10 – 12 November 2026
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Dubai World Trade Centre Sheikh Saeed Halls 1, 2 & 3
Hamza Ansar
Founder - Holistiq
Hamza Ansar, an economics graduate turned entrepreneur, discovered his passion for problem-solving during an unplanned four-year gap before graduate school — a detour that shifted his trajectory from a traditional MBA path to a specialized degree in Entrepreneurship at USC Marshall.
During his time teaching an entrepreneurship club to over 3,000 students across three years, Hamza found his purpose in education. He recognized a critical gap between students’ career aspirations and their undocumented co-curricular experiences — an insight that led to the founding of Holistiq, an AI-driven platform that helps schools plan, track, and report co-curricular learning.
In a short span of time, Hamza has grown Holistiq into a cash-flow-positive edtech company now operating across 10+ countries and scaling rapidly throughout the GCC and Southeast Asia. The company was also named a finalist in a major category at this year’s GESS Awards, recognizing its innovation in transforming how schools measure holistic development.
Speaker Sessions
GESS Talks Live
1628
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Educators at the Core of Innovation: Embedding Human Skills in the AI Era [hosted by the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation]
Session Summary:
As automation accelerates, educators play a pivotal role in equipping learners with the World Economic Forum’s “skills on the rise”—critical and creative thinking, leadership, emotional intelligence, and resilience and adaptability. While advances in AI expand what can be automated or optimized, they underscore the need for teachers to intentionally cultivate the higher-order human capacities—creativity, empathy, and moral discernment—that technology cannot replicate.
Drawing on insights from the World Economic Forum, OECD’s Education Framework, and Harvard Business School, this panel explores practical tools and strategies for educators to embed future-ready skill development in everyday teaching. Discussion will highlight how AI-literacy resources, digital assessment tools, and project-based learning credentials can help teachers design meaningful, human-centered learning experiences that prepare students for the future of work.
Participants will leave with ideas about actionable, evidence-informed tools to integrate into their practice—empowering educators to lead innovation in classrooms and beyond.
Speakers:
Nesma Farahat
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Senior Manager - Head of Programs - Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation
