BOARD
Dhia Hussain
Chairperson
Vice President, Sales and Marketing
M3 Marine Technology
Dhia Hussain has over 35 years of experience in the areas of Technical and Project management, ship building, strategic planning and organizational excellence. He was involved in Major projects as project manager with ADNOC and other companies in the region. Passionate about energy efficiency in the marine market by promoting niche technologies. Active in organizational excellence program in Abu Dhabi & Dubai through the role of team leader in Sheik Khalifa excellence award, Dubai Health Authority and other private & governmental entities. Dhia Hussain is UK Bachler graduate in Marine Engineering and master’s in project management.
Kimberli Jeffery
Vice Chairperson
Consultant - Research and Innovation
Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT)
Kimberli Jeffery is a Canadian born and raised healthcare professional that came to the region with the intention, like many, to stay for a short period. Fourteen years, two kids, and many personal and professional milestones later, she finds herself back in Abu Dhabi with a renewed sense of excitement for where healthcare and innovation is headed in the region. Kim is passionate about people, technology and problem solving. She currently holds the title of Consultant - Research & Innovation at Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT). Other interests that this board member would be more than happy to discuss with you include venture investment, femtech, biohacking, longevity, hockey (Canadians don’t feel the need to specify “ice”, do we?), and her love of all things nutrition, health and wellness. Kim has held the CBC board positions of head of events, head of strategy, and now Vice - Chair.
Faiza Usman
Treasurer
Senior Vice President, Business Finance - UAE Platform
Mubadala Investment Company
Faiza Usman is Senior Vice President supporting the UAE Investments Platform as part of the Business Finance team at Mubadala Investment Company. She is a Canadian Chartered Accountant with more than 20 years of experience in developing and building teams, strategies systems and processes to elevate the efficiency of the accounting and finance function of action-driven organizations. Before moving to the UAE, Faiza was responsible for internal controls, statutory reporting, management reporting, and taxation at various leading Canadian-based companies including KPMG, Bell Canada and Barrick Gold. Faiza holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from York University, is a Canadian Chartered Accountant (CA) Certified Public Accountant as recognized by the State of Illinois, and a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).
Manhal Younes
Secretary
Head, Admin and Governance
Science Teacher, Abu Dhabi Grammar School (Canada)
Manhal Younes was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, and went to McMaster University in 2000-2004 for his first degree in Genetics and Biochemistry. He served in the Canadian Forces for 9 years as a Healthcare Administrator, becoming Officer Commanding of 23 (Hamilton) Field Ambulance, and was responsible for coordinating the materiel, 1000+ personnel, vehicles and equipment of all military field hospitals across southern Ontario. He went back to school to become a Certified Clinical Research Associate specializing in allergy and asthma in clinic, and then later did a double masters in New York in Biological Sciences/Adolescent Education (2013). He has been employed as a science teacher in the UAE since 2015, and since 2017 at Abu Dhabi Grammar School (Canada). He currently teaches Grade 7 and 8 science full time, balancing curriculum and classroom management with professional development. He is an Ontario Certified Teacher in Good Standing, as well as Nova Scotia certified. He has been a Curriculum Leader in the Ontario private school system, and has extensive technological knowledge using Google Classroom and Microsoft products. He has created his own teaching website as an exemplar for his colleagues, and regularly advocate and contribute in pedagogical spaces. He speaks, reads, and writes fluent Arabic, and has a working knowledge of French.
Robyn Albers
Board Director
Head, Membership Committee
Director and Lead Trainer
Albers Business Communication Solutions
Robyn Albers is Director and Lead Trainer of Albers Business Communication Solutions. She has a Masters of Education in TESOL and twenty-four years experience training employees and university students in the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Taiwan and Canada. She has published academic articles on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning and has won international awards in teaching. Her mission is to help employees write and speak simple, clear, messages to increase confidence and competence in their working environment.
Board of Director
Head, Events and Business Services
Vice President
Parsons
Nirmal Mull is an infrastructure and energy professional with a global experience of more than 25 years. Nirmal is Vice President of Strategy and Growth at Parsons has been an Abu Dhabi resident for over 10 years. Nirmal's experience includes leading and growing integrated teams of amazing people for business transformations, establishing solutions ecosystems and partnerships, business planning, business operations, and multi-disciplinary ventures across numerous countries and continents. Before moving to UAE from Canada, Nirmal experience includes project finance and city development. Nirmal is a certified engineer licensed by Professional Engineers Ontario. During his time in Canada, Nirmal served as a treasury and advisor for India Canada Association. Nirmal is passionate about nurturing human potential and harnessing the power of technology. Other interests include health and well-being. Nirmal graduated with a Master's from the University of Windsor and received his MBA from INSEAD.
Lina Hussain
Board Director
Head, Marketing and Communications
Rebate Assessor
Abu Dhabi Film Commission
Lina Hussain is a media professional, and she is a current member of the CBC Abu Dhabi, having first joined in 2020 upon her return to the UAE. Having served as a board member from 2021-2022, she was able to contribute in the field of digital marketing to build and grow the social media platforms, and create more engagement online.
rfat Muna
Board Director
Irfat Muna is an Executive Leader with Proven Experience in leading international teams, with 27 years of experience in multinational environment in (Aviation Construction, Infrastructure, Real estate Development), Her expertise in P&L, cash flow forecast, budget analysis had helped her in achieving the business KPI, Delivering strong market growth and revenue performance improvement. Internationally accredited. Held key executive and management positions in strategic developments. In her recent position, Irfat was a Senior Director, Member of the executive leadership team of Majid AI Futtaim (MAF) Properties in Dubai, had been a mentor for many years as part of the talent management program, as a Quality Assessor for SKEA she helped in Performance measurement, corporate governance, and organization structure assessment. She is a member of GCC Board of Director Institute, and an international member of Institute of Directors (IoD), UK.
Loc Pham
Counsellor (Commercial) and Trade Program Manager
Embassy of Canada in the UAE
Loc Pham (B.A.Sc. Computer Engineering, University of Ottawa, 2001; MBA, McGill University, 2006; Graduate Diploma, International Relations, London School of Economics and Political Science, 2018) joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 2008. In Ottawa, Mr. Pham has held positions in the Pacific Gateway Marketing group, Europe & Central Asia Commercial Relations, South, Southeast Asia, and Oceania Commercial Relations, and more recently in the CanExport SMEs program as Deputy Director (2018-2022). Mr. Pham has served abroad in Turkey (Second Secretary, Commercial) and in Myanmar (Counsellor, Political and Commercial). He is currently the Commercial Counsellor at the Embassy of Canada in the United Arab Emirates.
EXECUTIVE TEAM
Marte Flaaten
Community and Stakeholder Relations Manager
Sheena Viado-Cabasag
Office and Operations Manager