Hoda A. Al Khzaimi is currently a research assistant professor at New York University Abu Dhabi and the Director of Center of Cyber Security in New York University Abu Dhabi. Alkhzaimi has a specific expertise in Cryptology; cryptanalysis, constructing and validating security hardware and software components, constructing trusted security architectures for different environments in different

Abla Abdel Latif is currently the Chair of the Presidential Advisory Council for Economic Development, and the Executive Director and Director of Research of The Egyptian Center for Economic Studies (ECES). She is also a Member of the Central Bank of Egypt’s Coordinating Council and has been a Board Member of the National Bank of

Dubai Abulhoul is the founder of Fiker Institute. Through the Institute, she has helped shape policy conversations on global governance reform, diplomacy, climate security, culture, and the future of multilateralism, positioning Fiker Institute as a platform for rigorous debate on regional and international issues. Her policy work has been recognized by leading global platforms, including

John Achkar is a Lebanese stand-up comedian from Beirut, Lebanon. He is known for his Arabic-language comedy, which often explores themes related to the Arab diaspora, marriage, cultural identity, and work life. Achkar has toured internationally, performing across Europe, Australia, North America, and the Middle East and North Africa region, including the GCC countries.

Varsen Aghabekian is a Palestinian politician and academic. On 31 March 2024, she was appointed Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates by the Palestinian Authority, becoming the first person of Armenian descent to hold a ministerial position in the government. On 23 June 2025, she was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates

Samir Aita is the president of the Circle of Arab Economists. He served as CEO for Framasoft and set up a consulting company in economics and information technologies. He was advisor to the Chairman of Société Générale in Lebanon. He was Editor in Chief and Managing Director of Le Monde Diplomatique Arabic Editions.  He holds

Yousuf Al Bulushi is the Chairman of the Muscat Policy Council. He is a former senior diplomat, innovator, and entrepreneurial leader. Al Bulushi brings forward more than 20 years of work experience in the combined fields of science diplomacy, innovation, entrepreneurship, science and technology development and education. He has a proven track record in leading

Alaa Al Aswany was born in Cairo in 1957. A dentist by profession, he was one of the founding members of the Egyptian pro-democracy movement Kifaya and actively participated in the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. His debut novel, The Yacoubian Building (Feltrinelli, 2006), caused a sensation for the issues it addressed and has since become the