Seven leaders in the global green building movement have been appointed to the World Green Building Council’s (WorldGBC’s) Board of Directors.
“We are delighted to announce the appointment of green building leaders from Canada, Jordan, Peru, South Africa, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom,” said the WorldGBC’s Chairman, Bruce Kerswill.
Since its founding in 2002 with eight green building councils, the WorldGBC has grown to involve more than 100 countries, and its Board includes representation from five regions: Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East and North Africa.
“Our new directors bring with them regional knowledge and expertise that will be valuable in helping WorldGBC increase our impact as we work through our member GBCs to accelerate sustainability in the built environment around the globe”, said Kerswill. “We are fortunate to have such experienced and passionate individuals on board, as the environmental challenges our planet faces are daunting and we have a full agenda with some ambitious projects”.
The seven new appointments to the WorldGBC’s Board of Directors are:
Saeed Al Abbar, United Arab Emirates
Saeed is the Chairman of the Emirates Green Building Council, and a director at AESG, a firm specialising in energy and sustainability consultancy in the Middle East. He works actively to promote the advancement of sustainable building in the UAE and the region. He was British Expertise’s Young Consultant of the Year in 2010, and named one of Gulf Business’s top 30 achievers in the MENA region in 2012.
John Alker, United Kingdom
As Director of Policy and Communications at the UK Green Building Council, John specialises in sustainable development and its role as a business driver. He has held a variety of advocacy roles covering government, media relations, campaigns, policy and strategy.
Mohammad Asfour, Jordan
Past Chair of the Jordan Green Building Council, Mohammad was the Environment, Water and Energy Sector Lead at the USAID Jordan Economic Development Program (SABEQ), an Adviser to the Board of Trustees of Princess Sumaya University for Technology and a Founder and Director of Queen Rania Center for Entrepreneurship. He has served as a regional advisor to OECD’ s MENA Investment Program and chaired UNEP – SBCI’s Advocacy Committee.
Lisa Bate, Canada
Lisa is Past Chair of the Canada Green Building Council and is currently Managing Principal, Shanghai and Executive Vice President, Asia at B+H Architects. She is an architect, interior designer, an Institute-certified Director, an Evidence-Based Design Accredited and Certified Professional, and a LEED Accredited Professional in Building Design and Construction, as well as B+H’s representative to the United Nations Environmental Protection – Sustainable Buildings and Climate Initiative (UNEP-SBCI).
Sebastian Danino Beck, Peru
A Director at the Peru Green Building Council, and Corporate Sustainability Manager at Inversiones Centenario SAA, Peru’s largest real estate development company, Sebastian has been instrumental in fostering green development in the country. His experience also includes working with World Bank’s International Finance Corporation in the Housing Finance division.
Rudolf Pienaar, South Africa
As Deputy Chairman at the Green Building Council South Africa and Divisional Director at Growthpoint Properties, South Africa’s largest JSE-listed real estate investment trust, Rudolph has been at the forefront of the South Africa’s movement for a sustainable built environment since 2008. Rudolf brings 30 years of experience in the property industry and is an avid advocate for green building.
Bengt Wånggren, Sweden
Bengt is the Chief Executive Officer and Founding Chairman of the Sweden Green Building Council, and has many years of experience in the building and property sectors, including roles as Vice President of Business Development at the Swedish Property Federation and Energy Performance Coordinator and Environmental Manager at Skanska.
