Past Presidents

2017 President
RAYA ANI- Founder & Design Director, RAW-NYC Architects

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Raya Ani an award winning architect and urban designer with 25 years of professional experience having worked in Baghdad, Germany, Boston, New York City and Dubai. In 2015, 2016 and 2017, she was named one of the top most powerful Architects in the Middle East. She won the AIA Middle East election at the end of 2015 to become the 2017 President of the American Institute of Architects - Middle East Chapter. She received her BSC in Architectural Engineering from Baghdad University with distinctions, and an MS in Architectural Studies from MIT where she was awarded the Harvard / MIT Aga Khan Scholarship. She has taught urban and architectural design studios and served as a guest critic at a number of leading architectural schools in New York, Boston and Dubai. Raya Ani is a licensed Architect in the State of New York and a US Green Building Council Accredited Professional. Raya has designed the first public green school in New York City and two green- certified (LEED) residential towers in Battery Park City. In 2011, she was nominated for the Middle-East Architect of the year Award and her work was highly commended by the jury. In 2012, she founded RAW-NYC Architects, an interdisciplinary architectural studio based in New York City. In 2014, She established the Dubai office. In 2013, she received AIA-ME honor award for her visionary work on the marshes of southern Iraq as well as a merit award for her design of Aspire sports complex in Qatar. In 2014, Her Aspire Sports complex project received the Leisure Project of the Year Award by Middle East Architect. In 2015, one of RAW-NYC Architects’ commercial projects was named “Most innovative Commercial structure” in Build Magazine’s Architecture Awards. In 2016, She was selected as one of five inspiring and powerful personalities in the world by Black Tomato travel and Cadillac and represented the MENA region. In 2016, She was shortlisted from a list of 43 leading women architects in New York to enter an international design competition to convert a women’s prison to an international Hub for Women’s Empowerment. She led RAW-NYC team for Liberland to design a masterplan for a new micro-nation. Her vision for liberland won the first place and the work was widely published. In 2017, BUILD magazine named RAW-NYC Architects as Best Interdisciplinary Architecture Studio - New York and Best Middle Eastern Sport Facility Design for Qatar Sports Complex. Her design of Bamiyan Cultural Center in Afghanistan won a Merit Award at the AIA International Region Design Awards in Prague. Raya Ani is a regular guest speaker at international architectural conferences including Harvard Arab conference. She has been invited to speak at MIT in Cambridge, Women in Design in Denver and at the Center of Architecture in New York City. She was also invited to speak at the Iraqi Embassy in Vienna and by Architectural universities in Dubai, Qatar, India, London and the US. In 2017, she was the conference Chair for 10,958 DAYS into the future conference by AIA Middle East in Sharjah. She participated in a series of workshops as a volunteer to help build schools and homes for children in Tanzania. She had led recycling initiatives to help build more sustainable and innovative projects. Her research focuses on future living, future cities, social and economic sustainability and the intersection between technology, innovation and sustainability.

2016 President
Design Director at Gulf Related

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A founding member of the AIA Middle East Board of Directors, Sherif has served as the Chapter's Treasurer, Secretary, Vice-President and was the 2013 and 2016 President. Sherif served on the AIA International Board of Directors as the founding Zone 1 Region Director and is the current 2017-2018 Secretary.

Working to foster stronger ties between the AIA, regional architects and governments in the MENA region, Sherif and the Board seek to foster an understanding of the differences in professional practices between the US and Middle East; promote US training and design approaches; facilitate international recognition of US professional architectural credentials; and foster communications between the AIA and its members who work and reside in the Middle East.

With a rich and diverse experience in the USA, London and the GCC, Sherif relocated to Abu Dhabi from Boston in 2008 and is actively involved in projects in both Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia. With more than 27 years experience working in Architecture, Interior Design and Urban Planning, his work ranges from residential and commercial buildings to academic and institutional facilities, all of which possess the qualities that make any type of project successful, attractive, sustainable, and most importantly, livable. Sherif is also a member of the Boston Society of Architects and a registered licensed architect in the State of Massachusetts.

Mr. Anis received a Bachelor of Architecture from Syracuse University School of Architecture.

2015 President
Associate at SOM

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Tannar Whitney is a Project Architect with significant experience on large scale mixed use and civic projects both domestically in the United States and internationally.  Mr. Whitney has a leadership role in guiding projects from Pre-concept through Final Design, ensuring continuity of design intent through to detail execution.  As an Associate for Skidmore, Owings and Merrill’s New York office, Mr. Whitney came to the UAE in 2010 to manage the Sheikh Khalifa Medical City project in Abu Dhabi.  During the ensuing 5 years, he has been instrumental in growing the firm’s Middle East practice and has worked on a range of building types in the United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain.

Prior to developing expertise in the Middle East market, Mr. Whitney was the Technical Coordinator for the expansion of JFK Airport’s International Terminal 4 in New York City, and earlier in his tenure with SOM, he was an integral part of the design group for super-tall and mixed-use developments in the Asia Pacific region; most notably SOM’s Digital Media City Tower in Seoul, Korea.

Mr. Whitney is currently a point person for SOM’s headquarter office in New York managing clients and monitoring project progress from SOM’s branch location in Abu Dhabi.  He collaborates with local partners, ensures projects obtain approvals and effectively manages the coordination process between the Architecture team and local consultants, while traveling to throughout the region as required.

Additionally, Mr. Whitney previously worked as a Designer for firms in Los Angeles, CA and in Honolulu, HI.  Mr. Whitney has taught as an Assistant Studio Professor at Columbia University in New York and given presentations in the Middle East on select SOM Projects and a range of other topics.

Mr. Whitney is a Registered Architect in the state of New York and a LEED Accredited Professional.  He holds a Master of Architecture degree from Columbia University in New York and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Economics and History from the University of California, Berkeley.

Tannar was AIA Middle East's 2015 President, and has previously held positions as AIA ME 2014 Vice-President and AIA ME 2013 Treasurer.

2014 Past President

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Loay holds a Master in Architecture degree from USC. He is one of the founding members of the Saudi Green Building Council, a part-time Instructor at Effat University, and a frequent critic at King Abdul-Aziz University.

Loay Quota, Has held the position of Country Representative for KSA and also Continuing Education Director at the AIA ME chapter and currently is a board member at the Saudi Umran Society, Jeddah Chapter.

Loay carries twenty years of experience in architecture and interior design in Saudi Arabia and the United States. Working as an architect in the United States and Saudi Arabia, his experience ranges through an array of building types both international and local; ranging from residential, educational, commercial buildings to institutional facilities.

In 2008, Loay founded his own architectural practice “Architectural Projections”, a firm based in Jeddah, KSA. In 2012 the Middle East Architects Awards shortlisted the firm for "The Best Boutique firm in the Middle East". Several projects by the firm have also won similar acclimations.

2013 President
Design Manager at Gulf Related

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A founding member of the AIA Middle East Board of Directors, Sherif has served as the Chapter's Treasurer, Secretary, Vice President and was the 2013 President. In addition to his role on the Executive Committee as Vice President, Sherif is also the Fundraising Director. Recently Sherif served on the AIA International Board of Directors serving as the MENA Region Zone Director.

Working to foster stronger ties between the AIA, regional architects and governments in the MENA region, Sherif and the Board seek to foster an understanding of the differences in professional practices between the US and Middle East; promote US training and design approaches; facilitate international recognition of US professional architectural credentials; and foster communications between the AIA and its members who work and reside in the Middle East.

With a rich and diverse experience in the USA, London and the GCC, Sherif relocated to Abu Dhabi from Boston in 2008 and is actively involved in projects in both Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia. With more than 24 years experience working in Architecture, Interior Design and Urban Planning, his work ranges from residential and commercial buildings to academic and institutional facilities, all of which possess the qualities that make any type of project successful, attractive, sustainable, and most importantly, livable. Sherif is also a member of the Boston Society of Architects and a registered licensed architect in the State of Massachusetts.

Mr. Anis received a Bachelor of Architecture from Syracuse University School of Architecture.

Founding President - 2011 & 2012
Design Advisor at Government of Qatar

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Thierry Paret, FAIA is an American Architect with 24 years of experience working for leading practices in the USA, Ireland, and the UAE. He has both won and been a finalist in International Architectural Design competitions. Thierry is a published architect who has worked on project types ranging from master planning to commercial, cultural, mixed-use, pharmaceutical, research, retail and residential. He founded the American Institute of Architects Chapter for the Middle East and North Africa and served as its first President from 2010 to 2012. He currently is the Director and Treasurer for the AIA International Region.

In 2014 the American Institute of Architects elevated Thierry Paret to its prestigious College of Fellows. This honor is bestowed to architects who have made a significant contribution to architecture and society and who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession.  

Thierry previously sat on the AIA National Membership Committee, AIA International Chapter Committee and the National Board Community Committee.  His leadership qualities in the profession are known both in the United States and the Middle East.

In 2012 Thierry Paret was honored to be listed as the 41st most influential person in the Middle East and North African construction industry by the Construction Week Magazine Power 100. That same year he was also voted the 16th most influential architect in the Middle East by Architect Middle East Magazine.

Mr. Paret is a registered architect in New York, Nevada, Oklahoma, Utah, the Republic of Ireland and is also a LEED accredited professional. He currently is a design advisor for the government of Qatar.