Vice President, Global Climate Finance Centre

Omar Saif is a Vice President at the Global Climate Finance Centre (GCFC) in Abu Dhabi, an institution he helped establish following COP28 and whose mandates across water, nature, climate technology, carbon markets, and capacity building he helped shape. His work concentrates on water and energy security. He leads GCFC's water finance programme, making water and sanitation investment bankable and positioning the UAE as a convening hub ahead of the 2026 UN Water Conference. On energy, he builds platforms that channel capital into clean power across frontier and emerging markets, working through the risk allocation, currency exposure, and offtake terms that determine whether projects reach financial close. Much of this involves aligning sovereign investors, multilateral institutions, commercial banks, and philanthropies so that concessional and catalytic capital reaches the investments that need it most. Prior to joining GCFC, Omar was part of the COP28 team, where he led private sector engagement in climate technology. He brings 13+ years of experience across government, consultancy, and trade promotion, having worked with EY, WSP, and Masdar Institute on projects spanning energy efficiency, net zero, smart cities, and waste management, and with the Dutch government to promote climate-tech startups and SMEs across the MENA region. Omar holds an M.Eng. in Engineering and Public Policy from McMaster University in Canada.