This event is available to watch on-demand.

Duration: 1 hour
Location: ON24 virtual event

Are you an infrastructure policymaker, investor, developer, owner or operator? Do the expectations and aspirations of your end-users and the community at large interest you? Then don’t miss this lively discussion of the steps that need to be taken, today, to underpin the delivery of sustainable, accessible and equitable infrastructure, tomorrow.
 
Hosted by GHD Chief Executive Officer, EMEA, Simon Light and expertly moderated by global advisor and urbanist Professor Greg Clark, our panel delved into the inherently social purpose of infrastructure and its important role as an enabler of intergenerational equity. The benefit of drawing on diverse voices in striking the right balance of community wants and needs will be central to the conversation.

Register now!

Host

Moderator

Simon Light

Chief Executive Officer, EMEA
GHD

Simon possesses a wealth of consulting experience in the built environment sector, having collaborated with leading global and regional organisations to design and deliver built asset solutions for clients and communities. He is the CEO of GHD’s EMEA business, encompassing operations in the United Kingdom, the UAE and Qatar. As a seasoned executive with a global perspective, Simon brings extensive knowledge across a variety of sectors, particularly within the infrastructure and real estate markets in the UK, Europe and the Middle East.

His expertise is bolstered by a proven track record of successfully leading and delivering results in multicultural environments and complex stakeholder landscapes. Simon’s ability to understand diverse market dynamics and stakeholder needs enables him to deliver comprehensive, integrated and effective solutions.

Professor Greg Clark

Global Urbanist, Innovator & Author
 

Prof. Clark is a global urbanist who has worked with 400 cities and is author of 10 books on cities and urbanisation. Greg is a Global Fellow at the Urban Land Institute (ULI). He is former chair of the OECD LEED Forum of Cities and Regions (1996-2016) and former Global Fellow at the Brookings Institution. He has advised the World Bank, European Investment Bank, Inter-American Development Bank and the HSBC Group on cities, sustainability and financial innovation. Greg also serves as Chair of the UK Connected Places Catapult and the UK Cities Commission for Climate Investment (3Ci). He is a board member of Transport for London and chairs its Land & Property Committee which oversees its development company, Places for London.

Greg’s global insight into city development, along with his wealth of cross-cultural knowledge, will enrich this dynamic panel discussion.

Our panel

Councillor Susan Aitken

Leader of the Council
Glasgow City Council

Susan became the Leader of Glasgow City Council in May 2017 when the Scottish National Party (SNP) emerged as the largest part and formed a minority administration. Elected as a Councillor for the Langside ward in 2012, Susan has led the SNP since 2014 and previously served as the Party’s spokesperson on health and social care. Prior to her election, Susan worked in various policy and research roles in the Scottish Parliament and the third sector and as a freelance writer and editor with a focus on health and social care policy.

Susan is also an advisory board member of the Cities Climate Investment Commission, addressing the challenge of financing the net-zero emissions transition in UK cities. She has been recognised for her contributions to social justice and climate action, earning titles such as Scottish Local Politician of the Year in 2019 and Scottish Council Leader of the Year in 2021.

Nadia Verjee

Executive Director
Expo City Dubai

Nadia is the Executive Director of Expo Dubai Group, the Global Initiative of Expo City Dubai and brings with her more than 20 years of experience in city, national and multilateral policy-making, international affairs and global campaigns, as well as in commercial diplomacy and strategic partnerships.

Nadia is a strong supporter of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and is a Board Member of the UN Global Compact Network in the UAE. Previously, Nadia was Chief of Staff at Expo 2020 Dubai, where she played a pivotal role in the planning, delivery and execution of the first World Expo in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region. She is an MSc graduate of the European Institute at the London School of Economics and Political Science and a BA graduate of Modern European Languages at University College London.

Jazmin Burgess

Director, Inclusive Climate Action
C40 Cities

Jazmin is C40’s Director for Inclusive Climate Action where she manages the team and strategic direction of C40’s work with cities on equitable, inclusive and fair responses to the climate crisis including city policies and programmes, peer-to-peer learning, mayoral advocacy and leadership, and data and research. Jazmin has held previous roles at C40 as Deputy Director for Inclusive Climate Action and Head of the Global Green New Deal Initiative.

Before joining C40, Jazmin worked at City Hall in London for current C40 Chair Mayor Sadiq Khan as Head of Climate Change Mitigation, and as Senior Adviser to the Deputy Mayor for Environment. Before City Hall, she spent eight years at the United Nations for UNDP and UNICEF on development and climate approaches at the country and HQ level in London, Hanoi, Geneva and New York where she worked on the process to negotiate and deliver the Paris Agreement, with a particular focus on the needs of Global South countries.

Fatma Abulhoul

Projects Manager
Dubai Future Foundation

Fatma is a sustainable and renewable energy engineering professional currently working with the Future Foresight and Imagination team at the Dubai Future Foundation. Prior to joining the Dubai Future Foundation, Fatma has worked at the Ministry of Energy as a Sustainability Engineer, in which she has contributed to initiatives related to climate change, renewable energy, and international affairs.

With her knowledge in the future energy and climate change space as well as her ability to work collaboratively across sectors, Fatma currently works on a range of interdisciplinary projects, aiming to inspire others and create an impact for future generations.