Farah Naz Riba

Farah Naz Riba

Global Climate Advisory Director
SJ Group
2026 SPEAKER LINE-UP
Farah is an award-winning climate change strategist, Zayed Inspirer and Authored Middle East Regions first book on NetZero titled “Net Zero City” and “Mission Zero”- a climate change book for children. She has 23 years’ experience in the built environment gained in the US, UK, Southeast Asia and most recently the Gulf Region. In 2025, she was the recipient of Woman in Wentworth Award, by Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, MA, USA.In 2024, Farah won the Most Influential Women of the year by Khaleej times & Filmfare MiddleEast, winner of Sustainability Consultant of the year award in the year 2023 and 2022.Farah has been steering sustainability and innovation agenda in the built environment across the Middle East. Her name is synonymous with implementable sustainability and energy strategies, and she has supported several iconic projects, including the Museum of the Future, Louvre Abu Dhabi, Bee’ah HQ in Sharjah and the Expo 2020 Sustainability Pavilion, to achieve their sustainability goals. Recently she worked as the Sustainability Technical Director to deliver Carbon Neutral event for COP 28 in the UAE, and ADIPEC Energy summit for the UAE Government,While based in the UK, Farah was heavily involved in creating the energy strategy for the country’s first zero-energy building, Ashmount Primary School, which won the 2015 Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Sustainable Buildings Award.As an innovator, Farah focuses on implementing best practices in the built environment by applying systems related to the Food-Energy-Water Nexus, biomimetics, the Five Capital model of Urban Sustainability, Liveability, and Inclusive Innovation Frameworks, which builds the foundation of the cities and communities of the future.Farah is a Chartered Engineer, Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE),Chair of CIBSE’s UAE Chapter, LEED and WELL Accredited Professional and Verified Research Expert for the Dubai Future Foundation. Farah is an active advocate of STEM education for future generations.