Sustainable Food Systems

An in-depth discussion on how circular principles can transform food production, reduce waste and create resilient systems.

About the Speakers

Omar Shihab

Omar Shihab is the Founder and Chief Sustainability Officer of BOCA: a multi-award winning modern European restaurant located in Dubai, which has been awarded a MICHELIN Green Star and The World’s 50 Best Restaurants MENA. He founded BOCA to run a forward-thinking restaurant that can rival any world-class concept. He is an advocate of local food and farming, foraging, exploring new food sources, future of food, rethinking dining experiences and collaborating across borders and industries. Omar has recruited and worked with talented chefs, restaurant managers, beverage professionals, interior designers, brand specialists and construction experts to create world- class hospitality concepts in the Gulf region.

Born and raised in the UAE, Omar leads the sustainability initiatives of BOCA, which have been incorporated into the restaurant’s operations. BOCA today recognizes and promotes local and sustainable produce, growers, farmers, and fishermen. Omar also introduced native desert plants from the UAE into the professional kitchen, emphasized waste reduction throughout the restaurant, and established the position of Waste Officer at BOCA. Recently, he converted BOCA to run on 100% renewable energy and led the carbon emission calculation of BOCA to create a roadmap to achieve carbon neutrality status.

Omar is the lead advocate for Halophytes, part of the Nature-based Solutions project in the UAE with Emirates Nature-WWF, recipient of the Icon Award at The World’s 50 Best Restaurant Award’s 2025 MENA 50 Best, Gault&Millau UAE 2022 Sustainability Champion of the Year, associate for Thriving Solutions, a local sustainability consultant consortium in the UAE, partner of Food Made Good, part of the Sustainable Restaurant Association of the UK, board member of the UAE marine conservation non-profit Azraq, and a former advisor to the UAE Restaurant Group.

Zachary Roy

Zac, originally from Montréal, Canada, has had his hospitality career take him all over the world.

From nightclubs in Zihuantanejo, Mexico and Marrakech, Morocco to hotels in Turks & Caicos and Bahamas. Zac opened Mr. Tortoise in Bali, Indonesia, a small boutique hotel before cutting teeth in the Melbourne hospitality scene where he spent 8 years. There, he was nominated for venue of the year in 2019 by gourmet traveler for the speakeasy wine bar, Galah, and made international news by creating the world's first ever clear espresso martini.

Zac then moved to the UAE where he wanted to find a place that shared his beliefs for sustainable gastronomy and pushing the boundaries for flavours and pairings. This is when he joined LOWE.

Since joining LOWE, it was the first restaurant to earn the MICHELIN Green Star in the region in 2022, as well as the 50 Best Restaurants MENA, Sustainable Restaurant Award for the restaurant's sustainable gastronomy. Following that in 2023 LOWE was awarded its second Green Star, 2024 its third, and in 2025 its fourth in a row. LOWE was ranked No.15 in the 50 Best Restaurants MENA in 2023 and was ranked No.37 in 2024. In 2024 Zachary won Manager of the Year at the Caterer Middle East Awards for his accomplishments within the MENA hospitality scene. LOWE was then awarded its first Toque from Gault & Millau in 2025.

Khuloud Hasan Al Nuwais

In Feb 2024, Khuloud received Arab Women of the year for social development Award from London Arabia Organisation. In 2023 she was selected as one of the 17 women faces that were profiled during COP28 for tackling one of the 17 sustainable development goals which address Hunger and reducing food waste. Named among the ‘Top 20 Most Influential Women in the UAE’ by The National in 2008, Khuloud is credited with playing a pivotal role in establishing the Emirates Foundation in 2005. In 2014 was profiled as one of UAE’s Inspirational leaders and Won the Emirates Woman Award for leadership by Dubai Quality group in 2015.

As Chief Sustainability Officer at Emirates Foundation, she is responsible for developing strategies and establishing key sustainability and circularity initiatives to achieve its mission & socio-economic impact including high priority initiatives to the UAE leadership. In Recent years, she has been tasked to develop the national initiative- ne’ma to tackle food loss and waste reduction across the UAE to achieve the national food security strategy goals through a collaborative approach that engages all sectors across the food supply chain to change current behaviors and practices leading to food waste. She is also supporting the development of a new textile circularity initiative

Khuloud has close to 28 years of experience in private sector and philanthropy running both operating models, grant making and incubating new programs & initiatives; throughout her career she handled different responsibilities including establishing different projects that are focused on establishing some of the foundations flagship programs such Takatof for volunteering, Kafaat leadership and entrepreneurship development, transforming the parentless children sector in the UAE, thought leadership to position the foundation regionally & internationally as reference hub for youth & progressive philanthropy through her membership in European Venture philanthropy Association, and Arab Foundation Forum amongst others. Khuloud leads the development of new initiatives, conducts research and advocates to influence relevant policy forums and dialogue. She has developed strong partnerships with the private sector including local & multi-nationals over the years to improve long term sustainability initiatives and integrate best practices into her work.

She recently was a Judge for the prominent Zayed Sustainability Prize, the FoodTech Challenge both are competitions for innovative startups in addressing sustainability issues and food systems. Khuloud has previously served on a number of boards to mention a few as a member of the organising committee for World skills Abu Dhabi, board member of the Abu Dhabi Tawteen council, member of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability group, board member in AMCHAM Abu Dhabi and a judge for the AMCHAM Mena Women’s Award, as well as an advisory board member of Flat6Labs an accelerator for startups in diversified sectors.

Before building her career in the third sector she gained her initial experience from working for 8 years in oil and gas, she was a Senior Analyst in the Corporate Planning Department of Dolphin Energy Limited and She has also served as a Market Research Analyst at the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC)

Khuloud holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a major in Advertising Management and Marketing from Portland State University, US.


Paul Clifford

Paul Clifford Group Editor, Hospitality & Design, ITP Media Group has spent more than a decade in the Middle East and now oversees three major hospitality and design titles: Caterer Middle East, Hotelier Middle East and Commercial Interior Design. With more than 15 years of journalism experience in the UK and the UAE, Clifford relocated to Dubai in 2014 to join the Time Out GCC team. After holding various roles, he became editor-in-chief at Time Out Abu Dhabi.

In 2020, he moved to ITP Media Group’s Hospitality & Design division, where he manages the leading trade publications, maximising his extensive industry contacts and helping to lead the conversation across the industries they represent.