IDCT 2026 Speakers

Home / IDCT 2026 Speakers

IDCT 2026 Speakers

AllDiplomats and High ExcellenciesAcademic and Policy MakersMedia and AI SpecialistsField Experts and Interfaith Leaders
🔍
H.E Zaki Nusseibeh

the Cultural Advisor to the President of the UAE
the Chancellor of UAE University

H.E. Sheikh Abdulla Bin Butti Al Hamed

Chairman of the National Media Authority

H.E. Dr. Abdulla Belhaif Al Nuaimi

Chancellor of Emirates Scholar Center for Research and Studies

H.E.-Maqsoud-Kruse

Executive Director of Hedayah

Elder David A. Bednar

Member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Dr. Fawaz Habbal

Director General of Emirates Scholar Center for Research and Studies

His Holiness Brahmavihari Swamiji

Head of BAPS Hindu Mandir, Abu Dhabi

H.E. Eng. Shaikha Al Hosani

Executive Director of Social Monitoring, and Innovation Sector And acting executive director for Strategic Affairs Sector - Department of Community Development – Abu Dhabi

Dr. Firas Habbal

President of Emirates Scholar Center and Chief Executive Officer of Geminos Investment Group

H.E Major General Dr. Abdul Quddus Al Obaidli

Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Intellectual Property Association

H.E Lorenzo Fanara

Ambassador of Italy to the United Arab Emirates

H.E Ahmed Al Debani Al Nuaimi

Board Member and the General Secretary - Emirates Association for the Talent

H.E. Dr. Etienne Berchtold

Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to the United Arab Emirates

Elder Adilson de Paula Parrella

Middle East/Africa North Area Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Dr. Mohammed Abdulla Al Ali

CEO of Trends Group

Ambassador (Ret.) Marc J. Sievers Diplomats and High Excellencies

former U.S. Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman

Sen. Cinzia Pellegrino Diplomats and High Excellencies

Member of the European Policies Commission

H.E. Mr. Euan Mackway-Jones Diplomats and High Excellencies

Lead Specialist - Dialogue, Peacebuilding, and Social Resilience, UNESCO

George Guido Lombardi Diplomats and High Excellencies

President of Republican Liberty Caucus (former President Trump Advisor)

Shannon Seban

Executive Director of European Affairs - Combat Antisemitism Movement
National Secretary of "Les Républicains"

Major General Giuseppe Petrella Diplomats and High Excellencies

General of the Carabinieri, Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Italy

H.E. Dr. Mohammed Jaber bin Jabr

Vice Chairman of the Board - Emirates Human Rights Associations

H.E Dr. Khalifa Mubarak Al Dhaheri

Chancellor of Mohamed bin Zayed University for Humanities

Dr. Ebrahim Al Alkeem Al Zaabi

National Risk & Policy Director, AML & CTF. UAE Government

H.E. Dr. Fatma Al-Dahmani Field Experts and Interfaith Leaders

Acting Head of the Tolerance and Coexistence Section at the College of Social and Human Sciences
a member of the UAE Fatwa Council

Dr. Noora Al Shamsi Field Experts and Interfaith Leaders

Board Member of the UAE Youth Leadership Program and Entrepreneur

Dr. Majid Al Sarrah Academic and Policy Makers

Legal Adviser and Expert in Public Policy

H.E Fadila Al-Muaini Media and AI Specialists

President of the UAE Journalists Association

Ahmed Ibrahim Ahmed

Attorney at Law – Member of the Board - Emirates Human Rights Associations

Saif Almansoori

Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Youth Council

H.E Muna Khalifa

Member of the Federal National Council (FNC)

Mark Albert Media and AI Specialists

founder and CEO of Media Advisory Experts

Issa Al-Jadidiy

Member at Youth Council of the General Command

Maaz Sheikh Media and AI Specialists

Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder at STARZ PLAY

Dr. Mohamed Al Hasan Media and AI Specialists

Media Manager at Security Industry Regulatory Agency- SIRA

Alessandro Bertoldi Academic and Policy Makers

Founder & Ceo AB GROUP - Executive Director Friedman Institute

Rabbi Aharon Ariel Lavi

Managing Director of Jerusalem Interfaith Center

Dr. Jassim Al Awadhi Media and AI Specialists

Executive Director - Head of Enterprise Platforms at Emirates NBD

Dr. Jeffrey Bradshaw

Senior Research Scientist at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC)

Mansoor Alhosani

Member at Emirates Youth Council for Agriculture

Laurice Constantine Media and AI Specialists

Digital Managing Editor for Forbes Middle East

Khalifa Al-Qahtani

Member at Zayed Authority for People of Determination

Dr. Nidal A. Shoukeir Academic and Policy Makers

Executive Board Director, ICCEHS

H.E Haitham Alraeesi

Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Safety and Emergency Security Association

Dr. Khawla Al Hattawi Academic and Policy Makers

Assistant Professor at Rabdan Academy Science &Technology National Security Strategist

Rtn. Manpreet Singh Academic and Policy Makers

President, Indian Chamber of International Business

David Lazaro Academic and Policy Makers

Director of Edraak at Queen Rania Foundation for Education and Development

Mohammed Al Bishr

Member of the Youth Council at National Library and Archives

Marcus Sheff Academic and Policy Makers

CEO, IMPACT‑se

Dr. Yigal Ben‑Shalom Field Experts and Interfaith Leaders

President, Association for Yemenite Society, Culture, Research & Documentation

Dr. Rashed Karkain Academic and Policy Makers

CEO - Sustainable Development Research and Training Institute

Dr. Rahaf Ajaj Academic and Policy Makers

Associate Professor, College of Engineering, Abu Dhabi University.

Dr. Nir T. Boms Academic and Policy Makers

Research fellow at the Moshe Dayan Center at Tel Aviv University

Sultan Al-Siyabi

Member at Zayed Authority for People of Determination

Einat Levi Academic and Policy Makers

Strategic Consultant & Co-Founder of ViaCity - The Center for City Diplomacy

Dr. Sterling Denmark Jensen Academic and Policy Makers

Associate Professor, Tolerance & Coexistence, MBZUH

Jean Candiotte

UAE Representative, Tikkun Olam Makers (TOM)

Jawhara Al Junibi

Vice President of the Youth Council at Zayed Authority for People of Determination

Dr. Omar Bortolazzi Academic and Policy Makers

Associate Professor; Director, Master of International Affairs, AUD

Prof. Sherine Farouk Academic and Policy Makers

Assistant Chancellor for Global Partnerships and Impact at Abu Dhabi University

Dr. Maxime Jaffré Academic and Policy Makers

Assistant Professor, UAE University (UAEU)

Abdullah Al Kaabi

Member at Emirates Youth Council for Entrepreneurship

Dr. Aleksandra Brankovic Field Experts and Interfaith Leaders

Founder, Cultural Center Taraba

Dr. Lina Abu Libdeh Academic and Policy Makers

Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at Al Ain University

Huda Raphael Sievers Field Experts and Interfaith Leaders

Researcher and tolerance advocate for Arab-Jewish dialogue in the Middle East

Mustafa Al-Ammar Field Experts and Interfaith Leaders

Security & Terrorism Expert for International News Channels

Jean-David Benichou Media and AI Specialists

Founder and President of Abraseed & Abramundi

Meera Al Shamsi

President of the Youth Council and a Genomic Genetics Analyst at Zayed Authority for People of Determination

Eran Vaskar

Chief Executive Officer at Argyle Consulting Group

Dr. Nahyan Helal

President of the Emirates Association for Community and Occupational Health (EACOH)

Hesham Salah

Chief editor at Al Mashhad

Fayez Al Yamahi

Chairman · Fujairah Youth Council

Dr. Abdalla Swikir

Assistant Professor Robotics Department AT Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence

Dr. Nesya Shemer

senior lecturer at the Department of Middle Eastern Studies at Bar Ilan University

Dr. Saada Khadragy

Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the College of Arts and Sciences at Umm Al Quwain University (UAQU), and Director of the Cybersecurity Program

Hamad Odhabi

Vice Chancellor for AI and Operational Excellence at Abu Dhabi University

Issa Al Bloushi

Member at Youth Council of the National Library and Archives

Dr. Ahmed Al Mansoori

Professor and Chairing the Department of Media and Creative Industries at the UAE University

Dr. Zainab Rasheed

Chief Technology Officer at Al Madad Group
CEO of Zennova Technologies

Luís Rodrigues

CPO & Regional Head of Middle East Lab49

Dr. Lolowa AlMarzooqi

Associate Vice Provost at New York University Abu Dhabi

Prof. Khaled Assaleh

Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Ajman University (AU)

Hamed Albastaki

Member at Sharjah Youth Council

Dr. Ahmed Dabbagh

Managing Director AI Academy at Polynome

Tannya Jajal

CEO of AIDEN

Steve Bambury

Head of Digital Learning and Innovation at JESS Dubai school group

Dr. Saed Alrabaee

Director of Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) United Arab Emirates University (UAEU)

Richard Fitzgerald

CEO and Founder of Augustus Media

Halima Al Hammadi

Member at General Command Youth Council

Paul Dawalibi

Chief Executive Officer at Innovation City

Fatima Al Mazrouei

Head of the Historical Archives Section at the National Library and Archives

Xi Liang

Head of Artificial Intelligence at Mashreq Bank

Samer Geissah

Head of Artificial Intelligence, Client Executive, Customer Team Head at Nokia

Saeed AlKetbi

Head of Research and Sharia Studies Preparation Section at General Authority of Islamic Affairs, Endowments and Zakat

Dr. Lisa Springer

Dean of the Division of Lifelong and Professional Studies (DLPS) and Associate Provost for Continuing and Digital Learning at at The Jewish Theological Seminary

Dr. Heba Aboukhousa

Assistant Professor at Mohamed Bin Zayed University for Humanities

Dr Seppe Verheyen

Director of Education and Outreach at the Abrahamic Family House (AFH)

Pranav Desai

Director of BAPS Hindu Mandir

Dr Roeia Thabet

Representative of Office of Public Affairs of the Baha’is of the United Arab Emirates

Anas Najdawi

Director of Abu Dhabi University's Dubai Campus at Abu Dhabi University

Vishal Mishra

Head of Data and AI at IDC Technologies, Inc.

Dr. ameena alsumaiti 

Associate Professor Electrical Engineering at Khalifa University

Prof. Christopher Hill

Vice President for Research and Innovation Canadian University Dubai

Dr. Ayman Al Hendy

Professor | Chair, Medical Sciences at Khalifa University

Dr. Hamdan Hamdan

Assistant Professor Biological Sciences at Khalifa University

Dr Sergio Hernández

External Policy Consultant UNESCO Learning Cities Expert

Ayelet Mavor

Co-Creator of Women Champions for Change (WCC)

Hamdan Al Hosani

Visitor Services and Operations Management at Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi

Rina Naor

Co-founder at LumiFlies

Hanan Alsanah

Co-Executive Director at Itach-Ma'aki

Elah Alkalay

Chair, International Women’s Network; Senior Partner, IBI Investment House

Ahmed Al Junaibi

Youth Council Chairman at Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD)

Mas Watad

Social entrepreneur, President & Co Founder, Dawsat Ltd

Natalie Sanandaj

Public Policy Director, Combat Antisemitism Movement

Rabbi Dr. Yakov Nagen

President of The Jerusalem Interfaith Center

Dr. Iyad Zahalke

Qadi of the Sharia Court of Appeals

Aysha Al Blooshi

Member of the Youth Council at Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi

Rabbi Ben Abrahamson

founder of the Al-Sadiqin Institute

Dr. Ofir Winter

Senior Researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS)

Necolas Hamwi

CTO / Production Manager at aratech.ae

George Stevens

Co-founder and strategic director of WeAreMENA

Hatem El-Hady

Representative of the Bahá’í International Community for the Arab region

Saoud Saqer

Engineer and Middle East Affairs Expert

Lenah Hassaballah

Editor at CNN Business Arabic

Prof. merouane debbah

Founder and Senior Director of the Digital Future Institute at Khalifa University

Danny Hakim

Director, Azrieli Foundation; Founder, Sports for Social Impact

Dr. Hind Yousif Sahoo Al Suwaidi

Chief Executive Officer – Safety and Emergency Security Association (SESA)

Prof. Rich Osguthorpe

Associate Academic Vice President and School of Education at Brigham Young University

Dr. Brian Willoughby

School of Family Life at Brigham Young University

Dr. Brett Scharffs

Professor of Law and Director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at Brigham Young University Law School

Jason Isaacson

Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer - AJC

Reva Gorelick

Interim Director, AJC Abu Dhabi

Shaily Majmudar

Women Leader - BAPS Hindu Mandir, Abu Dhabi

Dr. Bushra Al Blooshi

Executive Director of Cybersecurity Governance and Risk Management Department
- Dubai Electronic Security Center (DESC

Dr. Fatima Abdullah Al Hammadi

Head of the Youth Skills and Capabilities Development Department at the Family Development Foundation

Mohamad Albloushi

Digital Systems Development Advisor & Manager of Information Technology Section - Ajman Tourism Development Department

Dr. Mariam Ketait

Healthcare and Wellbeing leader and the founder of the wellbeing app: Ebb & Flow

Dr. Tahnoun Alameemi

Secretary-General at Arab Center for Electronic Media

Aram Aqil

Co-Founder of Yekmal Association, Germany–Syria

Mrs. Roya Hassan Ibrahim

Office of Public Affairs of the Baha’is in UAE

Dr. Najia Al Ketbi

Assistant Professor. Mohamed Bin Zayed University for Humanities

Shama Al Ali

Coordination and Engagement Executive, Youth Engagement Department, Youth Councils System

Prof. Asaf Romirowsky

Executive Director of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA) & Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME)

Maryam Hussien

Ambassador of Arab Women and Ambassador of Tolerance

Dr. Ahmed AlNeaimy

Senior editor at Wam

Ari Matityahu

Chairman - Wafa Global

Larry Huch

founding and senior pastor - New Beginnings Church

Salwa Abu Kashef

Head of Youth Communities, NOAL

Dr. Avni Chag

Research Specialist at Abrahamic family house

Dr. Avraham Weber

Adjunct Assistant Professor Yeshiva University, NY Reichmann University, Israel Marburg University, Germany

Dr. Aysha Abdulnour AL Janahi

Author and Trainer Specializing in Family Affairs

idct

Space 42 Arena 

Al Raha Beach, Abu Dhabi

View MAP

Explore

Submit

Highlights

Venue

Abu Dhabi Energy Center

view on map

Contact us

Emirates Scholar Center for Research & Studies

+971 2 409 3159

partnerships@emiratesscholar.com