His Excellency Abdulla Ahmed Balala is the chairman of Masdar City and Abu Dhabi's assistant minister for energy transition and sustainability affairs.

A seasoned commercial executive, urban planner, and civil engineer, H.E. has extensive expertise in developing strategies to accelerate profitable commercialization and partnership development for large-scale projects. This includes sustainable urban developments, some of which have required creative bespoke solutions, as well as asset monetization and optimization of financial operations. 

H.E. oversees development and operations at Masdar City, driving the growth of its strategy, partnerships, and industry clusters. He also led the successful establishment of the Masdar Green REIT, first green REIT in the MENA region, which is now worth over AED 2.8 billion. H.E. also serves on several boards of directors including Ennovate LLC, Masdar EDF ESCO JV, and Emerge Limited.

Previously, Balalaa served as the executive director of sustainable real estate and the director of real estate development and asset management in Masdar's Sustainable Real Estate Division, where he was responsible for formulating and executing strategies to establish Masdar City as a global R&D hub. 

He holds an executive education degree in business administration from Harvard Business School, a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from Paris Sorbonne University, a leadership diploma co-validated by the University of Cambridge Abu Dhabi, and a bachelor’s degree in applied science and civil engineering from the Higher Colleges of Technology in Abu Dhabi.

Ahmed Baghoum oversees operations and development at Masdar City. He is responsible for driving its strategy, innovation-focused initiatives, partnerships, and R&D cluster towards sustainable growth.

A Masdar veteran, Baghoum joined the company in 2009 as director of the Free Zone at Masdar City, where he oversaw all special economic zone functions. He then took the role of executive director of human capital and services at Masdar. In this position, he led the department on talent acquisition, development, and optimizing the company’s UAE national workforce. He also led the company’s corporate services activities. Prior to joining Masdar, Baghoum was the executive director of customer operations at the Dubai Technology & Media Free Zone Authority. This included Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, and Dubai Knowledge Village. There he led the client interface and supported departments in the Customer Operations Division.

He also led the re-engineering of the Government Service Operations Department, where he helped develop and implement innovative servicing concepts by creating new partnerships with key government entities.

Baghoum holds an MBA from Texas Tech University. Additionally, he holds a master’s certificate in project management and management concepts from Regis University in the United States.

Mohamed Al Breiki is responsible for leading the advancement of sustainable development at Masdar City, from investment and planning to delivery and sustainable community management. Al Breiki provides strategic planning, value creation, and financial oversights in the development of real estate assets while maintaining highest standard of excellence.

He has over 20 years of development management experience, including planning and design, new construction, commercial tenant fit-out, operations optimization, and business plan execution. Previously, he has held roles at Mubadala, ADEK, and the Urban Planning Council. During his 10 years at Mubadala, he managed major projects in various sectors such as real estate, health care, education, aerospace, and information and communications technology. Some of his notable Abu Dhabi projects include the design and delivery of New York University, the Four Seasons Hotel, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, and Khazna Data Center.

While at the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, Al Breiki contributed to the master planning of various mixed-use developments across Abu Dhabi and worked collaboratively with real estate developers to ensure their plans were professionally designed, sustainable, and well-managed. At ADEK, he managed the development and implementation of a schools master plan in Abu Dhabi.

Al Breiki holds a BTEC national diploma in business studies from Southampton City College in England. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, a post-graduate diploma in business administration, and a master’s degree in engineering management from the Higher Colleges of Technology in Abu Dhabi.

Steve Severance oversees numerous projects that balance sustainability and economic requirements, guaranteeing each project meets sustainability, revenue, cost, and schedule targets.

Severance also leads the development of the technology lines of business, including district cooling, mobility, and smart city initiatives. He develops new business models, execution of strategies, and partnerships with leading global companies to implement technology requirements.

He has 20 years of experience in project and program management, strategy consulting, financial analysis, and economic development in the United States, Moldova, and the Middle East.

Severance holds a Master of Business Administration from San Jose State University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Cedarville University in the U.S.

Francisco Galan is the director of development and portfolio management at Masdar City. He is responsible for development and investment in residential and commercial projects across their full cycle, and for management of Masdar City’s real estate portfolio.

Galan leads the Masdar Green REIT, the first real estate investment trust in the UAE to invest solely in sustainable assets. The REIT’s portfolio currently includes 11 commercial properties in Masdar City with a value of around AED 2.8 billion.

A real estate industry veteran with over 20 years’ experience, Galan joined Masdar in 2016 as senior development manager, responsible for phases 1 and 3 of the Etihad Eco Residences project. Before joining Masdar, he was the general manager for auction.com, an online real estate platform in his native Spain. He has also held management positions at Hines Interests Spain.

Galan holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management, a post-graduate diploma in urbanism and real estate development, and a master’s degree in finance from IE Business School.

Mohammed Abdelrazik is a real estate asset management expert with 20 years of experience in commercial real estate, specifically in asset management roles, responsible for the formulation of effective business strategies to optimize asset performance across all asset classes: commercial, retail, residential, industrial, and hospitality. At Masdar City, he oversees the development and execution of sustainable asset management strategies and plans for the city’s assets and community.

Abdelrazik started his career in London in 2001 with Marriott International and worked extensively across the EMEA before moving to the UAE in 2007. Prior to joining Masdar City, he worked for UAE-based real estate developers leading in-house asset management teams as well as regional consultancy firms providing advice to asset managers and real estate developers on real estate development and asset optimization strategies.

He is a member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors with keen interest in climate risk to sustainable development, biodiversity, and the transition from offsetting to nature-based solutions locally.

Amier Al Awadhi brings business opportunities and investments to Masdar City by pioneering ways to attract companies, from start-ups to multinationals, to establish their businesses at the Masdar City Free Zone. He has successfully managed to increase the free zone’s business portfolio to over 1,100 companies. Key tenants include Siemens, Honeywell, and Lockheed Martin.

Al Awadhi brings more than 20 years of experience in business development and relationship management to his role. He has in-depth knowledge of international business research, sales and marketing, franchising, strategy, project management, financial management, and real estate and company development.

Prior to his time at Masdar City, Al Awadhi established the National Bank of Abu Dhabi’s real estate arm, Abu Dhabi National Properties (ADNP). Amier was appointed as ADNP’s deputy general manager and vice president.

Other previous roles include the head of special projects with Dubai World at Dubai Maritime City, the sales division lead with Dubai World’s Nakheel, the SME department lead with Dubai Development Investment Authority, and a relationship manager elite with HSBC. Al Awadhi holds a master’s degree in digital communication and marketing from Sorbonne University Paris and a bachelor’s degree in international business management from the University of New Hampshire in the U.S.

A seasoned architect with particular expertise in sustainable design, Chris Wan focuses on advocating for sustainability and ESG at Masdar City and beyond through outreach, public education, and knowledge sharing.

Wan has worked extensively in sustainability, architecture, and design management in Hong Kong and Abu Dhabi. Previously, he was the head of design management at Masdar, where he promoted a holistic approach to sustainable development that balances environmental, commercial, and social requirements.

Wan has made many contributions to Masdar City. His work has led to the construction of multiple developments that explore the boundaries of sustainable design, including a series of net-zero energy buildings.

Wan holds bachelor’s degrees in architecture from the University of Bath in the U.K.

Lukas Sokol is responsible for the Masdar City master plan including land use, transportation, public realm, development approvals, and sustainability.

His team explores the latest strategies and technologies to pioneer a new model of development in which people live more meaningful, productive, and sustainable lives.

Prior to joining Masdar City, Sokol came to the UAE to help with the founding of the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, where he managed the Urban Design Studio for more than a decade. His work focused on development reviews, urban design, and master planning for the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Sokol has worked internationally in planning and urban design for over 20 years. He is passionate about designing cities that enable people to live meaningful lives and continues to research and lecture on city urban planning and design.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture and a master’s degree in landscape architecture from the University of Arizona in the U.S. He also holds a master’s degree in cities from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Sami Abouhatab is responsible for investing in Masdar City’s workforce.  He is a seasoned HR professional with 20 years of experience in all aspects of human capital, including management, recruitment, talent acquisition, employee relations, employee engagement, employee retention, and succession planning.

He has a passion for people, local talent development, and growth. He believes that sustainability and employability are similar: Both help build economies and businesses that future generations can enjoy.

Prior to joining Masdar City, Abouhatab led human resources at the UAE Ministry of Youth, Abu Dhabi Ship Building, and Al-Futtaim Logistics.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Adman and a master’s degree in international business management from the University of Wollongong.

Suleiman Amin leads The Catalyst, the first venture investor focused on climate tech in the MENA region. The Catalyst is a joint venture between Masdar City and British Petroleum. Under Suleiman's guidance, it has become a major player in the sustainable tech ecosystem.

Amin oversees The Catalyst’s day-to-day operations, sources deals, conducts due diligence, and manages the portfolio, ecosystem engagement, and investor outreach. His positive attitude and strong sense of direction have had a significant impact on the portfolio, fostering a culture of growth and success.

Before joining The Catalyst, Amin was part of the Mubadala Venture Capital team, where he was involved in and led several venture investments in notable MENA companies. He also managed relationships and supported the strategies of major funds he and his team invested in. Prior to that, he worked at Auvest Capital, a hedge fund in Dubai, where he focused on strategy and fundraising.

Amin began his career at Morgan Stanley Investment Banking and Wealth Management, where he gained valuable experience in finance and investments. His specialties include strategy, fundraising, and start-up development with a focus on sustainability and climate tech.

Amin holds a bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College in the U.S., where he double-majored in international business and economics and double-minored in English literature and classics. 

She has spent the last 35 years in outreach, communications, education, and tourism development with a particular focus on people. She specializes in outreach and education program delivery, stakeholder relations, protocol, and delivering excellent customer experience.

Prior to joining Masdar, she worked in the private sector and served the UAE government at the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, Abu Dhabi, the Department of Culture and Tourism, and Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing in addition to volunteer work in NGOs focusing on culture and education.

Sabti has traveled extensively and lived in the UAE for the past 27 years.  She has a passion for culture and in-depth experience working in very diverse environments. Throughout her career, she has conceptualized and managed events of all sizes, managed stakeholder engagement, developed and delivered outreach and learning programs, and actively contributed to organizational development. She also has extensive experience in the development and delivery of nationalization programs.

Sabti is the mother of a young aerospace/mechanical engineer and loves connecting people, being in nature, keeping active, traveling, music, and art. She is passionate about inclusion, diversity, lifelong learning, and sustainability.

She is a certified behavioral assessor for development centers. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and education from the University of New South Wales in Australia.

Sebastien Miller is responsible for Masdar City’s public realm, including parks, plazas, and streets, as well as the general visitor experience, including open space programs and activations, as well as sustainability, transportation, and architectural interfaces.

Prior to joining Masdar City, he worked as a landscape architect, urban designer, and master planner on numerous international projects in the Middle East, Australia, Europe, and the U.K.  With 20 years of experience, he has worked on some of the most prestigious mixed-use developments, public parks, waterfront communities, resorts, and eco-tourism projects in the region.

Miller offers expertise and skills in visioning, spatial design, project implementation, authority compliance, and construction knowledge. He consistently explores new opportunities for pilot projects, including innovation and tech projects, as well as retail activations, to improve Masdar City’s urban experience.

Miller has authored numerous articles on the public realm, transport, sustainability, and housing that have been published in some of the U.K.’s leading professional journals.

He holds a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from Heriot-Watt University in Scotland. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in the built environment and a graduate diploma in landscape architecture, both from the Queensland University of Technology in Australia.

Mohamed Moussa is responsible for delivering the development projects inside Masdar City, from the project feasibility study to the tenant handover, including design, approvals, tendering, construction, procurements, and maintaining Masdar City’s standards throughout.

Prior to joining Masdar City in 2009, Moussa worked with top UAE developers such as Nakheel during the construction of Palm Jumeirah and the world project. He has also been involved in several unique projects with Ferrari World and the Ritz Carlton Abu Dhabi. He also helped lead the construction of the UAE pavilion at Expo 2020  in Dubai.

Moussa is a trained civil engineer, having completed several training and courses related to project management, contracts, and cost management, with more than 20 years of construction experience. He is passionate about delivering remarkable and sustainable buildings for communities of the future.

Lutz Wilgen leads the design management team at Masdar City, pursuing and adopting holistic approaches in sustainable real estate design. He joined Masdar in 2016.

Combining integrated design processes with stakeholder collaboration, Lutz explores practical ways to optimize the balance between environmental, social, and commercial requirements.

He is passionate about the built environment and is constantly exploring opportunities to improve it.

Wilgen completed his undergraduate studies in interior design and architecture at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in South Africa. He also holds a master’s degree in project management from the University of Westminster and a Master of Business Administration from Hult International Business School, both in the U.K.

He has worked in South Africa, the U.K., Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. 

Ben Rumsey oversees a variety of large-scale sustainable real estate projects at Masdar City. He also acts as the shareholder liaison for the Masdar Green REIT (MGR), the first real estate investment trust in the region to invest solely in sustainable real estate assets.

Rumsey played a key role in the structuring and incorporation of the MGR, and since incorporation, he has liaised closely with the fund manager to ensure day-to-day alignment with the shareholder.

He has 12 years of real estate experience, in both the U.K. and the UAE, having worked for Tier 1 clients, consultants, and contractor organizations. Prior to joining Masdar City in 2019, Rumsey worked as an associate development manager for Miral Asset Management, where he supported the development of a $3 billion mixed-use master development in Yas Bay in addition to numerous strategic cultural projects.

Rumsey holds a master’s degree in real estate investment and finance from Herriot Watt (Dubai campus), where his thesis was awarded the “best dissertation of the year.” He has a bachelor’s degree in quantity surveying and commercial management from the University of the West of England and has been a member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors since 2015.

Claire Hughes Munro is a fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors with more than two decades of real estate experience including 18 years in the GCC region. Her experience encompasses the entire real estate asset life-cycle of investment-grade, mixed-use portfolios. She specializes in asset and performance management, development advisory, operator management, and complex transactions.

Prior to joining Masdar City, Munro held senior asset management, corporate real estate, and transactional positions in the UAE’s top-tier development and investment companies. She also held international consultancy roles in which she advised government and sovereign entities on asset performance optimization across complex portfolios.

Munro is a member of the RICS UAE Market Advisory Panel, in which she informs the development and implementation of the research and activity elements of the RICS Business Plan.

She is passionate about the potential positive impact of the built environment and managing its impact on the natural world.

Munro holds a bachelor’s degree in Scots law from the University of Edinburgh and a master’s degree in land management comprising real estate development, investment and valuation from the School of Built Environment at the University of Reading in the U.K.

Gaurish is an architect and urban designer with over 25 years  of experience on prestigious projects such as Reem Island Development, the Bahrain Investment Wharf, Palm Jebel Ali, and Dubai Waterfront. He joined Masdar City in 2008.

Wagle has been instrumental in leading the Masdar City master plan design, development, and implementation over the past 15 years. He also leads the development review process for Masdar City and third-party development projects, as well as the Masdar City Sustainability Strategy.

Under his stewardship, Masdar City developed the first Sitewide Estidama PCRS Strategy in Abu Dhabi and  obtained the first “Exemplar” Rating for Central Park, which received multiple awards in 2022.

Wagle is a registered architect and urban planner in India and the UAE. He graduated as an architect from Goa University, India, in 1995 and completed his post-graduate diploma in urban design from CEPT University, India, in 1997.

Wagle is actively involved in lectures and workshops on sustainable and smart city Planning at Masdar City, Paris Sorbonne University, Abu Dhabi, CEPT University and the Khalifa University of Science and Technology’. He was also invited as a global leader on Energy, Environment and Sustainable Cities to speak at the United Nation’s International Students Energy Summit 2015, in Bali, Indonesia. 

Head, Marketing and Communicatio

As the head of marketing and communications of Masdar City, Abu Dhabi's flagship sustainable urban development, Nermeen Negm is responsible for the identification of new markets and partners with a focus on innovation and technology, as well as achieving increased value for existing partners and Masdar City's Free Zone.

She also manages the creation and delivery of marketing and communications strategies and plans to further position the city as the leading innovation and sustainable technology business ecosystem

Negm has more than 20 years of experience in business development, marketing, communications, and events. Having worked in sustainable urban development, shopping mall and luxury fashion retail, advertising and th telecommunication industries, she has developed a passion for stakeholder network mapping to achieve business development goals, and conceptualizing marketing and communications campaigns that build memorable brands. 

Eyad Abdulla is responsible for spearheading the development and execution of technology strategies to support smart city initiatives at Masdar City. He has been instrumental in harnessing emerging technologies to enhance the quality of life for citizens, optimize resource allocation, and improve overall technology operations, including the deployment of smart grids, intelligent transportation systems, IoT infrastructure, and data analytics platforms.

His expertise also extends to areas such as digital governance, open data initiatives, and citizen engagement, ensuring that smart city solutions are designed with inclusivity, transparency, and privacy in mind.

Throughout his career, spanning more than 20 years, Abdulla has successfully led large-scale technology implementations, including enterprise-wide infrastructure upgrades, cloud migration projects, and digital transformation initiatives. He has also worked in cybersecurity, data analytics, and artificial intelligence, enabling him to navigate the rapidly evolving technology landscape and deliver secure and scalable solutions.

He holds a bachelor's degree in computer science engineering from Amman University, where he developed a strong foundation in software development and system architecture. He also holds certifications in project management, enterprise architecture, and cloud computing.

Fouad Iskandarani leads facilities management at Masdar City. This includes managing multiple service contracts, building maintenance and energy management,  space design and fit-out project management, supervising construction logistics, and overseeing security services.

Prior to joining Masdar in 2014,  he held a similar role at Emirates NBD, where he managed a real estate portfolio covering a built-up area of 2.5 million square feet, including several office towers and more than 200 bank branches across the UAE.

He was also a director in a family-owned group of companies with diversified businesses in areas such as construction, building materials trading, oil and gas services, office and home furniture manufacturing, automotive repair, and more.

Iskandarani holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the United States International University of Europe (now Alliant International University). Additionally, he is a Certified International Project Manager (CIPM) and a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). He is also certified in contracts management.

Amna Saeed Alzaabi supports the sustainable development and architectural design of various projects across Masdar City.  She also provides support though outreach and knowledge sharing to government entities as well as in third-party development reviews that aim to achieve Masdar City’s sustainability goals.

 Alzaabi  has made many other contributions to Masdar City, including her support in the design of The Link, an in-progress development at Masdar City featuring Abu Dhabi’s first net-zero energy corporate headquarters building.

She holds a master’s degree in urban planning and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the American University of Sharjah.