Achieving
Net Zero

Abdullah Saeed Al Jubran is a highly accomplished senior executive with over 25 years of experience in financial, strategic, and operational leadership. He excels in turnaround management and high-paced organizations, driving organizational improvements and implementing best practices. Abdullah’s expertise includes strategy development, profitability analysis, contract negotiations, and government relations. He has held prominent positions as Chairman and Board Member in prestigious organizations. Currently, he serves as the Portfolio Management Executive Vice President at ACWA Power, overseeing more than $10 billion portfolio in the Gulf region.

Ian is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Bank ABC and leads the Bank’s journey to integrate sustainability throughout the Bank’s global value chain and DNA, which covers 15 different jurisdictions. He has over 17 years of experience implementing sustainability within asset management and banking, having worked in London, Asia and Turkey, this has involved developing sustainability strategies and integrating sustainability into global investment processes.

His extensive work experience includes being a Founder of a global asset management firm, building up the firm’s institutional investor client base and managing top quartile performing global and emerging markets investment strategies.

Before joining Bank ABC, Ian worked at Citigroup helping them to embed environmental risk practices across their European corporate banking business. Ian is a Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants and has a BA (Hons) in Accountancy & Finance from Heriot-Watt University.

Jessica Robinson is a global expert in ESG and sustainable finance, advising financial institutions, institutional investors, think tanks, governments and regulators on a broad range of issues relating to ESG strategy, sustainable finance and responsible investment, as well as carbon, climate and gender finance. Based in the Middle East, Jessica is responsible for leading related engagements across the financial industry – in particular, she delivers projects on ESG strategy, risk and governance as well as focusing on specific areas including net zero transition plans and carbon strategies.

Recent client engagements include supporting a leading GCC bank on developing its ESG strategy and implementation roadmap in alignment with the KSA’s Vision 2030 and net zero commitments; working with a regional financial regulator in developing sustainable finance frameworks and policies; acting as a technical advisor to a government funded research project on sustainable investing; and supporting a Middle East financial services company in defining its ESG vision, ambition and strategic roadmap.

Jessica has an extensive background in consulting and professional services, specializing in the financial services and investment industries, with a particular focus on ESG and sustainability. In addition, previous roles include Head of Asia for the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (UN-PRI), following a long stint as Chief Executive and Board Director of the Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia (ASrIA), one of Asia’s leading think tanks working to promote sustainable finance and responsible investment. She also led the Asia Investor Group on Climate Change – representing large investors on climate risk – and played an active leadership role in the Global Sustainable Investment Alliance (GSIA) and the Global Investor Coalition on Climate Change (GIC).

She frequently contributes articles, authors reports and speaks at conferences on issues related to ESG and sustainable finance, related market and regulatory developments, climate and carbon finance policy. She also recently published her first book on sustainable investing, ‘Financial Feminism: A Woman’s Guide To Investing For a Sustainable Future’.

Jessica has lived and worked in the UK, North America, Asia (China and Hong Kong) and is now based in the UAE. She holds an MSc in Applied Environmental Economics from the University of London, an MSc in Politics from the London School of Economics and a BA in Economics from the University of Manchester, UK. She also holds a Professional Diploma in Financial Management from the ACCA and the FT Post-Graduate Diploma for Non-Executive Directors.

As MENA Sustainable Finance Leader, Jessica is responsible for leading engagements across the financial industry on sustainable finance and ESG. She works with clients on ESG strategy, risk and governance as well as focusing on net zero transition plans and carbon finance strategies.

Having been based in the Middle East for the last five years, she has also lived and worked in Asia, New York and London and has an extensive background in consulting and professional services. In other roles Jessica worked for a leading regulator on sustainable finance initiatives as well as a range of government and policy related organizations on ESG and climate matters.

She frequently contributes articles, authors reports and speaks at conferences on issues related to ESG. She holds two Masters Degrees and a Bachelor Degree on Economics and Politics, and recently published a book on sustainable investing.

Kalyan Subramanian (Kal) is a subject matter expert on ESG, and the broader spectrum of sustainability related issues and topics. Kal is a leader with KPMG and has the experience of working with a range of clients across sectors including Financial Services, Manufacturing, Energy and Retail. He has worked closely with Development Agencies including UNDP, UNGC, USAID, etc., and a range of global/ regional Civil Society organizations One Young World, Enactus, Junior Achievement, INJAZ Bahrain, the Pearl Initiative, etc. Based in Bahrain, Kal has been a part of KPMG for 19 years and has experience in working with stakeholders across the UK, US, Germany, France, Brazil, Mexico, India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, China, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, and the Middle East, South Asia, and the Caspian region. Over his tenure he has supported the setup of the KPMG foundation in India, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and China.

Kal has also worked closely with regulators in the Kingdom of Bahrain to be able to support the development around ESG within the marketplace, while support their stakeholders in the implementation of the requisite frameworks and controls.

He has experience in working with clients on aligning their investment and efforts in line with the national vision strategies across the GCC region. This also includes efforts focused on Inclusion & Diversity and supporting educational and awareness related initiatives within the marketplace.

Kal has worked towards supporting National initiatives on Women Empowerment and Inclusion & Diversity in Bahrain, including research, and facilitating strategic initiatives. He drives KPMG’s strategic partnership with Diversity on Boards in Bahrain and is a facilitator on their Emerging Board Leaders Fellowship (EBLF) program. In the past he was also a part of the Global Diversity Team in KPMG and led the Inclusion & Diversity Assessment across firms in the MESAC region.

Kal is a member of the Sustainability Forum Middle East’s Advisory Committee and supports them on an ongoing basis to help drive a positive influence across the region in relation to ESG and on the broader Sustainability of the marketplace and community.

Laila is a senior communications strategist with more than two decades of experience advising clients across international markets including the US, Europe and Middle East. She is financial PR and media specialist, who has worked with a broad range of financial institutions, listed companies across sectors, sovereign funds, family offices and government organisations on building and managing their brands, reputations and relationships with multiple stakeholders.

Her strengths lie in helping clients develop impactful cross-border communications strategies, compelling brand and value propositions, clear and powerful content and effective outreach campaigns targeting the financial media and investment community. Adding to her areas of specialization, Laila also supports clients on their Climate-related and ESG strategies and communications. She has recently completed a Post-Graduate Certification from the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership in ‎Business and Climate Change – Transition Towards Net-Zero.

Laila co-founded FinMark Communications, a specialist financial and corporate PR agency based in Bahrain and London, in 2010 with the firm focused on helping clients communicate into, across and out from the GCC-region. Prior to establishing FinMark, Laila spent 10 years at Financial Dynamics (now FTI Consulting), a leading City of London and international financial PR agency. She joined the firm in 1999 at its New York offices, established its Middle East operations in 2003, marking the launch of the region’s first specialist financial PR company, and went on to work in the firm’s London based developing markets practice between 2007 until 2009.

Laila holds a Master’s Degree in Middle East Area Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science with a minor in International Relations from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo.

Eng. Layla Sabeel has extensive experience in environmental public policies as well as climate change, she is Bahrain’s national focal point for UNFCCC, leading Bahrain’s negotiation team focusing on various agenda items including article 6, adaptation, mitigation work program, finance and loss and damage.

She is working on various adaptation projects such as: the national adaptation investment plan, focusing on creative climate finance instruments to fund adaptation projects and sea level rise resilience plan for the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Eng. Sabeel is also working on planning the emission reduction targets activities to reach the emission targets set by HRH the crown prince and the prime minister to reduce emission 30% by 2035 and reach net zero by 2060.

Graduated from the department of Public Administration from Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Türkiye. As a Climate Change Expert he has 6 year professional experience in the Republic of Türkiye, Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change on climate change related topics.

His first department in charge is the Climate Negotiations and International Policies. In the department he followed the international climate policies and developments, participated international meetings and negotiations.

Afterwards, he worked in the Monitoring GHG Emissions Department which is the base of Emission Trading System, and focused the Emission Trading System related topics. The department according to the scope that is defined in the related regulation, follows the GHG emissions of around 700 installations in the country.

Currently he is working in the Directorate of Climate Change, Department of Carbon Pricing which is the main responsible body in Türkiye establishing carbon pricing mechanisms, enhance voluntary carbon markets and international carbon markets including conducting Paris Agreement Article 6 negotiations. His main duties focus on the establishment of national Emission Trading System in Türkiye.

Raed is the Group Chief Environment & Sustainability Officer of the Red Sea Global (RSG), with over 25 years of experience in environmental and sustainability strategies, project management, policy design, and advocacy. Raed leads and oversees the environment and sustainability functions for the Red Sea Project, AMAALA, and all RSG portfolio projects across the Red Sea.

Raed is a member of the board of the General Organization for Conservation of Coral Reefs and Turtles in the Red Sea, established pursuant to Cabinet Resolution No. (250) dated 04/25/1443 AH. Raed has worked in a number of renowned regional and global entities, including Saudi Aramco and Vela International Marine.
At Saudi Aramco, Raed worked as an International Environmental Policies and Regulatory Lead, representing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Paris Agreement, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Prior to working at Saudi Aramco, Raed was the Head of Pollution & Environmental Engineering at Vela International Marine an Aramco subsidiary which is one of the largest provider of Maritime Services in the world and is established as Saudi Arabia’s National Shipping Carrier. He has also represented Vela in the Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea & Gulf of Aden (PERSGA) and supported the Ministry of Energy on International Maritime Organization technical safety and environmental regulations and was also the Vice Chair of the Climate Change Working Group of the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA).

Raed is a graduate of the World Maritime University in Sweden, where he earned a Master’s of Science in Safety and Environmental Administration. He also holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Solent University in the United Kingdom.

Raed is an environmental and sustainability leader and he is motivated to continuously improve Kingdom’s efforts and measures towards realizing our ambition of being the world leader in environment and sustainability across planning, construction, and operations. He believes that we can always develop and move the profession forward by setting new standards in sustainable development to inspire other destinations and ensure the protection, preservation, and enhancement of the natural environment.

Riham ElGizy has over 20 years of international experience dedicated to impact-related investments through her extensive work as a leader in mergers and acquisitions, as well as strategy and business development experience. She was formerly head of Saudi Aramco’s Investment valuations and structuring, the function responsible for advising and formulating investment decisions for corporate and executive management, as well as government institutions. Prior to joining Saudi Aramco, she spent 16 years with BP in North America and North Africa.

ElGizy has a track record in originating and executing energy, clean technology, and renewable energy transactions across the globe. She has advised strategy and investment boards and led negotiations with governments and privately held institutions.

ElGizy is a Sloan fellow MBA (MIT Sloan School of Management) and during her time at MIT, she worked on projects promoting sustainable economic growth in emerging markets through the deployment of innovative technology solutions and climate change simulations.

She is currently CEO of the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM). In her role at the helm of the VCM, she has launched the first voluntary carbon market in the MENA region and led the single largest voluntary carbon market auction to ever take place.

Venetia Bell is the Group Chief Sustainability Officer at Gulf International Bank (GIB), and Head of Strategy at GIB Asset Management. Amongst other responsibilities, Venetia leads GIB’s drive to embed sustainability and responsible banking principles in everything it does. In 2021, she was instrumental in the successful close of GIB’s sustainability-linked loan, making GIB the first Bahrain-headquartered bank to close such a facility. She also led an award-winning multi-stakeholder initiative to enhance data and funnel private capital towards humanitarian and resilience projects.

Venetia is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, a fellow of the Forward Institute, faculty for the Competent Boards Programme, and an alumna of the Mentoring Foundation. Venetia is the Deputy Chair of the Bahrain Association of Banks Sustainable Development Committee. She is a Chartered Governance Professional, a designated Climate Competent Director, a Certified Investment Fund Director, and the Chair of Trustees of several charities.

Prior to GIB, she had several roles at the Bank of England, and has published a range of policy-focused research. Venetia graduated with an MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics and an MA degree in Economics from the University of Cambridge, UK.