Riad BESTANIFounder & CEO - Eco Square

With more than 28 years of international experience across various continents, Riad has advocated his past years to Circular Economy in the industrial sector and has joined the list of Environment experts while launching his advisory company “ECOsquare” in 2021 in Dubai.

His focus is to provide roadmaps and industrial solutions to Sustainability and Waste challenges within industries and government bodies. During his late role as GM for a waste management division in the cement industry, he helped waste generators divert the waste from landfill. Since 2016, he has been actively promoting sustainable solutions with local UAE authorities, including MOCCAE, from which he was awarded recognitions for his actions along with other entities such as Tadweer and Dubai Municipality. With ECOsquare-(ECO2), he intends to create the bridge and make sure that “ECOnomy meets ECOlogy” challenges.

In 2022, he took a new role as Senior Advisor for Infrastructure/cleantech sectors under the Swiss Business Hub Middle East entity, to support Swiss technology and service providers in large infrastructure projects for the GCC/MENA market.

Prior to these recent roles, he took various positions as Product and Process Engineer, Project Manager, Sourcing and Supply Chain Director in Multinational companies. He is also a waste expert at the Business Finland and regularly participate to Circular Economy panel discussions for which he acts as speaker or MC.

Riad holds a M.Sc in Engineering and Manufacturing from Syracuse University, US and a M.Sc in Material Science and Mechanical Engineer from Ecole Centrale de Lyon, France. He Speaks 5 languages and is convinced that multicultural exchanges are a mind opener and ease collaboration between people. As a scuba diver, he knows how fragile are our Natural Resources and hence strive to keep it safe for the next generations. He has been living in the GCC since 2009.