Theme: Today's Tomorrow

TEDxRTA will an independent event and aimed for Roads & Transport Authority staff with the intent to evoke a sense of excitement and simultaneously inculcating innovation drive into the organizational culture. This unique gathering will unleash new ideas, inspire and inform RTA staff. The half day event will feature brilliant speakers, thought-provoking videos and conversations.

AL WASL AUDITORIUM, ROADS AND TRANSPORT AUTHORITY HEAD QUARTER
Roads & Transport Authority Headquarter
SECOND FLOOR
Dubai, Dubayy, 118899
United Arab Emirates

Dr. MAHER SHIRAH

Expert CEO Office - Corporate Technology Support Services, Roads & Transport Authority (RTA)

Dr. Shirah managed the technology strategy section when he first joined RTA in 2011. In his position as Director of information technology lead the digitization of the enterprise. Then as Director of Smart Services focused on transforming RTA external services and delivering artificial intelligence strategy and machine learning capabilities. Dr. Shirah holds a portfolio of delivering business values through managing and delivering unique and complex projects, the “Enterprise Command & Control Center” of mobility in Dubai (also known as EC3) is one example, proudly inaugurated in 2017 by H.H. Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoom as the first delivered project for Expo2020 and beyond and the only nerve system of mobility in the city of Dubai capturing more than 70 million records of data on daily basis and integrating more than 32 systems with more high number of functionalities and latest technologies adapted to deliver seamless event and crisis management platform.

Dr. MARYAM MATAR

Founder & Chairman UAE Genetic Diseases Association

❑ Recognised among top 20 Arab scientists with the biggest contribution to humanity by British Scientific Community ❑ Graduated from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Program for Leadership Preparation. ❑ The first Emirati woman to hold the position of Senior Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health in 2006 ❑ Leader of the executive team “Dubai Plan 2007-2016” launched by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in 2007 ❑ The first Emirati woman to hold the position of general manager in the Dubai government at the Community Development Authority 2008 Vice President, Dubai Cares Foundation, since its establishment for 11 years. ❑ Founded two public benefit societies, the Emirates Down Syndrome Association and the Emirates Genetic Diseases Association ❑ The largest field surveys were worked in the Gulf countries (2007-2016) for more than 11,000 Emirati citizens, to define the scientific reality of the most common genetic diseases in the region and find ways of treatment and prevention.

Mr. ADEL SHAKRI

Director of Planning and Business Development Department, Roads & Transport Authority (RTA)

Adel Shakri is the Director of Planning and Business Development and the acting CEO of the Public Transport Agency, Roads & Transport Authority. He studied Computer and Communication Engineering, and he is a graduate from Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Leadership Development. Adel is currently supervising most of the smart mobility projects in the emirates of Dubai by managing systems that serve more than 300 million passengers yearly and leading more than 50 teams including the expo infrastructure readiness team and the Dubai self-driving challenge team. Adel Shakri owns several initiatives for that he was recognized with several national and international awards and has a registered patent. He has recommended the amendments to the legislation of one of the biggest companies in the Ehail sector “Uber” that guarantees the rights for all stakeholder, which resulted in a successful operation for Uber in Dubai.

Mr. TOM OTTON

Founder and Managing Director, Create Media Group

As the Managing Director and founder of digital communications agency Create Media Group, Tom Otton has been at the forefront of the growth in the digital space in the UAE in recent years. Taking the company from a startup to employing a team of 17 with an average growth in turnover of 50% year on year for the past three years. The company works with brands such as Red Bull, Jaguar Land Rover, Standard Chartered Bank, Flash Entertainment, and both Abu Dhabi and Dubai Governments.

Prof. CHRISTOPHER ABRAHAM

CEO & Head S P Jain School of Global Management Dubai

Prof. Christopher Abraham is a permanent resident of Canada with three Post Graduate qualifications in HRM, Business Administration (Marketing), and Labor & Administrative Law and is a PhD Scholar in Positive Psychology. He is a Certified Design Thinker from IDEO/Stanford and has thirty-two years’ experience in management consulting, marketing, and management education in India, Canada, Singapore and the UAE. Currently he is the CEO & Head - Dubai campus and Sr. Vice President (Institutional Development) at the S P Jain School of Global Management, a Forbes Top 10, Economist & FT Top 100 ranked Business School, with campuses in Dubai, Singapore, Mumbai and Sydney. Prof. Abraham has been a visiting Professor at many leading universities in Australia, USA, Canada, Singapore and UK. Earlier in Dubai, he headed the Executive MBA Program of XLRI, Jamshedpur, one of Asia’s top business schools. His areas of competence are Strategy, Marketing, Leadership, Innovation & Design Thinking.