Global Advisory Board

Nadia Boumeziout, an accomplished sustainability professional with over two decades of experience, is a leading advocate for sustainability, strategic communications, and governance. With a prominent presence in the UAE, Nadia has played a pivotal role in advancing best practices in sustainability and ESG within the financial sector. She thrives in designing and executing sustainability strategies that foster stakeholder engagement, transparency, and disclosure, while also recognizing the role of technology in accurately assessing sustainability impacts. Nadia is an active member of the Dubai Sustainable Finance Working Group at DIFC, Co-Chair of the Sustainability Action Society at the Capital Club Dubai, and a dedicated mentor for WiSER at Masdar. She holds a certification in Business Sustainability Management from the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL). Nadia’s commitment to financial literacy, inclusion, and women’s empowerment extends beyond her professional achievements, demonstrated by her support for girls’ education in Tanzania, exemplifying her drive to make a difference that extends beyond her career.

James Fitter

CEO of Publicly Traded Company -- ONEVIEW Healthcare

Since joining in 2013, James has led Oneview from a 10-person start-up to a publicly traded company on the Sydney Stock Exchange. He has over 25 years’ experience in the global financial markets in asset management and professional investment.

Dyala is a founding partner of Gulf Intelligence. Formerly Mideast Bureau Chief for Dow Jones Newswires and an international broadcast journalist who has presented the BBC and CNBC signature Middle East business programs, Dyala is a much sought after Moderator and Master of Ceremonies for government, corporate and charity events across the region, that have included special guests U.S. President Bill Clinton, Queen Rania of Jordan and Sir Bob Geldof. During her print and broadcast career, Dyala has interviewed a crosssection of business and political leaders. Dyala started her career in banking with CSFB, and moved onto media. She has a BSc. in Economics and History from the University of London and an MA in Arab Studies from the School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, Washington D.C.

Ezzeddine Jradi

Chief Transformation and Business Excellence Officer, Emicool

Ezzeddine Jradi is a seasoned professional currently serving as the Chief Transformation and business Excellence Officer at Emicool LLC, a leading cooling provider based in Dubai, UAE. Before joining Emicool in 2015, he was a five-year senior risk management consultant for Prometeia, Italy. Before this, Ezzeddine led several digital transformation projects for Islamic banks and financial institutions in GCC, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Africa. He is recognized as a strategist who can drive change and innovation, strongly focusing on digital transformation and sustainability. In addition to his role at Emicool, Jradi is a mentor at GLEAC, a platform connecting mentors with learners. He is known for his excellent communication, presentation, and negotiation skills, which he leverages to guide and inspire those he mentors. Jradi has been a speaker at various industry events, sharing his insights on the human side of digital transformation. Jradi’s holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication and Electronic Engineering, a Master’s Degree in Financial Management, and an Executive Master’s in Islamic Financial Management.

Originally from New Zealand, Shane had an illustrious career as an athlete winning an Olympic Gold Medal for rowing in the 1984 Summer Olympics before he began his teaching career. As a qualified teacher, Shane has held a number of roles in New Zealand and the UK before moving to Dubai in 2011 to take up the headship of JESS Secondary. Shane is married with two children who are now studying and working in New Zealand.

Asha Alexander

Executive Leader - Climate Change, GEMS Education | Principal, GEMS Legacy School

Asha Alexander is Principal at GEMS Legacy School, Dubai and Executive Leader of Climate Change at GEMS Education. With 35 years of experience in the provision of education to K-12 students, she has overseen the school’s transition to an exclusively digital curriculum.

Passionate, driven to achieve aspirational goals and ready to take on any challenge, she believes in nurturing students’ hearts and minds and is particular about a value-based education. She is excited by the prospect of watching every child achieve his or her potential. Asha is a UN certified Climate Change Leader and has made presentations at several Conference of Parties (COP) and other international conferences and has conducted workshops on leadership, and change management for schools in India and UAE. She has led the school’s Twinning Program with 87 schools enabling schools to develop partnerships around the world to embed the SDGs. Currently she has established GEMS Hub Schools for Sustainability in Italy, Indonesia, Malawi, Lithuania and India and is working with the Ministry of Education in UAE to bring Climate Literacy to schools in the UAE. She has been recognized as a UNCC Champion at the 60th anniversary of UNITAR this year at Geneva.

Alida is the Head of Sustainability for Middle East and Africa at JLL and is based in Dubai. She also serves as the Senior Advisor for the Climate Champions Built Environment Team, led by the High-Level Champion for COP28 H.E. Razan Al Mubarak.  Alida, a global sustainability leader, brings over 20 years of expertise developing sustainable and net zero transition strategies on an international scale. She is a highly regarded domain expert within the field. A graduate of Harvard University, where she undertook her Masters in Sustainability, she leverages her knowledge, network, and expertise to translate complex sustainability challenges into practical action plans to achieve results. Alida currently serves as a Board Member on the Emirates Green Building Council. She has also served as Board Member of the Harvard Sustainability Infrastructure Advisory Board; a Board Member of the Canadian Sustainable Infrastructure Advisory Board with the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development with the Canadian Government; and a Steering Committee Member, Disaster Management Advisory Committee, with Focus Humanitarian Assistance Canada.

Dr. Mohammed Al-Surf

Carbon Department Director, Tilad Group

Founder and President, Sustainability Professionals of Saudi Arabia (SPSA)

Mohammed S. Al Surf, holder of PhD. in Sustainable and Green Construction. Founder of the Sustainability Professionals in Saudi Arabia Network (SPSA) reaching more than 9000 members. Currently holds the position of Director of Carbon Department at Tilad Group. Previous Senior Advisor for Sustainability and Climate Action at Jacobs. First Saudi to become a USGBC® Faculty, an ISSP® Sustainability Associate and a TRUE® Advisor. LEED® Accredited Professional in BD+C, ENV SP credential and a Green Classroom Professional. Author of the books titled “Sustainable Housing in Saudi Arabia: Opportunities & Challenges” and “10 Steps to Become a Sustainability Professional”. Member of several local and international professional entities such as the U.S. Green Building Council, the Saudi Council of Engineers (SCE), the Pacific Rim Real-Estate Society (PRRES), Asian Real-Estate Society (AsRES) and Project Management Institute (PMI). Dedicated to applying a systematic approach to Green Construction and Sustainable methods applied on projects in Saudi Arabia to induce quality of life while preserving the depleting supply of natural resources.

With over a decade of experience in the field of Sustainability and ESG, Yohaan’s expertise spans across diverse sectors including the Built Environment, Infrastructure, Energy, and Metals. With a notable impact on some of the landmark projects within the region, his commitment to sustainable practices is evident through his contributions as a founding member of the Embodied Carbon Working Group and Sustainable Water Program. In recognition of his outstanding contributions, he served as a Board Member of the Emirates Green Building Council and has driven critical discussions at forums such as COP 28, C40 Cities, Architecture 2030, CIBSE, and the Dubai Chamber of Commerce. Currently, Yohaan is at the forefront of the ESG transformation at GEMS Education, embedding sustainable principles into the core of educational practices and operations.