Sustainability & Human Resources Awards Judging Committee

Chair:
Dr. Ebrahim AlKhajeh, Division Director of Human Resources
Abu Dhabi Customs, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Dr. Ebrahim Al Khajeh is the author of 'How to Hack Your Mind'. He solidified his status as one of the most influential HR leaders in the Middle East by receiving the prestigious HR ICONS Award from The Economic Times - ETHR World in 2023 & 2024. Dr. Al Khajeh's accolades continued to accumulate as he was honored with the International Stevie Award for Human Resources Executive of the Year in 2023.

In addition to his HR achievements, Dr. Al Khajeh garnered acknowledgment as one of the top technology leaders in the UAE, a distinction attributed by DT 100. Currently holding the position of Division Director of Human Capital and playing a pivotal role in the Strategic Transformation Committee at Abu Dhabi Customs, he also leads the HR Transformation Project for Abu Dhabi Government Entities at DGE.

Over his impressive 23-year career, Dr. Al Khajeh meticulously achieved a remarkable HR maturity rating of 97.5%, firmly establishing his position as a leader among all government entities in Abu Dhabi. These outstanding contributions have earned him a host of prestigious awards, including 22 International Stevie Awards, 27 ISO Standards, the acclaimed Certified Great Place To Work, recognition as one of the Top 6 Best Workplaces in the Middle East, the esteemed Oracle Heroes Award, 6 Brandon International Awards, 3 Future Workplace Awards by HRSE, and the prestigious Gold UAE Innovation Award.


Committee:

Debashish Acharya, ServiceNow HR Manager
Cummins Inc., Mckinney, Texas, United States
Debashish is an accomplished technology professional with over 18 years of expertise in HR and IT. Specializing in digital transformation, advanced workflows, and process automation, he leverages cloud-native enterprise solutions such as ServiceNow. As the ServiceNow HR Manager at Cummins Inc., he leverages technical expertise and strategic leadership to provide significant solutions.

Dr. Roger Achkar, Director General
Global Waste Cleaning Network (GWCN), Bury St Edmunds, Suffolf, United Kingdom
Dr. Achkar is an engineer and social scientist, with academic credentials from esteemed institutions such as Harvard, Leicester, Cranfield, and CentraleSupélec. He is currently the GM of a company specializing in engine-based and Solar PV power plant contracting. He is also the DG of GWCN, the world’s largest environmental network.

Sarah Adigba, Product Lead
Exo AI, San Francisco, California, United States
Sarah Adigba is the Product Lead at Exo AI, an innovative startup building AI for mission-critical operations. Before Exo, she worked at Yahoo, a global media and tech company. In her free time, she mentors budding product managers.

Sarah Al Bakeri, HR Leader and Awards-Winning Strategist
Self-Employed, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Sarah AlBakeri, an HR Leader and Award-Winning Strategist, drove initiatives for strong company culture and talent strategies, earning 7+ awards including three for Best HR Leader. She holds two Executive Master's degrees, one with distinction from Zayed University and one from INSEAD Singapore, and is a certified HR professional and coach.

Samet Aldemir, Manager Assistant
İGA İstanbul Airport Academy, Arnavutköy, İstanbul, Turkey
Samet Aldemir graduated from Yıldız Technical University, Department of Business Administration and wrote his master's degree on human resources management. He has a total of 10 years of working experience. He currently works as a Academy Manager Assistant at İGA İstanbul Airport Academy.

Ignazio Arces, Senior Manager
Rome, Lazio, Italy
With over 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, Ignazio works as Asset Manager, leading the Energy Evolution and Refining Transformation. Ignazio's BU aims to reduce the carbon footprint and enhance the performance of the refining and logistic assets of his company, which are key to its sustainability and competitiveness.

Neal Baptiste, Project leader Paria Fuel Trading Ltd
Port of Spain, Trinidad, Trinidad & Tobago
Neal Baptiste is an Oil and Gas and Construction Management Leader with 34 years’ experience in projects, engineering, operations, corporate change management, and running engineering business divisions profitability. He holds BSc. and MSc. Degrees in Mechanical and Petroleum Engineering. Neal has worked in the Caribbean, USA and Azerbaijan.

Elisa Coelho Ball, Senior HR Director, Latin America & Caribbean Region           
Fortinet, Inc., Sunrise, Florida, United States
As Senior Director of Human Resources for Latin America and the Caribbean, Elisa Ball’s responsibilities include professional support and consulting for corporate staff and employees in general.

Yurii Dudka, CEO
MediaStar TV School, Cupertino, California, United States
Yurii founded MediaStar in 2003, making it a leading educational organization. He holds a Doctor of Economic Sciences degree. He is known as a producer of international projects and a talent developer in media and communications, he judges the Ukrainian Business Awards and has received multiple accolades for contributions to education and media.
 

Hanan Ali Ekhzaimy, Head of Competitiveness and quality marine section
Ministry of Energy and infrastructure, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Hanan is a graduate of a Bachelor of Science and a Master’s degree in Quality Management. She loves to search for scientific fields and works hard on self-development by focusing on aspects of science that raise the level of her scientific and administrative performance. She previously worked for Dubai Municipality.

Dennis Galletti, Vice-President of Global HR Services       
Bekaert Group, London, England, United Kingdom
Dennis Galletti is an international Human Resources leader with 15+ years of combined HR experience in multiple roles and regions, leading employees in 20+ countries, and an exceptional record of accomplishment in establishing successful and highly functional HR processes, teams, and tools, with a focus on innovation, digitalization, and efficiency.

Jo-Ann Garbutt, Director Sustainability
DLR, Dublin, co Dublin, Ireland
Jo-Ann Garbutt has more than 20 years experience in the Technology and Construction industries across multiple continents.

Tuğba Gök Nam, CHRO
Brisa Bridgestone Sabanci, Kadiköy, Istanbul, Turkey
Tuğba Gök Nam, CHRO of Brisa since 2022 and former HR Director at Sabancı Holding, led Turkey’s one of the most significant “Future of Work” initiatives. Her efforts in sustainability have elevated Sabancı Group’s global standing. She’s renowned for her impactful leadership and organizational development across multiple sectors.

Kim Guseli, Founder and Cosmetic Chemist
Botanical Skincare Lab, Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia
Kim Guseli, founder of Botanical Skincare Lab, is a cosmetic chemist and sustainable skincare innovator. With international recognition and a commitment to eco-friendly practices, she blends science and nature to create high-quality, zero-waste skincare solutions. Kim's expertise and passion make her a respected industry leader.

 

Swati Kirti, Senior Director, Data Science
Walmart, Bellevue, Washington, United States
Swati Kirti is Group Director of Data Science at WMT Global Tech leading the AI/ML charter for the company's international business in Canada, Mexico, Central America, Chile, China, and South Africa. She is responsible for building AI/ML models and products to enable automation, data-driven decisions, and a superior customer experience.

Hamza Koz, Head of Organization and Agile Development
Kuveyt Türk Participation Bank, Pendik, Istanbul, Turkey
Hamza Koz has been the head of the organization and agile development department for four years. He has 14 years of experience in the banking industry. Hamza, who graduated from ITU business engineering undergraduate program, also has a master's degree in financial economics. He also works as a volunteer professional coach.

Rishi Kumar, Vice President
Relanto, Pittsboro, North Carolina, United States
Rishi Kumar is a seasoned executive working with Relanto Inc as Vice President. He has been a enterprise transformation and product leader to drive growth. Rishi is also a industry mentor, coach and a best selling author.

Teodora Migdalovici, Founder & Trainer 
The Alternative School for Creative Thinking, Bucuresti, Romania

Ololade Olaleye, Lead Business Economist
Shell, Nigeria

Dr. Mohamed Rabie Elsheikh, Founder & CEO
Tanmyah Consulting, Salmiy, Hawali, Kuwait
For 30 years, Dr. Mohamed has led and contributed to various projects to assess organizational performance, improve effectiveness, and create great customers and employees’  experiences in GCC, the Middle East, and Africa. Mohamed worked for Zain Group in Kuwait and Bahrain, Vodafone Egypt, Arthur Andersen, Beyout Investment Group and the Ministry of Finance in Kuwait. 

Adi Safriyanto, Head of Organization
InJourney Aviation Services, Jakarta Pusat, DKI Jakarta, Indonesia
Adi specializes in Human Capital Strategic and Organization Development. He has several professional certifications such as HR Certification, CHCGM Certified, and Thomas International.  He shares his knowledge for a better Indonesia.

Gayatheri Silvakumer, Vice President, People & Culture (Global)
Star Alliance, Singapore
Gayatheri is a visionary HR leader with an MBA from the University of Roehampton, UK, and a Chartered Practitioner CIPD.  He has over two decades of global experience. Renowned for innovative HR strategies and transformative leadership, she navigates complex landscapes adeptly, driving growth and fostering inclusive and progressive talent management initiatives.

Gulcin Aytemizel Telatar, General Manager
Starpay, Istanbul, Sariyer, Turkey
She has 20+ years of experience and deep expertise in product, business development, marketing, sales, mobile application and customer experience at Turkey's most innovative financial institutions and technology companies. Her current role is serving as part of a leadership team to bring the best-in-class financial technologies to market and deliver growth in Turkey.

Zaid Thanawala, Senior Sustainability Scientist       
Amazon.com, Inc., San Francisco, California, United States
Zaid has 9+ years of experience working in various functions within the sustainability space. During the course of his professional journey, Zaid has assumed roles at organizations such as Salesforce, O-I, and Heineken, where he helped formulate and implement sustainability strategies, with a specific emphasis on enhancing transparency regarding carbon footprint.

Duygu Unal, L&D Expert
ALPLA, Istanbul, Turkey
Duygu Ünal is a seasoned HR professional with over a decade at ALPLA Group, specializing in Learning and Development across Africa, the Middle East, and Turkey. She excels at aligning L&D strategies with business goals, enhancing employee skills through digital resources, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Pinelopi Xenoudaki, Strategic Projects & Staff, IT Europe
DHL Express Europe, Athens, Greece
Pinelopi has been responsible for strategic projects and staffing for IT Europe at DHL Express. Her main responsibility is to oversee projects focusing on performance, communication, people development, and structuring frameworks around Onboarding, Upskilling, and Recognition. With 5+ years of experience in project management and process improvement, she fosters a culture of continuous improvement.