TEDxAlBateen

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Dr. Ebtesam Al Mazrouei

  Chairperson of the United Nations AI for Good Impact Initiative

  Serving as the Executive Director of the Office of AI & Advanced Technology (OAIAT) in Abu Dhabi Department of Finance, she contributes to Abu Dhabi’s policies, strategies, and implementation for AI and advanced technologies. Internationally, Dr. Almazrouei is recognized for her leadership in AI governance and chairs the United Nations AI for Good Impact Initiative. She also serves on the Board of Trustees of the American University of Sharjah (AUS) and is a member of the Council for AI Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Founded the AI Cross-Center Unit (AICCU) and led development of the first open-source generative AI models – the Falcon family, as well as NOOR – the first and largest Arabic large-language model. Her contributions have been recognized with numerous honours, including H2O.ai’s Top 100 Global AI Leaders, recognition among the world’s leading women in AI, the Women in Tech® MENA Award, and selection as one of the 2025 UAE Women Pioneers.

• Dr. Lina AlMarestani

  Head of Neuroleadership Excellence

  Dr. Lina specializes in strategy execution, organizational culture, emotional intelligence, change management, and women’s leadership, drawing on international best practices while tailoring content to the regional context. As Head of Neuroleadership Excellence, Dr.Lina integrates the latest insights from neuroscience with practical leadership tools to help leaders think critically, build resilience, and lead high-performing teams. Her work spans engagements with leading world renowned academic institutions and organisations. A sought-after academic and speaker, Dr.Lina has been invited to share her insights on platforms such as TEDx, where she highlights the intersection of leadership, mental wellbeing, and personal growth. Known for her ability to weave storytelling with evidence-based practice, she inspires leaders to embrace change, foster inclusion, and create lasting impact in their organisations.

• Dr. Maryam Al Marashda

  Retired Assistant Professor of Linguistics

  Dr. Maryam Bayshak Almarashda is a linguist and academic leader with more than two decades of teaching and research experience at the United Arab Emirates University. She served as Assistant Professor of Linguistics from 1991 to 2012 and held several leadership roles, including Dean of Students, Associate Dean for Language. She earned her PhD in Discourse Analysis from SOAS, University of London. Her research focuses on the historical and sociolinguistics of the UAE and the Gulf, producing studies on dialect reconstruction, speech communities, reduplication, and politeness in Emirati Arabic. She also pioneered work in cognitive and clinical linguistics, introducing the UAE’s first thematic application on aphasia. Dr. Maryam taught courses ranging from sociolinguistics and stylistics to language and the brain. Her academic journey included sabbaticals and research visits at Oxford, SOAS London, Sydney University, York University, and the University of California, Santa Barbara.

• Faheem Ahamed

  Group Chief Marketing and Communications Officer

  Faheem Ahamed is a transformative leader who leverages technology and strategic communications to drive global impact, bringing over 28 years of expertise in commercial branding, geopolitical advisory, and social innovation. Faheem's career showcases entrepreneurial success, including founding two marketing communications agencies and leading strategic transformations for global brands like Samsung, Cadbury’s, Tourism Malaysia, Sage, BAT, Visa, Dubai Shopping Festival, and Malaysia Airlines. His strategic insight has driven profitability, brand excellence, and quantum growth across diverse industries and regions, including AustralAsia, the Middle East, the US, UK, and Europe. Faheem addressed global challenges such as polio eradication for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and irregular migration through innovative media solutions, notably producing film "Journey." He also played a pivotal role in launching VICE Arabia, driving social impact initiatives in the Middle East.

• H.E Dr. Obaid Al Ketbi

  Former UAE Ambassador to Australia, Former Major-General

  H.E. Dr. Obaid Al Ketbi is a distinguished Emirati leader whose career spans military service, diplomacy, academia, and business. A former Major-General, he served for nearly four decades in the UAE Armed Forces as chief of logistics, culminating as Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Abu Dhabi Police in charge of Homeland Security. He later held roles as a Member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, UAE Ambassador to Australia, and Assistant Minister of Military and Security Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Beyond his military and diplomatic service, Dr. Al Ketbi has been at the forefront of international defense dialogue, chairing the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) from its inception in 1993 until 2015, as well as the International Exhibition for National Security and Resilience (ISNR). His leadership extended to humanitarian efforts, including leading UAE humanitarian aid missions.

• H.E. Dr. Mohammed Al Kuwaiti

  Head of Cyber Security, United Arab Emirates Government

  H.E. Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti leads the UAE Cyber Security Council, responsible for shaping the nation’s cybersecurity strategy, protecting digital infrastructure, and advancing the UAE’s vision of becoming the world’s most trusted digital hub. Dr. Al Kuwaiti has overseen groundbreaking initiatives that elevated the UAE to the top tier of the ITU Global Cybersecurity Index 2024. His leadership has introduced large-scale global cyber drills, youth awareness programs, and innovative platforms such as the Cyber Pulse Program and the Cyber Bug Bounty platform, which strengthen resilience and foster a culture of cybersecurity across society. With a career spanning over two decades in national security, defense, and digital transformation, Dr. Al Kuwaiti has been recognized with prestigious awards, including Strategic Cybersecurity Leader of the Year 2025 and the GCC Medal for Civil Service and Administrative Development.

• H.E. Maysa Alnuwais

  Executive Director, Community Engagement & Volunteering Sector, The Authority of Social Contribution - Ma’an

  Her Excellency Maysa AlNuwais is the Executive Director of Community Engagement & Volunteering at the Authority of Social Contribution - Ma’an, the Abu Dhabi Government entity operating under the Department of Community Development. The Authority was established to amplify the development and engagement of a connected, collaborative community within the UAE capital. With 24 years of leadership experience across multiple industries and a robust foundation in project management, AlNuwais navigates her role orchestrating projects and initiatives from inception to fruition, amplifying community engagement across Abu Dhabi. Beyond her role at the Authority of Social Contribution – Ma’an, AlNuwais has demonstrated business prowess through several successful ventures. Her entrepreneurial spirit and expertise in various industries complement her community-focused endeavors, showcasing her versatility and commitment to impactful change.

• H.E. Salama Al Awadhi

  Assistant Undersecretary – Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, UAE

  Salama Al Awadhi is the Assistant Undersecretary at the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT), where she leads national programs that accelerate industrial growth, sustainability, and competitiveness. Her portfolio includes the National In-Country Value (ICV) Program, “Make it in the Emirates,” the Industrialists Program, import substitution, product offtakes, and the UAE’s Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap. With over 17 years of experience spanning energy, supply chains, and industrial development, Salama has played a central role in strengthening the UAE’s industrial ecosystem. Her work focuses on advancing localization, empowering Emirati talent, and embedding innovation and sustainability across the manufacturing and energy sectors.

• H.E. Sheikh Abdulla Al Hamed

  Chairman of the National Media Office

  H.E. Sheikh Abdulla Bin Mohamed Bin Butti Al Hamed is a distinguished government official with a wealth of experience and notable accomplishments. Recognized for his exceptional contributions, H.E. Sheikh Abdulla Bin Mohamed Bin Butti Al Hamed has been honored with multiple awards and certificates of appreciation. Notably, during his tenure as Chairman of the Department of Health, he received 58 awards for his extraordinary efforts in combating the global pandemic, COVID-19. Additionally, he was presented with the prestigious Salerno Medical School Award for notable figures in the healthcare sector in the UAE from the International Award Salernitana Medical School. He was also appointed as a member of the Trustee Board of the Almo Collegio of the Salerno Medical School, where he received an Honorary Degree in Human Sciences and the Cooperation of Peoples

• HH Sheikha Dr. Shamma Bint Mohammed Bin Khaled Al Nahyan

  Chairwoman of the Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalid Al Nahyan Cultural and Educational Institutions

  Her Highness is one of the most prominent pioneering figures in the United Arab Emirates, dedicated to promoting culture and knowledge, supporting reading and education, fostering social and national awareness among the younger generation, and advancing women’s empowerment and their contributions to national development. She specialized in the study of history and social and political security, and she has adopted a set of key principles, most notably, loyalty to the Emirati identity and the pursuit of harmony between economic, social, and cultural development, with the goal of achieving a comprehensive and sustainable renaissance that reinforces the UAE’s distinguished position across all fields. Her Highness serves as a Visiting Professor at both UAE University and the Higher Colleges of Technology for Women in Al Ain. She has also launched and supported environmental initiatives under the Shamma Mohammed Environmental Education Program, carrying the slogan “Blue, Green, Forever.”

• Maitha Bughanoum Al Hameli

  Head, Oceans and Marine Biodiversity

  For more than 16 years, Al Hameli has been dedicated to marine conservation in the UAE. At Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, she led habitat restoration, wildlife rescue, biodiversity surveys, and the development of conservation management plans. Her projects include the UAE’s first systematic dolphin and seagrass surveys, as well as a community-driven turtle release program. Al Hameli collaborates with scientists worldwide to protect dugongs as a member of the IUCN Dugong Technical Group, and to advance coral and seagrass restoration. With business and technology partners, she has tested drone-based mangrove seeding and helped establish one of the region’s most resilient coral nurseries in the Gulf’s warm waters. Her work focuses on practical solutions that align climate action with economic development. She partners with the private sector to pilot innovative methods such as seagrass propagation, ensuring that conservation is not only ecological but also sustainable and scalable.

• Michel Langlois

  Transformative Tech Leader, Author of Beyond the Code

  A pioneering technology executive who has spent 35+ years building and scaling the commercial internet—and the teams behind it. A former senior leader at Cisco, Juniper Networks, and Calix, he is known for turning inflection points into engines of growth: at Cisco, he helped scale the IOSTM software business from ~$1B to $40B+ while leading a global engineering organization; at Juniper, he re-engineered the Junos software pipeline, tripling quality, speed, and capacity; at Calix, he led a subscriber-centric reinvention that grew revenue 4× and market cap 10×. Michel’s teams navigated the dot-com crash, global supply shocks, and the COVID era—proof that disciplined innovation, human-centered leadership, and courageous reinvention can turn crisis into compounding trust and long-term value. A Top 12 U.S. CTO (2022), Forbes Technology Council contributor, and Amazon best-selling author (Beyond the Code), he advises CEOs, boards, and investors on scaling product, culture, and impact.

• Mohamed Luqman

  Entrepreneur and Writer

  Mohamed Nizar Luqman is an Emirati writer and storyteller whose work explores the threads that connect identity, legacy, and progress. His reflections draw from lived experience, bridging personal narrative with the shared human search for meaning, belonging, and continuity. As the founder of Seven Dawgs and other ventures that span food, culture, and design, Mohamed’s work moves fluidly between industries and ideas, reflecting his belief that creativity knows no single form. Each project he builds is a dialogue between tradition and innovation, rooted in the curiosity to build, evolve, and reimagine. His forthcoming book, Letters to My Father, Letters from His Legacy, delves into the quiet lessons of time, humility, and renewal—threads that tie the intimate to the universal, and turn inherited wisdom into living dialogue.

• Neel Shukla

  Art Entrepreneur and Cultural Consultant

  An art entrepreneur and cultural consultant whose work transforms art into storytelling that bridges generations, identity, and innovation. Raised in Dubai’s art scene and inspired by his father, renowned photographer Ramesh Shukla, Neel learned early on that art has the power to preserve memory and pass knowledge from one generation to the next. Through his studio in Dubai, Neel has developed projects that span museum-quality conservation, monumental sculpture, and bespoke cultural installations. His portfolio includes collaborations for Atlantis The Royal, The WB Abu Dhabi, Mayo Clinic Abu Dhabi, Grosvenor House, Hyatt Centric Jumeirah, and Expo 2020 Dubai. He also contributed to the creation of one million Expo passports, embedding cultural imagery into a global experience. Beyond commercial work, Neel curates exhibitions that highlight the UAE’s cultural legacy, while also preserving his father’s photographic archive — one of the nation’s most significant collections.