EmiratesGBC elects new management committee with Ali Al Jassim as Chairman of the Board

The Board of Directors of Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC), an independent forum aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices, elected its new management committee for 2020-21, with His Excellency Ali Al Jassim, CEO of Etihad Energy Services, as the new Chairman. 

HE Ali Al Jassim succeeds Saeed Al Abbar, Managing Director at AESG, who served as EmiratesGBC Chair for the past six years. Saeed has played a significant role in the organisation and will continue to serve as an active Board member.

The new five-member management committee includes: Afra Al Owais and Farah Yassine (Vice Chairs), Habiba Al Marashi (Treasurer) and Huda Shaka (Secretary). Afra Al Owais, Chief Efficienology Officer at Sharjah Electricity & Water Authority, and Farah Yassine, Associate Consultant - Sustainable Resource Management at WSP, takes office from Khaled Bushnaq, CEO of Energy Management Services (EMS).

Huda Shaka, Associate Director of Arup, the multinational professional services firm, takes charge from Sarfraz Dairkee, General Manager of MAHY Khoory. Habiba Al Marashi, one of the founders of EmiratesGBC, retains her role as a Treasurer. Marashi, Bushnaq and Dairkee have all been associated with EmiratesGBC since its inception and have played pivotal roles in increasing awareness about driving sustainable built environments. The new team will assume office on January 1, 2020.

A new board has also been constituted with a total membership of 35 comprising individuals and businesses. The 11 added board members, some re-elected, include: AESG Project Development Consultant, Buro Happold Consulting Engineering Ltd, Cundall Johnston & Partners LLP, Enova Facilities Management Services LLC, KEO International Consultant, Knauf LLC, Multiplex Middle East, Ramboll Middle East Limited - Dubai Branch, Saint-Gobain, Siemens and WSP. Recently, EmiratesGBC had appointed eight Emirati Board members to champion the UAE’s vision for sustainable development.

Thanking the Board on the appointment, HE Ali Al Jassim said: “As the UAE takes a decisive step ‘Toward the Next 50,’ driving sustainable built environments will be of strategic importance in achieving our leadership’s vision. Ensuring sustainable development is a national priority outlined in UAE Vision 2021 as well as the UAE Centennial 2071. For more than a decade, EmiratesGBC has accomplished outstanding achievements in strengthening awareness about sustainable built environments as well as in driving our nation towards our clean energy and net zero carbon commitments. The new board will continue to build on the achievements, and thank and congratulate Saeed Al Abbar as well as the former board members for their excellent work.”

Saeed Al Abbar said: “It has been a great honour to lead EmiratesGBC as its Chairman for the past six years. I am extremely proud of our collective achievements in pushing the boundaries of sustainability and positioning the UAE as a role model in developing sustainable built environments. Our team, supported by our members and partners in government and academia, have diligently focused on driving sustainability best practice across the building value chain and I thank all for their collective commitment to a better built environment in the UAE. I wish the new Board all success in further cementing UAE as a leader in achieving the highest levels of sustainable development”

The new board will work towards achieving EmiratesGBC’s vision to establish the UAE as a global leader for sustainability in the built environment driven by its mission of being a catalyst for collaboration and a hub for excellence to promote sustainable built environments. With a total membership of over 170, EmiratesGBC rolls out a suite of activities such as networking events, technical workshops and trainings in order to push sustainability in the UAE and the wider Middle East.