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Najla Baeshen

Managing Director and Principal Consultant at Baes Infinitas

Saudi Arabia

About

Najla Baeshen is Managing Director/Principal Consultant of Baes Infinitas, focusing on application of sustainability and circular economy principles on capital projects. She is an accredited engineer(PE – Illinois, USA; Consultant – Saudi Council of Engineers, KSA) with over 22 years of experience in program/project management, engineering design, and environmental studies in the USA and the Middle East. She has worked on numerous infrastructure, buildings, and oil & gas projects. Najla has a comprehensive view on project delivery having worked globally on small-scale to mega projects and both as a consultant and an owner.

Najla is an advocate for women in engineering and construction and is an avid role model and mentor to young girls in STEM and women in the workforce, as well as developing the future workforce of the engineering/construction industry. She serves as an Executive Committee member for the University of Houston Cougars for Women in Construction group and as a GLEAC power skills mentor for “managing people.” She is also a research committee member with the U of H Construction Management program focusing on research topics relating to sustainability/circular economy on capital projects.

Najla also has a passion for angel investing with start-ups whose mission are aligned with her interests in technology, access to education and environmental stewardship.

Najla holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Mississippi and a Master of Science in Civil from the University of Illinois, Chicago; and has completed an executive education course at the University of Oxford Transport Studies Unit on Infrastructure, Development and Finance. A lifelong learner, she continues to pursue certificates relating to the circular economy for a sustainable built environment.

To connect with Najla, visit her LinkedIn profile.

Panel Speaker

Future of Construction & the Role of Project Controls

The construction sector plays a major role in driving economic growth in countries around the world and has a direct impact on global GDP. At the same time, construction is recognized as one of the least innovative sectors.

According to a study by McKinsey in 2017, this industry is plagued by high levels of inefficiency, with large construction projects typically exceeding their budgets and taking 20 percent longer on average than projected.

While the benefits of new digital technologies are significant, the construction sector has been slow to embrace these developments and innovation still lags behind other sectors. The construction industry has a steady growth trajectory with a projection that the industry will double in size between 2020 and 2030. However, the industry is facing some headwinds with global shortage of workforce, supplies and facing rising costs.

The need for innovation and technological advances is more important than ever. Technological advances, the pandemic, increased competition, and the demand for shorter construction times are, however, slowly but surely starting to transform the construction sector.

Join this esteemed panel to discuss the future of construction and how technology, innovation and data analytics can transform our industry.