Construction Week Leaders in Construction UAE Summit 2023

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The UAE’s construction sector has witnessed a solid recovery since the time of the pandemic. With the gaining momentum of foreign direct investments, the country is expected to see a growth of 3.7-4.7% in the next five years. While the UAE government is launching Project 50 and focusing on sustainable approaches in the future of construction, the Construction Week Leaders in Construction Summit aims to bring together industry experts to share their insights on the latest trends and technologies that will help drive net-zero strategy and achieve UAE’s Vision 2031.

Learn from the leaders of the industry that have spoken at the event for the past 16 years to gain invaluable insights and unique perspectives on success in the construction sector.

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2023 CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

Opening

Session One: Future-proofing cities

Session Two: Project Finance: Funding capital-intensive projects for economic growth

Session Three: Adapting to technology and setting ESG goals

Session Four: Localising the construction industry

Session Five: The roadblocks to Public Private Partnerships

Opening

08:00 - 09:00
Registration and refreshments

09:00 - 09:10
Welcome remarks by Construction Week

Session One: Future-proofing cities

09:10 - 09:25
Opening keynote: Creating a construction playbook for the future

• Aligning the construction industry with the COP 28, net-zero commitments and focusing on a whole-life carbon approach

• Benefits of construction technology and innovations in construction methods

Eng. Asma Naqi - Section Head of Research and Studies, UAE Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure

09:25 - 09:45
Fireside chat: Smart Construction and Smart Cities

Julianne Tolentino – Digital Editor, Construction Middle East

Islam M. Kamel - Advisor - Building Regulations, Sustainability and Permits, The Department of Municipalities and Transport

09:45 - 10:05
Fireside chat: The importance of co-creation and collaboration to enable effective smart city planning

• Developing smart city strategies that are more inclusive, sustainable, and aligned to the actual needs of residents

• Incorporating new technologies within government systems to build an efficient citizen centric model

Dr. Ali Al Jassim – Chairperson, Emirates Green Building Council

Julianne Tolentino – Digital Editor, Construction Middle East

10:05 - 10:20
Keynote: ESG in the Property and Construction Sector

• Understanding the significance of the sector's role in reducing global emissions

• Taking a look at the asset lifecycle and where such opportunities exist

• Reviewing CAPEX implications for implementing sustainable initiatives

Matthew Anthony - Asset Advisory Lead, Middle East, AECOM

10:20 - 10:35
Keynote: The rising role of new age executive leadership

• Widening the horizons of your company: future expansion and opportunities

• Strategies to mitigate the challenges associated with culture, compliance, and workforce

Sameer Daoud, Managing Director, KEO

10:35 - 11:15
Panel: Building a smart and sustainable city

• Creating a digital twin model for future workplaces

• Role of digital technologies to boost performance and wellbeing

• Hosting critical equipment processes & systems in smart facilities

- Sachin Kerur, ReedSmith (Moderator)

- Ben Jackson - Head of Project & Delivery Services Middle East & Africa, JLL

- Yousuf Fakhruddin, CEO, Fakhruddin Properties

- Sameer Daoud, Managing Director, KEO

- Mohammed Habsah, U+A

-Mohannad Salam - Regional Lead, Smart Cities and Digital Twin, Middle East, AtkinsRéalis

11:15 - 11:35
Networking and Coffee Break

Session Two: Project Finance: Funding capital-intensive projects for economic growth

11:35 - 11:50
Keynote: The construction industry recovering from inflation

• Adopting a more comprehensive, global view of construction supply chains to manage the uncertainty in the challenging months

Laura Morgan - Market Intelligence Lead – MEA, JLL

11:50 - 12:20
Panel: Arising opportunities in the GCC construction sector amidst changing regulations by the government

• Inviting foreign players and investments in the UAE to offer lucrative business models: what does it mean from the arbitration point of view?

• Overcoming macroeconomic issues in 2024

- Jed Savager, Partner, Pinsent Masons (Moderator)

- Anand Anthony - Director of Claims and Expert Services, Drees & Sommer

-Magda Kofluk - Managing Associate, Stephenson Harwood

-Lyndon Richards - Partner– Beale & Co

12:20 - 12:40
Fireside chat: The rise of sustainable finance in the construction sector

• The future of green bonds to raise money that will be used exclusively to finance construction projects with a positive environmental impact

• Construction of energy efficient buildings and infrastructure development for sustainable development

- Amer Kharbush, Executive Director, Program & Project Management, ROSHN

- Christopher Nicolas – Director, TBH (Moderator)

Session Three: Adapting to technology and setting ESG goals

12:40 - 13:00
Fireside Chat: Highlighting the need for modular construction for maximum efficiencies

• Developing deep retrofitting approach based on modular construction of domestic properties that takes a holistic approach when constructing sustainable buildings

• Designing high energy efficiency and low energy consumption for sustainable environmentally friendly construction

Ilija Kaluderovic - Senior Associate – Architecture (Moderator)

Nadeem Al Najjar - Head of Commercial and Technical, ARENA

Nathan Hones - Partner / COO, Carter Hones Associates

13:00 - 13:15
Keynote: Driving investments for Sustainable infrastructure projects in the MENA

• Fostering private sector investments to help reduce pressure on public finances and increase the portfolio of projects

• Opening the doors to new portfolios that can yield profits in the longer run and boost the economic growth

Eng. Sherif Sharobeem - Director, Business Development, Orascom

13:15 - 14:15
Networking and Lunch Break

14:15 - 14:55
Panel: Connected Construction: From Design Through Construction

• Transforming construction industry into digitized, cloud-based, AI automated, and mobile operations based

• Streamlining processes including the ability to process data in the field to achieve cost savings by reducing labour overheads and resource wastage

• Leveraging digitalization in construction to mitigate disputes and minimize costs through real-time data capture and analysis, leading to improved project transparency, accurate documentation, and quicker resolution of conflicts

• Rudy Riachy - Computational Designer Lead, Buildings Project Management, Ramboll Middle East (moderator)

• Anil Ipekci – Associate Director, TBH

• Mathew Lamont | Regional Director Project Management, Compass

• Matthew Campbell - Branch Director of Project Management, Omnium International

• Magda Kofluk - Managing Associate, Stephenson Harwood

• Amer Kharbush, Executive Director, Program & Project Management, ROSHN

Session Four: Localising the construction industry

14:55 - 15:25
Panel: Empowering new strategies for building sustainable cities

• Digitalization for Efficiency: building sustainable urban areas

• Building Information Modeling (BIM) and smart construction technologies to improve project planning and efficiency

• Cost considerations of building smarter and greener cities

• Developing deep retrofitting approach based on modular construction of domestic properties that takes a holistic approach when constructing sustainable buildings

Mario Saab, Head of Sustainability MENA, Cundall

James Burgess, Technical Director, ARENA

Mina Vucic, Multimedia Producer, B2B Brands, ITP Media Group

Hazar Al Jaber,Senior Project Manager, Khatib & Alami

15:25 - 15:40
Keynote: Jubail Island from Masterplan, and how it was transformed from a vision to a reality

Clark Davies, Executive Director of Planning and Development, LEAD Real Estate Developer LLC

15:40 - 16:00
Fireside chat: Urban Construction: Balancing Challenges and Innovations for Sustainable Development

• Strategies employed to manage supply challenges and meet project deadlines

• Delving into sustainable construction practices, like green building materials, energy-efficient designs, and waste reduction

• Challenges of adopting new technologies and the need for workforce upskilling to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving industry

• Address the importance of upskilling the workforce to adapt to new technologies and safety protocols

• Discussing successful case studies on innovative construction practices

Parmesh Venkateswaran, General Manager – Middle East & Africa for Stanley Black & Decker

Julianne Tolentino – Digital Editor, Construction Week

Session Five: The roadblocks to Public Private Partnerships

16:00 - 16:15
Keynote: Advancing Sustainability: Transforming Construction Practices for a Greener Future

• Adopting sustainable construction approach that leads to more resilient and resource-efficient structures

• Exploring new technologies to achieve higher levels of sustainability, optimizing energy efficiency, reducing waste, and enhancing overall environmental performance

Tushant Suri - Head of Sustainability, Middle East, Ramboll Middle East