President, Chefs’ Guild of Maldives

Mariyam Noordeen is the founder and the president of Chefs Guild of Maldives (CGM), a member of World Association of Chefs Society and the Managing Director of TrainingWorks Innovation Private Limited. She holds a Bachelor of Philosophy in Hospitality Management and a Master of Arts in Hospitality Management from University of Birmingham. Mariyam has extensive experience of over 25 years in the field of Tourism and Hospitality, especially in Training and Development. Ms. Noordeen was the former Dean of Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Studies at the Maldives College of Higher Education. She trained and mentored over 4000 students. Through CGM, she continues to advocate for the fostering of friendships among culinary professionals, inspire youth and help them carve successful careers in the tourism industry.

Rector, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia

Professor Dr. Hj. Mohamad Abdullah Hemdi is the Rector of Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Kedah Branch, Malaysia. Prior to the current appointment, he was the Dean of the Faculty of Hotel and Tourism Management UiTM, Malaysia (2012 – 2018) and a Professor of Hospitality Human Resource Management. On scholarly contributions, Prof. Hemdi was the Panel Experts Chairman for the development of Guidelines to Good Practices: Work-Based Learning (GGP: WBL) quality assurance document for Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA). He was also the Deputy Chairman for the development of Guidelines for Implementation of 2u2i Mode of Study (an industry curriculum mode of study) for the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), Malaysia. Prof. Hemdi is also the Panel Experts Chaiman for the development of the Program Standards for Hospitality and Tourism Management as well as panel expert members for the development of Code of Practice for TVET Program Accreditation (COPTPA) for MQA. Prof Hemdi has been appointed as a Member of Accreditation Committee for MQA for humanities and social science cluster for the past eight years.

He is also an Executive Committee Member for PATA (Pacific Asia Tourism Association) Malaysia Chapter, an active member of Tourism Educators Association of Malaysia (TEAM) and a HRDFcorp Certified Exempted Trainer. Prof. Hemdi is an active researcher and has published a number of articles in high impact journals and conferences in the area of hospitality and tourism management, human resource management, employee attitudes and outcomes, tourism economic, technology and education. Prof. Hemdi was awarded the Best Professor in Hospitality and Tourism Management (Education Leadership) by The Golden Globe Tigers Award 2018.

Chef de Cuisine, Soneva Fushi, Maldives

Chef Sobah is one of the most acclaimed Chefs in the Maldives. He is the Vice President of Chefs’ Guild of Maldives. In 2015 he took top honors at an International Culinary Event by winning the 'Best Chef in the Maldives' Award. The talented Chef also scooped numerous other awards at the event, including the Best Chef in the Maldives (Maldivian category); Best Chef (International category). National Award of Recognition in the area of Tourism in 2015 (promotion of culinary arts) and Best Chef in Maldives 2015. Sobah learnt to cook at the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Studies in the Maldives. He specializes in preparing Maldivian, Sri Lankan, Vietnamese, and Thai food using skills he learnt while living and working in those countries. He is famed for his Maldivian cuisine, which uses healthy, natural and fresh ingredients to produce clean flavors.

Dean of Faculty of Research and Innovations, Avid College, Maldives

Dr. Zakiyya Moosa is the Dean of Research and Innovations at the Avid College Maldives. She has been working in the hospitality sector since 1995. Skilled in Hospitality and Tourism, Dr. Zakiyya is an experienced educator with a history of working in higher education. She did her Bachelor of Business in Hospitality Management in 2003 from Victoria University of Technology, Melbourne and completed Master of Arts in Hospitality Management in 2008 from the Birmingham University of UK. She attained Doctor of Philosophy in Hospitality and Tourism in 2020 from Taylor’s University, School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts, Malaysia. For most part of her professional career, she has worked as a lecturer/trainer at the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Studies of the Maldives National University. She has contributed greatly to the development of competency standards and curriculum for the hospitality training in the Maldives.

President/CEO, Solimar International

Chris Seek is a sustainable tourism and marketing specialist with over 20 years’ experience assisting tourism, conservation, and development organizations, harness the power of sustainable tourism to support biodiversity conservation, cultural heritage preservation, and the well-being of local residents. Chris is the CEO of Solimar International, one of the world’s leading sustainable tourism development firms that has implemented over 200 projects totaling $150 million in grants and contracts. Chris is also an executive in residence and assistant tourism professor at George Washington University and owns the Inn & Tavern at Meander, a bed and breakfast in Virginia.

Minister of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture

Dr Hussain Rasheed Hassan, is the Minister of Fisheries, Marine Resources and agriculture of Maldives, responsible for the development and sustainable management of fisheries, marine resources and agriculture in the Maldives. He was serving as the Minister of Environment prior to being transferred to the current position. Dr. Hussain completed his undergraduate studies at the Australian Maritime College in the field Fisheries Sciences and Management, and Masters, with distinction, in the field of Fisheries Economics. He attained a Doctorate of Philosophy in International Production and Trade in Principle Market Tunas, from the University of Portsmouth, UK. Dr. Hussain worked as a researcher and as a lecturer at the University of Portsmouth, between 1997 and 2001, and he served as the President of the College Council of the Kulliyathul Dhiraasathul Islamiyya (College of Islamic Studies, which is now the Islamic University of Maldives) between June 2011 and November 2013.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture, Maldives

Dr. Aminath Shafia is the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry Fisheries, Marines Resources and Agriculture of Maldives. She is responsible for the management of the human and financial resources to deliver the Government’s policies to improve the life and wellbeing of fisheries, marine resources and agriculture communities and businesses outline in the Strategic Action Plan. She completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture from the University of South Pacific and a Master’s Degree in Plant Pathology, from University of Sydney, Australia. She graduated with a Master of Science in Environmental Biology from University of Guelph, Canada and completed her Doctor of Philosophy in Plant Science from the University of Reading, UK in 2009. With over 25 years of experience, she has extensive knowledge in agriculture policy, planning and management. Her exposure into development and management comes from her experience in coordinating for International Development Agencies such as IFAD and FAO as well as her 25+ years of experience in the Government. In the latter half of her career, she was engaged in policy and planning of food systems.

Minister of Arts, Culture & Heritage, Maldives

Ms. Yumna Maumoon, is the Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage of Maldives. She has served in various government posts in the past with her latest government portfolio being the Deputy Minister of Education. As the Deputy Minister of Education, she was in-charge of the Department of Heritage as well as the Maldives National Center for Linguistics and Historic Research and has contributed greatly to the development of the Maldives National Museum as well as worked on various awareness campaigns on preservation of cultural and historical landmarks in the Maldives. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Oriental Studies (Arabic and Persian) from Oxford University and Master of Arts in English-Arabic Applied Linguistic and Translation of Oriental and African Studies from the University of London. She has always been passionate and put her utmost importance in conserving and preserving the intangible and tangible heritage of the Maldives.

UNDP Resident Representative in Maldives

Mr. Enrico Gaveglia, an Italian national, is an experienced development professional with over 16 years of work experience in the United Nations system. Between 2016 and 2021 he has served as the Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP in the Philippines. Between 2010 and 2016 he has been the Deputy Country Director for UNDP in Sri Lanka and Cambodia. Between 2005 and 2010, he was the Head of the Trust Fund Management Unit in UN and UNDP Sudan. As UNDP country office senior manager Mr. Gaveglia has offered his support to Governments, the UN system and UNDP in several capacities across regions in aid of countries and offices in transformation and complex development settings including crisis and post conflict. Mr. Gaveglia is a regular outposted resource of UNDP Bureau of Management, Crisis Bureau, an innovation advocate for the UNDP Asia Pacific Regional Innovation Center and has lived the last 11 years in the Asia Pacific Region.

Prior to UNDP, Mr. Gaveglia has worked for over five years with the European Union in the former regional Delegation to India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and the Maldives, as well as in the European Agency for Reconstruction in Montenegro and North Macedonia. He has started his career as Lieutenant in the Italian Ministry of Defense in 1999 and he holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Florence, Italy.