Discover the Global Tourism Resilience & Crisis Management Council

Khadija Mohamed Turki appointed as Acting Director General of the Ajman Department of Tourism Development (ADTD) in March 2022. Backed by the experience she gathered in the fields of tourism, retail, events and aviation for more than 20 years, she is planning to strategically place Ajman on the world’s best destinations’ map as a unique touristic haven, by implementing courageous plans that will revolutionize the future of the tourism sector of the emirate of Ajman, capitalizing on its rich heritage, the glorious history, unspoiled nature, and modern attractions that Ajman possess, using her exceptional marketing and communications skills, in addition to her unique talent to identify and exploit untethered opportunities and the deep knowledge of the emirate of Ajman that she gained previously as the Director of Tourism Development and Marketing Department at ADTD.

Holder of a Higher Diploma in Business Admin, Higher Colleges of Technology, Dubai Women’s College, Khadija Mohamed Turki started her career as part of the first team who managed Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) back in 1997. The festival is the longest running retail festival in the region to date.

Then in 2001 she joined the dynamic aviation industry with Emirates Airline for 7 years as part of the Corporate Communication team organizing and managing Emirates activities around the globe like the Dubai Airshow, the Dubai World Cup, DIFF, ITB Berlin, ATM, WTM, the Powerboat Raceand the Emirates Annual Report and Press Conference just to name few.

Prior to joining ADTD, as Director, Tourism Development and Marketing Department, in 2011 Turki worked at the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing in Dubai (DTCM) and led several roles that contributed to successfully promoting Dubai as a family and business destination internationally by choice. By end of 2018, she became a part time faculty and an instructor member at the Dubai College of Tourism where she contributed to educating and training the students of the Tourism major. Passing on her knowledge and experience in the domain to the next generations is something she enjoys doing.

Turki was a member of the Marketing and Investment Committee at Dubai Sports Council, 2007 until 2008, and a member of the Marketing Committee at UAE Football Association, Jun to Dec 2008.

15 years of extensive experience in marketing and communications.

Achievement and result driven professional with outstanding qualifications in all phases.

Skillful developer of strategic communications & marketing programs that continually surpass expectations. In-depth project management experience from conception to implementation through leadership skills. The ability and skill set to provide creative, innovative, enthusiastic and forward-thinking leadership in a team environment.

Focused on achieving continuous & improved business performance.

Covered branding, events, marketing, PR, communications, advertising and strategies.

Experience in creating, implementing and developing strategies in the Marketing and Communication department.

Elizabeth Maclean started her career working for one of the UK’s political parties before taking a path that has seen her spend 30 years in the communications industry, both in consultancy and in-house roles, with a third of her career spent in the aviation sector. Elizabeth has worked in the UK as well as internationally in the Far East and Middle East.

Elizabeth has been fortunate to have had mentors, both female and male colleagues, who have given counsel throughout her career. Being part of the team that sponsored the IAWA Conference and the Young Women in Aviation Forum, in conjunction with the GCAA, held in Dubai in 2015, she recognises the benefits of these forums and the important platform they provide to women starting or developing their careers in aviation.

Elizabeth Maclean is now Co-Managing Director of Herdick Communications with a veteran of the aviation sector, Mike Evans. Herdick launched just over a month ago and is a new strategic communications consultancy based in the UK.

John Sage is the founder and CEO of the two leading accessible travel companies, Sage Traveling and Accessible Travel Solutions. His companies provide accessible travel services targeting a market of 1 billion people with disabilities worldwide. He was the primary author of the WTTC’s “Inclusive and Accessible Travel Guidelines” and his :Top 10 Accessible Trvel Tips for Europe” article has been published in Rick Steves’ guidebooks.

John Sage was injured in a snow-skiing accident in 2001 when he was 22 years old and sustained a T-4 incomplete spinal cord injury. He has some sensation but uses a wheelchair to get around. John quickly adapted to his new lifestyle and retained his passion for life. Since 2001, he has visited Europe 16 times to over 140+ cities in his wheelchair.

In the spring of 2008, after his sixth trip to Europe, he realized there had to be a better way to plan a wheelchair accessible trip to Europe. He had spent dozens of hours researching accessibility trip to Southern France and Italy and was still met by accessibility surprises during the trip. The existing internet accessibility information was sporadic, vague, non-existent, or completely incorrect! Some information would describe a place as “totally inaccessible for wheelchairs” (Venice) yet with the right information they can absolutely be visited by wheelchair users!

Upon realizing that there was really no one out there who was providing all of the comprehensive information that someone in a wheelchair or with other mobility issues would need to make a trip to Europe he began creating and setting up his accessible travel company, Sage Traveling. No one had pulled all the necessary accessibility information together and presented it like a guide book with maps and pictures but John was determined to change this.

John Sage has spent the past several years learning accessibility phrases in various languages to be able to call hotels and museums to inquire about accessibility. He has taken numerous trips to top European travel destinations to make Sage Traveling a leading expert in disabled European travel. After lots of work John launched www.SageTraveling.com in December 2009!

“I encourage any individual that has an interest in European travel, no matter their mobility limitations, to go for it! I have had the best experiences of my life traveling the world and living out my dreams. Traveling is my passion and I look forward to making your dream accessible vacation a reality!”

Dr. Pillay is a board certified plastic surgeon and seasoned entrepreneur. He is the founder & CEO of several successful health and technology start up.

His passion is in taking businesses from concepts and these into successful enterprises.

He has several degrees and has been educated on 3 Continents, America, Europe & Africa.

An experienced architect, urban planning expert and an inspiring young Emirati leader focused on promoting a culture of entrepreneurship, innovation and facilitating strategic foreign investments, Arch. Abdulla Al Abdouli is the Chief Executive Officer of Marjan, the master-developer of freehold properties in Ras Al Khaimah.

Al Abdouli has more than 10 years’ experience in the Construction Industry in both Public & private Sectors driving strategic growth initiatives of the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, with a focus on developing world-class master-planned communities & infrastructure projects in Ras Al Khaimah that will attract foreign investment and position the emirate as a regional investment and tourism hub. His key Highlights were identifying new opportunities for real estate growth, expanding partnerships with an access to global markets. Arch. Abdulla is credited with several innovative initiatives that have enhanced the reputation of Ras Al Khaimah globally helping create a strong framework that enhances investor confidence foreign direct investment.

Arch. Adbulla leads number of successful projects, he is the CEO for Marjan, Managing Director for RAK Dragging, also the Chairman of RAK AMI Hotels. And he is a board member and managing director of Saraya.

Drawing on his competencies in real estate development and urban master-planning, he was Director of Town Planning and Survey Administration and Director of Project Management Office at RAK Municipality. Previously, he was also a Board Member of the RAK International Airport Authority and RAK Sewerage Authority.

Abdulla holds a Masters in Regional & Urban Planning from the Paris Sorbonne University in Abu Dhabi and graduated from the American University of Sharjah. He also recently earned a certificate in Real Estate Investment Strategies from Harvard University.

Bader Alherbish has 17 years of experience in Project Management, Planning, Development, and Strategy. Ambitious and driven to contribute to the country’s ambitions in achieving vision 2030, the Tourism sector is one of the main pillars of vision 2030, and the Tourism Development Fund aims to unlock the sector and fulfill Saudi vision 2030.

After 15 years working for Saudi Aramco as a Work Director for several Departments, from 2005 until 2020, Mr. Alherbish moved to the Tourism Development Fund as Head of Partnerships and then transitioned to leading the strategy function as Executive Director of Strategy.

In 2015, Bader Alherbish obtained a master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and a Master’s degree (MSc) in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University in the City of New York in 2011. Mr. Alherbish obtained a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics (dual degree) from Vanderbilt University in 2004.