About The IFSJ Leaders in Fire & Safety Conference

  • 120+ senior professionals from the Middle East & Africa fire and safety industries representing major commercial entities, transport authorities, regulatory bodies, infrastructural departments and more
  • 30+ expert speakers exploring strategy, market challenges and opportunities
  • Fast-paced agenda covering multiple topics, from high-rise safety to incident command
  • Prestigious waterfront conference venue in Dubai with easy transport links 
  • Interactive exhibition space, scheduled networking breaks, buffet-style lunch
  • Opportunities to meet with key stakeholders and industry decision makers
  • Innovative solutions on show from major industry providers and manufacturers
  • Supported by Dubai Civil Defense and leading associations

Expand your network and directly interact with CEOs, Crisis Management Experts, Senior Consultants, Heads of Fire and more…

Meet our advisory panel

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Terry Johnson

Conference Chair & President of IFE GCC UAE Branch

Terry Johnson FIFire E, is a seasoned emergency services professional and the current President of the GCC UAE Branch of the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE). Specialising in fire emergency response, risk management, and regulatory code alignment, he is dedicated to advancing fire and rescue standards across the GCC region. With in-depth knowledge of Civil Defense and NEOM developments, Terry is committed to enhancing public safety and resilience in the communities he serves.

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Engineer Salma Al Ali

Head of Engineering Section, Dubai Civil Defense (DCD)

Engineer Salma Humaid Saeed AlAli is an accomplished fire safety engineer at Dubai Civil Defense. Her work plays a critical role in ensuring buildings and structures in Dubai meet the highest fire safety standards.

She has helped implement fire safety regulations and codes, delivered presentations at various conferences, and worked closely with architects, contractors, and engineers to promote fire safety education and training. Her contributions have been recognised numerous times, and she continues to lead key initiatives to enhance fire safety and compliance across Dubai. She is dedicated to fostering collaboration within the GCC and internationally to advance fire safety standards.

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Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Humaid Al Ali

UAE General Command of Civil Defense Ministry Of Interior                                  

Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Humaid Al Ali holds a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) with a specialisation in Artificial Intelligence and is a Lieutenant Colonel serving as the Deputy Director of Fire Affairs with the UAE General Command of Civil Defense.

He is a visionary leader in safety and fire station operations and has a distinguished record of service, having been named “Best Officer in the Civil Defense Sector” three times.

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Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Essa Almutawa

Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer at Dubai Civil Defense (DCD)

Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Essa Almutawa is the Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer, the Head of Global Indicators for Fire Incidents, and the Director of the Department of Monitoring and Inspection at Dubai Civil Defense (DCD).

Known as a key figure in advancing artificial intelligence within fire and safety, Dr. Essa is also the first international member of the UK’s National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) Board, marking his global influence in this field.

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Steve Apter QFSM MSc

Former UK Chief Fire Officer and Deputy Commissioner of London Fire Brigade

Steve Apter is a former UK Chief Fire Officer and Deputy Commissioner of London Fire Brigade. As Deputy Commissioner for LFB, Steve had responsibility for the Fire Service Counter Terrorism capabilities including its response to CBRN incidents and advised COBRa, Ministers and Gold commanders during some of the UK’s most significant incidents including Grenfell, the Westminster Bridge attack and the Salisbury poisoning. As well as Coordinating the Service response to the Covid pandemic. Since retiring from the Fire Service in 2021, Steve established his consultancy, working with public and private sector specialising in crisis leadership, strategy planning and executive coaching. Steve was also contracted by the NHS to Chair the Strategic Co-ordinating Group as the Omicron variant of COVID emerged.
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Tarek Al Assil

Executive Director, IFM Facilities Management LLC

Tarek, a seasoned Business Leader, boasts 15+ years in GCC’s Facilities and Properties Management. He excels in crafting integrated solutions for iconic facilities. Holding a BSc in Mechanical Engineering, he’s a certified CFM, SFP, FMP, and PMP, showcasing expertise in sustainable practices and properties management.

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Ghaith Bakir

Senior Regulatory Engineer at UL Solutions
Ghaith Bakir is a Senior Regulatory Engineer at UL Solutions, specialising in regulatory support across the Middle East and Africa. Based in Dubai, he offers technical expertise in regulations, codes, standards, and product installations, aiding various stakeholders such as regulatory authorities and manufacturers in code compliance. Ghaith represents UL Solutions in code development meetings, delivering technical presentations. Before UL, he was a project engineer for a top fire and life safety solution provider in the UAE, overseeing the installation and maintenance of fire protection systems. He also served as a fire engineer for a Dubai developer, focusing on fire safety management and ensuring compliance with global fire safety norms.
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Mark Buckingham

General Manager, Fire Rescue and Emergency Planning, King Abdulaziz Airport, Jeddah
Mark Buckingham is an industry professional of some 27 years, having started his career with Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service in the UK. Progressing through the ranks to Station Officer, he took the opportunity to diversify his fire career by taking a role as Deputy Senior Officer at Luton Airport. Changes over the next few years saw him achieve approval to operate a Civil Aviation Fire Training College in the UK, before moving to the UAE, operating initially an Emergency Response contract in an Industrial mega project. In July 2022, Mark accepted has been developing the Emergency Planning function within the 5 airports of the Abu Dhabi Airport Company.
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Paul Calderwood

Deputy Chief (Ret), Everett Fire Department, Massachusetts
Deputy Fire Chief Paul Calderwood is a retired member of the Everett Fire Department, Everett, Massachusetts. He is an international lecturer on fire and life safety issues, holds a bachelor’s degree in Fire Protection, a graduate of the NFA’s Executive Fire Officers Program, Certified Fire Protection Specialist and Certified Emergency Manager.
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David Campbell

General Manager, Dubai Civil Defense’s Emirates Safety Laboratory

David Campbell is General Manager for Dubai Civil Defense’s Emirates Safety Laboratory, educated in Applied Sciences – Fire Technology, Fire Engineering and Environmental Sciences – Natural Resource Management and Digital Transformations with 33 years working in the sector of which the past 13 years supporting the Middle East region.

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Sawsan Dahham

CEO of SIENA

Sawsan Dahham, CEO of SIENA, leads an engineering consultancy dedicated to advancing the fire and life safety engineering industry worldwide. With 17 years in specialist engineering consultancy, fire and life safety (FLS) design strategy, and business management, she’s an established expert. Authorised as an NFPA instructor and a noted speaker, Sawsan formerly served as the Global Head of Fire and Life Safety at Dar Al Hadassah. There, she amassed significant experience in designing, reviewing, and managing diverse projects ranging from mixed-use complexes and airports to healthcare facilities across the Arab Gulf, Middle East, and Africa.
Robert Davies

Robert Davies BSc (Hons) MSc CEng MIFireE CFPS

Operations Director at WSP in the Middle East
Robert Davies has over 20 years’ experience in the field of fire safety engineering with expertise in fire engineering solutions, fire safety strategies, liaison with local authorities, fire risk assessments, fire safety management, fire testing, fire safety in large mixed use/high rise developments and industrial projects, 15+ years of experience of living and working in various countries within the Middle East region and liaising with local authorities. He is also a Chartered Fire Engineer with the Engineering Council UK, a Certified Fire Protection Specialist by NFPA. In October 2010 Davies returned to the UAE and joined WSP as Head of Fire & Life Safety. He is now the Operations Director for Advisory Services within WSP in the Middle East.
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Dr. Reginald D. Freeman

Executive Director – Fire & EMS for NEOM

Dr Freeman is an internationally recognized fire service leader who specializes in leadership, professional development, and organizational effectiveness. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for CPSE, Leadership Crucible Foundation and NFPA. Lastly, he is an Adjunct college Professor that teaches both undergraduate and graduate classes, respectively.

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Dana Kamal

NFPA -Director, International Development (MENA), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Dana Kamal brings 22 years of experience in healthcare engineering, specialising in business development, project facilities, and education. Recently appointed as the NFPA Director of International Development (MENA), she focuses on regulatory, legislative, and technical aspects. Kamal champions building safety and fire protection standards, promoting code compliance in the built environment. She also leads the NFPA MENA Advisory Committee to achieve its regional vision and liaises with sector leaders. Holding a bachelor’s in biomedical engineering and a master’s in healthcare management, Dana possesses certifications from IBFCSM, e-Cornell, and IMAC. She’s an active member of ASHE and AHA.
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Saif Essa Al Maskiri

Senior GHSE Manager – Emergency Preparedness & Response, Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC)
Saif Essa Al Maskiri is a highly experienced and safety focused leader and fire safety engineer, enjoying continued successes in the arena of Fire Protection Management Systems and Emergency Preparedness/Response development, leading fire department operations, change management, process improvement. With more than 25-years’ experience in developing Fire Protection Management Systems and Emergency Preparedness response with an operational understanding of the risks and processes relating to maintaining a safe working environment. He is currently leading EPCL Fire Refinery and six other facilities within the Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) for fire protection, fire prevention and fire suppression.
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Sajid Raza, BEng (Hons), MBA

CEO of Butler Engineering
Under his leadership, Butler has been providing FLS Consulting services to various sectors for over 20 years globally. Being member of the UAE Fire Code Council, Sajid has provided a unique dimension to the FLS philosophy advocating a continuous fire-safety improvement.
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Robert (Bob) Rea

Director and Lead Facilitator, BR Training Solutions Ltd
Robert (Bob) Rea is a highly respected emergency response leader with over 40 years of global experience. Awarded the Queens Fire Service Medal for pioneering the implementation of the UK National Urban Search and Rescue capability. He is adept in operations, fire safety, and training within the fire and rescue service sector.
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Peter Stephenson BEng (Hons) Fire Engineering, FIFireE

Independent International Fire Safety Engineer and Fire & Emergency Response Specialist

As an independent International Fire Safety Engineer, Peter is active within the built environment promoting best practices and providing fire engineering and fire & emergency response solutions to clients. Peter is a Fellow of the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) and is currently a committee member and International General Assembly representative of the IFE GCC UAE Branch registered in Dubai.

His considerable experiences in fire safety engineering and rail infrastructure projects include working as a Director of Fire Engineering – Middle East at Hydrock, now Stantec, Business Development Manager at Warringtonfire, Associate Director at Buro Happold, Senior Fire Safety Engineer for Network Rail and as Fire Safety Officer for Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

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Mohammed AlSaeefan

Fire Protection Engineering Specialist at Saudi Aramco, Chief Operations Officer, World Firefighters Games 2026 (AlKhobar, Saudi Arabia)

Mohammed Saeefan is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) working as a Fire Protection Engineering Specialist in the Fire Protection Organization of Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia. He has a wealth of experience with more than 20 years in the field of fire protection engineering, firefighting, project management, event management, facilities management, oil and gas, and construction. Moreover, he won the Top 5 under 35 Award from the Society of Fire Protection Engineers. Both his BEng and Meng degrees are in Fire Protection Engineering, from the University of Leeds, UK, and the University of Maryland, College Park, USA. Furthermore, he serves on the technical committee of the Saudi Building Code-Fire Code Section 801, and he serves as a primary committee member in 5 NFPA Technical Committees, in addition to the NFPA MENA Advisory Committee.

WANT TO ATTEND?

Interested in attending the Middle East & Africa’s premier conference and networking event for senior fire and safety professionals?  REGISTER NOW and reserve your place – spaces are limited.
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Strategic Partners:

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"It was a great day – I want to thank IFSJ for organising this amazing conference and for opening the topic of health and wellbeing in the workplace. Thank you everyone and see you next year."
Sawsan DahhamCEO at Siena
“We’ve been a sponsor this year and it’s been a great event. Thanks to the team for organising and all the communication that happened beforehand – we look forward to being here next year.”
Rusell HoppeMarketing Manager at Nightstick
“With more than 30 years of experience in marketing, I can honestly say the Leaders in Fire & Safety Conference here in Dubai has been one of the best organised and executed events I’ve been to in this region or indeed anywhere over the last few years.”
Paul DavisonProteus Communications Group
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