The flagship annual Brunel international Lecture Series from the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) will come to the Middle East on 3 March with an online lecture led by Seth Schultz, Executive Director of The Resilience Shift and co-founder of the International Coalition for Sustainable Infrastructure (ICSI).
The lecture will be followed by a discussion among industry thought leaders – invited participants include H.E. Dr. Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi FICE, Cabinet Member and Minister of Climate Change and Environment UAE, and H.E. Fahad Al Jubeir FICE, Mayor of Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.
The thirteenth edition of the Brunel International Lecture Series, entitled 21st Century Leadership is Partnership: How a Coalition of the World’s Engineers Can Change the World, examines the challenges facing civil engineers and what is needed to deliver a carbon neutral, resilient society. Schultz will also offer insights on digitisation, urbanisation, diversity and skills, under an overarching theme of global and local partnership.
With a 20-year career as a geologist and environmental scientist, Schultz has worked with some of the world’s leading organisations to drive change in urban sustainability and raise awareness of the role of cities in tackling climate change.
The main message of his address is that the civil engineering industry should worry less about competition so that it can accelerate collaboration to deal with the urgency of climate change. He believes that the coming decade is pivotal in tackling climate change, but it will require “radical partnership, innovation, failure and adaptability”.
The host for the Middle East event, Prof. Dr. Sabih Gatea Khisaf, ICE UAE Committee Chair and Vice-President International, says: “Seth’s message about collaboration is something which is vital here in the Middle East, where our sector is working on some of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in the world. It is essential that we show leadership in response to critical climate challenges, and Seth’s lecture provides a timely opportunity to discuss how we can work together, as an industry, to drive the necessary change.”
The panel session after the lecture will be moderated by Mark Hansford, Director of Engineering Knowledge, ICE. In addition to the invited dignitaries, panelists will include: Mark Jamieson, ICE MEA Council Member & UAE Country Representative; Jennifer Stables, Senior Project Manager, AECOM and ICE Qatar Country Representative; and Zainab Al Himdani, Graduate member, Atkins and ICE Oman Committee Member.
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