Speakers

Hans Christensen is the Vice President and Manager of Dubai Technology Entrepreneur Campus (Dtec), the MENA region’s largest tech startup hub, an initiative of Dubai Silicon Oasis. Hans has spent the past decade leading Dtec, supporting 2,300 startups and currently hosting 1,000 ventures from over 75 countries, developing a sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem with focuses including mobility, robotics, AI, cybersecurity, and more. Prior to Dtec, he ran Siemens’ tech nCubator and founded three startups, raising $10m in venture capital. He holds a BSc from Bentley University and an MBA from Hult University.

Entrepreneur, environmental advocate, and the proud co-founder and CEO of WAT, a tech-enabled e-waste management platform. Certified Sustainability Officer. I spent most of my career in the UAE, that I’ve been calling my home for 17 years.

Dhananjay Choubey is an entrepreneur and sustainability advocate, leveraging over 15 years of experience in building and scaling businesses across the MENA region. As the co-founder of Revent, a trusted omnichannel platform for pre-owned electronics, Dhananjay is at the forefront of promoting circular economy principles in the electronics industry. Under his leadership, Revent has become a key player in reducing e-waste by extending the lifecycle of electronic devices, serving both consumers and businesses with sustainable tech solutions. Before founding Revent, Dhananjay held leadership roles at Noon, where he established and scaled a $30M annualized Recommerce business spanning the UAE, KSA, and Egypt. His expertise in creating sustainable, scalable business models has been recognized by prestigious programs like Techstars and Future 100 UAE. Dhananjay’s strategic vision, combined with his passion for addressing unstructured challenges, empowers SMEs to embed sustainability into their operations while achieving measurable impact. He holds a PGDM in Marketing from the Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad, and a BE in IT from the Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra.

Born raised & educated in London and now living in Doha, Taiyab is a business leader with 30+ years of retail, sales and operations expertise and over a decade of GCC experience. Currently Vice President – Consumer Tech for Starlink, he has worked for other key GCC businesses such as Qatar Airways, Geekay Group and Axiom Telecom with experience in Retail, Distribution as well as E-Commerce. He is passionate about customer-centric organisational change by creating high performing teams, across different industries & markets. He advises senior leaders including CEOs & MDs on his core areas of expertise such as business strategy & planning as well as people development, customer focus, business transformation and implementation. He has operated businesses with large teams (up to 1500 people), which is his core passion as well as up to 6 international markets at a time. An avid blog & article writer, he also develops content on leadership & business to help others, above all young entrepreneurs. He has a Bachelor’s degree from King’s College London as well as an MBA from Imperial College London. His favourite role of all is as a grateful father to three children. In his ‘spare’ time, he focuses on family, travel, fitness, technology and learning.

Currently serving as both CEO of our operations in Qatar and involved in the international expansion, I push global growth initiatives and strategic market entries, driving business development and forging impactful international partnerships. Previously, I was SVP of the Consumer Market at Telia, worked more than 5 years with Vodafone as well as Orange, Telefonica and a large number of Telco fighter brands in Europe.

Over the years, I’ve collaborated with more than 40 telecom operators worldwide, building deep expertise in market expansion, customer experience, and scalable operations. I also played a key role in developing Samsung’s innovative phone trade-in model, including Samsung Flex—one of the industry’s first smartphone rental solutions.

With a strong passion for emerging technologies and disruptive business models, I specialize in identifying growth opportunities and delivering operational excellence. Throughout my career, I’ve led high-performing teams, championed cross-functional collaboration, and leveraged strong communication and relationship-building skills to drive meaningful results. Beyond telecom, I bring experience from the renewable energy sector, where I’ve led sustainable innovation and strategic initiatives.

Sharay Shams is the General Manager of the Mobile Business Group at Motorola (a Lenovo company), overseeing operations across the META (Middle East, Turkey, and Africa) and CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) markets. In this role, he leads all aspects of Lenovo’s mobile business—including product development, sales, strategy, and marketing—across the region.

With over 20 years of experience in the mobile industry, Sharay has held various leadership positions across multiple regions. Under his leadership, Motorola has been ranked among the top five mobile vendors in the Middle East, reflecting his strategic vision and market acumen.

Prior to joining Motorola, Sharay held senior roles at global multinational corporations such as Nokia and Apple, where he was responsible for strategic planning, retail, distribution, and premium retail partnerships across the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions.

Sharay holds a Bachelor of Computing from the National University of Singapore, with a major focused on Business Economics.

Mohamed Nory is a senior supply chain and procurement executive with over 20 years of experience across the telecommunications and technology sectors in the Middle East and Africa. He currently serves as General Manager of Procurement and Supply Chain at Zain Saudi Arabia, managing a $1.7 billion annual spend and leading major digital and operational transformations. A Harvard Business School GMP graduate and a Chartered CIPS professional, Nory is recognized for his strategic leadership in sourcing, logistics innovation, and sustainable procurement across complex markets.

Andrii Kosar is the CEO of Breezy, a full-cycle provider of sustainable solutions for tech device trading, dedicated to the circular economy and extending the lifespan of gadgets. Breezy’s services include Trade-In as a Service for large retailers, telecom operators, and e-commerce platforms, as well as tech device buyback, ITAD, and DaaS for enterprises. Refurbished devices are processed at Breezy’s facilities and returned to the market through partners and the company’s own branded retail.

Under Andrii’s leadership, Breezy has expanded its partner portfolio to include over 45 authorized
Apple, Samsung, and Xiaomi resellers, covering more than 4,500 stores. With over ten years of
experience in retail management, Andrii has built extensive expertise in driving a world-class
organization focused on customer experience, innovation, and sustainability. He is passionate about
making modern technologies more affordable while reducing the environmental footprint of electronics.
Andrii’s leadership and deep understanding of retail trends have helped Breezy, founded in Ukraine,
become a leading trade-in provider across seven countries.

Engineer • Supply Chain Expert • Entrepreneur

A seasoned engineer with over a decade of experience in the IT and telecom sectors, I specialize in supply chain management and operations. My extensive time living and working across the Far East has enabled me to forge strong global international partnerships—especially in China—that have been instrumental to my business success.

With expertise spanning product manufacturing, design, development, team leadership, and procurement, I excel at orchestrating cross-functional teams to drive innovation and efficient execution. My hands-on experience—from sourcing raw materials to delivering finished products—has consistently delivered value and competitive advantage for the organizations I lead.

I’m passionate about leveraging my unique blend of technical prowess, cultural insight, and entrepreneurial vision to build global supply chain ecosystems that scale intelligently and sustainably.

Andrey is currently heading Samsung Electronics Retail in MENA. This includes Brand Stores and Omni-channel integration, and Partner Retail, where Andrey is leading Retail Visibility strategy to maximize Shopping Experience across all 22 countries in the scope. Before joining Samsung, Andrey held several roles in Procter & Gamble including Operations, Sales, Marketing and Planning, running ~1 $bln businesses in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Eric Griffin is a Philadelphia-based entrepreneur and the co-founder of Mobile Outfitters, a global brand known for its innovative on-demand screen protection solutions. Since launching the company in 2007, Eric has helped grow it to over 1,300 retail locations in more than 60 countries, earning multiple honors along the way including 6x Inc 5000, Best Places to Work, and a Gold Stevie Award for Entrepreneur of the Year.

In addition to Mobile Outfitters, Eric has co-founded several ventures including GSW Real Estate and PAW5, and serves on the boards of companies like Scopic Software and Alpha Abstract. He’s a passionate advocate for small business and startup culture, actively mentoring founders through Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) and serving on the advisory council of Back on My Feet, a nonprofit supporting individuals experiencing homelessness.

Known for his people-first leadership style, Eric speaks and writes about entrepreneurship, innovation, and company culture. He lives in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and continues to champion purposeful growth in both business and community.

Coming Soon!

Hamzah Khan is an entrepreneur and recommerce leader, driving innovation in the global consumer electronics trade through Fonebox FZE, a Dubai-based B2B company specializing in pre-owned smartphones and tablets. With multi-million-dollar monthly revenues and a network of international suppliers and buyers in over 10 countries, Hamzah has built Fonebox into a trusted hub for sustainable recommerce in the Middle East and South Asia. Under his leadership, the company continues to scale rapidly, delivering 5–10% monthly growth while promoting circular-economy practices that extend the lifecycle of electronic devices and reduce e-waste.

His passion for recommerce and sustainability positions him as a leading voice in shaping the region’s future of sustainability-driven entrepreneurship.

Simon Sinan Ventura is a business leader with over 18 years of experience in finance,
consulting, and entrepreneurship. He began his career in strategy and investment banking at
leading financial institutions such as Citibank, UniCredit, and TSKB, and also gained
experience in management consulting through global projects.
Combining his corporate background with an entrepreneurial mindset, he entered the e-
commerce space in 2012. For five years, he led the company to become one of the fastest-
growing and most successful scale-ups in Turkey and Europe, reaching millions of users. He
successfully exited the venture to strategic investors and went on to establish Entas Group,
through which he has spearheaded innovative ventures and export operations across
various sectors.
Focusing on technology, sustainability, and next-generation business models, Ventura
founded the fintech startup Kiralabunu in 2020 with the aim of transforming access to
technology. He currently serves as the company’s CEO, leading its ongoing growth.
A graduate of the German High School in Istanbul, Ventura holds a Bachelor’s degree in
Industrial Engineering from Koç University and an Executive Master in Finance from
INSEAD, one of the world’s most prestigious business schools.

• Founder & CEO, R3 Factory – Established in 2017 in the UAE as a 100% home-grown company.
• Mission – Saving the planet while saving money by extending the lifecycle of electronics.
• Core Business – Buying, repairing, reselling, and recycling electronics: mobiles, laptops, tablets, gaming consoles, desktops, and TVs.
• Ecosystem Approach – Partnering with retailers, distributors, e-commerce platforms, corporates, and schools to create a robust reverse logistics and refurbishment ecosystem.
• Transparency Focus – Tackling industry challenges of fair pricing and accurate grading in pre-owned electronics.
• Warranty-Backed Solutions – Ensuring trust by offering up to 1-year warranty on devices and 6 months on accessories and repair work.
• Flagship Initiative – R3 Eco Warrior Program:Recently launched as a student-focused app.
• Encourages repairing, selling, and reusing gadgets instead of discarding them.Educates youth about real environmental impact: CO₂ emissions, water, and electricity saved.
• Promotes circular economy thinking at an early age.
• Impact Vision – Transforming e-waste from a liability into an opportunity by showing how “what’s obsolete for one can be valuable for another.”
• Regional Presence – Running buyback programs with leading distributors and offering repair/sell services via website & retail.
• Recognition – Selected to represent sustainability and innovation at platforms like WFES and now Retech, demonstrating leadership in the UAE’s circular economy space.

Experienced Sustainability Professional with 12 years in ESG reporting, circular economy, strategic planning, GHG accounting, and sustainability management. Holds an MBA in Sustainable Development Practices. Proven track record in driving sustainability initiatives and managing high-impact projects.

Merly Abraham is the founder and CEO of Refab, a company dedicated to making premium technology more affordable and sustainable. With a strong entrepreneurial background, she has built Refab on the pillars of trust, quality, and environmental responsibility. Her vision is to redefine how people look at renewed devices—turning them into a smart, reliable, and eco-friendly choice for individuals and businesses. Under her leadership, Refab has grown into a trusted brand that not only delivers cost-effective technology but also contributes to reducing e-waste and promoting a circular economy.

A tech entrepreneur passionate about making technology sustainable and affordable. After working with global giants like Dell, HP, and Cisco for over a decade, he founded Black Arrow in Dubai, U.A.E and later launched ZALOMI, a fast-growing hybrid retail network across the GCC and India dedicated to refurbished ICT products. Through ZALOMI Academy and ZALOMI Care, he is shaping talent and extending the life of technology.

Melis’s extensive experience in digital transformation and product management positions her as a key driver of innovation in the retech space. With a background of pivotal roles at Garanti BBVA, Turkcell and Vodafone, Melis steers EasyCep’s strategic initiatives within new digital businesses and partnerships. EasyCep is a leading company in the refurbished consumer electronics industry, operating in Türkiye, Qatar, and Azerbaijan. With over 30 strategic partnerships, 230 sales points, 500.000 devices refurbished, EasyCep is reshaping the sector through rigorous processes and sustainable initiatives.

Michael Schmelcher is passionate about innovative, tech-driven solutions in sustainable refurbishment.

With over 10 years of experience in IT remarketing, Michael has led teams and projects focused on extending the lifecycle of used IT and reducing e-waste. His clear mission: to preserve natural resources through smart reuse and sustainable business models.

After earning his Master’s degree, he previously held senior positions at AfB and now serves as Managing Director at GEWA IT Remarketing / Multimedia in Switzerland.

Michael thrives on connecting people, ideas, and partners to drive the future of circular IT.