ConTech Rising Star of the Year

Arvind Patidar is a BE Civil Engineer, RICS-certified BIM Project Management Professional, AMIE and SOE member, and a COBie‑As Designed specialist. He is an exceptional digital delivery expert and technology‑driven Digital Construction Engineer with strong experience across Architecture, Structure, Interior, and Infrastructure disciplines.

With more than eight years in the AEC industry, Arvind has contributed to iconic giga projects, including NEOM (Oxagon, Village, and Green Hydrogen), where he consistently delivers advanced BIM solutions and leads multidisciplinary coordination.

He applies ISO 19650–aligned BIM management, 4D/5D simulation, and CDE best practices to elevate project performance. Arvind builds automation workflows using Dynamo and Grasshopper to accelerate deliverables, standardise information, and reduce human error. He also implements effective digital strategies to populate asset information - such as COBie and other datasets - directly within models, while creating insightful Power BI dashboards that track model health, progress, and QA/QC metrics.

Arvind enhances stakeholder engagement through high‑quality visualisation and infrastructure renderings in Twinmotion, supporting optioneering, progress reviews, and client approvals. He mentors teams, promotes a digital‑first culture, and encourages the adoption of efficient workflows and collaborative technologies.

His contributions improve accuracy, optimise time and cost, and reflect the qualities of a next‑generation digital engineering leader in the global BIM community.

In construction technology, the real breakthrough isn’t producing more data it’s making information trusted, fast, and actionable. That is what I build. With almost 10 years of experience in GIS and reality capture, I focus on turning the physical site into a digital reference, teams can rely on for planning, coordination, and verification.

At RUA Al Madinah Holding (PIF), I helped establish an ESRI-based enterprise GIS platform and shifted the organisation from waiting on email requests to accessing reliable information directly.

Building on that foundation, I established the reality capture function using drones to deliver a digital representation of the site that supports both GIS and BIM workflows. The result is stronger alignment between office and site teams, earlier detection of conflicts, and better control of risk.

One of my work principles is that digital initiatives only matter when adoption is real. That’s why I develop the standards, QA/QC, metadata, and operating workflows that make ConTech repeatable, auditable, and scalable.

In 2025, I helped RUA Al Madinah gain a reputation on local and global stages in the geospatial sector, contributing to recognition through ESRI’s GeoExcellence Award and ESRI’s Special Achievement in GIS Award. That recognition reflects real systems, real outcomes, and disciplined execution.

Eman is an AI Master’s student in Spain and a graduate of the Information Technology Institute (ITI), building on her bachelor’s degree. with a background in Architecture and Engineering and extensive experience in BIM workflows and digital project delivery.

She has collaborated with multidisciplinary teams across the UAE, Egypt, India, Lebanon, Jordan, and the UK, supporting complex projects through coordinated and data-driven BIM practices.

She leads digital innovation initiatives focused on automation, AI, and analytics, developing custom tools and solutions that improve quality, reduce manual effort, and optimise team efficiency. Her work has helped reshape workflows, accelerate delivery timelines, and enable smarter decision-making across multidisciplinary teams.

She also develops practical manuals and training frameworks to scale innovation and knowledge sharing and is passionate about VR/AR technologies for enhanced project.

Hafis Jamal is an exceptional technology enthusiast, data-driven decision maker, and Digital Delivery Specialist at Pace. With more than 11 years of experience in the AEC industry and BSI certifications in BIM Asset and Project Information at both Practitioner and Professional levels, Hafis has become an indispensable force in Pace’s Digital Delivery Department, combining deep technical expertise with a passion for solving real business problems through technology.

Based in Kuwait, Hafis leverages his civil engineering background, advanced programming skills, and data analytics expertise to develop innovative custom solutions that have transformed how Pace delivers projects across the Middle East.

His ‘From Data to Decisions’ Power BI dashboard framework has driven measurable improvements: a 70% reduction in high-risk clashes, 207% increase in model health scores, 71% reduction in project portfolio risk, and 180% increase in design and quality scores. He has developed several custom Revit plugins, leads the Automation Superuser Group alongside the Digital Delivery team, overseeing 121 automations across eight disciplines, and manages Pace’s core digital delivery platforms.

His commitment to upskilling colleagues through weekly training, his proactive adoption of emerging technologies including AI and VR, and his oversight of 75+ applications demonstrate outstanding performance and a forward-thinking attitude that drives digital advancement across the organisation.

Mahmoud Elazzazi is a Digital Consultant with almost a decade of experience advancing digital delivery through automation, analytics enablement, and applied innovation. He has supported complex Projects across the Middle East, spanning infrastructure, transportation, built environments, and airport developments, where speed, accuracy, and repeatability are essential to successful outcomes.

He is recognised for developing practical, scalable systems that teams can adopt with confidence across both delivery and business functions. Mahmoud builds automation scripts that streamline workflows, accelerate coordination, and reduce manual effort.

In parallel, he strengthens performance visibility by structuring, connecting, and governing project and business data enabling reliable reporting and analysis without adding friction to delivery.

Mahmoud also focuses on embedding AI into day-to-day workflows in a responsible, pragmatic manner, enhancing tasks such as information extraction, reporting, and routine coordination while maintaining governance and reliability. He brings a strong systems mindset and a commitment to continuous improvement, adopting emerging technology only where it delivers measurable value.

Mahmoud is a PMP-certified professional, an ISO 19650 Practitioner, and certified in Digital Transformation for Airports. He actively shares lessons learned and insights through LinkedIn, contributing to capability building across the AEC sector.

Mohamad Roumyeh has shown a sustained contribution to construction technology (ConTech) through the practical, scalable and value-driven application of digital construction and 4D planning across some of the most complex projects in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

As a Senior 4D Specialist at ALEC, he has played a pivotal role in transforming 4D planning from a supporting visualisation tool into a core, decision-critical capability embedded within project delivery, planning and governance. Roumyeh has led multiple high-impact ConTech initiatives that directly address industry challenges related to scale, complexity and data overload.

He spearheaded the adoption of advanced 4D platforms capable of handling extremely large BIM datasets, reducing 4D production time by approximately 60–70% and enabling rapid response to programme changes.

He further enhanced efficiency through AI-assisted automation, Python scripting and Dynamo workflows, cutting BIM model preparation time by around 50% and significantly improving consistency and repeatability.

Beyond efficiency gains, Roumyeh has driven cultural and operational changes by improving accessibility and engagement with digital tools. His introduction of viewer-based 4D access, immersive VR simulations and BIM-integrated Power BI dashboards has enabled wider stakeholder participation, clearer decision-making and stronger alignment between planning, construction and logistics teams.

He has also demonstrated leadership by contributing to the creation of a centralised 4D capability, mentoring teams, supporting innovation programmes and actively bridging academic research with real-world application.

Roumyeh’s work exemplifies what ConTech should achieve: measurable improvement in delivery outcomes, genuine adoption on site, and long-term transformation of how technology is used to plan, manage and deliver complex construction projects.

A multi-award-winning Chartered Engineer(UK) and Senior MEP Engineer, Nagarajan Thanumoorthy is redefining delivery through data-driven technology. Implementation of embodied and operational carbon is still under discussion in the GCC, and as a CIBSE Technical Officer, he is pioneering the implementation of TM65 life-cycle carbon methodology in his projects.

His proactive digital procurement strategies have already achieved a verified reduction of 133.023 tCO₂e. Managing a portfolio exceeding AED 6.9bn, his expertise in AI-driven analytics (SkySpark) and real-time IoT monitoring (SENTEOS) has delivered 22% energy savings and AED 400,000 in annual OPEX reductions across giga-projects. A champion of Net-Zero Water strategies, his designs digitally optimise the recycling of 40.95 million litres of HVAC condensate annually.

Beyond project delivery, he has founded the Global MEP Training Academy & trained 134 working professionals and his Youtube channel reached 9,000+ subscribers globally in one year. He has empowered thousands of engineers globally to bridge the gap between academic theory and digital engineering practice.

His unique blend of technical excellence, proven ESG impact, and community leadership means that he is bridging the gap between theory and digital practice.

Rana Hendawy, R&D Unit Head at Zuhair Fayez Partnership (ZFP), has been at the forefront of digital transformation and innovation in the built environment. With over a decade of experience, she has led numerous initiatives to integrate technology and data-driven approaches to enhance project delivery and operational efficiency.

Her expertise in BIM automation has been instrumental in streamlining workflows, reducing manual effort, and improving accuracy across projects.

Rana has spearheaded the development of proprietary engineering tools that leverage BIM and AI to optimise design processes, automate repetitive tasks, and ensure high-quality project outcomes. Through her leadership, ZFP has implemented BIM standards and best practices, driving industry-wide advancements and achieving significant gains in productivity and collaboration.

Notably, her work with tools like ZFP Auto Dimension and Family Parameter Modifier has enabled teams to work more efficiently, saving time and resources while enhancing the precision of deliverables.

Beyond her technical achievements, Rana has been a key advocate for the adoption of digital technologies across her organisation, leading training programs to upskill teams and integrate new tools seamlessly into workflows.

Her efforts have not only contributed to ZFP’s success but have also influenced broader industry trends, positioning her as a leader in shaping the future of the AEC industry through innovation and technological advancement.