Gulf economies cannot afford to keep wasting food to this extent – Averda’s CSO writes for Gulf News
Better sourcing and deploying technology can ease some of that pressure.
This new C-Suite position is created to accelerate Averda’s ‘Renew24’ corporate strategy, which sees the company focus even further on sustainability and circularity, with the goal of reducing waste to landfill, deriving secondary value from collected waste and helping companies and governments with their net-zero targets.
Samer holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto in Pharmacology & Toxicology. He is well respected in the waste management industry and is an established regional thought leader on the future of sustainability in business. Samer brings to Averda a wealth of relevant experience, having founded Bee’ah in 2006 before spending five years as its Managing Director.
Samer has also worked on numerous other sustainable ventures across North America, the Middle East and Africa over the past 20 years, including advising New York University, Air Miles and Nestle in aligning their commercial aspirations with their responsibility to society and the planet. He has been an investor and adviser to several environmental start-ups and private equity funds, supporting waste strategy and sustainability initiatives, as well as developing several waste and wastewater treatment facilities – most recently a PET recycling venture in Abu Dhabi with Veolia Middle East.
Samer Kamal commented: “I am very pleased to be joining the Averda team. It’s a pivotal moment for the industry and the company as we navigate the changing role of the waste sector in light of global governmental and corporate climate commitments, shifting consumer expectations, and the clear need for climate action in the emerging markets in which Averda operates. The countries where Averda works are disproportionately exposed to the impacts of climate change and Averda has embraced the exciting mandate to become a leader in delivering sustainable waste management solutions.”
Malek Sukkar, CEO, said: “I’m thrilled to welcome Samer to Averda, and to our senior leadership team. Samer’s experience and approach make him an excellent choice to drive our transformation towards more sustainable products and technologies, and to support our customers with innovative sustainable initiatives which will have a positive and lasting impact on the environment. Samer will lead on bringing sustainable and impact thinking to the forefront of our corporate culture, and to the way we will execute. As an experienced leader, he will add depth to our executive core at a time when the company is poised for serious growth.”
Samer will operate from Averda’s global head office in Dubai where he will not only work to empower Averda’s global operations but also in the UAE, one of the key markets for the company in the region. “The UAE’s waste management outlook is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years, and there’s been a concerted effort to manage waste sustainably and encourage recycling in line with the Green Economy initiative. Changes in the regulatory framework such as the ban on single-use plastic bags and increase in landfill fees forces consumers and industries to take more environmentally conscious actions. Our aim at Averda is to further support the UAE in meeting its vision for a sustainable future,” Kamal said.
