Ahmed Samir Elbermbali
Ahmed is a seasoned professional in the sustainability and clean energy industry, currently serving as the Sustainability Market Leader for the Middle East Region at Bureau Veritas and Managing Director for the MENA Region at CharIN. He is a trusted advisor to clients across the region, helping them to establish and achieve their net-zero goals. Ahmed has a deep understanding of the clean energy and sustainable mobility sectors, having served as the Zero-Emission Vehicles (ZEV) Lead at the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions, where he promoted and advocated for the ZEV Declaration launched at COP26 in Glasgow. The Declaration aims to accelerate the transition to ZEVs by 2035 in leading markets and 2040 in emerging markets. He also served as the Managing Director of the MENA Clean Energy Business Council (CEBC), a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting clean energy and clean technologies and solutions in the MENA region. At CEBC he launched several initiatives and working groups and co-authored multiple research pieces and white papers around Climate Finance, Venture Capital in Climate Tech, Electric Mobility, Energy Efficiency and others.
With an MBA in Sustainable Mobility Management from the Technical University of Berlin, Ahmed's research interests lie at the intersection of policy, technology, and consumer behavior, and how they can be leveraged to accelerate the transition to clean energy and sustainable mobility sectors. He is committed to helping businesses and organizations achieve their sustainability goals, and drive the global transition to a more sustainable future.
Vishal Pandey
Vishal is a Dubai based Market Entry & Insights advisor who has lived and worked in the UK, India and across the Middle East. Previously as a research lead with Deloitte Consulting’s Dubai offices, he was part of a team responsible for strategy and operations assignments across the Middle East and North Africa region. Vishal has been involved in over 750 research + market entry engagements mostly across MENA and South Asia region in his career spanning 18 years across a diverse set of industries.
He is a leading MENA focused Market Entry & Go-To-Market Strategy Specialist. He has been numerously interviewed on the subject. He contributes frequently to several regional and global publications in the areas of growth & market insights, tourism, policy, retail and real estate. He is also often invited to be a speaker at key Middle East and South Asian foreign investment, innovation, growth strategy and retail industry conferences. He is currently on the UNWTO Panel of Tourism Experts.
Vishal holds an MSc in Real Estate and Regeneration from the University of Glasgow, a UNWTO Themis degree in Tourism and International Cooperation for Development from The George Washington University and a Degree in Hotel Management.
He currently drives the Automotive Intelligence & Tracking Hub (AITH), a Glasgow Consulting Group Initiative. AITH, under his guidance, offers regional market intelligence, thought leadership, and insights, revolutionizing the Middle East and Africa sector.
Kivanc Karayol
Throughout my career, I have worn multiple hats in sales, aftersales, network, and business development, contributing to my holistic understanding of the automotive industry.
With over a decade of automotive industry experience, I’m now the Market Director and Head of Electromobility and Sustainable Growth for the Middle East & Turkiye at Volvo Group.
A significant part of my career is dedicated to electrifying the region's transportation sector. In this role, I have the unique privilege of driving sustainable mobility solutions in a region at the forefront of electric vehicle innovation and overseeing operations in several countries in the ME and Turkiye region.
Nehla Azeez
Nehla Azeez, is currently the Operations Director at Zeez International Group. At an early age she embarked on a dynamic career journey with Zeez International Group providing her with the perfect platform to channel her skills and passion. As the Operations Director, she has harnessed her determination and leadership abilities to optimize processes, enhance efficiency, and drive growth within the organization.
Shubhra Srivastava
Shubhra Srivastava is the CEO of GaragePlug, a visionary leader with a passion for transforming the automotive industry. With a strong background in technology and business strategy, she has successfully steered GaragePlug toward innovation and growth. Shubhra's commitment to empowering auto service businesses and enhancing customer experiences has made GaragePlug a trusted name in the industry.
Starting out from a small town in North India, Shubhra has headed global brands in senior leadership roles with over 20+ years of total experience. Now she's bringing the same global experience to lead GaragePlug.
Smriti Priya
Smriti is a Senior Project Manager in Roland Berger's Dubai office and is a key member of Roland Berger’s automotive practice in Middle East.
She brings more than 10 years of industry and consulting experience. She has 6 years of work experience in automotive consulting space across India, South East Asia and Middle East markets.
She extensively advised with global automotive clients including OEMs, suppliers and aftermarket players. She has worked with leading Indian automotive suppliers and aftermarket players on growth strategies, due diligences and mergers and acquisition. In the middle east region, she has led projects with automotive distributors and Saudi clients on automotive investment plan, EV manufacturing localization, EV charging infrastructure and automotive ecosystem development strategy.
Smriti holds an MBA from Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore and a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering.
Subhashree Ramarathnam
Subhashree, currently based in Dubai, is Principal Consultant with Frost & Sullivan's Mobility Practice. She has over 13 years of combined management consulting and OEM experience (in Customer Oriented Engineering) in the global markets with a strong knowledge on the Middle East Markets. Her experience includes covering broad range of sectors, working with leading industry experts to deliver high profile Mobility projects from inception through to delivery, with particular expertise in: New Mobility Business Models (Leasing, car sharing, Used cars subscription, etc.), Omni-channel retailing of cars & spare parts and Automotive aftermarket.
Marc Kuntzsch
Marc Kuntzsch,, Vice President Aftermarket EMEA at Niterra EMEA GmbH (formerly NGK Spark Plug
Europe GmbH) based in Ratingen, Germany, always had a crush on cars. He went all the way
from trainee at a rental car service to Member of the Executive Board at Niterra EMEA.
With over 15 years of experience working in the Automotive Industry, he specializes in the aftermarket growth.
Continuous development of market shares and long-term strategic partnerships as well as a strong dedication to challenge the status quo is driving him forward. Marc is a real petrol head, using his tireless energy and passion to encourage others to succeed. His expertise is therefore highly valued by corporate partners (Member of Executive Board AAMPACT, Member of Advisory Board GVA and at ATR Germany).
Marc says his daily inspiration are his wife and daughter.
Gaurav Malhotra
Vibrant and result-oriented leader are some of the adjectives which describe Gaurav in a few words. He is currently the Head of Consumer PBU for Bridgestone Middle East and Africa. In his role, he oversees consumer tyres strategy, pricing, product mix management and Retail channel development. In addition to that, he is also responsible for managing retail and product marketing.
Gaurav joined Bridgestone in 2016 as Branch Manager for Gulf, East Africa and Nigeria and was part of the transformation journey within the company. In 2020, he took over the newly formed Position as Head of Consumer PBU.
Born in India, Gaurav has experience working in the sector in five different countries, including US, Germany, Italy, and UAE. He started his career in P&G in Germany and then moved to Italy with Danone. After finishing his stint in Italy which lasted for about 2 years, he moved to the Middle East with Pirelli where he worked in Sales, Marketing & Retail.
Gaurav has an MBA from London Business School. He loves to travel and being father to his twin girls Aahana and Aarohi.
Fabio Sacchi
Fabio Sacchi is VP of EV Commercial Business Development for DHL Team EV. His work focuses on promoting new development and logistic solutions that fit emerging customer's business models in EV ecosystem. Fabio’s career spans over 20 years in the Transportation and Logistics Industry, 15 of which were dedicated to automotive. Thanks to his experience he has become an expert in Freight Forwarding, Express, and Supply Chain, supporting innovation and solutions applied specifically to the automotive sector. He has endorsed different management responsibilities during his career which took him to every corner of the world.
Gurhan Cevikel
With over 15 years of experience spanning the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and Asia, Gurhan Cevikel assumes the role of Head of Marketing – MEA at Bridgestone., He is in charge of defining, coordinating, and executing the marketing strategy for the MEA region in line with the BSEMIA Marketing Guidelines and MEA strategic priorities. He oversees all marketing activities - including Brand Platforms Activation, Trade Marketing, Communication, Digital Marketing, Pricing, and Strategic Planning.
Gurhan's impressive journey includes a notable stint at Shell, where he ascended to the position of Global Marketing Director - Retail Lubricants, demonstrating his expertise in go-to-market strategies, pricing, portfolio management, and communication planning. Subsequently, he assumed the role of Head of Market Intelligence & Consulting at GFK Middle East & Africa LLC.
Gurhan's academic foundation is rooted in a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Bogazici University, complemented by a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from Yeditepe University. Fluent in both English and Turkish, Gurhan is poised to lead MEA's marketing endeavors to new heights.
Shailen Shukla
Shailen Shukla is an Alumni of Delhi University and IIM, Ahmedabad, is an astute professional with over 30+ years of experience in Logistics Management, Supply Chain Management, Profit Centre Management, Commercial Operations, Project Procurement and Management, Vendor Management and ERP & Systems Implementation.
Currently working as a Chief Logistics Officer at PicTruc LLC, a MHAO group company, with a JV with Unanu India. Powered by Massive Data and Innovation, PicTruc is well poised to bring in Disruptive Technology in Logistics through Marketplace and end-to- end Logistics Platform.
With a plethora of Truck, Trucker and Intermediates Database, PicTruc continuously monitors the movement of Freight to provide much needed insights-enabling you to make better, more proactive logistics decisions.
Previously for 9 years, worked as Business Head of JECL Logistics LLC (A 3PL company under the Jumbo Electronics Group) and Head Logistics, Jumbo Electronics, a top UAE Electronics Distributor / Retail Chain. Winner of “SCATA (Supply Chain And Transport Awards) – Supply Chain Of The Year Award 2013” and “Supply Chain Of The Year - Highly Commended” in 2014, “Supply Chain Manager of The Year – Highly Commended” in 2015!!!
Shailen Shukla
Shailen Shukla is an Alumni of Delhi University and IIM, Ahmedabad, is an astute professional with over 30+ years of experience in Logistics Management, Supply Chain Management, Profit Centre Management, Commercial Operations, Project Procurement and Management, Vendor Management and ERP & Systems Implementation.
Currently working as a Chief Logistics Officer at PicTruc LLC, a MHAO group company, with a JV with Unanu India. Powered by Massive Data and Innovation, PicTruc is well poised to bring in Disruptive Technology in Logistics through Marketplace and end-to- end Logistics Platform.
With a plethora of Truck, Trucker and Intermediates Database, PicTruc continuously monitors the movement of Freight to provide much needed insights-enabling you to make better, more proactive logistics decisions.
Previously for 9 years, worked as Business Head of JECL Logistics LLC (A 3PL company under the Jumbo Electronics Group) and Head Logistics, Jumbo Electronics, a top UAE Electronics Distributor / Retail Chain. Winner of “SCATA (Supply Chain And Transport Awards) – Supply Chain Of The Year Award 2013” and “Supply Chain Of The Year - Highly Commended” in 2014, “Supply Chain Manager of The Year – Highly Commended” in 2015!!!