Arab Monetary Fund (AMF) , Center for Strategic Studies, and currently, as a Deputy Governor for Development, Economic Research and Policy Advocacy (& Chief Economist) at the National Development Fund.
Dr Ahmed has a PhD in applied Economics from University of Essex (UK), and a master degree in Economics from Florida State University (USA), as well as a Bachelor degree in Mathematics from King Fahad University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM).
Dr. ahmad Alwosheel
Assistant Researcher at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST)
SPEAKER PROFILE
Team Leader at UNDP Saudi Arabia. Over 20 years of experience in the development field. Holds Master’s in Biology | American University of Beirut | Lebanon. Worked as a faculty member at the American University of Beirut, Director of Continuous Education and, later, Special Rehabilitation Center AlNahda Society, Riyadh, and King Faisal Foundation, Riyadh
Mr. Bandar Al Blehed
Clients Relations Development Head –Saudi Exchange
SPEAKER PROFILE
Ahmad Alwosheel is an assistant researcher at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), with a descent background on Artificial Intelligent (AI) and microeconometrics, gained from working experience and academic training in top institutes. Ahmad’s experience includes working with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) as a visiting consultant. Further, in collaboration with Industrial partners he (co-)supervised multiple projects aiming to incorporate economical and behavioural factors into modelling human choice behaviour in various contexts such as transportation and e-commerce.Ahmad holds a PhD degree from Delft University of Technology (Netherlands). He also holds a master degree from University of Southern California in Electrical Engineering with concentration on digital signal processing and machine learning.
Eng. Mazin Albahkali
Executive Vice President Strategic Planning and New Business Development,
Saudi Electricity Company (SEC), Saudi Arabia
SPEAKER PROFILE
Bandar has held multiple roles and responsibilities across the Technology and Financial Services Industries, the most prominent and lengthy tenure being with Saudi Exchange, where he has spent the last six years.
At Saudi Exchange Bandar successfully established the Client Relations and Development function. He has served as Head of Client Relations Development for the last year and a half; before this Bandar was the Client Relations Development Manager.
Bandar’s notable achievements during his time in Saudi Exchange include developing the Invest Wisely Program, delivering new services to Exchange Members, and leading the ESG and sustainability efforts which are integral to shaping the Saudi Capital Market and increasing sustainable growth in the Kingdom. Prior to this, Bandar worked in the Sales and Marketing team for over four years both as the Team Leader and as a Relationship Manager.
Bandar holds an MBA degree from AlfaisalUniversity.
Dr. Abdullah Alabdulkarem
Executive Director of the Enablement Sector at the Government Expenditure and Projects Efficiency Authority (EXPRO)
SPEAKER PROFILE
Abdullah Alabdulkarem is the Executive Director of the Enablement Sector at the Government Expenditure and Projects Efficiency Authority (EXPRO). He has experience in government and private sectors. Currently, he overseas enabling efficiency practices in government entities. He has a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland at College Park, US..
SPEAKER PROFILE
Mazin Albahkali leads the strategic planning and new business development for the company. In his capacity, he is leading a team to set the company objectives to improve performance in alignment with the kingdom’s energy sector objectives set by the ministry of energy. This is in addition to driving new and diversified investments to create new sources of revenue to the company offering new beyond-meter services to consumers.
Mazin started his career in GE Healthcare as a Field Engineer with the GE Medical Systems JV to with El-Seif Development Co in 1999. In January 2006, he moved to GE Power as a Power Generation Manager in Saudi Arabia significantly contributing to the development of the energy business in the region. Mazin held several positions in GE Power businesses including leading Sales and Marketing for GE Grid business in Middle East, North Africa and Turkey. His last role in GE before joining Saudi Electricity Company in April 2020 was the CEO for GE Power Services in Saudi and Bahrain.
Mazin holds a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, and a Bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering from King Saudi University, Riyadh.
Mr. Turki A. Alrowili
Spokesperson, PR and Communication Director at National Development Fund
Eng. Waleed AlGhamdi
Associate Director, Smart City & Sustainability
SPEAKER PROFILE
Waleed AlGhamdi is head of Sustainability at ROSHN, a master real estate developer and giga-project owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia. He has a wide range of experiences in the AEC industry focused on the sustainability domain. He holds a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Hartford and a bachelor degree in architecture from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. Prior to joining ROSHN, he was the sustainability manager at Eskew Dumez Ripple, an international architectural firm located in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. His previous roles included senior energy consultant at Karpman Consulting, a niche consulting firm in Hartford, Connecticut, USA and design project manager at Bechtel Inc. Jubail Project in Saudi Arabia.
Waleed is a published author and frequent speaker at professional conferences in North America, including the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the American Society for Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), and the New Building Institute, and guest lectured at University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Tulane University, and University of Hartford. He is interested in net zero energy buildings, design and validation of sustainability KPIs for the built environment, and advancing net zero carbon goals for construction materials and methods.
A member of the American Institute of Architects, he’s a licensed architect in the states of New York and Louisiana, and served on the AIA 2030 Working Group subcommittee, which is tasked with building and managing the path to net zero energy buildings by the year 2030. Among his accomplishments is bringing the first net zero energy multifamily development to the hot and humid southern United States. He has overseen the delivery of projects through a variety of sustainability programs, such as LEED, Energy Star, Enterprise Green Communities, as well as other US federal and state incentive programs.
SPEAKER PROFILE
Turki Alrowili is the Spokesperson, PR, and Communication Director at National Development Fund. He has Twelve years’ experience in marketing, strategic communication, raising awareness, and media relations. In addition to creating and changing the mental image of governmental and private entities.
Turki is known for leading the establishment phase of the communication, customer service, and call centers departments in several entities. As well as implement the right marketing and communications solutions that best serve the business needs by exploring and experimenting with new platforms and programs.
Turki Alrowili holds a Master’s Degree in Communications and Information Management from Bay Bath University, Longmeadow, Massachusetts, United States, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Administrative Sciences in the field of Marketing from King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Dr. Ameer M. Al-Alwan
Advisory and Training Director, Center for Local Governance
SPEAKER PROFILE
Dr. Ameer Al-Alwan Is an Associate professor of urban and regional planning, prior to joining the center worked as director general of economics and finance programs in the institute of public administration in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In additions, he worked as a lecturer and trainer delivered lectures and training programs in institute of public administration and King Saud University. Dr. Ameer has published several books and papers in refereed academic journals in the areas of urban transportation, housing policies, and municipal councils, and refereed many articles for local and international journals. He participated in local and international conferences, and wrote and commented on planning related issues in local newspapers and television. He also worked as an advisor for some government and private sector organizations, he worked for ministry of urban and rural affairs, ministry of transportation, ministry of housing, and Riyadh Economic Forum. Dr. Ameer holds PHD. In urban studies and MA in urban planning from Portland state university in Portland, USA, and MA in urban and regional planning form Eastern Washington University, as well as bachelor in urban planning from Eastern Washington University in USA.