Zayed Sustainability Prize

Ramiz Al Aileh

Sustainability & Energy Efficiency Director

Department of Energy (DoE)

Ramiz Al Aileh

Sustainability & Energy Efficiency Director

Ramiz Al Aileh is the Sustainability and Energy Efficiency Director at the Department of Energy – Abu Dhabi, with experience spanning more than 15 years in the power utility sector operations, regulations and policy making. He is responsible for driving policies, regulatory frameworks, and strategies to enable demand side management implementation and improve end-use efficiency for energy and water.

Dr. Behjat Al Yousuf

Executive Vice President

Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence

Dr. Behjat Al Yousuf

Executive Vice President

Dr. Al Yousuf’s career spans over 30 years of experience in higher education. She was special advisor to the President of Zayed University, acting Vice President of Zayed University and Interim Provost of Masdar Institute. Dr. Al Yousuf also served as a member of the UAE Space Agency Board of Trustees.

Olabode Esan

Head, Energy Services

Masdar Clean Energy Division

Olabode Esan

Head, Energy Services

Mr. Esan is responsible for originating and implementing energy efficiency performance contracts and on-site solar PV projects. He has been engaged in solar projects in MENA, the Pacific and the Caribbean, totaling more than 100MW across 18 countries.

He holds an MSc in Environmental Technology from Imperial College, London and a BSc in Civil Engineering from the University of Lagos.

Dr. Steven Griffiths

Senior Vice President, Research and Development

Professor of Practice
Khalifa University of Science and Technology, United Arab Emirates

Dr. Steven Griffiths

Senior Vice President, Research and Development

Dr. Steven Griffiths is Senior Vice President for Research & Development and Professor of Practice at the Khalifa University of Science and Technology, where he oversees the development and implementation of the university’s research strategy and operations.

Dr. Griffiths holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from MIT and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. “technologies focused on AI, IoT etc.”

Dr. Noura Mansouri

Sr. Research Associate

King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center

Dr. Noura Mansouri

Sr. Research Associate

Dr. Al Mansouri is a sustainable energy enthusiast from Saudi Arabia and has been involved with the sustainable energy and sustainability transition in the Kingdom for over a decade.

With a PhD in clean energy transition, from Queen Mary University of London, she has a Ibn Khaldun fellowship from MIT and is involved in establishing the nuclear sector in Saudi, through human capacity development.

Bertrand Piccard

Chairman

SolarImpulse Foundation

Bertrand Piccard

Chairman

Bertrand Piccard is the visionary behind Solar Impulse, the first solar-powered airplane capable of flying perpetually without fuel.

A medical doctor and trusted explorer in favour of clean technologies, he has set off to select 1,000 solutions that protect the environment. He will then deliver the solutions to decision-makers around the world - to help further the adoption of more ambitious environmental targets and energy policies.

Julia Pyper

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Atlantic Council

Julia Pyper

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Julia Pyper is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and the host and producer of Political Climate, a global podcast on energy and environmental issues.

She produced the short documentary “Empowering Haiti,” which was shortlisted in the World Bank’s 2016 Film4Climate competition.

Julia was named a 2017 “30 Under 30” by GreenBiz and the World Business Council for Sustainability.

David Sandalow

Inaugural Fellow

Columbia University

David Sandalow

Inaugural Fellow

David Sandalow is the Inaugural Fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy and co-Director of the Energy and Environment Concentration, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University.

Mr. Sandalow has held senior positions at the White House, State Department, and US Dept. of Energy, as Acting-Under Secretary of Energy and Assistant Secretary for Policy & International Affairs.

Jeroo Billimoria

Founder

One Family Foundation

Jeroo Billimoria

Founder

As a founder of several innovative and award-winning NGOs, Jeroo Billimoria encapsulates what it means to be a social entrepreneur.

Her organisations include Child and Youth Finance International (CYFI) and Aflatoun International. CYFI has pioneered a collaborative systems change approach which creates meaningful change in financial inclusion and Economic Citizenship Education for young people worldwide, while Aflatoun International has succeeded in working with global partners to provide social and financial education to over 1 million children in 100 countries.

Denes Csala

Assistant Professor

Energy Storage Systems Dynamics
Lancaster University

Denes Csala

Assistant Professor

Dr. Csala is an Asst. Professor at Lancaster University (UK), researching increasingly intersecting areas of energy, data science and development. His current research focuses on how energy data visualisation can help foster STEM education, in developing regions' schools.

Dr. Csala has organised and led workshops on sustainability and renewable energy across Asia and Africa.

Safeena Husain

Founder and Executive Director

Educate Girls

Safeena Husain

Founder and Executive Director

Under Ms. Husain’s leadership, Educate Girls has improved learning outcomes for 1.3 million+ children in India.

Previously, Safeena has worked extensively with rural and urban underserved communities in South America, Africa and Asia. She has been conferred with the 2017 NITI Aayog’s Women Transforming India Award, and the British Asian Trust’s Special Recognition Award from HRH Prince Charles for outstanding contribution in education.

Dr. Scott Kennedy

Executive Director

Energy Action Partners

Dr. Scott Kennedy

Executive Director

Mr. Kennedy has over 20 years’ experience working in international development as an entrepreneur, researcher and educator, across Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

He is is co-executive director and co-founder of Energy Action Partners, an international social enterprise working to expand access to sustainable energy for remote communities; and CEO and co-founder of ClearSky Power, a solar energy company in Hargeisa, Somaliland.

Gunter Pauli

Author, Teacher, Activist, Entrepreneur

Gunter Pauli

Author, Teacher, Activist, Entrepreneur

Mr. Pauli founded the "Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives" at the United Nations University in Tokyo and is the author of “The Blue Economy”.

He has been a board member for innovative and disruptive NGOs and companies in Asia, USA and Latin America. He has advised governments and industry leaders on how to implement breakthrough innovations in areas of water, food, housing, health and energy.

Noemi Sanin Posada

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs

Colombia

Noemi Sanin Posada

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs

In 1983, she was appointed Minister of Communications, signaling the start of her long and successful political career. Over the years, Sanín served as Ambassador for Colombia in Venezuela, Spain and the United Kingdom. She also became the first female Minister of Foreign Affairs in Latin America and ran as a Presidential candidate three times. In 2000, Noemí Sanín is also a Research Fellow at the Waterhead Centre for International Affairs at Harvard University.

Gayatri Raghwa

Executive Director and Environment Education Consultant

Wild Ecologue
Vice Chair, Global High Schools Committee

Gayatri Raghwa

Executive Director and Environment Education Consultant

A global leader in environmental education, Gayatri Raghwa is an Advisor to the Global Environmental Education Partnership (GEEP).

An expert in her field, Gayatri is a senior specialist at the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) and has collaborated with global organisations on partnerships to shape common strategy, including NAAEE (USA), and the Centre for Environmental Education, in India.

Mario Salomone

Chairman

World Environmental Education Congress

Mario Salomone

Chairman

Mario Salmone is an environmental sociologist and a professor of Socio-Environmental Sustainability of Agri-Food Networks at the University of Turin in Italy. He has previously taught at the Universities of Bergamo and Milano IULM He is also a member of the Scientific Committee of UNESCO National Committee for Education for Sustainability - Agenda 2030 (UCNESA2030) and of the Italian Chapter of Club of Rome Board.

Beatrix Schmuelling

Senior Advisor

Ministry of Climate Change and Environment

Beatrix Schmuelling

Senior Advisor

Beatrix has more than 20 years’ experience in environmental consulting on climate change, sustainability, and environmental education, across Asia and Europe.

She currently advises the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in RE policies and technology solutions. Previously, she helped develop and implement Masdar’s carbon and climate change strategies for 11 years — where she also oversaw R&D and GHS project implementation.

Peter Tabichi

Teacher

Mixed Day School in Pwani Village

Peter Tabichi

Teacher

Peter Tabichi is a science teacher who gives away 80% of his monthly income to help the poor. His dedication, hard work and passionate belief in his student’s talent has led his poorly-resourced school in remote rural Kenya to emerge victorious after taking on the country’s best schools in national science competitions.

Peter started a talent nurturing club and expanded the school’s science club, helping pupils design high quality research projects that led 60% of them to qualify for national competitions.

Rebecca Vukovic

Deputy Editor

Australian Council for Educational Research

Rebecca Vukovic

Deputy Editor

Deputy Editor of Teacher, an online magazine by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), Rebecca also sits on the ACER Sustainability Advisory Committee. Her work covers topics on educational leadership, student wellbeing, research-based classroom practice, climate action and sustainability.

In 2014, Rebecca received the Professional Teachers’ Council NSW Media Award.

SELECTION COMMITTEE

H.E. Dr. Maha Barakat

H.E. Dr. Maha Barakat

Jeremy Laurance

Jeremy Laurance

Dr. Mariam Matar

Dr. Mariam Matar

Frank Beadle de Palomo

Frank Beadle de Palomo

Dr. Juliette M. Tuakli

Dr. Juliette M. Tuakli

Mohammed Al Dhanhani

H.E. Mouza Al Muhairi

H.E. Mouza Al Muhairi

Daphne Ewing-Chow

Daphne Ewing-Chow

Helen Munday

Helen Munday

Ramiz Al Aileh

Ramiz Al Aileh

Dr. Behjat Al Yousuf

Dr. Behjat Al Yousuf

Olabode Esan

Olabode Esan

Dr. Steven Griffiths

Dr. Steven Griffiths

Dr. Noura Mansouri

Dr. Noura Mansouri

Bertrand Piccard

Bertrand Piccard

Julia Pyper

Julia Pyper

David Sandalow

David Sandalow

Catarina de Albuquerque

Catarina de Albuquerque

Omar Alhashmi

Omar Alhashmi

Dr. Hassan Arafat

Dr. Hassan Arafat

Mohamed El Ramahi

Mohamed El Ramahi

Dr. Anthony Fane

Dr. Anthony Fane

Tom Pankratz

Tom Pankratz

Jeroo Billimoria

Jeroo Billimoria

Denes Csala

Denes Csala

Safeena Husain

Safeena Husain

Dr. Scott Kennedy

Dr. Scott Kennedy

Gunter Pauli

Gunter Pauli

Noemi Sanin Posada

Noemi Sanin Posada

Gayatri Raghwa

Gayatri Raghwa

Mario Salomone

Mario Salomone

Beatrix Schmuelling

Beatrix Schmuelling

Peter Tabichi

Peter Tabichi

Rebecca Vukovic

Rebecca Vukovic