Webinar "The Role of Women in Green Economy"

Experts' short CVs 

Rachel Panaino, Executive Director, Global Compact Network UAE
With over 30 years in the region, Rachel has worked with a multitude of both public and private entities throughout the UAE. Currently serving as the Executive Director for the Global Compact Network UAE, hosted by the World Green Economy Organization, Rachel is an expert in stakeholder management, marketing and communications, project management and sustainability. Through her role at the Global Compact Network UAE and as the Regional Chair for the MENA Region, Rachel is advancing the adoption of the UN Global Compact Ten Principles and the Sustainable Development Goals by mobilizing the private sector. She has previously worked in the private sector for an SME and in a semi-government think-tank, facilitating the transition to a green economy. Her career path includes involvement in key projects such as CO2 inventories for both UAE as a country and corporate entities, corporate sustainability reporting, establishing both annual and monthly knowledge products and awareness campaigns. Rachel has a number of professional certifications all complementing her Business and Sustainability degree from the University of Leeds.

Lamya Abdel Hadi, Head of studies and design sectors, Egyptian Electricity Transmission (EETS)
Lamya has a 15 years’ experience as a project engineer in EEA (Egyptian Electricity Authority) Now EEHC. She has been working as a project engineer since 2007 in private renewable energy projects in EETC. She was Responsible for the following projects: BOO 250 MW wind project in Gulf of Suez (tender opening was in 19th of April), BOO 10×20 MW PV solar projects in KomOmbo- Aswan, and Egypt FIT program with the target of achieving 2000 MW wind projects and 2300 MW PV projects (32 developers in Benban site are constructing 1450 MW solar projects). She is the Winner of the best initiative of the year 2014 from MESIA (Middle East Solar Energy Association) and also the Winner of the African Energy Regulatory personality of the year 2016, from African energy leadership magazine. She Graduated from Ain Shams University – Faculty of Engineering-Power Systems Department. She received MBA in Strategic Management 2013 from Cairo-Licensed Victoria School of Business of Switzerland.

Priya Sarma, Senior Sustainability Manager, Unilever
Priya joined Unilever in 2008, prior to which she worked in advertising in India and Egypt. Between 2008 - 2019 she led the Unilever MENA Corporate Communications function. In April 2019, she was appointed as the Senior Sustainability Manager for the wider region of MENA, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine & Belarus and in 2021 she was additionally appointed to manage Corporate Affairs for MENA. Priya is a Board Member of the Advertising Business Group(ABG) - the GCC's advertising standards association- that she helped form in 2016. Today, the ABG has 60+ members who account for 70% of the regions advertising spend. She also represents the MCBG (Multinational Companies Business Group) in the U.A.E. Federal Competitiveness & Statistics Authority (FCSA) led Private Sector Advisory Council on sustainability. In Nov. 2020 she was selected as one of ‘Top 10 Marketing Game Changers’ by Campaign Magazine in the U.A.E. and is a certified communicator from the International Association for Business Communicators (IABC).

Irina Kustova, Researcher, Center of European Policy Studies CEPS
Irina Kustova is Researcher at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) in Brussels, where she works on various issues concerned the energy transition and energy security. Prior to joining CEPS, she worked at the Energy Charter Secretariat on the transit provisions and regional electricity cooperation. She also held assignments at the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators and the Delegation of the European Union to Russia. Irina received her PhD cum laude in International Studies from the University of Trento (2015) and her MA in European Studies from Maastricht University (2009). During her PhD, she has also spent periods as a visiting research fellow at the King’s College London and the Energy Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Her work has been published in such journals as Journal of Contemporary European Research, Cooperation and Conflict, Journal of European Integration, and Journal of World Energy Law and Business.