Dr. Nihel Chabrak

Prof. Dr. Nihel Chabrak works at the intersection of policy, practice, innovation, education, and sustainability, orchestrating regenerative transformation by connecting dots across academia, government, private sector, and civil society. With over twenty years bridging theory and practice across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, her trajectory consistently cuts across sectors, generations, and geographies, embodying a whole-of-society approach to tackling systemic challenges.

Her work examines the roots of our systems to understand embedded flaws—a philosophy now guiding Vision Nest, her advisory firm promoting a "Regenerative Anthropocene." As Chairperson of GEM UAE, she institutionalized evidence-based policymaking with the Ministry of Economy. As CEO of UAEU Science and Innovation Park, she led efforts to establish the Arab world's first Design Thinking School, brought MIT and Stanford programs to the region, and achieved 70% Emirati female founders across 40+ startups. At Expo 2020, she pioneered the first university pavilion, showcasing the "University of the Future" and the Pathfinder program. Currently, she supports official delegations at climate negotiations (COP28/29), co-founded AirImpact to advance nature-based solutions, and is an Associate at the University of Edinburgh Business School.