Committees

Steering Committee

Meet the dedicated individuals behind our mission, showcasing their expertise and commitment through detailed bios and images that highlight their contributions to our organization.

Dr. Farid Abdallah

Dean, College of Business

Australian University, Kuwait

Farid Abdallah is the Dean of the College of Business at the Australian University, Kuwait. As a dual national with a diverse social and educational background, Farid’s educational experience is best described as multi-disciplinary, pertaining to both Law and Business domains. Although his academic qualifications are essentially in the field of law, his academic career has been majorly in business schools and his research profile primarily aligns with the field of business. Farid has held multiple administrative positions in Business schools, including those of Assistant Dean, Department Chair and Dean. Hence, prior to his current position, he was the Dean of Business at the Lebanese International University (LIU), which is the largest private university in Lebanon, comprising a body of 300 faculty members, from 2016 to 2021. During his career, Farid has led the organization and hosting of many international conferences and academic events, thus ensuring the provision of progressive, interactive and sustainable educational culture to academicians and researchers with whom he works.

Dr. Oualid Abidi

Associate Professor, College of Business

Australian University, Kuwait

Oualid Abidi is an Associate Professor of Business at the Australian University, Kuwait, where he has been serving since February 2021. He brings over 18 years of teaching experience in Kuwait and Canada and has held key academic leadership roles, including serving as Department Chair at both the American University of the Middle East and the Australian University – Kuwait. He earned his PhD in Administrative Sciences from Université Laval in Canada in 2011 and also holds a Master’s degree in Project Management and a Bachelor’s in Finance. Dr. Abidi has published in renowned peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Knowledge Management, International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, and Leadership & Organization Development Journal. His research spans a diverse range of topics, including entrepreneurship, knowledge management, digital transformation, international business, human resource management, and higher education. He has received multiple research grants, including one from the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS). In addition to his scholarly contributions, Dr. Abidi served on the editorial board of two published books and has been an active member of the steering and scientific committees of various international conferences.

Prof. Alper Erturk

College of Business

Australian University, Kuwait

Alper Erturk is working as Professor of Management and Head of Management Department at College of Business, AU. He got his Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Turkish Naval Academy, National Defense University, Turkey. He obtained his M.Sc. in Information Technology Management from Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA, US and got his Ph.D. in Management Science from Gebze Technical University, Turkey. He conducted his Post-doctoral research at Vlerick Business School, Belgium. He worked as a Visiting Professor at Portland State University, Oregon, US with a Fulbright Research Scholarship. He has also obtained Post Graduate Education in “Data Science and Business Analytics” at Texas McComb Business School, Texas, US. Previously, he worked as a Professor of HRM & Analytics in GISMA Business School, Germany; and as Professor of Management at Rabat Business School, Morocco. Most recently before joining AU, he was the Dean of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences Faculty, as well as the Director of Graduate School at Istanbul Topkapi University. Prof. Erturk has more than 20 years of academic and professional experience. During his professional career, he also held the position of Senior Project Manager and Chairman of Strategic Working Group at a Multinational Organization in Brussels. From academic perspective, he has taught several courses on all academic levels, he published more than 40 articles in highly indexed academic journals, attended several more than 40 conferences, published nine books, and more than 10 book chapters.

Dr. Vladimir Simovic

Associate Professor, Scientific Research Center

Australian University, Kuwait

Dr. Vladimir Simovic is head of Digital Economy Department at the Institute of Economic Sciences in Belgrade, Serbia and a researcher at the Scientific Research Center of the Australian University, Kuwait (AU). His professional interests are in digital marketing, digital entrepreneurship, digital competencies, and information systems in business. He is PM of the European ESF+ project on digital marketing competencies and participant of the European COST Action on artificial intelligence in business with over 15 years of research and teaching experience. He is the founder of several digital startups in Serbia and a think tank dedicated to innovative learning practices.

Dr. Faidon Theofanidis

Associate Professor, College of Business

Australian University, Kuwait

Faidon Theofanidis is an Associate Professor of Marketing at Australian University – Kuwait. He holds a PhD in Advertising from the University of Piraeus, an MBA in Marketing from Cardiff University, and a BSc in Business Administration from University of Piraeus. From 2003-2010 he was representing the Research Center of Piraeus University at the Board of Directors of the European Network for Social and Economic Research (ENSR), implementing over 30 European research projects. His research interests include Marketing Research, Advertising Research, Consumer Behavior, Digital Marketing and European social and economic policies. He published more than 35 marketing and business articles in peer review international journals and conferences.

Prof. Ali Reza Ahmadi

Professor of Operation and Maintenance Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, Sweden Professor of Aviation Engineering

Australian University, Kuwait

Professor Alireza Ahmadi is an internationally recognized scholar in reliability and maintainability engineering, system resilience, and safety of aviation and railway infrastructures, with more than 25 years of combined academic, research, and professional experience. His work advances the science and engineering of resilient transport systems, integrating probabilistic modeling, risk-informed decision-making, and optimization to develop advanced methodologies for aircraft maintenance program development, predictive modeling of railway track geometry and infrastructure performance, and strengthening the resilience of safety-critical systems under climate and operational uncertainties. His research has been widely published in leading international journals and conferences, and he has also edited scholarly books, special issues and international conference proceedings. He has developed, led, and contributed to major European- and nationally funded projects, including ClimRail, SIMTRACK, and SMaRTE, covering the full research cycle from concept design and proposal development to execution, dissemination, and industry collaboration. Professor Ahmadi has served in leadership roles across the international scientific community, including as Chair or Co-Chair and member of the editorial board of the international conferences such as Joint ICRESH–ARMS Conference, the International Heavy Haul Conference, the eMaintenance Congress, and the Industrial AI Congress. He also serves on editorial boards and technical committees for global forums such as IEEE RAMS, ESREL, and COMADEM, and has delivered keynote and plenary lectures on topics related to reliability, aviation maintenance, and railway infrastructure resilience. Alongside his academic career, he brings 17 years of professional experience in the aviation industry, including International Air Transport Association (IATA), where he also serves as a certified instructor. His career reflects a sustained commitment to bridging science, policy, and practice, advancing the safety, resilience, and sustainability of transport systems worldwide.

Prof. Adel Ben Youssef

Professor of Economics

Université Côte d’Azur, France

Adel Ben Youssef is an Associate Professor of Economics at Université Côte d’Azur and a permanent member of the CNRS research laboratory GREDEG (UMR 7321). He is also an associate researcher at the Economic Research Forum (Cairo) and the Global Labor Organization (Bonn). Internationally recognized for his work on ecological and digital transitions, he has made major contributions to advancing the concept of the twin transition—the synergy between digital innovation and environmental sustainability—as a key framework for public policy, industrial development, and climate strategies. With over two decades of academic and advisory experience, Professor Ben Youssef has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles in top international journals and contributed to numerous collective works, notably on Industry 4.0, smart cities, green finance, and labor market transformations. His recent works explore how AI, digital skills, and renewable energy are reshaping sustainability trajectories in both developed and emerging economies. He has served as Tunisia’s climate finance negotiator at seven consecutive COP summits (COP23 to COP29), reflecting his long-standing engagement in global climate diplomacy. He also acts as a scientific advisor and expert for international organizations including the UNDP, UNIDO, UNEP, UN-Habitat and UNOPS. He is member of advisory boards of INCIT and MENAPAR. He is Editor-in-Chief of Platforms (MDPI) and Associate Editor of Development and Sustainability in Economics and Finance (Springer) and Green and Low-Carbon Economy. He has led more than 30 large-scale international projects and facilitated over 100 workshops on sustainable development, digital governance, and climate action. Professor Ben Youssef is among the top 1% of economists worldwide according to ScholarGPS, and has supervised numerous doctoral theses on digital transformation, energy transitions, and smart tourism strategies across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.

Prof. Ali Emrouznejad

Professor and Chair in Business Analytics, Director of the Centre for Business Analytics in Practice (CBAP), Surrey Business School

University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom

Ali Emrouznejad is Professor and Chair in Business Analytics at Surrey Business School, UK, and Director of the Centre for Business Analytics in Practice. His research focuses on the intersection of artificial intelligence, sustainability, and performance measurement, with particular expertise in Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and sustainability analytics.Professor Emrouznejad has published over 250 peer-reviewed articles and several influential books on business analytics, big data, and AI. He serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Business Analytics and holds editorial roles with several leading journals in operations research and management science. His applied research spans sectors such as healthcare, education, energy, and public services, with a focus on using data-driven approaches to support digital transformation and sustainable development. Recognized among the top 2% of most influential scientists globally, he holds an h-index above 85 and is widely regarded as a global leader in AI and operations research. www.emrouznejad.com!

Prof. Lanouar Charfeddine

Full Professor of Economics and Head of research and policy Unit at the center of Entrepreneurship and Organizational Excellence

College of Business and Economics, Qatar University

Dr. Lanouar Charfeddine is a Full Professor of Economics and Head of research and policy Unit at the center of Entrepreneurship and Organizational Excellence at Qatar University’s College of Business and Economics. Dr Charfeddine is a specialist in applied econometrics, his work spans energy and environmental economics, entrepreneurship, fintech/cryptocurrency, international macroeconomics and finance, and nonlinear time-series methods. He earned two research master’s degrees (International Economics, 2003; Finance & Econometrics, 2004) and a PhD in Economics (Applied Econometrics, 2007) from the University of Paris II – Panthéon-Assas, France. Prior to joining QU, he held teaching posts across France (Paris I, II, X; Marne-la-Vallée; SKEMA; CERAM), Tunisia (University of Gabès), and Saudi Arabia (Najran University). Dr. Charfeddine has published 60+ peer-reviewed articles in outlets such as Economics Letters, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Finance Research Letters, Energy Economics, Energy Policy, Tourism Management, Economic modelling, among many others. His work is tracked at 8,750+ Google Scholar citations (h-index 41) and 5,050 Scopus citations (h-index 30). His funded research portfolio since 2022 totals about US$5.03M in external support, including QRDI, “An equity-based blockchain crowdfunding platform to issue security tokens for Turkish and Qatar start-up equities” ($391,094.00), “NANOGREEN” (US$499,997) and 2025 QRDI projects on multi-stakeholder governance, cluster diversification/PPPs, and GCC trade integration; earlier awards include NPRP11-Cluster (US$3.13M) and NPRP13-S (US$0.60M). In addition, is the chair of the scientific committee of the ESI conference for the two years 2024 and 2025 (more than 500 papers submitted and +75 sessions organized). he has organized more than 15 research and policy events, and moderated 2025 Ministry of Finance workshops on GCC trade integration and cluster diversification/PPPs. The developed policies discuss several GCC topics, e.g. PPP governance (2025) and Government Organizational Excellence Awards (2024), aligned with Qatar’s NDS3 priorities. Professional recognitions include the College of Business and Economic Research Award in 2018, and the Qatar University’s 2025 Research Excellence Award and repeated listing among Stanford University’s Top 2% Researchers (2019–2025, per available records). He serves in editorial roles with Cogent Economics & Finance and Review of European Studies and is a member of the International Association for Applied Econometrics (2018–2024).

Scientific Committee

Dr. Vladimir Simovic — Scientific Research Center , Australian University, Kuwait

Prof. Alper Erturk — Head of Department – Management , Australian University, Kuwait

Dr. Oualid Abidi — Head of Department – Human Resources , Australian University, Kuwait

Prof. Ahmed Bani Mustafa — Head of Mathematics & Physics Department , Australian University, Kuwait

Dr. Mortadha Alsaba — Head of Petroleum Engineering Department , Australian University, Kuwait

Prof. Alireza Ahmadi — Department of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources , Luleå University of Technology, Sweden

Prof. Ali Emrouznejad — Chair of Business Analytics , Surrey Business School, United Kingdom

Prof. Adel Ben Youssef — Chair of Business Analytics , Surrey Business School, United Kingdom

Dr. Wisam Al Saadi — Department of Economics , Université Côte d’Azur, France

Dr. Majdi Al Omari — Department of Electrical & Electronics Engineering , Australian University, Kuwait

Dr. Marziyeh Nazari — Department of Mathematics & Physics , Australian University, Kuwait

Dr. Richard Rutter — Department of Marketing , Australian University, Kuwait

Dr. Faidon Theofanidis — Department of Marketing and Events Management , Australian University, Kuwait

Dr. Mirna Safi — Department of Human Resources , Australian University, Kuwait

Dr. Muath AbdelQader — Department of Banking, Finance and Accounting , Australian University, Kuwait

Dr. Mohamad Hany Yassin — Department of Civil Engineering , Australian University, Kuwait

Dr. Milena Lazic — Head of Department – Digital Economics , Institute of Economic Sciences, Serbia

Dr. Ivana Domazet — Digital Economics Department , Institute of Economic Sciences, Serbia

Dr. Jelena Krstic — Digital Economics Department , Institute of Economic Sciences, Serbia

Prof. Stephen Colbran — Dean of Law, School of Business and Law , Central Queensland University, Australia

Dr. Vladimir Dzenopoljac — College of Interdisciplinary Studies , Zayed University, Dubai, UAE

Prof. Ahmad Sedaghat — Department of Mechanical Engineering , Australian University, Kuwait

Dr. Pritesh Narayan — School of Aviation – Department of Aviation Academic Programs , Australian University, Kuwait

Dr. Mana Farshid — Department of Sustainability, Industrial Dynamic and Entrepreneurship , Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden

Prof. Natalia Yannopoulou — Newcastle University Business School , United Kingdom

Organizing Committee

Dr. Farid Abdallah — Dean – College of Business , Australian University, Kuwait

Dr. Oualid Abidi — Head of Department – Human Resources , Australian University, Kuwait

Ms. Marcelle de la Roche — Head of Department – Marketing & Events , Australian University, Kuwait

Dr. Mirna Safi — Department of Human Resources, College of Business , Australian University, Kuwait

Dr. Laila El Dabt — Department of Marketing & Events , Australian University, Kuwait

Ms. May Khafash — Department of Banking, Finance & Accounting , Australian University, Kuwait

Ms. Rola Mourdaa — Department of Banking, Finance & Accounting , Australian University, Kuwait

Ms. Massouma Rahat — Department of Human Resources, College of Business , Australian University, Kuwait

Ms. Hamsa Sarhan — Department of Human Resources, College of Business , Australian University, Kuwait

Ms. Fatima AlLoughman — Department of Marketing & Events , Australian University, Kuwait