Dr Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri is the Secretary General of the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD), the largest environmental regulator in the Middle East, responsible for protecting and preserving our natural resources and promoting sustainable development in the emirate.

Dr Al Dhaheri holds a PhD degree in Wildlife Conservation and Protection from the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom, which makes her the first Emirati woman to earn the accolade. She also holds two Masters degrees: in Environmental Science from UAE University (UAEU) in Al Ain, and another in Biological Conservation From the University of Kent in the United Kingdom. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Species from UAEU.

Dr Al Dhaheri began her career at EAD as a Researcher Assistant in the Agency’s Terrestrial Environment Research in 2000, and was later appointed as Executive Director of the Terrestrial and Marine Biodiversity Sector in 2012. In this role, she spearheaded initiatives to promote a comprehensive understanding of the state of biodiversity in Abu Dhabi and ensured that the sector’s goals were in line with Abu Dhabi Environment Vision 2030 and the Abu Dhabi Plan, among other national and emirate-level directives. She has played a defining role in establishing a clear vision for the sector to facilitate a sustainable environment and future for Abu Dhabi.

Dr Al Dhaheri has been credited for introducing innovative ideas and solutions to the field of environmental protection and species conservation and has overseen the implementation of numerous programs on biodiversity, protected areas, threatened species and fisheries, including national and global species reintroduction programs.

Dr Al Dhaheri serves on several committees and councils in the UAE. She is a board member of Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company, sits on the Board of Directors Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort, Emirates Nature-WWF, the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, the Advanced Technology Research Council and the International Fund for Houbara Conservation. She is also member of Abu Dhabi University Board of Trustees.

Dr Al Dhaheri is also an active member of many international organizations. In 2021, she was re-elected as a Regional Councillor to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Western Asia for the second time. She is also the Chair of the IUCN UAE National Committee and member of the advisory Board for UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

Dr Al Dhaheri won the Abu Dhabi Award for Excellence in Government Performance in 2015 and also the Al Dana Excellence Award in 2014. She is also recipient of the Rashid Bin Maktoum Awards for Scientific Excellence for PhD and Masters degrees in 2010 and 2005 respectively.

Dr Al Dhaheri also a mother of 5 boys.

Ahmed Baharoon has a Batchelors degree in Business Management and is the Executive Director of Environmental Information Science & Outreach Management sector (EISOM) at the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD).

For almost a decade, he has managed environmental data & information, science, outreach and education within EAD. Ahmed leads a team of professionals identifying environmental research knowledge gaps, managing extensive data collected by EAD’s field scientists, and developing and disseminating a range of scientifically credible environmental information products to stakeholders, enabling them to make better-informed decisions.

He is currently leading the establishment of the Abu Dhabi Environmental Research Network (ADERN) which is the first formal network bringing academics and researchers together to focus on addressing the environmental research priorities of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

In addition to his role as Executive Director, he is also Acting Director of the Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (AGEDI), responsible for a wide range of international scientific collaborations, including studies on Blue Carbon, Climate Change and biodiversity.

Before his appointment as Executive Director, Ahmed was the Head of Communications at the Emirates Falconers Club, Abu Dhabi, where he was involved in initiatives on falcon migration, breeding and traditional hunting activities.

Rasha Al Madfai is currently the Section Manager for Environmentally Sustainable Schools, Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD). She manages the development and implementation of outreach strategy and programmes in order to promote environmentally sustainable practices within Abu Dhabi schools. She has contributed to the achievement of the Abu Dhabi’s Emirate’s environmental priorities and agenda.

She has been working with EAD for nearly 20 years in different role such as Lead Programme Coordinator, Senior Environment Education Officer, Lab Technician etc.

She is part of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Eye on Environmental Education Committee. She has played an active role, representing EAD, at the UNESCO World Conference in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

She has a Masters in Islamic Economics and Wealth Management from Zayed University, Abu Dhabi and Bachelors in Education from United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain.

Rasha Al Madfai is the Head of the 12^th WEEC Local Organizing Committee.

Dr Richard John O’Brien Perry, PhD, FIEMA joined EAD in 1999 (then called ERWDA) to set up what is now EQS. He drafted the original EIA regulations for Abu Dhabi and the first Environmental Strategy in 2000. He also established the Protected Areas function and managed the GIS unit.  After a brief spell working as biodiversity manager in the Australian outback he returned to Abu Dhabi in 2006 to join ADNOC and then Masdar before returning to EAD in 2010 as Programme Manager for the Abu Dhabi Environment 2030 Vision. In 2012 he was appointed as Executive Director to establish the Environmental Science, Information and Outreach Management (EISOM) Sector and he now serves as an advisor.​

A gold medallist at the postgraduate degree course in geography, Gayatri took her M.Phil. degree from the Delhi School of Economics, Delhi University, with specialization on ‘The Human Impact on the Environment’. Since then, she has been ardently committed to spreading education and awareness about the environment. She taught for several years at university and high school before devoting 15 years at the Environment Agency- Abu Dhabi, to raise the profile of environment education in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi by strategizing, designing developing and implementing environment education initiatives across all sections of the society. She has travelled widely and has represented the Agency and the UAE in several international conferences and meetings on environment education.

Many of the initiatives that she had helped start and implement at the Agency have received regional and global awards. Few of those initiatives such as Enviro- Spellathon (an eco-literacy initiative) Sustainable Schools and Sustainable Campus Initiatives are still going strong and are now nationally implemented.

She has co-authored several publications and resource materials on environmental education. She has received accolades for her efforts to promote Environment Education from across the world. In 1998, she was conferred the Amateur Naturalist Award by the Emirates Natural History Group. In 2018 she received the Outstanding environment educator award in the global category by the North American Association for environment education. (NAAEE)

She currently serves as an Environment Education Consultant for UNEP India office. She coordinates global environment educational programmes implemented by Youth, Education & Advocacy unit of UNEP and also networks with various stakeholders for India specific environment educational initiatives. Currently she is engaged with the implementation of UNEP’s Tide Turner Plastic Challenge which reaches out to youth from schools and colleges across India.

She also actively contributes as Global Vice Chair and selection committee member to the Zayed Sustainability Prize (ZSP), and as an adviser to the Global Environment Education Partnership (GEEP). She also serves as an honorary Executive Director at Wildecologue, an organisation that is committed to providing real life sustainability experiences to youth and other target audiences.

With a significant experience in the field of Environmental Communications, Manisha Pillai holds a Masters degree in Environmental Management from the M.G. University, India, with specialization in Marine Water Quality Analysis, studying on the chronic pollution of one of the longest river in Southern India. Study was also done on the changes in landscape pattern due to high demand for land availability, urban expansion and other factors; and the impact caused to the environment.

One of her unique lifetime experiences was exploring the topmost peak of the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve (listed under the World Network of Biosphere Reserves of UNESCO), one of the highest peaks of Western Ghats in Southern India, trekking to an altitude of 1,868 m above sea level, as part of the ecological study of the tropical rainforest.

Manisha’s career began in the environmental field working for an NGO in the UAE.  Later, she had a good hands-on experience in External Communications, Project Management, Content Development, Corporate Sponsorships, Digital and Print Production and spearheaded the Events team on various international conferences and exhibitions at the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD). She contributed to many of EAD’s flagship projects for nearly 17 years. She also got the opportunity to work as the Research & Communications Manager at one of the higher educational institutions in Kerala, India.

She has been an active member of the Organizing Committee at the World Renewable Energy Congress held in Glasgow, Scotland in 2008 and has led many other local, regional and international events that had tie up with the offices of United Nations.

Manisha is the Project Director and member of the WEEC Local organizing Committee, overseeing the planning and organizing of the 12^th WEEC Congress.