Onshore Energy Conference — Dubai Onshore Energy Conference — Dubai 02 | Page 6
Najib Abboud
Senior Principal and Weidlinger Applied Science Practice Leader — Thornton Tomasetti
[email protected]
Najib Abboud has
more than 27 years
of experience in
applied mechanics
R&D, structural
and computational
engineering, and vulnerability
assessments and mitigations. As
leader of the Weidlinger Applied
Science practice, he directs the
firm’s research and advanced
analysis efforts, which encompasses
everything from solving problems
related to the safety of military
platforms, critical infrastructure,
tall buildings, industrial and petro-
chemical plants, and automotive and
airborne vehicles to developing
scientific software whose
applications go beyond the
built environment.
Najib leads many critical
infrastructure security and
resilience projects for major
transportation and port authorities,
with a specific focus on bridges,
tunnels, air and rail transportation
facilities and networks. These
efforts rely on both computational
simulations of extreme events
and physical testing as a basis for
designs against blast, fire, impact
and other attack modalities.
During his career, he has served as
a principal investigator and expert
on a range of forensics projects.
He served as expert and technical
director for the multidisciplinary
investigation of the World Trade
Center collapses and has applied
sophisticated nonlinear analyses
to other collapse investigations,
establishing the firm’s leadership
in the field. Dr. Abboud also led
large forensic investigations,
from structural collapses such as
the Tropicana Casino and Resort
parking garage in Atlantic City,
New Jersey, to errors and omissions
and/or delays claims on large
construction projects, including the
Denver Art Museum in Colorado.
Dr. Abboud also served as a
committee member on government-
convened panels addressing
issues of progressive collapse,
anti-terrorism and the translation
of the NIST World Trade Center
Investigation Recommendations
for the Model Building Codes.
Tejal Bartlett
Global Head of Energy — Qatar Reinsurance Company Ltd
[email protected]
A recognised
leading
underwriter in the
International
Energy sector, with
over 20 years of
underwriting experience, both in
the London market and the Middle
East, Tejal has managed to establish
a strong relationship with many risk
managers globally as well as within
the Middle East & Africa Region.
In Tejal’s current role as
Global Head of Energy at Qatar
Reinsurance Company, she is tasked
with bringing together the regional
teams and developing a global focus,
as well as changing underwriting
philosophy from a follow market
to one with a more meaningful
6
offering both across onshore
and offshore lines of business.
In her previous role, Tejal was the
Head of Energy for the Middle East
with a dual role as the Head of Oil,
Gas Petrochemical and Refining
Europe, Middle East & Africa, for
Zurich Insurance Company based in
Dubai. She led the Deep Dive into
the Profitability and Underwriting
Discipline and Standards within
the Europe Middle East & Africa
Onshore Energy portfolio, as well as
being responsible for the Strategy,
Direction and Profitability of the
Onshore Europe Middle East &
Africa Onshore Energy portfolio.
Prior to the role at Zurich, Tejal was
based in London at Ace European
Group Limited for 6 years, where
she was primarily responsible
for managing and achieving
the group’s productivity and
profitability targets. She was a key
member of the team in developing
pricing models and looked into
underwriting efficiencies which
enabled a faster response to
brokers. In addition to helping
regionalise the London portfolio,
Tejal was a senior peer reviewer for
the Energy group and point person
for regional underwriters globally.
Tejal’s first underwriting role was at
Liberty International Underwriters
formally Liberty Mutual Insurance
Company (UK) Ltd. During her 9
years at Liberty she underwrote
the small to medium sized
energy and property accounts.