Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari has been the WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean since June 2018.

As a specialist in family and community medicine, Dr Al-Mandhari has made a substantial, positive contribution to the development and modernisation of Oman’s healthcare system, which has witnessed qualitative improvements in recent years, particularly in key areas such as patient safety.

H.E. Maha Barakat held the post of Director General of the Health Authority Abu Dhabi from 2013 to 2017. Previously, she was Co-Founder, Medical & Research Director and Consultant Endocrinologist at the Imperial College London Diabetes Centre in Abu Dhabi.

She has been a member of the Social Development Committee of the Executive Council of the Government of Abu Dhabi, and Board member of several Government of Abu Dhabi-related entities. 

Jeremy Laurance is a freelance health writer. He was Health Editor of the Independent from 1997 to 2013 and was previously Health Correspondent for the Times and the Sunday Times.

He was named Specialist Writer of the Year in the 2011 British Press Awards and was awarded the President’s Medal of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 2012.

His landmark series on AIDS prevention in five African countries, published in The Independent to mark World AIDS Day in 2013, was aided by the Gates Foundation.

Dr. Maryam Matar is DG of Dubai’s Community Development Authority (CDA), which develops frameworks for social development, aligned to the Dubai Strategic Plan 2015.

Before joining CDA, Dr. Matar was the first Emirati woman to become Under Secretary of the Ministry of Health. Dr. Matar is Founder & Executive Director of the UAE Down's Syndrome Association and the UAE Genetic Diseases Association.

Frank has over 26 years of experience in the global health community, including significant achievements in HIV prevention, domestic and global care, research, and advocacy.

Before joining mothers2mothers (m2m) as Chief Executive Officer in 2012, Frank was Senior Vice President and Director of the Global Health, Population, and Nutrition Group at FHI 360. Previously, Frank was Senior Vice President and Director of the Academy for Educational Development (AED), where he re-established the organisation as a leader in global AIDS programmes. He also created and directed the National Council of La Raza's Center for Health Promotion in the U.S.

Dr. Tuakli is a pediatrician & reproductive health specialist who co-founded MOREMI Girls Leadership Initiative and is Founder/Medical Director of CHILDAccra, a clinic providing family services, across West Africa.

A renowned social philanthropist, Dr. Tuakli chairs the Governance Committee for United Way Worldwide and her promotion of legislation for disabled, orphans and vulnerable children was hailed by the African Union, in 2016.