The 2024 Judging Panel
The RLI MENA Awards judging team is a group of leading industry experts who will review eligible submissions and score them confidentially and inform the RLI Awards team. The panel will not review entries from their own companies or any entry that might constitute a conflict of interest.

With well-versed skills and persistent follow-up in operations and marketing, Mohammad created two epic retail shopping centres in Saudi Arabia: Hera Community Mall at Madinah Road and the iconic super-regional, Red Sea Mall at King Abdul Aziz Road in Jeddah. He also carries in his career a portfolio of eight other shopping malls which were developed during his work with SAVOLA.
Mohammad is a public Saudi figure on the retail scene. He chairs the Shopping Malls Committee at JCCI, a member with the promotions and events Committee at JCCI and a member with the National Saudi Tourism Board in Riyadh.
Currently he heads one of the most dynamic Real Estate Development Companies in Saudi, Red Sea Markets Co. His vision is to turn it into one of the major players in the Shopping Mall Industry in Saudi Arabia.

Ishwar Chugani is the CEO and Managing Director of Giordano Middle East and a member of the Management Committee of Giordano International, Hong Kong.
Chugani began his career in 1979 when he set up Sindbad’s Wonderland, the Middle East first Indoor Family Entertainment Centre at the Al Ghurair Centre, Dubai. In 2022, under his leadership Giordano’s Middle East received two of the most prestigious industry awards. The RLI Global Retailer of the Year Award bestowed by Retail & Leisure International (RLI) and Best Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Retail Brand awarded by the Middle East Council of Shopping Centres & Retailers (MECS+R).
Apart from his responsibilities at Giordano, Chugani is also a founding member of the Middle East Council of Shopping Centers and The UAE Retail Business Group. His contribution to the retail industry in the region spans 44 distinguished years.

Dr Martyn Davies is Head of the Retail Sector and Leads the City Excellence Division at the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
He was formerly a Senior Partner (Managing Director of Africa & Emerging Markets) at Deloitte - the world's largest professional services company - as well as the member firm’s Chief Economist with over twenty years of experience advising the C-Suite of Multinational and Public Sector clients on strategy and operational effectiveness.
He is an alumnus of the Young Global Leaders Community of the World Economic Forum and has served on numerous advisory groups at the WEF including the Global Agenda Council on China and as an expert adviser to the Mining & Metals Industry Group.
He is a Visiting Professor at IE Business School, Spain, recognized as one of the world’s leading business schools as well as a Professor of Practice in the College of Business and Economics, University of Johannesburg.
Dr Davies is a Non-Executive Director of FutureElect, a non-governmental organisation that was launched through the World Economic Forum that trains young people for public service in Africa.
He was educated at the University of the Witwatersrand (Johannesburg), Yonsei University (Seoul), Harvard Business School, Yale University, Said Business School, Oxford, and Nanyang Technological University (Singapore).
Martyn is an elite cyclist and has competed at international level representing his country at the UCI World Cycling Championships.

Jonathan is a “C level” executive in the foodservice and leisure industry with 45 years of experience and leadership in restaurants, hotels, and global consulting. He holds board positions and advisory roles continuing to redefine the quality of locations, operations, and teams, working with landlords and developers, owners and operators and brands around the world. Jonathan has worked with ECE, Brookfield, URW, MAF, Emaar, British Land and Westfield, amongst many others. He is a Chairman, a NED, an advisor to operating brands and property owners and regularly speaks at events globally. Jonathan has received multiple awards from the property and hospitality industries for his lifetime commitment to the industry and driving forward innovation, creativity and defining places with purpose.

David has been the Group CEO of Roshn for more than three years and is based in Riyadh. Roshn is the largest real estate developer in Saudi Arabia developing communities, new smart cities and urban regeneration projects for circa three million people by 2030, across the Kingdom in Saudi Arabia with developments in Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah, Kharj, Hofuf, Qatif and Damman.
David is also on the Board of a new PIF start up business which is to create a network of EV charging points across KSA, which will be formally launched this summer. Prior to Roshn, David was a shareholder and Board Member of Mace Group and CEO of the Development/Investment business. Prior to that David worked in private practice and local government as a surveyor.
David is a Chartered Surveyor and Chartered Arbitrator, with a post-graduation degree in Construction law.

An experienced retail development specialist and renowned leader in the MENA retail real estate industry providing expertise in development, leasing, and management of commercial assets for over 40 years. Dubai based McARTHUR Retail Development Specialists has provided strategic assistance to over 150 developers in 22 nations. McARTHUR focuses on planning new retail destinations as well as rescuing poor-performing investments.

Alison Rehill-Erguven brings more than two decades of extensive shopping mall and retail real estate experience having been based in and/or managed joint ventures, assets and teams in some of the world’s most prominent emerging markets across Asia, Europe and Latin America. In addition, she has more than 10 years of experience in the US market, working with global industry-leading commercial retail real estate companies and shopping mall operators, Simon Property Group and General Growth Properties.
Prior to joining Cenomi Centers, she held the role of CEO for Pradera Retail Asia (PRA), a joint venture that was formed with Macquarie Bank’s MIRA division, based in Shanghai, China for five years. This JV was subsequently acquired in 2021 by Brookfield Asset Management, one of the world’s largest alternative asset managers, where Alison led the transition of PRA into Brookfield and acted as Senior Advisor and Acting Head of Commercial Real Estate for Brookfield Properties in China where she was responsible for all retail assets including shopping malls, offices, and mixed-use developments.

Edie Rodriguez is a highly accomplished CEO and Advisory Board Member who delivers billion-dollar outcomes for some of the world’s most recognizable brands, including Royal Caribbean’s Azamara Club Cruises, Carnival Corporation’s Cunard, Seabourn and Carnival brands, Crystal Cruises & Ponant Cruises.
She is a positive disruptor with 35+ years of broad based sales, marketing, digital, social, distribution channels, and operations experience directing corporate divisions in global cruise, travel, and tech industries.
Globally respected as a thought leader on Luxury and Luxury Branding and frequent speaker on Fox News, Fox Business News, CNN, CNBC and Bloomberg TV in the U.S., U.K., and Hong Kong.

Mohamed serves as the President of the Diriyah Development Company (DevCo) and leads the development activities for the 14 square kilometer, USD 63Bn mixed-use development, anchored on the birthplace of the Kingdom, the UNESCO World Heritage site of At-Turaif.
Mohamed has more than 20 years’ experience leading major retail-focused, residential, and commercial offices projects across the Middle East. Over the course of his two-decade career, he has been responsible for some of the region’s most innovative retail, residential and interiors companies.
Prior to his joining Diriyah, Mohamed held positions as Development Director of the Mall of Oman and Development Director of the City Center Almaza, Egypt, for Majid Al Futtaim Properties. Prior to that he was General Manager for Living in Interiors, based in Cairo, where he led the transformation of a family-owned business into a corporate enterprise developing premium residential and offices buildings. Mohamed also has professional experience working as a structural design engineer and head of business development for a portfolio of Dubai and Egypt based companies. Mohamed holds a BSc in Civil & Structural Engineering from Cairo University and a PMP certification.

George Tanasijevich serves as the Chief Executive Officer of King Salman Park Foundation, which is developing a 16sq km site in central Riyadh that will include one of the world’s largest urban parks, residential properties, office buildings, retail and F&B outlets, entertainment facilities, MICE, and cultural attractions.
He previously served as President and CEO of Marina Bay Sands for nine years, as Managing Director of Global Development for Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVS) for eleven years. He was responsible for project managing Las Vegas Sands Corp.'s successful bid to develop Singapore's Integrated Resort at Marina Bay.
Prior to his involvement in the company's Singapore activities, George was based in Macau as Director of Development, responsible for the coordination of various commercial activities related to Las Vegas Sands Corp.'s Cotai Strip™ projects.
George was recently awarded Singapore’s 2023 “Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Contribution to Tourism”, the Singapore Tourism Board’s highest accolade.

Neeraj Teckchandani is the CEO & Director of Apparel Group head quartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and has been with Apparel Group for 22 years. Neeraj has spent over 26+ years in the UAE and has vast experience within the retail industry across various domains such as strategy, management, operations, mergers, and acquisitions and financial operations to name a few.
Neeraj is an Alumni of Harvard Business School and University of London. He is also the member of the Beta Gama Sigma Society and has been awarded various industry awards like “ Best Fashion Lifestyle CFO (UAE) Award at the Global CFO Excellence Awards 2020”. “ World’s Greatest CFO Award 2018-2019 by Asia One” and “Most influential CFO in Fashion and Lifestyle Services (UAE)” at the Global Business Insights Awards 2018.

Michael began his career in chartered accountancy, training originally with Ernst and Young in 1980, before taking his first Group Finance Director position at Bassett Foods PLC in 1986 gaining an MBA during this time. In 1989 he was appointed Group Finance Director of H.P. Bulmer Holdings PLC, before moving in to the retail space in 1994 as Managing Director of Lloyds Chemists PLC. After a period of senior directorship roles in retail, Michael was invited to join Harrods as Managing Director in 2005. During his time at Harrods, he has overseen programmes of huge growth and expansion within the luxury department store, as well as the transition to new ownership by the Qatar Investment Authority. Michael is a leading voice in the luxury industry and currently holds the position of Chairman of Walpole, the official sector body for UK luxury. He was also appointed to the V&A Corporate Advisory Board in August 2020 and is a trustee of The Royal Opera House.