Leadership team

Shimmy Mathew is a Chartered Accountant with more than two decades of practical and theoretical experience across numerous commercial segments, specialising in financing and relevant strategic measures associated with business acquisitions and its administration.

Appointed in 2013 as Chief Financial Officer of KBW Investments, Mathew was additionally appointed Chief Financial Officer of Arada when the developer was founded in December 2016. He oversees multiple aspects of both Arada and the holding company in addition to the finance segment, including human resources, legal, compliance and IT.

Mathew’s functional expertise in fields including auditing, strategy development and execution, finance and corporate structuring and implementation, is utilised across Arada in addition to the development and implementation of all of the company’s financial systems, policies, procedures, mandates, and standards.

Mathew has also been instrumental in securing the support of leading UAE banks for several large-scale financing packages that are supporting the construction of Arada’s projects.
Prior to his current appointment, Mathew served as the Finance Manager for Raimondi Cranes, a 150-year-old Italian manufacturer and a pillar of the KBW Investments portfolio. Having transitioned to Raimondi Cranes in 2009, Mathew’s previous professional record includes extensive experience in the strategic planning, finance and accounting functions of several heavy machinery entities across the GCC countries.

Ahmad Oneisse has 16 years of experience in sales and sales operations, and is regarded as one of the most experienced real estate executives in the UAE. Before joining Arada he was employed by DAMAC Properties, where he worked his way up the ladder to become Senior Vice President – Sales. As a key member of DAMAC’s senior management team, he has played a major role in launching some 90 projects throughout the region and has been responsible for the development and execution of sales strategies, as well as building business models and assessing risks.

In his most recent roles, Ahmad has overseen overall sales operations and customer relations to ensure delivering and sustaining revenue and profit gains, quality, service and customer satisfaction, as well as a special emphasis on business development through joint ventures (JVs). He has worked with family-owned and publicly listed companies with diverse business cultures in both developed and emerging economies in the Middle East and has a demonstrated ability to cross industry boundaries to boost financial outcomes in real estate sectors.

Elie Mrad is a qualified architect with more than 20 years of experience working in markets as diverse as Australia, the UAE and South Sudan.

He is responsible for Arada’s overall design philosophy and for developing new typologies that adhere to that philosophy. Elie focuses on an iterative and information-based design process to introduce new ideas, and is also responsible for ensuring the feasibility of designs, from concept to completion.
Elie’s current initiatives include fostering stronger team collaboration via the creation of a lively, sharing design studio environment and creating a mentorship network where senior staff can guide and help other employees grow and progress in their careers.

As Head of Architecture and Design, Elie has been instrumental in the creation of the masterplan and unit designs for all three of Arada’s record-breaking projects and worked closely with Zaha Hadid Architects on the delivery of Madar at Aljada, a new leisure and entertainment destination for the UAE.
He previously served as Head of Architecture at Arcadia Middle East, and as Senior Architect at Dewan Architects & Engineers. Elie’s other roles have included Managing Director of Venture International, and Senior Architect at Kann Finch.

The projects he has worked on include Reem Mall in Abu Dhabi, Dubai Festival City and the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Yas Island.
Elie holds a BSc in Architectural Engineering from Beirut Arab University and an MSc in Architecture and Urban Design from the University of Sydney.
Elie is married to an architect and has two children; in his spare time, he enjoys visiting vibrant cities around the world to observe and explore their urban context.

As Chief Operating Officer, Amit Arora oversees Arada’s Hospitality and Entertainment division, which incorporates a number of rapidly growing segments including wellness, hospitality, F&B and events. He is also responsible for all Arada’s new non-residential business.

Amit is a hospitality professional with nearly three decades of experience in the hospitality industry across the UAE, Germany and USA.

Prior to joining Arada, Amit was Chief Operating Officer at Erth Abu Dhabi, formerly known as the Armed Forces Officers Club & Hotel where he provided strategic direction and leadership to the group’s diverse portfolio, covering Hotels, Recreation Clubs, Catering, Hospitality and Restaurants division, and played a pivotal role in bringing École Ducasse, the world’s premier culinary institution, to Abu Dhabi.

He has also served as Chief Executive Officer, Hospitality at FIVE Holdings, where he was instrumental in establishing the hotel division for the group, and as Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at Emaar Hospitality Group where he spearheaded the development and launch of three distinctive brands: The Address Hotels and Resorts, Armani Hotels and Resorts, and Vida Hotels.

Amit’s 15-year journey with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company included senior executive roles in global locations, including Boston, Berlin, and Dubai. His final assignment involved serving as Multi Property General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton properties in Ras Al Khaimah.

Amit is a graduate of the International College of Hotel Management at Modul University in Austria. 

Edward Attwood heads up the public relations and corporate communications functions at Arada and has been with the company since its inception. He also serves as Director of Communications at KBW Investments, one of Arada’s parent companies.

A former journalist and editor, he joined Arada from ITP, the Middle East’s largest publishing house, where he ran the Executive division. In that role, he oversaw leading consumer publication Arabian Business, as well as having responsibility for the editorial output for three other magazines and ITP Executive’s sizeable annual roster of events and awards ceremonies. Before joining the Executive division of ITP, he edited and worked on a number of trade titles, including Construction Week and Aviation Business.

Prior to moving to the UAE in 2008, Edward worked as an editor on the Middle East desk for political and economic forecasting company Global Insight, which is now part of IHS Markit. He also served as a legal caseworker at a local regulatory authority in the UK. He holds an honours degree in English Literature from the University of Newcastle.

Sameer Kulkarni has managed mixed-use master developments in the UAE, Canada and Saudi Arabia. He previously worked at Amaala/The Red Sea Development Company in Riyadh, where he served as an Executive Director.

In the UAE, he has managed large diverse portfolios mainly during his 17-year tenure with Emaar Properties. In the past he strategically helped resolve challenges involving property handover, maintenance, service fee budgets, communications and homeowner relations for developments that included Downtown Dubai, Arabian Ranches, Emirates Living and The Greens.

Kulkarni holds an MBA in Hospitality from the Sydney Graduate School of Management, Australia and a Digital Marketing diploma from Cornell University, USA.

Mayank has over two decades of diverse technology experience across Financial Services, IT Services, Healthcare, Real Estate, Hospitality, and Entertainment industries. He has worked with prestigious brands such as Prudential (US), technology giant Cognizant, and global health care Fortis.

Prior to joining Arada, Mayank briefly served as Chief Information Officer at Emaar. He has held leadership roles in Technology, Corporate Strategy, and Business Intelligence and is recognized for his expertise in digital transformation, business growth, and customer experience enhancement.

Mayank holds a B.Tech from the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology, Delhi (2002) and an MBA from Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (2004).

Rosa Piro’s wide portfolio of responsibilities includes the expansion of Arada’s interests via new projects, as well as evaluating investments in new business segments.

She also oversees and maintains commercial and institutional partnerships in hospitality, healthcare, education and entertainment, adjusting the anchor strategy for each based on the needs of Arada’s communities.

Rosa is also responsible for creating and implementing the retail leasing strategy across Arada’s assets, as well as their management and operations.

Recent initiatives include the proposal and execution of Arada’s CSR programme during the recent Covid-19 crisis, and she is currently working on establishing a research vertical to make data-driven decisions.

Rosa previously served as Country Head for emerging markets research and consultancy firm Oxford Business Group, working in the UAE, the Philippines and Indonesia. In that role, she oversaw the company’s first-ever production of The Report: Sharjah annual investment guide. Rosa holds a bachelor’s degree in International Economics from Bocconi University in Milan and a master’s in International Management from Instituto de Empresa in Madrid. She is passionate about travelling, the outdoors and sports.

Saneen Sainudeen has over 21 years of professional experience in the fields of procurement and contracts for major projects in the United Arab Emirates. Saneen’s responsibilities include all procurement, commercial and contracts-related activities for a multiple portfolio of projects within Arada’s master developments, in addition to other verticals within the organisation, such as FM, Events, Marketing, IT and HR.

Saneen’s key skills include negotiation backed by good commercial and contractual acumen; conflict resolution; the procurement of consultants and contracts for high-value projects within budget; value engineering; contract administration and claims management and innovative procurement methodologies.

Saneen’s experience includes pre- and post-contract administration and claims management for extremely complex and large fast-track projects in the United Arab Emirates, including villa master developments, high-rise buildings, retail, F&B, hospitality, ports, palaces and industrial zones. Before joining Arada, Saneen was involved in many notable projects including the Museum of the Future, Citywalk, Boxpark, Nikki Beach Hotel & Resort, Dubai Harbour, Dubai Water Canal, Emirates Hills , Jumeirah Village and Khalifa Port & Industrial Zone.

Saneen holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and has been employed by reputable contractors, developers and project management consultants, a portfolio that helps him in assessing issues from different perspectives and assists in problem solving.

Maher Metraji is the Development Director in charge of overseeing the development of Aljada, Sharjah’s largest ever megaproject, which is spread over a 24 million square foot site.

Maher has more than 20 years of experience working in a series of landmark developments and prestigious projects across the UAE. He previously served as Senior Manager at Emaar Development and Projects Manager at Mazaya Real Estate. Maher’s other roles have also included Construction Manager at Turner Construction International and Al Hamed Development, as well as Project Engineer at Al Hamad Contracting.

Key projects he has worked on include Emaar South, Liwan Development, The Dubai Mall Fashion Avenue Expansion, Al Saadiyat Beach Villas, Eastern Mangrove Development, Al Raha Beach Development, The Address Dubai Mall, The Dubai Mall, Jumeirah Lake Terrace Tower, The Burj Residence by Emaar, the Dubai TV studios and Dubai Marina Towers by Emaar.

Mohamad Moussalli is a qualified Engineer with 18 years of contracting experience in the UAE and Lebanon. He joined Arada from Damac Properties, where he was Senior Manager – Projects, and most recently had oversight of the Damac Hills villa programme. He has also served as Project Manager at Abu Dhabi-based Civil Power General Contracting, and as Construction Manager at Al Ghafly General Contracting. Among the projects he has worked on are New York University Abu Dhabi, and Frond L of the Palm Jumeirah, for Nakheel.

Mohit Menon has 21 years of experience in human resources, 13 of which have been spent in a leadership capacity. In his current role, he is responsible for creating and executing a progressive human capital approach focused on employee engagement, performance management and talent development and helping to make Arada a fully people-centric organisation with robust HR metrics.

During his time at Arada, Mohit has rolled out a comprehensive performance management system and introduced and executed KPIs for the entire organisation, while also executing an employee first model using engagement and communications initiatives to reduce attrition and improve employer branding. He is also working on a total rewards scheme for all staff and is working with Gallup to work on the awareness and effectiveness of the leadership team to drive collaboration.

Mohit’s previous experience spans a wide array of industry verticals from real estate to investment banking and his HR domain expertise encompasses Performance Management, Employee Engagement, Total Rewards, Talent Management, HR MIS, Budget & Cost Management, Restructuring, Localization and Hiring.

Mohit has a bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Madras Christian College and an MBA from International Management Institute.

In his spare time, Mohit loves to learn, travel, farm, enjoy food and play sports. He believes that his personal success is directly proportionate to the number of leaders or talents he has groomed or mentored.

Melissa heads the brand and culture portfolio at Arada both at the corporate level and the project level. Her responsibilities include driving the company purpose across the organisation, which include the creation, development and governance of the brands within the group, while also creating a purpose-lead workplace culture, as well as leading the talented brand and experience design teams.

Currently she is also working on developing the creative district at Aljada including its anchor Design Museum, and creating a culture that fosters creativity, wellbeing and collaboration.

Previously, Melissa has worked with Meraas during its transformational brand change. Before moving client side, Melissa spent time honing her skills as brand designer and design director at international brand consultancies including Start JG, Wolff Olins and Brand Union after a stint in Alstom’s HQ in Paris. She also led her independent brand and creative consultancy working with selective clients.

Melissa graduated from American University of Sharjah with a BSc in Multimedia Design, where she was later elected to serve on the Board of the Alumni Association. She is passionate about design, education and the community, and has been involved in several private initiatives that help young women across UAE and Saudi Arabia prepare for jobs and create projects that have an impact on the community, she is a member of the UAE University Leadership Consortium under the chairmanship of HH Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak. She is an active member of the UAE design community and has been invited to judge on a number of business and design awards programmes, including the Transform MEA awards, for three consecutive years. Melissa was raised in Australia and is originally from Istanbul. She has called the UAE home for over 20 years.

Hisham Saeed Khattab has over 19 years’ experience in a range of roles related to the real estate industry with a range of companies in the UAE.

At Arada, he is responsible for leading a team that develops and maintains strong strategic relationships with a number of key government entities. Hisham is also responsible for working with different departments within Arada to ensure that all opportunities for collaboration with these government organisations are explored and concluded.

Hisham has previously worked in senior positions within the Zabeel Group of Companies, Deyaar and Mohamed Al Suwaidi Investment.

He holds a bachelor of science degree in Marketing from American International University and a degree in public administration from the University of Sharjah.

Fayez Khouri joined Arada as Head of Legal in 2021 and in doing so happily returned to the world of real estate law, his specialisation for the first 10 years of his career.

Prior to joining Arada, Fayez was the General Counsel at PwC Middle East, leading a team of 15 lawyers across the region. He has worked mainly in the UAE, Lebanon and the UK, where he earned his law degree, but also spent time in China, Kuwait, Qatar, the US and Vietnam.

In addition to law, Fayez studied international relations at the London School of Economics and Georgetown University in Washington D.C. When Fayez isn’t defending the rights of Arada and trying to make sense of the law, he can be spotted around Dubai playing tennis and swimming.

For total relaxation, he enjoys the cinema, opera, dinners with good friends and plane spotting, which is as close as he will ever get to realising his dream of becoming a pilot. Fayez is married to Maria and they have two young boys who bring them absolute amusement and anxiety in equal measure.

Feras Al Naimi is a qualified engineer with more than 22 years of experience working in the MEP and infrastructure in the UAE, working with clients as varied as Masdar, Aldar and ADNOC. Prior to joining Arada, Feras served as Director – MEP for Damac Properties, where he had responsibility for all MEP operations at a variety of major projects, including Damac Hills and Akoya Oxygen. He has also worked as an Area Manager at Thermo LLC and a Project Manager at Cofathec International.