Connect | MENA // Speakers include

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Kamel Tawil joined Equinix in September 2020 as Managing Director MENA (Middle East and North Africa) and he is responsible for developing MENA markets to deliver world class digital infrastructure solutions, building a network dense ecosystem. Prior, Mr. Tawil spent 18 years at Oracle in various leadership roles across ECEMEA (East Central Europe, Middle East and Africa) where he led major digital transformation projects.

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Aslihan Güreşcier joined Equinix in 2019 as Managing Director for Turkey. Aslihan has more than 25years experience in the Digital & Data Center industry, including three years at Zenium Data Centers, where she was the Country Manager for Turkey. Most recently, Aslihan worked as a freelance cloud and data center consultant for various firms, including Tradefive, the exclusive partner of Alibaba Cloud in Turkey, to establish a local cloud presence.

Prior to Zenium, Aslihan was with the Systems Integration, data center and technology solutions firm, KoçSistem, where she progressed to Sales Group Manager for more than 20 years with the company.

Aslihan graduated from Bosphorus University with a BA in Foreign Languages in 1995 and an MA in Business Administration from Marmara University in 1999.

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Johan is a seasoned strategy and planning leader with over 18 years of international experience in the telecommunications, media, and technology (TMT) sector. He joined Khazna Data Centers, the largest provider of data center services in the Middle East and North Africa, as the Senior Director of Strategy and Planning in April 2023, where he oversees the development and execution of the company's long-term vision and growth plans.

Johan has a proven track record of successfully leading strategic and complex projects across various markets and segments, leveraging his strong analytical and commercial acumen, effective interpersonal skills, and a can-do approach. He has a passion for innovation and customer-centricity, and a keen interest in emerging technologies and trends. He holds an MSc in International Economics from Jönköping University, including exchange programs in the U.S., Japan and Argentina supplemented with Certificate in Business Strategy from Harvard Business School Online.

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Brendan Press has over 20 years leading commercial teams to deliver exceptional results across a broad range of disciplines. Brendan is an expert in sales, BD leadership, marketing, brand, customer experience and the development of new strategy & business plans. He is passionate about transforming business through innovation, digital enablers, organisational alignment and innovative services.

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Noriel Ong is an APEC, Chartered and ASEAN Engineer, Registered Mechanical Engineer, Accredited Tier Designer, Project Management Professional and a Pearl Qualified Professional with twenty years of continuous practice in master planning, engineering & design, consulting, construction, and commissioning of low carbon mission critical data center projects, with projects track record of more than 2GW of cumulative critical IT power since 2009.

Noriel is an experienced professional/chartered engineer, currently leads master planning and designs of energy efficient and low carbon single to multistory colocation and hyper-scale data center projects across Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

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Matthew Humphreys is a strategy consultant focusing on data center strategies for DC operators & growth strategies for telecom operators. His past experience was in a top tier global law firm. Matthew is a atrong entrepreneurship professional with a Master of Laws (LLM) from University of Pennsylvania as well as a Business Certificate from the Wharton School of Business.

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James (Jim) Grice is the Co-Chair of Akerman's Energy and Infrastructure Team and the Chair of the Data Centers and Digital Infrastructure Practice. He focuses his practice on general commercial real estate, primarily representing investors, developers, operators, and users in the data center and digital infrastructure realm.

Jim has distinguished himself in the data center and renewable energy sector where he utilizes his intimate understanding of project finance and experience with tax incentives to help clients structure deals to their best advantage. He has significant experience in advising companies on the legal complexities associated with all aspects of data center operations, leasing, subleasing, co-location and related services. Jim has advised developers, operators and investors on data center development projects, including land purchase and sale agreements, planning and environmental issues, power purchase arrangements and contracting for the design and construction of data centers. He is also a go-to-resource for data center tax issues, development incentives for data centers, and legislative issues associated with taxes on data center construction and operation.

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Ahmed Mostafa is a Chartered Engineer (CEng MCIBSE) with the Engineering Council in the UK, bringing over 15 years of experience in data center and MEP design, with a focus on sustainability and energy efficiency.

He currently serves as the QA/QC Design Manager for telecommunications, electrical, and mechanical infrastructures at Meinhardt Group, where he leads innovation to create the most sustainable data center designs. In his role, Ahmed ensures the quality of design submissions for data centers, verifying compliance with international standards and regulations. He is also adapting sustainable cooling solutions, such as immersion cooling and direct-to-chip cooling, and integrating renewable energy sources into both new and legacy data center infrastructures. As Meinhardt is an ESCO (Energy Service Company), he is responsible for energy auditing and management, driving initiatives that enhance operational efficiency and reduce carbon footprints.

Ahmed holds several prestigious certifications. In data center design, he is an Accredited Tier Professional (ATP) from the Uptime Institute and a Certified TIA-942C Design Consultant from TIA. His energy management and auditing credentials include Certified Energy Manager (CEM), Certified Energy Auditor (CEA), Certified Measurement and Verification Professional (CMVP), and Performance contracting and funding professional (PCF) from the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) in the US. Additionally, Ahmed is certified in sustainability with Accredited Sustainability Advisor (ASA) from the Uptime Institute and as a LEED Accredited Professional from the US Green Building Council. His engineering credentials include the Certified HVAC Designer (CHD) from ASHRAE, and he holds Chartered Engineer status with both the Engineering Council and CIBSE in the UK, along with memberships in ASHRAE (MASHRAE), CIBSE (MCIBSE), and AEE (MAEE).

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As Head of Data Centres at Knight Frank, Stephen brings with him a wealth of expert experience across all transactional services including colocation acquisition, site acquisition and sale, Sale & Leaseback and general investment. He has acquired colocation space across 30+ global markets and has advised on over $1bn of data centre transactions. Stephen has a detailed knowledge of the EMEA, APAC AND LATAM markets and an extensive sector network including colocation customers, data centre operators, telecommunication providers and hyperscale cloud.

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Joe is a Principal Consultant at STL Partners, with a background in technology strategy & implementation, spanning infrastructure, platforms and software. Since joining STL Partners, he has led strategic engagements with digital infrastructure firms ranging from corporate strategy for a telecoms holdco through to market analysis of data centre construction and connectivity. Joe leads STL's data centre practice and holds a BA in Economics from Durham University.

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Marynet Bassily is a seasoned supply chain expert leading MissionProcure, a consultancy specialising in data centre supply chains. With over two decades of experience, she builds resilient, secure, and high-performing supply chains. Her in-depth industry knowledge and expertise in risk mitigation, vendor management, and data analytics deliver exceptional value.

Marynet drives multi-million-pound initiatives and forges global partnerships. She offers tailored strategic consulting, vendor connections, and supply chain optimisation to address data centre challenges. With a proven track record of delivering results, she optimises procurement processes and strengthens supply chains.

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With over 12 years of real estate research, pricing and acquisition strategy, consumer analytics and data centre experience, Priyanka holds a reputation as an ethical and reliable advisor in the corporate real estate domain across the region. She has an extensive skill set specific to data centre advisory, with over five years of dedicated experience working on data centre projects.

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