David Ramos is Senior Manager for Sustainability at HSBC Bank Middle East, North Africa and Turkey. He has nearly 20 years’ experience in sustainability across consultancy, manufacturing, and complex supply chains, including initiating a sustainability programme in a multinational in Spain. He has worked in Middle East banking for a decade, including as Acting Head of Sustainability during COP28. He holds master’s degrees in Environmental Sciences and International Environmental Sciences.
Layla Bentley is Science & Technology Country Lead in the UAE for the UK Science & Technology Network (British Embassy / DSIT). She leads strategic UK–UAE collaboration across emerging technologies, research partnerships, and innovation ecosystems, including AI, biotech, health, clean tech, and sustainability. With extensive international experience, she works across government, academia, and industry, supporting major platforms such as COP28, London Tech Week, and Expo 2020.
Maitha Mohamed Alkaabi is a Foreign Affairs Expert with the National Experts Program (Abu Dhabi), specialising in climate finance, energy transition, and climate policy under the UNFCCC. She led COP27–COP29 finance negotiations and served in UAE diplomatic roles in China, including Acting Chargé d’Affaires and Acting Consul General. She received the First-Class Order of Zayed II and holds degrees from Oxford, Masdar Institute (MIT-backed), and UAE University.
Professor Samuel Mao is Senior Director of the Institute of Resource Management and Sustainability at Khalifa University. He is a leading researcher in clean energy and sustainability, formerly of UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He has established major research institutes, holds over 200 publications and 50+ patents, and is a co-founder of multiple tech companies. He has received major awards for innovation and teaching in sustainable technologies.