Confirmed Speakers

Badreya Ibrahim Almarzouqi

Assistant Manager- Government Procurement Office

Department of Government Support

An Electrical Engineer, G.C.C.Certified Arbitrator and CIPS international Certified, having more than 20 years of work experience included 8 years in field of Electrical Engineering and 12 years in field of procurement. My objective is to make use of my experience and knowledge that I gained over the years as well as learn and adapt new things where the organization can benefit & explore my full potentials as a professional. The ability to motivate the team to achieve the largest results and effective communication and taking the appropriate decision 

Carmen Vidal

Chief Procurement Officer

ENGIE

Carmen VIDAL is the Chief Procurement Officer for ENGIE is Middle East, based in Dubai. She leads a very diverse (cultural and gender) Procurement team of professionals located in Dubai and in the region, dedicated to bring value to their companies by finding the best supplier solutions for their entities. ENGIE is #1 independent power and water producer in the GCC and is rapidly developing fast customer solutions and renewables. Carmen’s main challenges in this new context are to adapt an existing procurement structure with new skills, capabilities, the integration of new companies, increase agility and maturity in sustainable procurement.

Hesham I. ElAbd

Chief Procurement & Operation Services Officer

Emaar, The Economic City

Paolo Lomonaco

Chief Finance Officer

Chalhoub Group

Jameel W. Bardesi

Procurement Specialist

Saudi Aramco

Ayman M. Ezzaldin

Tahleeq Officer - Procurement

Bahrain Airport Company

A 27-year old supply chain enthusiast who works as a Tahleeq Procurement Officer at Bahrain Airport Company. He is passionate about optimizing supply chains and using innovation to maximize the efficiency within which the supply chain satisfies customers. 

Arun Kumar

General Manager – Planning & Fulfillment

MTN – United Arab Emirates

Arun is the General Manager for Planning & Fulfillment at the Global Sourcing & Supply Chain (GSSC) company of MTN, the largest African Telco Provider. He currently focuses on driving demand management, planning, & fulfillment, for MTN. With a background in Systems & Digitization, he has implemented solutions covering Demand Forecasting, Global Trade Management, Sourcing/Contract Management, & Advanced Analytics in MTN. Previously, he led the SCM Excellence team supporting 21 MTN companies in 2 continents, implementing eSourcing, Spend Analytics & Supplier Performance Management solutions. He also leads & manages the SCM Transformation program; and the Working Capital initiative at MTN, driving improvements via enablers like Supply Chain Finance.

Khalid Mohamed Abdel Wahab

Packaging, Capex & Services Sourcing Executive Director

Savola Foods

Kenny K. Cheung

Chief of Procurement

The World Bank Group

Kenny heads the World Bank Group’s procurement and vendor management effort globally across 140+ locations and has successfully modernized the function to improve its efficiency, governance, value generation and sustainability of its ~25,000 vendor base in his first term with the Group. His current and next agenda is to broaden procurement’s value contribution in World Bank Group’s strategic priorities, including Fragility, Conflict and Violence; Country Services; Disruptive Technologies; Gender and Minority inclusion, as well as repositioning World Bank Group’s supply chains for the “Next Normals”. Before joining the Group, Kenny was the Executive Director and Global co-Chief Procurement Officer at Goldman Sachs, responsible for the delivery of industry leading commercial, vendor risk management, and sustainable supply chain initiatives across 97 cities and 35 countries.  Kenny also had a long career with the National Australia Bank Group and ExxonMobil Corporation where he spent much of his time in procurement transformational roles. Kenny has an Executive MBA from the Australian School of Management and Honors in Engineering from the University of Melbourne and sits on several procurement advisory boards and networks to foster progressive professional practices globally.

Saurabh Mishra

General Manager Supply Chain

Petronash

Saurabh Mishara is currently leading the entire supplier ecosystem with experience and expertise in Strategic Sourcing, Contracts Management and Project Management. He ensures the highest levels of risk management to avoid delays and losses

Dr. Arafat El Mourad

Vice President-Head of Strategic Sourcing

EmiratesNBD

Currently working as Vice President - Head of Strategic Sourcing at Emirates NBD, accountable for Re-engineering procurement and supply chain process to improve customer focus and competitive advantage, defining & aligning procurement strategy with overall organizational business strategies. In addition, defining and implementing procurement strategy aimed at market competitiveness, risk reduction, availability and quality of goods and services, cost optimization and attraction of external customers.  Moreover, shifting the focus from internal customer to internal & external customer. He is the author of “Innovation in Procurement and its added value to UAE banking sector Islamic & Conventional” book.

Mahmoud Salem Alalawi

Director, Procurement & Contracts

Higher Colleges of Technology

Mahmoud Alalawi - Chartered MCIPS, has an extensive experience in Procurement & Contracts in Public Sector for more than 10 years. He holds Masters in International Business from Wollongong University in Dubai, and currently pursuing his Doctoral Degree from UK in Supply Chain and Organization Strategy. He is member of different International Bodies and Associations and holds a Chartered MCIPS status from Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS).

He led and was involved in different transformation projects in procurement & support services during his career, locally and in the region.  He is very keen to empower younger procurement generations specially Emiratis with knowledge in procurement and supply.

Mahmoud is currently leading the Procurement & Contracts Department in HCT and also leading the transformation file of the procurement and supply in strategic alignment with the UAE’s National Agenda and the HCT 4.0 strategy to keep pace with the Fourth Industrial Revolution.  

Ahmed Hashem

Head of Procurement - Middle East

Bayer

Ahmed hashem is a procurement, supply chain and facilities expert with over 20 years’ experience working in multinational companies. Extensive exposure to the Middle East market, cross functional teams and business partners. Proven track record in achieving results and self-improvement through hard work, commitment and dedication.

H.E. Shaikh Nayef bin Khalid Al Khalifa

Chairman

Bahrain Tender Board

Ahmad Altarawneh

Senior Strategic Consultant Digital Transformation

Dubai Police General HQ

Ahmad Altarawneh is currently a Senior Strategic Consultant Digital Transformation at the Dubai Police General HQ. He is responsible setting up a digital government, IA, 7 Star Service, PPM, EPM, Digital Project Delivery amongst a host of other responsibilities in several strategic initiatives and programs.
He is also acting as an adviser to the Programme Director.

In his career Path, Ahmad has served several critical high level positions topped with serving the Irish Government Trade Agency “Enterprise Ireland” based in Dubai as a Senior Market Adviser and achieving verifiable metrics of over 180 Million Euros worth of Contracts, assisting 68 Irish Companies to set Global Strategies and globalize across the Middle East and Africa. In this role, Ahmad has won several Team & Innovation Awards. Ahmad has fulfilled over 200 Consulting, Training assignments and Business Transformation engagements across varied sectors & served clients such as Etisalat, Ajman Executive Council, Ajman MP, Noor Hosp, Khalifa M.C, A.D Police, Kuwait GCAA, Jordan Univ, Kabul Univ, Sharjah Roads & Transport , Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Saudi Council Of Ministries, Oman M. Of Educ, UAE Army HQ, FAHR, Min. of Labor, Dubai Health Auth.

Ahmad expertise is in areas of Digital Transformation, Blockchain use cases, Emerging Technologies bundling, Org. Excellence, Project Management, Customer Experience Design, Customer Insights, Data Modeling & Predictive Analytics, Innovation Strategy, Persons With Disabilities (CRPD & Universal Design), Leadership & Strategy.

Turki Al Johani

Chief Procurement Officer

National Industrialization Company (Tasnee)

Chief Procurement Officer at National Industrialization Company (TASNEE), Co-founder & Board Member of Supply Chain & Procurement Society in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Executive committee member of Gulf Petrochemical and Chemicals Association (GPCA) and Board Member of Advanced Metal Industries Ltd.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in international business administration from King Abdul Aziz university & master’s degree in business administration from University of Northampton.

He’s an experienced and collaborative leader with over 20 years of active engagement in procurement & supply chain filed in multiple industry sectors. He has proven track record of delivering total value to stakeholders and displaying growth-oriented thought leadership skills. Highly reputed leader for building stronger teams, delivering high organizational gains & reviving business growth. He’s skilled in digital transformation, complex negotiations, business analytics, budgeting & continuous improvement methodology.

He continuously engaged in the collective regional organization to develop strategies in harmony with global initiatives for streamlining the Policies, Procedures and Material Control Systems leading the organization to stand as world class in Supply Chain Management.

Monther Shams

Multi Domain Country Procurement Manager

Sanofi

Sara Omer

Account Director Middle East

Ivalua

Sara Omer is a senior Procurement Change Champion with an outstanding record of delivering complex eProcurement solutions for public and private sector clients, and in financial services, education and property development throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Sara currently leads the Ivalua e-Procurement business in the Middle East region, and is a current Alumni of the Master of Law in Public Procurement and Policy Program in Nottingham University.

She has been, and continues to be, leading in the role of consulting for regional public sector organizations in all matters related to Digital Procurement Transformation and Governance. Sara is the first African / Arab female member in the Board of Trustees of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS), and the first female Fellow of the institute among Arab women in the MENA region, with 20+ years of full-time experience in Procurement, SRM, Procurement Technology, procurement consulting and new technology markets’ expansion.

Abdel Halim

Senior Director

GEP

Abdel Halim has 13 years of experience in the procurement and supply management domain with a technology-focus on the public sector, oil and gas, health care and utilities. In his past experiences, he has successfully supported growing businesses in the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

Irina Albanese

Head of Innovation Middle East and Africa

DHL Customer Solutions and Innovation

With over 20 years of experience in airline and logistic industries and 15 of them with DHL across 3 continents Irina knows what it takes to keep things moving. Heading Continuous Improvement efforts in MENA region for the last 6 years she understands the unique challenges of the customers in Middle East.

Ali Al Saffar

Global Procurement & Supply Chain Specialist

Mueller Middle East BSC

Yusuf Zainal

Manager - Supply Chain Management

Tatweer Petroleum

Sugesh Babu

Procurement Manager

Royal Hospital for Women and Children

H.E. Dr. Mohamed A. Bahzad

Secretary General

Bahrain Tender Board

In January 2019, under Royal Decree No. (5), HE Dr. Mohammad Ali Bahzad was appointed as Secretary General of the Tender Board in the Kingdom of Bahrain. He is charged with enhancing the performance of the government’s procurement supervising authority. Dr. Bahzad works alongside its Board of Directors to help the organization further improve its objectivity, transparency and bonds with stakeholders.

Dr. Bahzad is a public service and academic veteran, with more than 30 years of experience in government. Between 2017 and 2019, Dr. Bahzad served as Chief Executive Officer of the National Communications Centre, an entity which he also helped establish. Previously, from 2005 until 2017, Dr. Bahzad served as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain in Washington, DC, and Assistant Defense, Military, Naval & Air Attaché. Dr. Bahzad has also held a number of positions with the BDF and various teaching positions at the University of Bahrain and University of Wales and Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance.

Dr. Bahzad’s educational and research background includes a PhD from George Washington University (USA) in Systems Engineering with a focus on Project Risk Analysis (2014). He holds an MBA from the University of Bahrain and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering with Distinction, as well as a Military Studies Diploma from the Military Technical College in Cairo.

He was awarded the first class National Action Medal awarded by His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa in 2019; awarded the Royal Military Service Medal 2005,

awarded the 1st degree Military Competence award in 2003 and awarded Egypt's Distinguished Military Duty Medal in 1993.

He was awarded the first class National Action Medal awarded by His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa in 2019; awarded Egypt's Distinguished Military Duty Medal in 1993; awarded the 1st degree Military Competence award in 2003 and awarded the Royal Military Service Medal 2005.

Laith Al Nasser

Supply Chain Manager - Supply Chain Department

Tabuk Pharmaceuticals KSA

Mr. Hani Mirza

Executive Director

Government Expenditure & Projects Efficiency Authority

Hani Mirza is the procurement executive director, Leading Efforts to transform government-wide procurement domain, through implementation of category management & unified Procurement, oversight & continuous improvement of implementation of government Tendering & Procurement Law.

He has over 14 years’ experience in an executive and non-executive role, in operational excellence & cost optimizations, expertise, with a record of achievement in developing new efficiency strategies and cost optimization initiatives on large scale transformations journeys resulting in significant Impact on cost efficiency. Recognized for the ability to translate corporate vision and mission into operational to meet and exceed organizational aspirations, maximizing asset utilization, productivity, and performance gains. Promote a winning attitude and foster accountability to consistently exceed performance goals and expectations

Prior to joining Expro, Mirza served as a VP in Elixir Management Consultancy (part of McKinsey & Company), Leading Multiple projects, serving clients both in the public & private sector in areas such as operational excellence, program implementation, and Cost optimizations.

Mirza holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, and certified Six Sigma Black Belt

Rasif Abdul Rahim

Regional Procurement Manager

Noon

Mr. Rasif Abdul Rahim is a Passionate, knowledgeable, driven and effective Procurement & contract management professional with experience over 10 years in roles covering procurement, strategic sourcing, category management, SRM, contract management and project delivery. He is currently working at Noon.com as their Regional Procurement Manager.

Stephen Rea

Group Head Procurement

Al Ghurair Investment

Stephen Rea is responsible for all procurement activities across the business, from demand management, supplier identification, contract negotiation to ongoing vendor management and evaluation. In his role, Stephen provides leadership, management and professional expertise to enable a Group Procurement function that ensures quality and cost-effective services are provided across AGI, delivering in accordance with the specific needs of each business.

With over 12 years of experience, Stephen began his career on a Graduate Leadership programme at Royal Bank of Scotland Group, previously one of the most reputed financial institutions in the UK, now part of NatWest Group. In his early career, he specialised in driving continuous improvement and Lean efficiency through high-profile change programmes, such as NatWest becoming the first UK lender to offer a fully paperless mortgage. Since joining AGI in 2015, Stephen has been instrumental in establishing the company’s first Group Lean function, driving business transformation and change. In 2019, he was appointed to his current role, bringing his vast experience of building agile, structured and optimised functions into Group Procurement.
A passionate and versatile change management professional with a proven track record of delivering outstanding results, Stephen leads his team with a transformational approach – and a passion for driving operational excellence.

Stephen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and Mass Media from Glasgow Caledonian University. He is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and is working towards his Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply qualifications.

“My personal Purpose is to never stop aspiring for excellence, to help others do the same, and to continuously look for ways to elevate standards through innovative thinking. With this mindset, you are never without a Purpose, and that is what drives me, both professionally and personally, every day.”

Yasir Rizvi

Regional Procurement Manager

Agthia Group PJSC

Yasir Rizvi is currently working in Agthia Group PJSC as their Regional Procurement Manager. He is an experienced procurement leader with a demonstrated history of direct and indirect procurement. He has over 10 years of experience in logistics and supply chain and much of this has been within the FMCG industry over 10 years of engagement. Prior to joining Agthia Group PJSC, Yasir was heading the pProcurement division at Fletchr. He is a strong purchasing professional with a Certified Purchasing Professional (CPP) and Certified Professional Purchasing Manager (CPPM) focused on Purchasing, Procurement, and Contracts Management from American Purchasing Society and Diploma in Procurement and CIPS & CILT.

Suha El Sherbiny

RM-Corporate Solutions

Bureau van Dijk - A Moody's Analytics Company

In her current role, Suha helps credit and procurement professionals to optimize and streamline their risk assessment and management processes. She also works closely with corporate decision-makers to evaluate and eliminate risk in their businesses.

Suha has more than 14 years’ experience in the IT and telecommunications industry. She has worked in roles spanning product marketing, portfolio management and business development with companies including Microsoft, Nokia, and Cisco distribution. Suha received post graduate diploma in Strategic Project Management from Heriot-Watt University and a bachelor's degree in Information Technology from the American University of Dubai.

Faizan Shahzad

Procurement Lead - Middle East

Philip Morris International

Mr.Olivier Bruslé

Partner Advisory Operations Consulting

KPMG Lower Gulf Limited

"Olivier is a Partner in charge of Procurement, Supply Chain practice, Innovation and Outsourcing/Shared Service, Innovate & Engineer solutions, and cross-advisory Defense sector, with over 33 years of work experience in large scale transformation projects with interaction with C-suite in organizations across industries, Prior to Olivier’s relocation to the GCC, his clients have included Air France, Raytheon, General Electric, Rolls Royce, BAE Systems, Royal Saudi Air Force , EDGE, Tawazun, Strata, ADNOC, ADQ, and many others."

Ammar AlAboud

Director of Spending Efficiency

Ministry of Health Saudi Arabia

Mr. AlAboud is a leading supply chain consultant and trainer who bring superb experience, energy and passion for others into His training. This, together with impressive qualifications and his analytical approach, ensures that he delivers quality content in an experiential, highly tailored style that brings about behavioural change. Highly motivated, creative, enthusiastic and flexible, Ammar has considerable experience of working within both the private and public sectors. He is conscientious and well-organised with excellent innovative design and delivery skills that help to increase staff competence. His proven communication and coaching skills are effective at all levels. He has a straightforward, professional approach to people development which ensures participants get highly involved in his workshops, and come away with key skills, plus the motivation and belief to put these into practice. Mr. AlAboud has graduated from KFUPM with Bachelor degree in Industrial and System Engineering, and from RMIT University with Master degree of Supply Chain Management. He is Certified Professional Forecaster from Institute of Business Forecasting & Planning and, Certified Supply Chain Manager (CSCM) from The International Supply Chain Education Alliance. He has been involved with successful implementation of supply chain projects in Mega Oil and Gas Company .He has as well mange effectively distribution of dairy and juice projects in GGC countries. He has recently designed and implemented supply chain projects for the largest petrochemical project in the world that has been built ever in single phase. He has been responsible with multiple tasks and not limited to Sales and Operation Planning project execution . He has delivered several supply chain , communication skills, decision making ,quality management , courses and workshops in Saudi Arabia ,UAE ,Netherlands , USA.

Dr. Hamad Al Kaabi

Assistant Professor

Applied Science University

Kunal Gupta

Director – Supply Chain

Bateel

Presently a specialist in Food and Beverage Supply Chain Management and Procurement, Kunal heads the Global Supply Chain of Bateel Group (based out of Dubai) that has operations in 15 countries from US to Middle East to South East Asia.

Awarded as ‘Emerging Leader in Supply Chain Management – Middle East’ by Institute of Supply Chain Management, ISCM in Dec, 2018.

He has been instrumental in opening and managing over 200 F&B outlets (Bateel café’s and boutiques, Godiva Café’s , Tim Hortons, Coldstone Creamery and Sbarro Pizza) across Middle East and Europe.

Travel and food continue to be his passion that gets him going every morning.

Pallab Mukherjee

Head of Compliance and Contracts

Bahrain National Gas Company (B.S.C), Bahrain

Pallab Mukherjee, a Chartered Mechanical Engineer and also having a master’s degree in Construction law, is a commercial management expert having more than 30 years of diverse experience across Middle East and India in various industry sectors including Oil & Gas and Petrochemicals; had played pivotal roles in commercial management transformation projects. He actively promotes the profession of contract management, conducts workshops and authors essays (on contract law) published in a journal having international readership. He is a public speaker, mentor and coach.