About CONFEX

Being the Middle East region’s most anticipated and industry-leading Facility Management events, the MEFMA CONFEX, aims to establish a knowledge and experience sharing platform amongst industry stakeholders, by also providing a unique opportunity to network and connect with the top FM professionals and decision-makers, including government representatives, developers, FM service providers and suppliers.

In addition to insightful panel sessions and multiple subject-matter presentations, the event also features various local and international case studies by well-renowned speakers & thought-leaders. The CONFEX also boasts an exhibition showcasing the latest solutions for this vital industry, along with expert-led workshops discussing the key topics in the region followed by site-visits to educate and share best practices in FM.

Agenda

9:00 am

  • Registrations & Exhibition

10:00 am

OPENING CEREMONY

Recitation from the Holy Quran

Welcome Address

o   Jamal Lootah – MEFMA President & Group CEO – Imdaad

o   Mahir Julfar – EVP, Dubai World Trade Centre & Member of the Executive Committee, Dubai Association Centre

Mohammed Abdullah Almarshad – Vice Chairman of Board of Directors, Riyadh Chamber & Chairman of National Real Estate Committee, Federation of Saudi Chambers

Keynote Presentation by Diamond Sponsor

o   Anas Alzaid – CEO, Initial Saudi Group

Honoring of Sponsors & Strategic Partners

1:00 pm

Prayer & Lunch

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

WORKSHOP 1 (English)

Digital Building Technology to enhance FM and Longer Asset Life Cycle

NG Thomas – Managing Director, NG Global

Doney Mathew – General Manager, NG Global

WORKSHOP 2 (Arabic)

الذكاء الصناعي في مجال إدارة المرافق / Artificial Intelligence in Facilities Management

Ali AlSuwaidi – MEFMA Vice President & Global FM Vice Chair

Bader Salmeen – FM Consultant & MEFMA Certified Trainer

7:00 pm – 10:00 pm

MEFMA Awards Gala Dinner

Opening Ceremony

Dawood Abdul Rahman Al-Hajri

Director General
Dubai Municipality

Jamal Lootah

MEFMA President & Imdaad Group CEO

Mahir Julfar

EVP, Dubai World Trade Centre
Member of the Executive Committee, Dubai Association Centre

Mohammed Abdullah Almarshad

VC of Board of Directors Riyadh Chamber & CM of National Real Estate Committee Federation of Saudi Chambers

Speakers

Anas AlZaid

Position: CEO
Initial Saudi Group
Categories: Speakers

Anas Alzaid is CEO of the Saudi leading Integrated FM company, Initial Saudi Group.

He has over 30 years’ FM experience, serving under seven Saudi Ministers and having held senior FM and Safety & Security roles with major organizations, including the Saudi Armed Forces, Saudi Telecom, Schlumberger and the Ministry of Health.

He is a Certified Arbitrator for the Saudi Ministry of Justice, cowriter of the National Health Standards, and has served as both the Chairman of the Health Facilities Compliance Initiative for Saudi Vision 2030, and as MENA Director of the NFPA.

Anas holds an MBA and a BSc. in Electrical Engineering.

Anas AlZaid

CEO
Initial Saudi Group

CONFEX Facilitator: Abdulla Al Wahedi

Position: CEO Irtikaz Group & MEFMA Certified Trainer
Categories: Speakers

Abdulla Al Wahedi is a leading facilities management expert in the region. He has over two decades of experience in facilities management and has held a number of high-profile roles including his last role as chief executive officer of a leading facilities management company where he was responsible for managing all aspects of Facility Management operations and expanding the business.

Prior to his role as CEO of Irtikaz Group, Abdulla was a senior director at Emaar Facilities Management where he oversaw the FM operations of iconic projects such as Burj Khalifa, The Dubai Mall and Emaar District Cooling.

Abdulla holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Seattle University in the USA, and an MBA from the American University of Sharjah. He is a graduate of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Leadership Development (MBRCLD) and has won the Rashid Award for Academic Achievement.

CONFEX Facilitator: Abdulla Al Wahedi

CEO Irtikaz Group & MEFMA Certified Trainer

Abdullatef Salah Alateeqi

Position: SVP Business Development
Agility Logistics Parks
Categories: Speakers

Eng. Abdullatef currently SVP Business Development for Agility ALP has more than 20 years of diverse experience including FM. His latest Government Sector involvement includes being the Undersecretary for the National Fund of Small and Medium Enterprises Development and GM deputy, for a strategic portfolio funded by the Kuwaiti Gov. with more than USD 6B.

His current Private Sector involvement – Strategic role in USD 1.5B Real Estates worth of assets portfolio. Overlooking FM and managed 5M+ m2 industrial facilities areas along management complexity. Managing and executing company’s latest addition to portfolio, a 1.2M m2 of mix use industrial city.

He has a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the Cleveland State University – USA and MBA from the Maastricht Business School in Kuwait. He has also completed a Leadership Development Program from Harvard Business School.

Abdullatef Salah Alateeqi

SVP Business Development
Agility Logistics Parks

Ali AlSuwaidi

Position: MEFMA Vice President & Global FM Vice Chair
Categories: Speakers

Ali Al Suwaidi is one of the leaders of the facilities management and asset management industry in the Middle East, who has been in the industry since the nascent stages of professional FM.

Ali has over 22 years of experience in FM industry. He has held a range of operations leadership roles with leading FM corporations and prestigious appointments, including the responsibility for setting up the operations strategy and leading the rollout of the FM program for Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest tower.

He is also a leading industry resource who actively trains young talent on sound FM management across the UAE, along with being one of the FM subject matter experts worldwide and a visionary speaker participating in facility management conferences and conclaves across the world.

Ali AlSuwaidi

MEFMA Vice President & Global FM Vice Chair

Andreas Hadjioannou

Position: Managing Director
Virtual IT Consultants
Categories: Speakers

Andreas is Director of Virtual IT, a company offering Computer Aided Facility Management solutions with presence in UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Cyprus.

Andreas has an academic background in Computer Science and Engineering and extensive knowledge and experience in the initiation, organization and management of innovative solution with experience Digital Transformation, Unified Communication, Asset Management, CAFM technologies and Smart Building Systems. Since 2004 he has been implementing Asset and Facilities Management (CAFM) software solutions in the Middle East and Europe based on WebTMA CAFM Solutions from TMA Systems.

Andreas is a member of the technical committees of the ISO 55000 Asset Management and EN15221 / ISO41001 Facilities Management international standards. He is also a member of the subcommittees of these standards related to FM Digital Technologies.

Andreas Hadjioannou

Managing Director
Virtual IT Consultants

Bader Salmeen

Position: FM Consultant & MEFMA Certified Trainer
Categories: Speakers

Over 30 years of experience in the Project Management (PM), Facilities Management (FM), Building Technologies, and Information Technologies (IT) industries. Effective, experienced Manager, with strategic thinking, positive attitude and a proven Project Management track record since 1998.

A self-motivated, flexible professional manager and a dynamic problem solver supported by excellent team building motivational skills. Managing the delivery of complex projects as an experienced leader of multi-disciplinary teams. The span of experience ranges from major constructions, infrastructure, IT systems implementation related to PM & FM Field, engineering documents management systems, setting standards, operating procedures, maintaining critical operation sites, Quality Management Systems implementation, and customer satisfaction monitoring.

Bader Salmeen

FM Consultant & MEFMA Certified Trainer

Collins Osayamwen

Position: President
Association of Facilities Management Practitioners – Nigeria
Categories: Speakers

Collins Osayamwen, is a Certified Facility Manager (CFM), with over 20 years’ experience in the facility management profession and a certified IFMA Instructor. He is the Managing Partner/Senior Consultant of SheltercareFM Consult based in Nigeria. He is responsible for providing facilities & asset management consulting and support services to help clients and colleagues develop vision, strategies and solutions that shape, improve and optimize the built environment.

He has extensive experience in all aspects of Facility Management as well as winning numerous awards for excellence and customer service for his operations. He has delivered workshops for clients and seminars for local and international associations and organizations.

He is championing the cause to institutionalize the FM profession and development of the Facility Management industry in Nigeria and the African continent. He is the President, Association of Facilities Management Practitioners – Nigeria. He is EuroFM Ambassador in Nigeria and Chairman of the National Mirror Committee of ISO/TC 267 for Facilities Management. Collins was also appointed Director on the IFMA board of Directors 2013 – 2015.

Collins Osayamwen

President
Association of Facilities Management Practitioners – Nigeria

Derrick Tate

Position: Director
PwC Real Estate Advisory 
Categories: Speakers

Derrick leads Real Estate Operations at PwC Real Estate taking a ‘business not buildings’ approach to advising companies and public sector organisations on their real estate operations, facilities management, hybrid workplaces and related digital technology.

With over 20 years’ experience Derrick advises clients on the financial, commercial and strategic considerations of real estate in a rapidly changing world. The interaction of people, place and technology, sustainability and cost optimisation are all critical issues for organisations as we emerge from the pandemic.

Derrick has a Master’s degree in Facilities Management.  He is a fellow of RICS (FRICS) and a certified member of the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (CIWFM) and is the author of the RICS Global Code of Practice for Procurement of Facility Management.

Derrick Tate

Director
PwC Real Estate Advisory 

Doney Mathew

Position: General Manager
NG Global
Categories: Speakers

Doney Mathew is General Manager of NG Global, a leading Smart Building specialist having implemented several landmark buildings in UAE and in Gulf and India. His work experience spanning over two decades in Integrated BMS, ELV, Remote monitoring, SCADA and Control Room.

He was involved in major projects like Burj Khalifa, Dubai Metro, Dubai Airport, Dubai mall. He has worked in the role as Project Management, Energy management, Remote Monitoring, Smart Facility Management.

Currently he heads the new smart initiatives of NG in infrastructure and facility maintenance with Digital initiatives such as IOT, remote connectivity, analytical algorithms to create a digital eco system.

Doney Mathew

General Manager
NG Global

Eamonn Hughes

Position: VP & GM Digital Solutions, Johnson Controls
EMEALA
Categories: Speakers

Eamonn Hughes is VP/GM EMEALA Digital and Strategic Accounts for Johnson Controls. In this role, he is responsible for the growth and deployment of OpenBlue (JCI’s Digital portfolio) in Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America regions for Johnson Controls. In addition, he leads strategic accounts across the EMEALA region and is GM Ireland including site lead for JCI’s global HQ office in Cork, Ireland.

Eamonn has over 30 years leadership experience in the tech sector. He is an early advocate of the digitalisation of buildings with IoT technology and has worked on numerous smart buildings and sustainability initiatives with multiple global customers. He holds a BA degree in Mathematics and English, a HDip in Education from UCC.

Eamonn Hughes

VP & GM Digital Solutions, Johnson Controls
EMEALA

George Brill

Position: CEO
Talisen Technologies Inc.
Categories: Speakers

Mr. George Brill is the founder and CEO of Talisen Technologies, Inc.,  a recognized leader in Secure, Enterprise IT Integration and Collaboration. A graduate of St. Louis University’s Aeronautical Engineering program, Mr. Brill began his career as a structural engineer with the US Navy at McDonnell Douglas. In 1991, he founded Talisen Technologies with his personal funds.

Talisen Technologies is a global leader of enterprise solutions for organizations with sophisticated networks, applications and security requirements in Energy/Infrastructure Management. Talisen’s Enterprise Sustainability Platform (ESP) is built on its legacy technology to support clients with mission critical, enterprise IT infrastructure seeking ways to be energy wise. With experience in software development and enterprise IT management, Talisen creates solutions around facilities information and energy management.

George Brill

CEO
Talisen Technologies Inc.

Gordon Mitchell

Position: Chief Information Officer
Key Facilities Management
Categories: Speakers

Gordon is an FM digital solution architect and full life cycle transformation lead for Key Facilities Management International and Keystone Worldwide WX & FM Software.  Gordon has been heavily involved in the international movement towards sustainable and digitally intelligent whole life asset, buildings and cities pioneering environmental and socially responsible places and spaces.  Gordon is convenor with ISO technical committee 267 for working group 6 – Digital, Data and Technology in FM as well as supporting building SMART Internationals FM program. Gordon also has roles with European Standards CEN TC348 as co-convenor for WG6 space measurement/BIM in FM.

Gordon Mitchell

Chief Information Officer
Key Facilities Management

James Michael Lafferty

Position: CEO, Speaker, Philanthropist, Coach
Categories: Speakers

James Michael Lafferty is The Chief Executive Officer of Fine Hygienic Holding and has often been described as one of the most unique and diversified CEO’s in the world today. He is not only a successful CEO — He is an Olympic Coach. An award-winning journalist. A college professor. A competitive athlete. A philanthropist, husband and father of 5.

With a marketing and general management career that spans over 30 years, James Michael Lafferty is among the leading global experts on business-building, marketing and branding particularly in emerging markets. He has had a long and successful career building businesses and organizations across five continents for some of the world’s leading fast-moving consumer goods companies, including CEO roles within Procter and Gamble, Coca-Cola, and British American Tobacco.

Recently, James was awarded as CEO of the Year by both the Burj CEO Awards associated with the Government of Dubai, and the GCC Best Employer Awards CEO of the Year. In addition, James was named by Daman Health as “The Wellness Visionary of 2019” and was named to Forbes Magazine Middle East as one of the top 50 CEOs.

James Michael Lafferty

CEO, Speaker, Philanthropist, Coach

Javeria Aijaz

Position: Managing Director
HITEK Services
Categories: Speakers

Javeria Aijaz is the Senior Director – Technology & Innovation in FARNEK Services, the Swiss UAE-based Facilities Management Company. She is also Managing Director of Farnek’s technology arm – HITEK Services launched in 2022. Under the leadership of Javeria, Farnek has successfully went through the digitalization journey for FM Services. Technical Architect and Leader on Smart FM Solutions for Farnek, Javeria is an experienced Technocrat, Passionate IoT Strategist, with Software Development background and practical implementer for various Mobility, Cloud, IoT, Remote Monitoring, BMS, Artificial Intelligence, AR/VR, ERP solution.

Her team consists of developers, engineers and specialist in various technology segments supporting more than 3000 mobile devices and multiple platforms to improve communication and increase productivity, satisfying operational KPIs. Javeria is focused to change the trend from Traditional FM to Smart FM that empower buildings to be intelligent, resilient and sustainable.

Javeria Aijaz

Managing Director
HITEK Services

Katarina Hasbani

Position: Partner & Global Director of Strategy and Advisory, AESG
Categories: Speakers

Katarina Uherova Hasbani is Partner and Global Director of Strategy and Advisory at AESG. She is an energy transition and sustainability professional with comprehensive experience in leadership positions across the value chain of the energy industry, encompassing utilities, oil and gas and renewables and large energy users. She has proven experience as an effective leader of global cross-functional teams and has spent 18 years designing strategies, public policies and implementing transformation projects across more than 30 countries in the Middle East, South-East Asia and Europe. Katarina covered cross-cutting themes shaping energy transition, including net zero, climate change, environmental protection, and sustainability.

She is an active public speaker and has authored a variety of studies on energy transition and decarbonisation. She is active in industry associations and is also currently a member of the Global Executive Committee for Insead Energy Alumni Club and local UAE Insead Alumni Association. Katarina mentors actively to promote balanced leadership among her industry peers and young professionals

Katarina Hasbani

Partner & Global Director of Strategy and Advisory, AESG

Mohammed Bin Kuwair

Position: Executive Director - General Services
Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT)
Categories: Speakers

A visionary, motivational Leader with 12+ years of demonstrating exceptional strategic & commercial acumen within Sustainability/ Renewable Energy/ Project Management/ Business Development/ Stakeholder Management locally & globally.

Having worked with prestigious organizations (NPCC, ADNOC, ENEC, BEEAH and HCT) he has the ability to motivate and lead diverse teams to produce unprecedented results. Leading change, organizational restructuring and promoting Sustainable Development & Digital Transformation is second nature to him.

Diplomatic with a good understanding of cultural nuances, Mohammed is extremely adept at spearheading high-value negotiations. He is also passionate about making a tangible difference to the UAE’s growth and has mentored many young and older to reach their full potential.

Mohammed Bin Kuwair

Executive Director - General Services
Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT)

NG Thomas

Position: Managing Director
NG Global
Categories: Speakers

40 years experience in Industrial, infrastructure and smart City solutions with a wide spectrum of experience in both industrial PLC SCADA as well as building sector BMS and ELV systems. Thomas is a pioneer in BMS industry with over 34 years in BMS field in UAE, having worked with all BMS systems such as Honeywell, Siemens, JCI and Schneider. Well experienced in best use of his hybrid controls knowledge, involved in all major iconic buildings in the Middle East such as Burj Khalifa Dubai in implementing BMS system. Thomas has served as technical advisors to CISCO for smart City, Brady Corporation and has spoken in several forums for smart City and conducted workshops.

Currently he is heading NG Global, a Dubai based BMS and Integration company, providing subject matter expertise in BMS, Metering, Energy management and Control Room services.

NG Thomas

Managing Director
NG Global

Rida Abi Farraj

Position: General Manager
IOT Plus
Categories: Speakers

Rida is an entrepreneur, passionate and a doer as well as strategic thinker. He is the Co-founder and General Manager of IoTPlus Middle East with wide experience in the fields of Business Development and Marketing across the GCC, who has more than twelve years of intensive experience and know-how in the Middle East. His specialties include Smart IOT Solutions, Information Technology and Services, Business Development & Sales and Marketing Management.

Rida Abi Farraj

General Manager
IOT Plus

EXHIBITORS

Interested to be part of the MEFMA CONFEX?

Please contact the MEFMA team on info@mefma.org to know more about the Sponsorship and Exhibition Stand opportunities available!

Special Discounted Rates on Hotel Accommodation

CONFEX 2019 HIGHLIGHTS

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