UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation, CEO
Expo City Dubai Authority
Secretary General
The Executive Council, Dubai
Chief Executive Officer
Dubai Resilience Center
President
Annual Investment Meeting (AIM)
Mayor of Abuja
Nigeria
Chief Executive Officer
Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing
Director General
Dubai Municipality
Chief Executive Officer of Digital Applications & Platforms Sector
Digital Dubai Authority
Permanent Representative of the UAE
International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
Governor of Kisumu County
Kenya
Mayor of Maputo
Mozambique
Governor of Nairobi
Republic of Kenya
Executive Governor of Kaduna State
Nigeria
Chief Executive Dubai Data & Statistics
Digital Dubai Authority
Founder and Chairwoman
Apparel Group
Strategic Planning Director
Roads and Transport Authority (RTA)
Civic Cabinet Chair - City Planning and Suburban Renewal
Brisbane City Council
Head of Diplomatic and Consular Affairs Department
Dubai Police
Deputy Minister
Cabinet Affairs For Competitiveness And Experience Exchange
Chief Data and Innovation Officer
Al-Madinah Region Development Authority
Chief Executive Officer
Emicool
Lord Mayor of Brisbane
Australia
Chief Development and Delivery Officer
Expo City Dubai
FAO Representative (a.i) to United Arab Emirates
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Senior Marketing Manager
Expo City Dubai
Commissioner
New York City
Mayor of North Miami
United States
Vice President, Urban Lab
Expo City Dubai
Senior Director
Milken Institute
Chief of Sustainability & Space
Exalogic Consulting
Director General
Arab Urban Development Institute (AUDI)
Chief Executive Officer
Brisbane Economic Development Agency (BEDA)
Deputy Mayor of Tirana
Albania
Global Director Resilience and Partnerships
Square Floating City
Deputy Mayor of Paris
France
Councillor Delegate for Urban Planning, Strategic Projects and Public Space
Bilbao City Council
Head of Impact and Global Partnerships, CHAMP
C40 Cities and Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy
GCC Representative
UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme)
Chief Development Officer
Emicool
Senior Researcher
Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi
Presenter of the Business Breakfast - Dubai Eye 103.8 (And Dubai One Television)
Arabian Radio Network
Consul-General Dubai and the Northern Emirates and GM Middle East, Africa and Pakistan
Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade)
Vice Mayor for Political Affairs of Seoul Metropolitan Government
Republic of Korea
Deputy Mayor of New York City for Administration
United States
Co-founder and Principal Urban Planner
UNStudio
CNN Vice President and CNN Arabic Editor-in-Chief
CNN
Vice President - Head of Sustainability, Communications and Corporate Relations
Absa Bank Kenya PLC
Chief of Astrikos
Astrikos
Data Strategy Division Director, Digital City Bureau
Seoul Metropolitan Government
Vice-President Of International and European Affairs
Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
Chair, Senior Fellows; Sr. Advisor, Milken Institute International; Previously Chair, MI Asia Center
Milken Institute
Mayor of Bjelovar
Croatia
Special Projects Associate
Charter Cities Institute
Chief Executive Officer & Co-founder
Zotus Group
Chief Executive Officer
Team Wakabayashi
Urban Planning Expert and Advisor
Office of the Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Urban Planning
Former Mayor of Asbury Park
United States
Influencer and Founder
Majarah Media
Head of International Affairs
Institut Paris Region
Mayor of the Eastern Provinces
Saudi Arabia
Mayor of Fortaleza
Brazil
Mayor of Rabat
Morocco
Global Climate Director
Surbana Jurong
Group Chief Executive Officer
Gulftainer
Acting Executive Director, Planning & Governance Sector
Dubai Municipality
Head of Government Affairs
Expo City Dubai Authority
Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau
Knowledge & Human Development Authority
Acting Executive Director, Planning & Governance Sector
Dubai Municipality
Representative of the Mayor for Foreign Affairs
Naples
Mayor of Antsirabe
Madagascar
Chief AI Officer of Dubai Data and Statistics Establishment
Digital Dubai Authority
Chief Executive Officer
DC Pro Engineering
Secretary General
East African County and Local Governments Association (EACLGA)
Director Mission Innovation Urban Transitions Mission
Global Covenant of Mayors For Climate & Energy (GCoM)
Chief Development Officer
Aldar Properties
Director of Roads Department
Roads and Transport Authority (RTA)
Head
Youth Council
Mayor of Chandigarh
India
Head of Foresight Research
Dubai Future Foundation
Mayor of Bundaberg Regional Council
Australia
Director of Digital Products Dept
Digital Dubai Authority
International Trade Expert
Ministry of Foreign Trade
Chief Data and Analytics Officer
InsuranceMarket.Ae
Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
Deond
Chief Executive Officer
Samana Group
Managing Director
22@Network Barcelona
Mayor of Wroclaw
Poland
Deputy Mayor of Wroclaw
Poland
Regional Director
NJSBDC at Brookdale Community College
Insights and Activation Lead
Dubai Environment and Climate Change Authority (DECCA)
Secretary for International Relations
Fortaleza Municipality
Mayor of Malabon
Philippines
Secretary-General
WeGO (World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization)
Chief of Staff to the President
Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee
Head Economist and General Manager Investment
Brisbane Economic Development Agency
Population Health, Mental Health & Wellbeing Innovation
Alkalma Holdings
Associate Vice President Of Business Events
Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism
Urban95 Academy Manager and Policy Fellow
LSE Cities
Mayor of Golf Sud
Senegal
Chief Executive Officer
Dubai Digital Authority
Projects and Events Department Director
Dubai Culture & Arts Authority
Policies and Corporate Planning Specialist
Dubai Municipality
Deputy Mayor of Freetown
Sierra Leone
Managing and Creative Director
bureau^proberts
Chief Sales Officer, Asia, Middle East & Africa
Wilo
Chief Technology Officer
FutureOS
Head of Women's Pavilion
Expo City Dubai
Executive Vice President
Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC)
Director of the Real Estate Policies and Innovation Department
Dubai Land Department
Chief Business Officer
Lead Development
Director & Fellow, Climate and Energy
Observer Research Foundation Middle East
Chief HR Officer and Chief of Education and Culture
Expo City Dubai
Former Deputy Mayor of Vienna
Austria
Deputy Mayor of Dakar
Senegal
Chief Executive Officer Social Welfare and Empowerment
Community Development Authority (CDA)
Senior Director, Thought Leadership, Asia Pacific
Urban Land Institute
Development Economist and Former Chief Economist - Latin America and the Caribbean
The World Bank
SDG Localization and Local Governments Programme Manager and SDG Cities Flagship Coordinator
Un-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme)
Mayor of Accra
Ghana
Senior Advisory, City Advisory
Expo City Dubai
Former Chief Business Officer
Google X
Principal Future Foresight Specialist
Dubai Municipality
Project Director, Aérocity Aibd and Regional Airports
Blaise Diagne International Airport, Senegal
Mayor of Chefchaouen
Morocco
Director of Capacity Building and Training
Arab Urban Development Institute (AUDI)
Partner
PWC Middle East
Chief Development Officer
Lead Development
Mayor of Karachi
Pakistan
Chief Executive Officer of Strategy and Corporate Governance Sector
Roads & Transport Authority
Chairman and Managing Director
RAJ Group of Companies
Chairman
Australian Business Council Dubai
Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer
Exalogic Consulting
Vice President of Planning and Development
The Royal Commission for Alula
Engineering Executive Director
Greater Amman Municipality
Executive Director
Guangzhou Institute for Urban Innovation
Executive Director, Global Initiative and Advisory Services
Expo City Dubai
CEO
Kenya Green Building Society
General Manager Turkey & Head of Commercial Mena
YouGov
Mayor of Gaiba
Italy
Advisor to the Mayor of Braga
Portugal
Manager of Prices and Cost of Living Statistics At the Dubai Data and Statistics Establishment
Digital Dubai Authority
Deputy Mayor of Athens
Greece
Investment Officer
IFC - International Finance Corporation
Mayor of Moreton Bay and Deputy Chair of Council of Mayors SEQ
Australia
Chief Operating Officer
FutureOS
Governor of Enugu State
Nigeria
Mayor of Treviolo
Italy
Isro Chair Professor
National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS)
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
Parliament of India
Co-Founder
Prop-Ai
President
Dubai Youth Council
Technical Project Manager
FutureOS
Managing Director
Salar International
Founder and CEO
RME Media
Director of AI and Enterprise Solutions - UAE
Microsoft
Business Excellence and Sustainability Manager
Emicool
Mayor of Banjul
Gambia
Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer
Exalogic Consulting
CEO
Council of Mayors (South East Queensland)
Advisor
Ministry of Cabinet Affairs
Secretary-General-Elect
UN Tourism
Head of Environmental Programs for Terra
Expo City Dubai
Founder
Maavyn Consultancy
Technology Lead
FutureOS
Managing Director, Regions and Mayoral Engagement, and Regional Director, South and West Asia/ C40 Representative
C40 Cities
Associate Director - Business Development and Projects Director
ARUP
Global Advisor
Smart Cities Council
Senior Partner
Gratiya Consultancy
Head of Programme, 2025APCS, Expo City Dubai Global Initiatives & Advisory
Expo City Dubai
Mayor of the Lockyer Valley Regional Council
Australia
Founder & Managing Director
Gratiya Advisory
Director, Water & Climate Solutions
Expo City Dubai
Technical Director
Z & A Waste Management & General Transport LLC
Director of the Urban Planning Department
Dubai Municipality
Director of Data and Statistics Strategy, Planning and Governance
Digital Dubai Authority
Global Lead - Urban; Founding Chair and Steering Committee Member
Save The Children International; Global Alliance - Cities4Children
Head of Business and Product Support
Wilo Mena
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Next It
Lead, Sustainable Urban Development Portfolio
United Nations - Economic Commission For Western Asia (UN‑ESCWA)
Founder and Principal Designer
Counterspace
Executive Director of the Dubai Centre for Artificial Intelligence
Dubai Future Foundation
Vice President of International Relations
Dubai Chambers
Innovation Lead
Wave Global
Lead Urban Development Specialist, Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan Department For Urban Development, Resilience, and Land
World Bank
Founder and Director
Afforestt
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Sherbro Island City
Emmy and Peabody Award-Winning Journalist
CNN
Senior Vice President
NECD Corporation
Director General (Investment and New Industry Promotion, International Affairs)
Economy, Trade and Industry Bureau, Kobe City Government
Mayor of Yerevan
Armenia
Deputy Chief Executive Officer & Head of Investments
Crescent Group
Deputy Director, Research
Centre for Liveable Cities, Singapore
Chief Financial Officer
Beeah Group
Chief Executive Officer
Africa Infra Development Association
Principal
Gratiya Africa
Mayor Capital Metropolitan Government Peshawar
Pakistan
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
VFS Global Group
Governer of Tokyo
Japan
Our call for speakers is now open. We welcome expressions of interest from urban visionaries, leading innovators and changemakers, and world- class speakers who are passionate about sharing expert insights which will advance urban development across the Asia Pacific and MEASA regions and beyond. This is your opportunity to shape the global agenda on cities.
To submit an expression of interest
Please study our programme lines of enquiry below before submitting your expressions of interest
All submissions will be assessed by the 2025APCS programming team panel, and shortlisted individuals may be contacted to provide further information.
Theme and subthemes
The pivotal role of transportation networks, digital infrastructure and community spaces in driving economic opportunity and bridging geographic and demographic divides in cities
How urban innovation can drive transformative change through scalable and adaptable solutions that balance technological advancement with community empowerment
Fortifying cities against climate impacts, natural
disasters and economic instability, and creating urban environments that empower communities to thrive in the face of change
Our tracks and topics lines of enquiry for the 2025APCS programme are not restrictive. We look forward to welcoming additional lines of enquiries that address our subthemes and will advance our objectives around shaping the future of cities
