[UStart] Jury Members

CARE tackles the underlying causes of poverty and social injustice in order to deliver lasting change in the lives of people. As the Regional Innovation and Technology Advisor (MENA), Benita works with in-country staff, the Impact and Innovation Team, and external partners to identify, refine and validate equitable technology-enabled service provision. She also advises on emerging technologies, cybersecurity and digitalization. She was recently named an Expo Live Global Innovator for her work on technology and education in limited connectivity, conflict, and post-conflict contexts.

.• Head of Zoning Unit at Dubai Municipality (1993–1998) • Head of Real Estate Development at TECOM (1998–2001) • Head of EDB (Executive Design Bureau) at The Executive Office (2002–2004) • CEO - Muzoon (2004–till date) • Executive Chairman of Sama Dubai (2005–2009) • Group CEO - SIDRA (Since 2011 till date) & • Founder & Executive Chairman of Sidra Architectural & Engineering Consultancy (2017 till date). Farhan Faraidooni served as the Executive Chairman of Sama Dubai, the international real estate investment and development arm of Dubai Holding before it got merged with Dubai Properties. In his role, he was responsible for Sama Dubai’s strategic global expansion plan. Farhan has been the Sama Dubai Chief Executive Officer since 2005. He has played a pivotal role in the company’s local and regional expansion. During his tenure, Sama Dubai successfully launched mega projects in the GCC and MENA regions, in addition to establishing two global brands ‘Dubai Towers’ and ‘Salam’. Earlier, as the CEO of Executive Design Bureau, Farhan played a pioneering role in envisioning several landmark projects including the Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC), Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and Dubailand. Prior to this, Farhan was Head of Zoning at the Town Planning Department of Dubai Municipality, and Head of Real Estate at the Dubai Technology E-Commerce & Media Free Zone Authority (TECOM). Farhan had also served in the past as the Chairman of Dubai Real Estate Institute (DREI) board, the region’s first specialized academic institute for real estate studies. He had also served on the board of Dubai Healthcare City, positioned as the regional hub for the healthcare industry, the Ministry of Religious Endowment “Awqaf” and Minors Affairs, and the Al Ahli Sports Club in the past. Farhan was instrumental in setting up of the following businesses and has been spearheading the businesses from the front since formation: • Muzoon Holding, private family office specialised in asset managing real estate and investment portfolios for selective families. • Sidra Group, a diversified group with investments in multi-faceted business including building materials trading, import and distribution of fresh and processed food products, education, health care etc. • Sidra Architectural & Engineering Consultancy, a boutique architectural design and engineering consultancy firm licensed by Dubai Municipality to carry out design and construction supervision of all type of buildings including highrise buildings without any limitations. Farhan holds a bachelor’s degree in Architectural Engineering from the UAE University in Al Ain. FAMILY BACKGROUND Farhan’s father (Late) Mr.Abdul Rahim Zainal Faraidooni had been in business for more than 60 years in UAE and has been successfully running their own family business of building materials (Faraidooni Trading Co and Mohammed Zainal Faraidooni General Trading LLC) trading particularly the sanitary ware business. These businesses owns the agency for global brands like TWYFORD, GROHE & JCD who are the major players in the UAE market. Over the years they have built a very good clientele base within UAE and is a well known brand in the Dubai market.

Currently CEO of the Corporate Strategic Affairs Sector at Department of Economic Development DED. Additionally, he holds the Economic Track Secretariat Position at Dubai Majilis, an apex Government Council led by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President & Prime Minister of UAE & Ruler of Dubai. He also served as Advisor for H.H. Ruler's representative at the Government of Ajman. Mohammed has many years of executive board experience serving on several Governmental and NGO boards, such as Dubai Smart City, Dubai Design District and the Pakistan Association and Advisory Board. He is also an Academic board member of the University of Dubai, RIT University and Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University. He plays a pivotal role in DED’s strategic collaboration amongst the Business, Regulatory & Academic communities. He pioneered the "Future Economy Agenda” in Dubai and is passionate about the Digital Economy, Sharing Economy & Circular Economy. In his previous roles, he served as Vice President CSR & Planning at Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) and the CEO of Business Registration & Licensing in DED; where he is credited with developing a suite of smart services to enhance the ease of starting & doing business which contributed to the overall improvement of UAE’s ranking in the Global Ease of Doing Business Index.

Mr. Muhammad Farrukh Irfan Khan has been in IP law practice for almost forty years and is one of the busiest lawyers in the MENA region for brand enforcement and contentious causes. His work has been covered by many leading law reports. A frequent speaker and writer on the IP law around the world including organizations such as INTA, PTMG, APAA, Marques, AIPPI and WIPO. A member of leading international associations of law practitioners, a former member of Board of Directors of INTA. He has taught IP Law at various universities as a visiting professor. He has also served as a constitutional judge of the High Court.

Sabine Holl is IBM's Vice President Technology Technical Sales and Chief Technology Officer for IBM Middle East and Africa. She is responsible for IBM's technical community across the Middle East & Africa. For her, innovation is literally driven by inclusion, across all levels of technology, skill and experiences, from graduates just starting out, through to thought leaders, specialists, architects and advocates, who help and advise IBM's clients to accelerate and transform their business across all industries and into the fourth, cognitive, industrial revolution. Early in her career in the mid 90's, Sabine started as a graduate herself. In IBM Austria's mainframe services division she partnered with clients to building out strategies, modernizing their existing environment and moving into the internet era. Impassioned about the arising opportunities that technology brings she quickly became a subject matter expert teaching workshops around the world, publishing several books, and being a trusted advisor to large institutions across Europe. With new markets opening up in Eastern Europe, Russia and the Middle East and Africa she led by example, introducing first of a kind, brand new technologies whilst transforming and persuading minds towards the digital world. It led her to be the first woman in IBMs software division in CEMEA region to be certified as an IT Specialist. In 2006 Sabine took on an assignment in Corporate HR in the US focusing on how to help technical leaders grow their technical careers all the way to Distinguished Engineers and IBM Fellows. In her current role as CTO she leverages her experience in the US to help build the future generation of technical leaders in MEA. In addition she also established several graduate programs focusing on diversity and inclusion. These programs support national agendas such as Emiratization, Saudization or BBBEE in South Africa as well as providing young women an opportunity to start their technical career. In 2019 she started to build a Women In Tech network for Technical Women across IBM in Middle East and Africa and has been appointed as executive sponsor for Women @ IBM MEA in July 2021.