Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor, Texas A&M University, IEEE Fellow


Haitham Abu-Rub, PhD, IEEE Fellow
Managing Director of the Smart Grid Center – Extension in Qatar
Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department | Texas A&M University at Qatar
Co-Editor in Chief of the IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics
General Co-Chair, 50th Annual Conference of IEEE Industrial Electronics Society (IECON 2024)
Chief Technical Officer - Nama Electricity Distribution


Mr. Yousuf Mohammed Al Mahrooqi joined the Company in June 2023 as general manager of corporate affairs. Mr. Al Mahrooqi is also a member of [the internal tender committee] within the Company. Prior to his current role, he was in Acting Chief Distribution Officer at MEDC, and he has previously held roles within the Company in Regulatory, Compliance and Corporate Planning, Operation Manager, Senior Manager Projects Delivery. Mr. Al Mahrooqi has also held the position of [Health, Safety & Environment (HSE)] Chairman for Nama Improvement Committee. Mr. Al Mahrooqi has a Master of Science in network planning from Sultan Qaboos University, Oman since 2012 and a Master of Research in business administration from Liverpool University, UK since 2016.
Electrical Discipline Head, PDO


Abdullah A Khayari has a Bachelor's degree in Electric & Electroclinic-Power from Sultan Qaboos University and Master’s in Business Administration from Bedfordshire University, UK. He has experience of 22 years of work in Petroleum Development Oman (PDO). Currently he is working as Electrical Discipline Head in (PDO) managing Electrical discipline standards, people development and design assurance.
VP Hydrogen & DeCarbon, Siemens Energy


Erik Zindel from Siemens Energy is VP for Hydrogen & Decarbonization Strategy. In this role he is responsible for hydrogen activities within the “Gas Service” Business Area of Siemens Energy, leading the initiative for use of hydrogen and green fuels in gas turbines and supporting Business Development and Sales around the hydrogen value chain. Together with representatives from the other Business Areas, he participates in the definition and execution of the P2X and Carbon Circularity strategy of Siemens Energy. He is also project lead for the H2 Academy, developing and fielding a a comprehensive training curriculum on hydrogen for the company.
Erik Zindel has been working for Siemens Energy during the last 31 years in Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, South Korea and Mexico in a large variety of positions for both large fossil-fired and renewable power plants as well as for industrial power plant applications. Erik Zindel grew up in Zaragoza/Spain and has a Master´s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Darmstadt/Germany
Senior Principal Consultant, DNV


Septimus Boshoff (M’ 1984, S.M’ 2020) has 36 years of professional experience, working on projects in various countries. He has provided consulting services for analysis, design, specification and project engineering of power quality equipment, power electronic systems and reactive power compensation systems, including FACTS devices (SVC’s, STATCOM) in the high voltage power transmission industry. Septimus has experience in bilateral power supply agreements between utilities (international) as well as between utilities and end users with specific reference to all technical matters. He is skilled in engineering simulation and analysis of power system problems, including harmonic impact analysis and assessment high voltage power systems. Septimus is currently a member of IEEE WG on STATCOM specification, as well as IEEE WG on DRPC protection specification.
Senior System Design Engineer, Siemens Energy


David Langner (M’ 2014, S.M’ 2019) has >15 years of professional experience, working on FACTS projects worldwide. David earned his Dipl.-Ing. (FH) in Electrical Engineering from the University of Applied Science of Hannover, Germany in 2008. Since then, he has been working for Siemens Energy (former Siemens AG) and is the responsible system design engineer in many SVC, STATCOM, Hybrid STATCOM and Synchronous Condenser tenders/projects. David is currently the Chair of the SCI0-FACTS & HVDC Stations Subcommittee, the Vice-Chair of the two Working Groups (WG) I4-SVC since 2015 and I3-DRPC since 2020 and has been working in relevant IEEE WG (I2, I3, I4, I5, I9, I11) since 2012. He has authored multiple technical papers and organized a handful of panel sessions and tutorials.
Principal Engineer for Power Grid and Renewables, Hydrom

Khalfan Al Kharusi holds BSc, MSc, and PhD degrees in Electrical Engineering from Sultan Qaboos University (2008, 2013, 2023). His career spans diverse roles: control engineer at OETC Load Dispatch Centre, electrical engineer at Worley Parsons, and section head of protection analysis at Nama Electricity Distribution Company. Currently, he is a principal engineer for power grid and renewables at Hydrom. His research focuses on power system protection, control, and AI applications. He contributes to the advisory board for SQU's Electrical and Computer Department and as a member in the energy committee of the Oman Society for Engineers, with multiple publications in his field.
Head of the SynErgie Coordination Office, Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA

Can Kaymakci combines his expertise in manufacturing and energy efficiency with tools of artificial intelligence. He was able to successfully apply this multidisciplinary expertise at the Fraunhofer IPA in the Industrial Energy Systems department, where he developed innovative solutions at the interface between research and industry. His career progression culminated in his role as project coordinator for SynErgie, a flagship project of the German Federal Government's Digital Strategy, involving approximately 70 partners. Leading the SynErgie project reinforced his belief that the future lies in the intelligent connection of science, industry, and technology.
Senior Manager - GEIDCO

Dr. Kai FU was born in Shandong Province, China. He is an Economist and Senior Manager on grid interconnection at the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO). His expertise includes MENA economic & social affairs study, energy & resources research in China, Africa and MENA countries. GEIDCO is a no-profit INGO, initiated by the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), with HQ in Beijing and 7 regional offices around the globe. At GEIDCO, he is working on international collaboration, energy green transition and sustainable development in the MENA region, and cooperation with government ministries, international organizations, research institutes, energy companies, financing parties, and think-tanks. He participated in the preparation of several GEIDCO annual reports on energy transition and sustainable development in the MENA region.
Dr. Kai holds a doctorate in Arabic Study from the Alexandria University of Egypt, and is an economist certified by the Chinese government.
Global M&S Manager Power Consulting, Hitachi


Amer Omanovic is a seasoned professional in the energy and grid consulting industry, currently serving as the Global Marketing & Sales Manager for Power Consulting at Hitachi Energy. With a career spanning nearly two decades, Amer has held various pivotal roles, including Consultant, Business Development Manager, and CEO, demonstrating a profound expertise in energy systems and infrastructure. He received his Master in Power Engineering from the Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden.
Consultant in Electricity Market & Regulation, Elia Grid International - Germany


Siti Aziz is a Consultant in Electricity Market & Regulation with nearly a decade of experience in the energy sector. Her expertise spans management consultancy, business analysis, stakeholder management, and techno-commercial aspects of energy systems, with a strong focus on renewable energy and sustainability. Equipped with an MBA in Energy Management from Technical University Berlin, Siti has contributed to diverse projects, such as co-founding a startup in aggregating storage micro-capacities and enabling flexibility mechanisms, developing power system resiliency, working on grid code and roadmaps with increasing RES penetration or more broadly electrification of power. She is fluent in English, German, French, and Malay.
Senior Vice President and Head, Siemens Grid Software Middle East & Africa

Ralf was appointed in January 2022 and has been in the forefront for grid software business in the Middle East since. As the Senior Vice President he is responsible for the grid operators and industries across Middle East in transmission and distribution control centers, AMI, grid planning, microgrids and EV charging management.
In his previous role as Global Product Manager for Energy Efficiency Analytics, Ralf was leading the way for SaaS product to derive energy and process efficiency measures from big data and AI analysis of energy consumption and process data in industrial and infrastructure processes.
He holds a Dr.-Ing in Thermoacoustic and Dipl.-Ing in Aerospace, Aeronautical and Aeronautical Engineering with majors in Fluid Dynamics and Thermodynamics.
Power Quality Solutions Sales Manager – MEA, Hitachi Energy


Abdulaziz Mikwar is power quality solutions (PQS) sales and marketing in Middle East & Africa. He has been involved in developing multiple PQS projects in the region for utility and renewables applications. He participated in different events to demonstrate the need for PQS in today’s & future power grids. He received his Master in Power Engineering from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. And his bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering from Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada.
NEOM Energy and Water (ENOWA)


Dr. Grain Philip Adam is a Principal Planning Expert with NEOM Energy and Water (ENOWA) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), a technical lead of 3000 MW and ±525 kV Bipole Voltage Source Converter HVDC Interconnector under construction between Yanbu and NEOM Industrial City (NIC), and a co-lead of NEOM Grid Design. Previously, Dr. Adam was with the Technology and Innovation Center (TIC) of the Institute of Energy and Environment (IEE) of the Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department, University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, UK. Dr. Adam has authored and co-authored over 100 technical reports as part of R&D with several tier 1 OEMs (ALTSOM Grid, UK; Mitsubishi Electric, Japan; and Rolls-Royce, UK), consultancies for major UK utilities (National Grid, Scottish Power and SSE), and Prestige European and UK research projects, and 3 books in power electronics applications in power systems. Dr Adam is known for his sustained contribution of original ideas in fundamental and applications of power electronics, and he has published over 150 journal and conference articles, with 19 articles ranked in the top 1% of the highly cited papers with more than 100 citations per paper. Dr Adam is senior member of IEEE, IEEE Power Electronics Society and IEEE Power and Energy Society (PES), and member of editorial board and associate editor of IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Power Electronics (JESTPE). Dr. Adam received several awards, for example, best paper awards for ICRERA conference in 2018 and 2022, PES reviewer of the year in 2018, star reviewer and associate editor of JESTPE in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Director of Electricity and Energy Efficiency Policies and Strategies, Ministry of Energy & Minerals


Maryam Al hashimi is a Policy and strategies specialist with over 15 years’ experience in policies and strategies Development. Over her working experience in the government entities, she had participated and led several policies and strategies projects relevant to the overall energy sector and electricity and water sectors. She is the Director of Electricity and Energy Efficiency Policies and Strategies in the ministry of Energy and Minerals. Before that, she held different positions at the former Public Authority for Electricity and Water and Ministry of Economy.
General Manager of Planning, Nama Electricity Distribution Company

General Manager of Planning, Nama Electricity Distribution Company
Planning & Economics Manager, Nama Water & Power Procurement

Electricity Project Manager, Nama Dhofar Services


With over 16 years of industry knowledge in the power utility sector, particularly in electricity distribution across numerous distribution firms in the Sultanate of Oman, I bring forth an excellent blend of leadership, operational acumen, and technical prowess. My professional journey also features an intensive nine-year tenure in a leadership position, offering me hands-on experience in team and project management. Presently, I am honing my managerial skills in the capacity of an Electricity Projects Manager at Dhofar Integrated Services Company. My role involves leading a high-performing project team and delivering a variety of electricity distribution projects for 33kV and below in Dhofar Governorate.
I am proficient at managing complex projects, outlining objectives, and navigating challenges to attain the desired objectives. My technical expertise, project management skills, and leadership experience make me an ideal professional in the power utility sector. As an academically well-rounded individual, I possess an MSc in Renewable Energy from Edinburgh Napier University (2021) and a bachelor’s degree in Power System & Energy Engineering (2007) from Sultan Qaboos University. These accomplishments have enriched my understanding of the sector, furnishing me with the knowledge and foresight to innovate in the ever-evolving energy market.
Sales Director: Enterprise Software Solutions, Hitachi Energy


Dylan is working as Head of Sales for Enterprise Software Solutions at Hitachi Energy based in Dubai , UAE.
In this role, he is responsible for the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa Region, focusing on all commercial activities for Hitachi Energy's Enterprise Software business.
Dylan has 20 Years of industry experience, focusing on the asset intensive and technology industries. In the last 8 years, he has been working closely with industry executives on their Asset and Energy Performance Management, Operations Management, and Equipment Reliability needs.
Technical Applications Leader, GE Vernova


A distinguished electrical engineer with 20 years of expertise in the Transmission and Distribution sector. Currently a Technical Leader for Asset Monitoring and Diagnostics at GE Vernova, he excels Grid Automation with focus on Asset monitoring and communications. Based in Dubai, UAE, Humayun has successfully led major Asset monitoring projects across the MENAT region. His career at GE spans for 14 years, where he has driven innovation and delivered impactful technical solutions, demonstrating a strong commitment to advancement in the industry.
Principal Technical Services Manager, Doble Engineering


Asim Bashir Bajwa joined Doble Engineering Co. UK in 2012, have been working in HV Diagnostics industry for last 17 years. He has specialized in condition assessment (offline) investigations of power transformers, along with contribution to numerous forensic scrapping projects UK wide. Asim has been part of CIGRE A2.55: Transformer Life Extension. A key element of this study was his involvement in life extension of 400kV shunt reactor and transformers for an electric utility in UK. Being a lead role in Asset Health Review domain, he has successfully delivered major utility’s transformers and reactors assessment and health indexing projects in past. Asim has presented Doble in numerous international conferences and adjoined in tailored training programs for customers with panel of experts.
JINKO SOLAR


I am an Electrical Engineer, Leveraging a Master's degree from the Lebanese University (Faculty of Engineering, Branch 2) and 7 years of experience with a proven track record in the solar energy sector.
Previously, as a Project Manager at Phoenix Energy (Indevco Group), I led diverse C&I (Commercial & Industrial) solar projects – on-grid, off-grid, and hybrid – from initial costing and procurement to design, execution, commissioning, and customer training. This experience solidified my expertise as an EPC contractor in the solar field.
Currently, I excel as a Technical Service Manager for the MENA Region for Jinkosolar. In this role, I provide pre-sales support, navigate contract negotiations, and participate in organizing events including marketing updates with technical part to show our clients our presence in the region and present our latest products and technologies. Additionally, I manage product lines and deliver customer training sessions, ensuring clients stay current on industry trends and technologies specially on the Solar PV panels part.
Senior Manager - Innovation Discovery & Design, Dubai Electricity & Water Authority


Head of Energy Services - Energy Excellence, OQ Alternative Energy


Head of Energy Services at OQ Alternative Energy, responsible for the implementation of OQ’s ambitious decarbonization targets with particular emphasis on energy efficiency. Development of appropriate strategies and the implementation of various business models to achieve these targets. Previously led the Business Development team at Enova by Veolia, to develop and deliver energy performance contracts and renewable energy projects across MENA.
Before relocating to the Middle East, Alan was part of the Technical Energy Division at Veolia implementing energy projects and Energy Management Systems that conform to ISO 50001 across the industrial and commercial sector.
A member of Engineers Ireland, Chartered Energy Manager with Energy Institute and holds CMVP certification through the Association of Energy Engineers.
General Manager, Aafaq Engineering Consultancy


Dr. Haitham Al Rasbi is a leading expert in sustainable architecture and energy efficiency, with over 10 years of experience. He holds a PhD in Sustainable Architecture, an MSc in International Construction Management and Engineering, and a Bachelor's in Architectural Engineering.
Dr. Al Rasbi's career spans various sectors in project management and engineering. As General Manager at Aafaq Engineering Consultancy in Muscat, Oman, he directed residential and commercial construction projects.
At the Rolton Group in the UK, he worked as a Sustainability Manager, optimizing building sustainability and thermal performance for diverse projects, including the Jaguar/Land Rover Factory and several shopping malls and schools.
Dr. Al Rasbi also served as a Project Engineer at Atkins, overseeing projects such as the Novotel Muscat Airport Hotel and Lamar Bowsher Residential Complex.
As a Senior Analyst at the Oman Vision 2040 Implementation Follow-Up Unit, he managed Tanfeedh initiatives and large tourism projects, developing key performance indicators and strategic milestones.
Dr. Al Rasbi currently leads Kafa'a, the energy services (ESCO) division of his consultancy firm Aafaq, focusing on energy conservation and reduction studies.
Senior Engineer – Projects Design, Nama Electricity Distribution


Gandhiraj Kanagalingam received the Bachelor of Engineering degree in electrical and electronics engineering from Bharathidasan University, India, in 2003. He is completed his Diploma in Embedded system and applications from Annamalai University in 2006 and completed his Master of Technology degree from Bharathidasan University, India in 2008.
He joined Nama Electricity Distribution (earlier Muscat Electricity Distribution Company) in 2013 as a Senior Projects Engineer in the project management department. His cutting-edge technology knowledge and optimization interests lie in the area of design optimization to reduce the projects CAPEX and OPEX cost. In 2016, he transferred from project management department to the projects design department to utilize his technology knowledge and design optimization experience to the substation design.
He made optimized, standard, cost and time effective changes in the Nama Electricity Distribution Substation design to enhance efficiency, more reliability and resilience to the future. He has presented papers in Nama technical seminars and workshops. He has collaborated actively with new engineers, trainee engineers, college students and
transfers his knowledge to them.
MASCHINENFABRIK REINHAUSEN GMBH


Helton Bezerra, electrical technical degree and began his career as an Electrical Engineer in Industrial Engineering University of Sao Paulo - FEI. Postgraduate degree in International Business Management in Curitiba, FAE, Brazil. Started the work experience in telecommunications and then, approximately 27 years ago, changed to electrical engineering applications, in the automation field later adding almost 20 years for Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen in Brazil. In this last opportunity, acting as Sales Manager dedicated to the Central and South American market to promote the complete MR portfolio. In May 2023, moved to MR Germany with a focus on MR's solution to hydrogen production plants, taking part from sales and technical discussions to implement our developed new solutions on MW and GW hydrogen plants already. Supporting technically already H2 projects under construction.
R&D Director


Vitthal Sawant has extensive work experience in the field of research and development. Vitthal is currently serving as Director of R&D and Innovation at Oman Cables and MEART Region for Prysmian Group. Vitthal have overs 20+ years of experience in Power Cables. Before joining Oman Cables, he worked in General Cable USA for 6 years. His main role is Designing Cables, developing innovative technologies and services while addressing customer needs for Electrical cables and managing advanced testing set-up of cables. He is actively involved in Sustainability initiative of the company. As an inventor he received 11 Patents for several new technologies he developed. He holds Bachelor and Master degree in Polymer Technology from one of premier institute in India, IIT Delhi. He presented several technical papers at international conferences. Overall, Vitthal has a strong background in research and development, with expertise in materials, innovation, and team leadership.
Senior Scientist in Power System, Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute


Dr.-Ing. Mohd Zamri Che Wanik is a Power & Renewable Systems Engineering and Research Specialist. He received his BSc. from the University of Evansville, U.S.A., MEngSc. from the Curtin University of Technology, Australia and Doktor der Ingenieurwissenschaften (equivalent to PhD) from Universität Duisburg-Essen, Germany in 1997, 2002 and 2011 respectively all in Electrical Engineering specialising in Electrical Power System. He was an academic staff at Malaysian National University where he teaches power system subjects and supervised theses.
He is acknowledged as an expert and was constantly referred by Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), the largest electric utility company in Malaysia. His works led to the amendment of Malaysia Grid Codes to accommodate large scale solar farm, improvement of Malaysian PV interconnection guidelines to medium voltage grid, pilot demonstration project on distributed generation management in TNB Distribution network, pilot demonstration of Microgrid operation at TNB, Malaysian Electric Vehicle charging infrastructure guidelines, the net metering policy with RE to name a few. Since 2016, he is with Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute as Scientist/Project Lead – Advanced Power Systems-Smart Grids. He is a senior member of IEEE, a member of IEEE PES, and a member of CIGRE.
Director, EU MED-GEM Network


Frank Wouters has been leading renewable energy projects, transactions, and technology development for more than 35 years and played a lead role in the development of renewable energy and hydrogen projects all over the world. He served as Deputy Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) from 2012 to 2014. Mr. Wouters has served on the board of energy companies in Europe, Asia, the US and Africa and currently serves as: Chairman of the MENA Hydrogen Alliance, Dubai Chairman of the Dii Advisory Board, Dubai Director of the EU MED-GEM Network, Brussels Fellow, Payne Institute, Colorado School of Mines, Denver Chairman of the Benelux Business Council Abu Dhabi Chairman of the HyET Group Advisory Board, The Netherlands Sr. Advisor to the Chairman, Welspun New Energy Ltd, Mumbai Sr. Advisor to Al Mahhar Holding, Doha Non-Executive Board Director of Gore Street Capital, London Frank has authored several books on renewable energy and green hydrogen and has lived in Abu Dhabi since 2009. He has a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Delft University.
OQ Alternative Energy


Mustafa Vahgjipurwala is Lead for Non-Technical Facilities working with OQ Alternative Energy under Energy Excellence group. Vahgjipurwala holds a BE degree in Instrumentation Technology from the Visvesvaraya Technological University, Karnataka, India and an MSc degree in Energy from the Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland. Vahgjipurwala is a
certified Professional Energy Manager by the Institute of Energy Professionals, U. S. A. and Chartered Energy Engineer by the Energy Institute.
Previously, Vahgjipurwala has worked with McDermott, Petrofac and Reliance Industries for 17 years on several oil and gas projects across the globe and at various levels, from graduate engineer to Lead Engineer. Vahgjipurwala’s research interests include: Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy and Energy Management.
Petroleum Development Oman


Idris Al Siyabi works as renewable energy lead part of the renewable energy department in petroleum Development Oman Company, Oman. Idris graduated as Mechanical Engineer from Sultan Qaboos University in 2005 and completed a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Sultan Qaboos University in 2011. Idris holds PhD degree in the renewable energy from the University of Exeter, UK with many publications in different areas of renewable energy such as solar PV, solar thermal energy storage and the integrated solutions.
Operation Director, Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority

Operation Director, Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority
Petroleum Development Oman


Idris Al Siyabi works as renewable energy lead part of the renewable energy department in petroleum Development Oman Company, Oman. Idris graduated as Mechanical Engineer from Sultan Qaboos University in 2005 and completed a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Sultan Qaboos University in 2011. Idris holds PhD degree in the renewable energy from the University of Exeter, UK with many publications in different areas of renewable energy such as solar PV, solar thermal energy storage and the integrated solutions.
Nama Electricity Distribution Company


Hanan Alabdali is an electrical engineer, graduating from the College of Applied Sciences Sohar. Currently employed as a Renewable Energy Engineer at Nama Group, she specializes in commissioning and energizing small-scale renewable projects up to 25 MW, while also conducting indepth studies on renewable energy topics. Hanan's career highlights include a pivotal role as PMO Lead with the Ministry of Energy and Minerals, where she spearheaded projects spanning renewable energy, electricity, hydrogen, CCUS, energy transition, and energy efficiency. Her passion lies in advancing sustainable energy solutions and contributing to the future of renewable energy initiatives.